The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-12-31
Washington.

Correspondence OF the Hsrald)
WASHINGTON, Thursday, Dec. 18th, lS43
Singular Movements of Ole Bull an Baltimore
and Washing ton-His Sayings aud Doings
JAMES GORDON BENNETT, ESQ.,
DEAR SIR
Not knowing how much or little you may be dis
posed to publish about Ole Bull, | will just write
you free and easy letter about him, and you will
do with it what you like.
| | have had repeated interviews with him here at
Washington, intimately and freely. He perform
ed here last evening to very crowded and most
| fashionable audience-who were enraptured of
course. He did arrive from Baltimore last
ing until the evening train-6 l-2 o'clock. No one
knew the reason. After the performance | called
on him, and ascertained that he had been arrested
in Baltimore at the suit of Mr. Schuberth. The de-
scrption of his arrest, given by Mr.. Bull him.
self, is sufficiently amusing 1t was in the morn
ing, (of Wednesday, having performed the previous
evening at Baltimore. He was Just sitting down to
breakfast, previous to his departure in the
| Tap-tap-tap at the door-"Come in" In walk
ed stout, burly, rough looking fellow-'T amp
said the stranger-"I am-hem!-I am-sir''-
'EVell, who de Tevil am you % said Ole Bull-''T
m-sr-the Sheriff" And here Mr. Bull marched
across the floor, hemmed, and hawed-blowed his
|
coat-and laid himself of in chair, with his legs
extended-with most irresistible humor In lmita-
ton of Mr.. "Ego sum Sheriff" 81 am come to
arrest you-you are my prisoner"-sald the Sheriff.
''Vell dem you go to my lawyer--he tell you all
about it''-"and here" said Mr.. Bull "with an
affectation of Indifference vlch did not feel-for
| wanted to tear him [making the violent motion
OF laceraton] all to pleces-l turned round and
made blief for to eat mine sassenge." "But you
must go with me )" said the Sheriff. 81 could eat
nothng-so !yent wild him to de house ofReverdy.
| the manner In which "Ego sum Sheriff. laid him
self off in Mr.. Johnson's parlor, would move dy-
ing saint TO laughter. Mr.. B. initiated him-strut-
ted across the 1oor-splt upon the carpet whstled,
by, in all humility, Watching vat would coome."
| The amount of it was, that Mr.. Johnson disposed
of the ego sum Sheriff. in short order, by HIM
self becoming bail for Mr.. Bulls appearance at
when the trial comes off Mr.. Meyer is Schuberth's
lawyer. Ole Bull says, 'sReverdy Johnson is every
inch man." He feels most excessively annoyed
and impatiently vexed with Schuberth.
l win here state that tonight (Thursday) Ole
Bull performs at RichmOnd-Frlday night at Pitts
burgh-Saturday night at Richmond again. On
Tuesday following he will arrive in Charleston,
where he will perform on "Wednesday and
Friday. On the 18th, 10Th and 2lst he will
| perform at New Orleans, and on the oath,
26th, and 2sth,- at Mobile. After. that. you
will find him at Havana, whence he will again re-
visit in time to be at his trial in Baltimore. No
thing would do but | must promise to be there IN
May to report his trial for the Herald
l don't know that shall tell you any thing now
but will add few particulars of this most extra
ordinary genius. He is SO years DID, has wife
and three children In Paris, and his name is Ole
B. Bull; not CLAUS, nor ever was. His physical
structure Is most remarkable-broad shoudered,
chest which almost amount to mal-formation.
His waist is small, and thought he wore corse's
but he stripped to undeceve me, also to
show me that he wore no adventurous " expan-
Icinn NJ chpCt HIg oh PQ a N
nous heart He Is light OF weight. But what as
tonished me most of all is the most extra
ordinary. muscular developments of his arms
and hands. One would suppose that his hands
ought to be delicate, and tender, and small but
not so they are large, very bony, and apparently
clumsy, and very muscular in fact, you will rarely
ever see blacksmith oarsman with such de-
velopments of the muscles of the arms. When he
I holds out his arms Tor you to examine, you find
that from shoulder TO fingers ends they feel like
iron-hard, rigid, infiexbe with your utmost
strength, and with the nerve and spring of stee
trap. In conversation he exhibits continual out
breaks of good-humored nervous exctabiity, such
as you rarely meet with. He often taps his head
r with his fingers, as though he felt a consuming
In dis world widou enthusiasm; he must ave de
mania people will tlnk he ish mad he must trow
his whole soul into his business or else he can't ex-
cell" In further conversation he said g MY motto
is, Vita be2um---belum ptta-(energetically--vi
est beltum' | will conquer all will never rest. y
" But" said |, you have already conquered. "
F" o. said he, p" no mean IN music; have anu
der object in de view; | follow it look at it,
Just you look at de leetle light glimmer through
de trees in de night you try to get to it," (imi-
tating the in which, in the dark, one seeks
light d0 S, si this way and that S the
object which you have in view % Here he re-
lapsed into melancholy-a appeared absorbed in
thought and said he could not tell me. Sc But dc
you know, yourselfP' (Brightenlng up)---" o.
yyesp' His manner almost affected me to tears,
and could not but feel drawn towards this mys-
FERROUS, yet simple child of the North. What his
secret is know not. / told him he made me feel
sad, for thought he must be burning, consuming
away, like the candle to which | pointed and |
feared his life would be short ii excited.
"Oh | like it!' said he, with enthusiasm spark
ling In his eyes. Some peoples" replied " re-
you will live your three and ten years IN halt
that time" go, yes! that's it, that's 1t | Will
like to live seventy years in de ten" found that
he is exceedingly temperate in all his habits eat
ing little, and drinking strong liquors, and
barely tasting his wine. The more he works the
E less he eats. He is indebted for his extraordinary
! muscular development of arms not to severe exer
else, but to some, to me lnexphcable, principle o.
the nervous temperament | discovered from hi:
frequent Latin quotations that he was very gooc
classical scholar, and well acquainted with " 1ttyr
tu pat,elae recnbdns sub teg mine tagt"- Ar1nd o,
rumque camo Ifyae gui pr1nus ab aris''-"Qnoas
que TANDEM, abutcre e Catalina, patentia nostra"-
Nc &c. The mathematics he said he never wa
fond of l remarked TO him that he was to me
Noiy oui anu original genius, ana mat ne ma
Interested me exceedingly-and / would like t
study HIM tor about SIX months. He laughed yer
heartily at the idea which he supposed / had that
could understand him in SIX months study-for h
| said he was an enigma to himself, which he neve
| expected to understand. But still he followed tn,
| bent OF his own mind-hls own ways-imiang nc
oIeIand at the same time uttering sentiment
| which pleased me much" will not pc a stranger
to myself" as he would be if he were to follow
| and initiate other people.
He begged me to make his apologies to you fol
| have no time to wrie-l am eder in dc cars or in
| de teatre all de time" He remembers you with
| great gratitude and kindness. He never forgets
| his friends | hardly knew how 10 tear myself
away from him, so much did he interest me-
| Youknow of course that Ole Bulls object in hur-
ryng fast through the country is anticipate the
| French artists