The Sumter banner. (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, March 14, 1849, Image 1
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Ai Z-c~t
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*~~~~ 4A,*:~Vi~f
4 eve~
HO ~ ILAOY
*~0 0? I
Shall the
0like
9 nmi adterb~w h
f-earthl e fn.
iehot as a
ant a lesson for
Sol i itand
0 ~ py or sccesse
inyste 6nc
cor rectly eX
d ight on the
In of-the uiost
Kentucky. His
9, '4dle6d in the tenderest
hisy6uth rocked in' the
. In the course of
,txeirdeafo hearty,
i1iAilabor. A pale;
thilelientoconstitu.
ovinge.yes the mistaken
of parents could not brook
his exposure to the rude
mlements. 'The health
:b a not suffered to
iis'froknhis cheek. The
Ta-mst notsaturato the pores
~sn The cold bracing
TW"'not freoin passing, to
breathto frost. What
* o o sm'uch effeminate
s tii~ ' We record wht
e 6huia plant
in, but. slight,
y we4 as a wo
he fitting age, he
ugh the usual fashionable
Sa d was thus banned the privil.
air and "dry light' for
r. The alms matres
w ha notthon learned-have
txo earned-to recognise the exis
as gel ts ou4. They
o acin their exorcises for
j4 e of amaterial organs.
~hey491derive the true syatem of
' fifro oulion sense,then
ihose same old..Greek
*L W .ms which they cram away
t01he-tumories -of their pupils, with as
lriO'fIkh~'* "fproit, t employ no
In the world a palmy
na e model men flourished
earxid after death as gods,
sidiut"od n the shade of
ajfiailng the burdens , of
dividing its honors. That
ethod. Man ia'lsduidi
r di h~~3 prt: hence his
n a esiseg the vicious
ff~f~ispia ed its
ngforms,
W $~ $uliarcharacter of his
s.From, his ear
1~ #I~e5appears to have -corn
b~sed? uilese activiy of thought with
~~ci~ot ~ruirie superiori
~IlpiJi is iger and purer
s~.~ Hence, notwithstanding his con
I o y n p
~ 16 ipies an gauated with
pstfle rotfed frorm
-y aripeoscholar, thoroughly
s rpinies off rofound
1oningy;~ burning with
rpatience to ebr the -lists "of
ei~hire giant minds
* jiwpttiur. In the south
ed~ 4it~'tion has ever
~ '~ T~x~dilhwost said thie
4SitO fame and fortune.
~haho~j~1 ~esno pofwhile the
wor4V~ks '4tm, Ciy, and
a re lispe before the alphabet
~y4~ychild from Carolina to rkan
Te'pourtshouse-isathe anterdoom
ttho ch mbersrof politics.
i )i aliil poi!er, by in
M~il fiodxis the determined son
v dod in tuilistering the
~tJ~b$1~ nce oin a single
f ~ i4# hdebut in one of the
4eoaassthat over'oocurred
copida of criminal proceedings
a-to romantlo that its thrilling incidents
ehbasis of a novel, in
lors of naked nature.1
y be tol4 In aisentenice:
48 a voluwenfooin4%eue s tli
oneef-flie~. ior oldshn r
n4 wasat fren cote g'ile t W1
g6a vnee a rdfi t&e aselkma-hi .1
-oecidi~nateoH beeuenoa.Qe elioa
quittalo~thiinfaead ~uinda
bajtl reelte esetyodo h ds nrd d
ia n etat fercne ontst-ou o uto 1l
aW aiuin toit uoierge ate of ela a
'hem'int to be ure, err.GThe -
nanqetti-agedntof thepud utime
~~~~M4 lijtoqopiyoe'te aeo tn
ight ezeuse,. if it could; not wholly t
justify, this general comkniseratio. 3
'The beautiful thoegh erring wife shared t
her husband's dungeon, and omnmitted. e
suicide the day of his .execution; and a
now, and henceforth till the end of ti~ae, f
by the previous irish of both, felded in 8
eachi other's armS they. sleep1 without a
dreams of the past or visions of the fu- E
ture, in the cold* and quiet bridal i
bed of the grave! t
The celebrity of the 'uvenile orator c
was thus firmly establ'sed, and the en- f
tire valley of the Mnississippi, like the a
hollow-of some vast trumpet, was filled e
with the breath of his fame. The re- i
port of the trial was, published. The t
press took it up and wafted it oni the 't
wingu of the *mnd till every town . and V
hamlet,1 heard the name ofLacy. i
Me V delight to woship ie rising star,- o
but few will ivedp when .it sets intthe il
sea. Even as he left the forum, crowds a
of admirers gathered around. him with c
cheering congratulations, and attended a
him in a sort triumph to his hotel.- e
The tongue of flattery whispered in his a
ear that the splendor 'of his renown 1t
would soon eclipse the polar luminaries,
Clay and Webster. Such in jnse to t
the heart of young ambition- - inore a
grateful than any spicy odors of "Araby I
the blest." Oh! how long and wide t
and glittering then was the vista of hope, e
viewed through the mist of a future that t
seemed to sweep almost half an are in C
the great circle of Eternity! f
But the first defeat trod close on the c
heels of the first victory. The victory 1
was an achievement of pure soul, as the -
defeat wvas a necessary result of the un- .i
developed body. He had expended an (
immense amount of nervous energy, I
that mysterious oil of life, in his oratical z
effort, and the excitement of the occas- i
ion having passed away, an ominous re- (
action followed, and lhe was 'd with c
a dangerous illness that n proved i
fatal. Had his sinews been eviously i
hardened by healthy exercise-had his t
heart before learned to pant with the t
hot pulses of toil-this misfortune had 1
not happened. Alas!.it was but the t
mournful type of his ddstiny ever aften a
an incessant war between the clay and., I
the spirit-between the freil muso ind I
the iron will.
Strange, however, as it may seem, he '
did not hunself look hack with gloom or
~regret on this first prophetic fever,
which, in his ease contmued to be the I
invariable consequence of the bodily1
exhaustion caused by his brilliant bursts
of eloquence-for the sorrow was sweet- I
ened in his memory by a beautiful andI
touching incident, to which, in follow- t
ing days, he never alluded without a
flow of dolicioue tears. Let me give it
in liis. own language, re'peated so often
in those dear departed evenings of so- I
cial converse, that I have every word
by heart:
"I had bean sick only a short time,
when the' rumor ran that I was dying,
and a crowd collected to witness .the
spectacle. I was speechless, hut still
had tho use of my senses, and was con
seious of the -general impression as to
my state. Among the throng that
came rushing into my room was a face]
the brightest, and most enchanting over I
beheld before or since. It was like the
sudden vision of an angel just arrived
from , Paradise, or as if one of those i
glorious dygms of my early childhood e
had been embodied in a living form, all I
beauty to theoyo, all perfection to the
faney, whe emotion produced by her
look, as she gazed sadly where I lay
that first look, with its two gem like
tears-can never be expressed. I felt '
as if my side were opening to let in a a
stream of- heavenly starlint, gushing
* duo the 'lofsedenciiit
mjuit have s~b 'wie.16
deenhim rT*b6 U
Aislaharacter.'
-When thero wae sonoe
6.wrong to attack4,idPoue A
tim of persecution i6t
forum wvas overfloiing witha aeo x
citedlife, and the bar lashed.41t d
-then was the time to sbeandd
the god-like intellect aun ieaesi Cof
thg man. When hisglooks dere'More
eloqiuent than other ynen's lodidesataln
guagei and his tones had a dsid tliai
drewar as a lancet doth bloodifid
the-frown of his pale browicould blanch
thoblack foreheadof perjuryitillit gro
aler than his own-then no
mi htseeba and doubt his MriaethW
en soule great nmoi'al qestq
was debated in the dra-.rdoon
when the ptisoned arrowe,. ae
launched at reigioa, orthe ghtrtil-l
lery of a doubt'asileveled atvirtub,
liberty, or equalityeradispaiaging e
mark was utteredagainst theiasse,
or the daggerztopgueoftsc n1 ditted'
at fenale. reputation-.-oh!then wo
the time to see Jini n good in thought
and glorious in free: speech'forof al
mankind,:in common confveratiolie
was perhaps the most eloquent, andn
so because he was the most truthf
and paid the least tribute to the tyra y
of opinion, that most detestable of all t'
rannies the sun ever saw. When itfriend
was in distress. and needed either.Is
voice orhismoney--whenap oo beggar
held out her lean hand foroarity-or
rather when that victim of a villain's
wiles, whom he had formerly known in
the days of her wealth, beauty, aiid puri
ty, met 'aim in the streets of New Or
leans, o.ad, he: gave her his last cent ,in
the w ld, and thus enabled the fallen
oo to.r ;Oin herhome ye then was
the time t., have seen him good in deed
a4 well as in thought.
When beast bytthe fre hil. long
witer evenings, and unbosomed his
soul to a companion who duld undo
stimd him,and hlbis eniotions and ideas
became transparent. as .crystal; when
his morning memories of heeand -am
bition flew back again out of the waite
of years, from the unforgotten past, like
lost' angels despoiled of their.- purple
plumes; when he spoke of his -youthful
plans, so lofty,..faded out in dreams and
vanished into the air;- how he "uirposed
to win a fame as wido.as the worl and
immortal as humanity, and all for the
benefit of humanity in the world; how
he would exhaust his fortune when ao
quired, and employ his renown when
won, iu the grand work of rational . r
forms; how he would level, 4ot bypul
ling down the high mountains, but by
elevating the lowly valleys, so as to
make -the social and political earthone
Common table-land, soaring away yp in
die pute ether, accessible to the dews
and sunshiin'; and fnuch nekter the stari
-and how all hope had failed him, be
cause his body hadi not re6eited an, edu
cation to match with thti of his intol,
lect; and then .when he returne 4to
his wife, absent in heaven, and his vpice
grow hollow and husky, ad be clasped
his bony haands over his eyed, a'nd fis
hot tears fell trickling through his fing
ers--then, oh! then was the time to see
Ihim, and be sure ho was most unhappy!
All who hav'e seen him thus~, or . at
either of those three times, or in either
of those moods, have but one opdnon as
to the man-that America neveN pro
duced a greater or a better man,; had
the earth in his organization only equal
led the spirit whichi it fri I s og
fettered.fr so n
But now ho is free. After 4eath the
obsture a~re all free. rerhapiltjs #v
en happier thus than had his passionate
wish been accorded, and had Fame
been given the pride of Ambition--br
the famous are never free. Alas! for
the world's reformers, after death their
very names must still serve the'unholy
task-masters of slander,or their.chatac
ters may be misunderstood by-the mas,
ses for whom they labored, orthe fm'e
gold of uaeir doctrines shall be coun
Fterfeited by canting hypocrites. Fame,
instead of being always a wreath of rosy
light, as credulous fancy paints it, is
too often a crown of torturing fire, that
burns the brain of the living and black
ens the memory of the dead. that 'ohl
sleep-inspiring Lothe, thy soothing wa
ters, never a fiction, are at last the sole
cordial which cures all pain, and gives
the life-weary rest till the dawn of
another morning!
THE~ PRESENT WINTE.--Dr. Rob
bins, Librarian of the Hartford Athen
eum, (Conn.) now over 80yeauof age,
has kept a record of the weather froma
hisyouth up, and acknowledges thatthe
present wintorbeats allformerones withe
mn his recollection, for the et of its
coldnes as-maeasuird by thethermosmote.
wgppintygpac4 izalvetQe likei thd
hihie of 1tne iq r whisper saidl61i
pn~allusdantheeffect ofa
artial- iiriuin;causeb fer; but
ylpy6 .ws rao llusiooi,-and the voice
ltered oracle whhhfast subsequen
lyer d. nteeapotnoly paint that
er thst fce and queenly form :he
xhag 14 usleirships, ;and wealth)
A e-eom'she as poorjand. had ex.
. eicd misfortune which the world
rill apsiboud not over
ok. His eads never forgave him
kto that unpqual marriage. He cared
at.,$e supplied d e for him the
laceoall fritidship,; beauty, and
oodness. -Indeed, her love and:devo
ongPrrted e40omplete equation witb
W ng eriffectionin its strength
nd tenderness seemed maternal as well
a conjugal Sheswas musculat, state
r-.an earthly, Juno; and during his
aonthly: attacks of disease, bore him
bouthabituaily in: her arms; or cradled
im in her lap, as if he. were a: child
>r he was almost a, child, both in the
reakUess and delicacy of his frame. .
A pathetic anecdote will illustrate
10n'oble feelings which actuated this
redded pair through life. While prae
sing at the bar ofNaslville, Lacy re
eived the fe of a. thousand dollars te
ppear in a great criminal cause. Be
)re going home, he went to a jeweller's
hop, and laid out the entire sum for a
uperb diamond necklace for his wife.
he wore the costly present with all the
ride of a woman for she was ;hen ex
remely fond of dress. When the
Mae- came on for trial, he opened
ith one of his magnificant displays, a
un-burnrt of light and fire; but, at the
ad f half an hour, fainted away, and
ras carried to his hbG in a state of
arrible exhaustion. As soon as- the
rife beheld his condition, she uttered a
id cry, araid exclaiming "It is my fool.
Ih vamiCy which has-done this!" tore
If the glittering necklace and trampled
jewels under her feet, and no per.
4asion or entreaty by the husband
ould ever again induc her to wear any
ther than the cheapest and plainest of
lothing. She needed no other. Such
wife could not be adorned by a neck.
ice woven of stars!
The reader must perceive at a glance
bata abeing of such fragile mould as the
bove incident proves Lacy to have
eon, could not hope for success in ei,
ier the walks of forensic or political
mbition; and yet lie was so constituted
Ilat he could not rest without some sort
f superiority. By the advice of
riends he turned his attention to anoth
r field. General Jackson, who loved
im as a son, gave him letters of strong
econaimendation to the leading men 01
Lrkansas, then about to organize a state
;ovornment. This might be said to
ave been equivalent to . blank 6oim
iis3ion for office, and accordingly he
ras elected a judge of the Supreme
0ourt. His exquisite literary taste,
ombined with his studions habits and
eop learning, rendered his written op
lions models of judicial truth and beau.
y' that might have reflected credit on
he reports of any civilised land, while
is popular manners and stainless repu
ation made him for a while the univer
al favorite. Two untoward e'infs,
owever, happened to darken his pros
ects', and drive him from that bench oi
rhich ho was the sole ornament. He
ras caued by a ruffian duellist of her
ulean strength, and had the moral
outage afterwards not to seek revenge
a the bl9od of his foe. '.Lhis was an un
ardonable disgriee in the view of th<
ltrkansas codo of honor. Bunt more
atal to his fame still was a decisior
to delivered in favor the Real Estatt
3ank, a private corporation that the
egislature absurdly supposed they hai~
he constitutional power to break down
for his opinion to the reverse-an opin
on which was highly complimented b~
)hancellor Kent and Judge Story-thi
ame enraged body of law-makers at
empted to remove himi by address
rudge Lacy anticipated the measure o
ils enemies by a resignation, and sooi
oettled in New Orleans.
Here lhe lost hi wife-an event whichl
brew over hi. affectionate spirit a cloew
if despair that clung to him till the last
le dad without children. As a blas
ed tree stripped of its verdure, its saj
ione, its tru'ik nakod,its branches bare
rith no green ivy-wreath twini arouni
t, goes orashing to the earth beneatl
ho force of a.single thunder stone, h<
erished by the pestilence which hath
~osimile,save the lightning's stroke, t<
xpress at once its powe~d its prompt
ess-the cholera
We said at thr outset that Judg<
. Lacy was egreat and good, but no
successful or happy, man. We hav<
tot the spacc in this brief sketch to ad
of kil
un -
01 ~
rentApUWwtis)
sa a
T n' y.0
andgdeful orn
SJtfisat '- S t i
O P o a aa, h i- * - f. ' .
tyO t~hitad!1.. . .
'Polkhe a s,'fe l
utm n
- ia.s.
biy r6par eh ho
Thmis ImepNr4 k 7rjititt0 %14 mW -
cvomoedo reRAY-.dt eMe
moxeriistadtmsin~rdersgutbessad gi
anir hs eyrsef b tiinoi
tain ig a ery i ot e t
our~~ ~~ Ua-0,ruphro*
edforsouilble q ino
tdoe sod r fainiithi ~qdinni
tttthe shwrhdfhij n6d*ar
upon~I thIedo
i derehappyo er ps
Temose goopngo b
forn PreAentidile4& &wd
amidst va bila "o l n b~
edr 6 n6:h.Jo6 thA st19
cdinib ite C
er posi id and eto h 6frAm
wreSu.rce s--aV 'o
apdromp mnrPth* MCI' ar"th
apoeseof ahin
eflcorowrs
thei , ar cei edtery P:,
war, and o hos.*hotby iponupr
oum izn--a' die agifstion aY
qestoreourdeSan ii6r6
upon theand noi ra
ewury --t of pl thw'nN#" at~ m
rtio happya to fbpeil tiOl d
lorf wich .wlaynu ii
n o niedg'nd'#&g.er
.-otribsfce abMo th 'hs
crdivhidu ies t " '
juatoben -tneato th ' . v wio.
oarg ndathefaUnat~ilta or 'ie
scitution and uolpn orhor
oT oi2he&YiiEvenong Ptj sle o
qhe st abltion o anns idtfpc
$edte, thus tlpmd is
eprgres of thnern 'dni
mae-notiteutiion.U~j~'vu~
thisels ragasd dlosioa ish 4IPt
wy he lo-tdgi hiptr& u beI
uoste poorsisu e hui w
dos hasa ih t 6'fe aiodo th ot
leio b hiblhrand Wflurhtr
try s he oted ja~Y~Wl s V
pailrletehld uji he bhW*iil4
ldu oatle ty an . don M ttk' . >
I~rn ho* '
NORTHER