Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-05-29

heCOrtO0 a
of this nature | never knew good feeling come
from it, or an honest friendship made by it il
only entices men, and ruins them it is only a
phantom of friendship and feeling, called up by
the derious blood, and the wicked spells of the
wine.
But to drop this strain of moralizing lin which
the writer is not too anxious to proceed, for he
cuts in it a most pitifu hgure,) we passed sundry
criticisms upon poor Attwood'S character, eX-
pressed our horror at his death. which sentiment
was fully approved by Mr.. fps, who declared
that the notion of it made him feel quite faint,
and was obliged to drink large glass OF brandy;
and, finally, we agreed that we would so and
see the poor fellows corpse and witness, if me-
eessary, his burial.
propose this visits he did not mind the fifteen
francs which Jack owed him for billiards, but
that he was anxious to get back his pistols. Ae-
cordingly, we sailed forth. and speedily arrived
at the hotel which Atwood inhabited still.
He had occupied, for time, very fine apart
meuts in this house; and it was only on arriving
there that day, that we found he had been grad
: uay driven from his magnificent suite of rooms,
au premier, to little chamber in the fifth story:
we mounted, and found him.
1t twas little shabby room, with few articles
of ricketty furniture and bed in an alcove; the
light from the one window was falling full upon
the bed and the body.
Jack was dressed in fine lawn shirt; he had
kept it, poor fellow, to de an; for, in all his
drawers and cupboards, there was not single
article of clothing; he had pawned everything by
which he could raise penny-desk, books,
dressing-cas and clothes; and not a single half
penny found in his possession
He was lying, one hand on his breast, the
other falling towards the ground. There was ex-
preston of perfect calm on the face, and no mark
of blood to stain the side towards the light. On
%bnot how ,la how thnro yraS ,op1
of black blood, and in it the pistol; it looked
more like toy than weapon to take away the
life of this vigorous young man. In his forehead,
at the side, was SMALL black wound; Jacks
life had passed through it; it was little bigger than
amole.
Regards I'm pe,e," said the landlady, 'Mes-
sieurs, lima gate trorS mateiaS, ct IL me dot
quaraate qtatre francs"
This was all his epitaph: he had spoiled three
mattresses, and owed the landlady four and-for
ty francs. In the whole world there was not
soul to love him or lament him. We, his friends,
were looking at his body more as an object of Gu
rosity, watching it with kind of interest with
which one follows the fifth act of tragedy, and
leaving it with the same feeling with which one
leaves the theatre when the play is over and the
curtain is down.
Beside Jacks bed on his little s'table de mutt, )"
lay the remains of his last meal, and an open
letter. which we read. 1t was from one of his
suspicious acquaintance of former days and
thus:
'sOu es tn, cher Jack why you not come and
see me-tu me dois de l'argent entends tn ?-un
chapeau, une cachemire, a box at the Play. Viens
domain sor je t'attendrai at eight o'clock, Pas
sage DIES Panoramas. My Sir IS at his country.
Adieu demain,
ssFIFINE
"Samedi.'
y
Ishuddered as walked through this very
Passage des Panoramas, in the evening. The
girl was there pacing to and fro and looking in
the countenance of every passer by, to recognise
Atwood. ''ADIEU A DEMAIN !''-there was a
dreadful meaning in the words, which the writer
of them little knew. ''Adieu a demain ~ the
morrow was come, and the soul of the
poor suicide was now in the presence of God
[ dare not think of his fate; for, except in the
fact of his poverty and desperation, was he worse
than any of u.s. his companions who had shared
his debauches, and marched with him up to the
very brink of the grave
There is but one more circumstance to relate
regarding poor Jack-hs burial; it was of a
piece with his death.
He was nailed into paltry coffin, and buried
at the expense of the ACCOMPLISHMENT, in nook
of the burial place, beyond the Barriere de
iEtoile. They buried him at six o'clock, of
bitter winters morning, and it was with difficult
.
read service over his grave. The three men
who have figured in this history, acted as Jacks
mcurnerS; and as the ceremony was to take place
so early in the morning, these safe up the
night through, and were almost drunk, as they
followed his coffin to its resting place.
MORAL.
s.When we turned out in our great coats, " said
one of them afterwards, ''reeking of cigars and
brandy and-water, de, sir, we quite fright
ened the old buck of a parson; he did not much
like our company" After the ceremony was con-
Guided, these gentlemen were very happy to get
home to a warm and comfortable breakfast, and
finished the day royalty at Frascat's.
in order to account for these trivial details, the
reader be told that the story is, for the chief
part, fact. The letter likewise copy from
one found in the manner described.
THE MIeHrY THREE.-Clay, Calhoun, Web
ster.-The Washington correspondent of the
Charleston Mercury in his letter of the 9Th instant
writes as follows;
ssAnother of the great lights of our generation is
fast passing away to the land of shadows. Hen
ry Clay is dying, and thrill must pass through
every heart at the announcement of the fact
Though his decline has been so gradual that the
public mind should have been prepared for it, still,
like Calhoun, Henry Clay seems to possess so I'M
bounded vitality, the spirit seemed so much
stronger than the flesh, that the tidings, come
when they might would give a shock aud excite
surprise. OF the mighty three who have so iden-
titled themselves with the history of this country
since the war of 1912 down to the present hour,
Webster will be the sole survivor But
their works will survive them, and though the an
cry storms of passionate controversy and party
hate ragged and roared around them during their
political pigrimages yet, when death has set its
seal uOOn them. their countTymen must award to
all of them the need of high intellect directed to
high aims and prompted to lofty aspirations.-
When Calhoun died, revulsion of feeling took
place throughout the whole country, and tardy
recognition of the true majesty of his character,
and the heantv of bis whole Life. WAS wrnnu from