The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-04-24
4 QUEER CHARACTER.


Main and Pearl streets, generally known az
Lyle's corner, and which, as nobody knew
whence Il, came, many believed to have risen
out of the ground during the preceding night.
II was, to all appearances, small man, very
pale, and of an exterior not quite so promising
as he might be. The stranger had a stand
erected, and soon commenced auctjoneering
quantity of small wares, the uses Of which he
explained with volubility so amazing, that
he threw the book-man and the razor-strop
man completely in the shade. Never was any
human being SO blessed with the gift of the
CAB. Upon every fair day since that period,
he has regularly occupied the same stand, talk
ing with rapidity which defes all description,
generally for three or four hours at time, and
never seeming in the least exhausted. Nobody
seems to know who he is, where he came
from, or what is his name. With regard TO the
FIRST subject of curiosity, having exhausted all
our ingenuity in endeavoring to find it out, we
have almost come to the sage conclusion which
Byron arrived at with regard to Junius that
is that he is "nobody at ALL" With regard to
the second, we begin to believe that he came
from no where and with regard to the last, we
are doubtful whether he has any name at all.
Yet though no one knows what he is, he soon
took care to tell the crowd that always attends
his auctions, what he ought to have BEEN
" Gentlemen" said he, one day, "you may
think it degrading in a man of my talents to
engage in such small business as this
The fact is | ought to have been President of
the United States some time ago, but cross
accident or two diverted the current of my des-
tiny. In the meantime, men of far inferior
abilities have been occupying the place, which
nature destined for me.''
He takes care always to impress upon his
audience the fact that he is there for the pur-
pose of obtaining all the quarters he can get.
" Gentlemen" said he, on another occasion,
" a man passed by here the other day just as
was about to close. After listening to me for
few moments, he said, well, never heard
man of sense talk so much nonsense in my
life / will give you quarter, if you will come
down and stop it, Agreed, said |, and he hand
ed me over the quarter. So you see, gentle
men, made a quarter by my nonsense, and
that is more than many lawyer does"
On another occasion, two gentlemen having
stopped short time to listen TO what he had
to say, one of them endeavored to get the other
away, saying he only wants your quarter"
"as if every fool did not know that" replied
our original.
Day before yesterday, having probably made
better speculation than usual, he ayerred
that he had pocket full of quarters, and that
he felt as happy as though he were lying 'be-
tween two slices of ginger bread, end the queen
of Sheba was pouring molasses over him.
A few days before the rain set in, he said du-
ring one of his exhibitions, gentlemen, very
beautiful lady passed along here day or two
since, and stopped to listen. You may be sure
l put my best foot foremost. When she was
about to go, she asked what was the price. l
told her quarter. She handed over, and when
asked her to take something in exchange, she
replied, "Oh! you talk so pretty, thought
| was TO pay for listening
Great men will always have enemies, nor is
the great unkown an exception to the rule
The whole neighborhood, in which he is iru-
mortalizing himself, is in arms against him.
We suspected, at one time, that the little rolls
of paper which he sells, contained physic,
from the fact, that he has excited the vehement
wrath of two disting uished apo;hecaries resid-
ing just over the way. But we relinqushed
this notion when we found that certain gentle
men of the long robe, who hang out still near
hIffor in feir dopuncio-
tons of the illustrious stranger. We can &C.
count well enough, however, for the bitterness
of the latter. 1t proceeds from envy-from
sheer envy-and nothing else. His transcen.
dent gift OF the CAB throws every lawyer in the
city into the shade. Not one of them can talk
derful, therefore, that they should feel pro-
voked at seeing themselves outcome in their
own line. foiled at their own game, beaten with
their own weapons? But it is not these alone
whose dander he has stirred up. Every body
in the neighborhood, merchants, wholesale and
retail, brokers, proprietors of restoratives, bar
bers-all look upon him pretty much as they
do upon mad dog, or as. the law does upon pi-
rate. They regard him as sort Of kostis hu-
mani generis, that is, ito translate literally) a
foe to the interests of Lyle's corner.
In the meantime, the subject of all this in
dignation, either knows not, OF cares not, for
the vast amount of Indignation accumulated
agai MS, him.
Nothing he II reck if they let him talk on"
So they do not cut out his tongue, or gag
him, or cut off his quarters, ne does not care
the flash of pistol for all the curses that have
ever been invented, from the time of DR.. Stop
to the present day.
A Board Of Medical Examiners.
The Medical Society of Virginia, which has
been Incorporated by act of the Legislature.