New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-10-09
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

prRsONAL MEMOlRs AND RECoLLECTIUNs ..


This is an honest auto biography. No
one acquainted with its author vii ever accuse
him OF sn indisposi.ion to speak ms mih'' he
does not be heve with the famous treoch nan IhAS
the use of words is to conceal our thoughts.
e,sat nlainpess of speech vas the characteristic
Of his ,ditorial career. Fne same quality, soit-
en.d and refined indeed by removal rom the
,phere Of direct conflict, pevades these voian's'
Nor is the subject.matter devoid o. interest
TRANSPARENT revelation Of any human lie never
fails 10 be attractive to the general reader, no less
tn n to the philosophical student. In ta' case
the record is Of one VINO passed through sore
,tue,les 10 honorable distinction. Steepei 10
his lios in poverty from Childhood with no ad-
yaptsges of education except such as were anlIded
nv the hunblest village schools Of New England
nearly three quarters Of a century since-deyoted
IN the mechanical drudgery Of his craft, with the
a,,iduity of day -labOrer for long term Of years
never meeting with any Of those lucky hts WIN
which fortune loves to surprise her iayOrItes,-the
subj, ct of these memoirs literally fought his way
tbro ueh indulgence and obscurity to a leading raAA
among the public journalists OF Massachusetts
Mr.. buckingham was born in Winoham' OInn''
Dec, 81, l77o His father, Jealous friend OF tne
Rs,oluton. had devoted a handsome property To
the aid of the cause-ple dging his credit anu MS
estate. 1.-THE hard-e earned product OF twenty years
Of industry and economy in the purchase OF sup
niles for the army. He received his pay IN olus OF
the Continental currency and kept them 10 ms
desk till hundred dollars would not purchase
dinner for bis family. lie died IN llS3, leaving
oh, = thousand
NJ paper.mon-y that would hardly pay Tor his
winding sheet and cofho, aod a large amount Of
d, BIT incurred IN his purchases for the use OF the
army. Mr.. Buckns ham scrhes his recollec-
tons Of mis- father in the following grarh'c Pof'
tTsiiuTe
Ibsv, no other recollection Of my Gsshsr isoHs than
an noi,,inct icea OF 'ining on his Sne- aod nssns
him ain tor my diversion oat OF tho fatEeI eSGa ns
uietuTe Il fresh and vivid. Toe ssDsAiJn tn-t oi',
when carried into the I'm where 'ns opiy WAS ia'i
cut In its shroud shall never fy'get. The room WAS
oarkeseo Whistler by the closing VI Todo s-cdftains
or b. 4 cloudy atmosphere, | eAnnOt tell loo oody
| Ia, on = smooth board, which was places on atsole
The c eye ana the pale np even ins p'ans oa yes
,tlck around the me- h. (such az were taSn s0fD ~
| by men al d bucsled 90 she back ~ ihe nrcsl nov
form a, perfect iulsge IN my m-fnoy 90 ths oin IA
the sheet Of paper on which am "rilns W mo
neral toc my Iecolectiln 70 ao distinct the
II th- events Of toe Las, ~e+A ms olsc
s.anoibg before the DOOR The conin 10 glazed on y
covered Nth black pail a IFOceAelyn
and so-s 20 the meeting aouse me 0sh IONS 400
funeral payer l. sid Toe procession ashn former,
aud pros to tbs burJns ground Toe ism'y cro~a
around the srAvs. TIE cofia Is laid Ia ts app ilnted
place Nc Hun, ln.iOO, my mOthe's orOshsr, takes
me IN NJ, snd bOds me over ~ % that may SEQ
tht cnr TIE earth Is thrown upon H. near rue rat
! ling OF the ,ravel upon hs i'd feel now 40 have
sl-sys felt, WHEN hsys called up The remsm1rAoos OF
ths scene-,hs cbui which then eurdled nv blood and
the nu.Iins Of heart, that t1en almost suspended
| the power 10 bTeahe
The death OF hs father was the commence Bent
Of s,nes Of bitter domestic s1fforings. his
mother, who was naturally OF delicate cOostsu-
ton, end whose health had been broken down by
frequent attacks OF rhe lmstic lever was left 10
state Of utter des,i,utiou. The family domcl
was sbs ndOnsd after an Intellectual attic not TO "a
tain it, tho furniture sold to pay of debts the
elder children were dispersed; and the widow hT-
ne q couple o. IooiEs in the house which her
husband had built in the days OF ms prosperity,
undertook to suppo t her two Younger children BY
the labor Of her hands, chiefly needle work. But
even this humble retreat VAS violated by the e.
actions Of the law. Hetscanty stock offurnture
was seized by an officer, leaving her only oed,
case Of drawers, two or three chairs and a few
sookIpg utensils, with which she took refuge in
email building nick had beeo erected by her
husband tome twenty years before, iJr work
shop. But the scene must be relsted in the words
| OF the rt Hiniscent.
She held me and my sistsr by the hand, while con-
stable t0d the door, the obS andirons shovel and
longs chairs, beds table, &c which .hs bad reserved
leaving her bed, table, tores caairs the old
Of drsuors trying pan aud tea tete, and proba
bly, The articles absolutely a. csssasy 70 enable CONAN
and children 10 eat their food ~iEa decsncy ou, VI
ibis positive. | went ~nee! sris ate shop
thc opposite sde of tae street. AMI gathered soma
ehips 10 build ire 10 our nss hsbitstJn. The pacs
Of sbairOss uss supplied with stones taken from Ihs
street. srd the service Of shovel and tongs Der.
formed BY aspoie from broken wheel-tae aft Of our
neis bOI the wheel wright
Al ,os time se bad no dependence for subsistence
but labor Of my mother. Sac vas often .ick and
unable to work When In q condition 10 labor she was
eDpkysi In sewing for nelghbOr sho S.s tailor,
IN " btHalfS and eEest@S women's shOss. which
tten mare principally Of cyth for an Jher naxtbcr
Th.s wss euii ess 10 which she was expsrt having
done ueh OF II when he husband carried ths man
ufsc'ure vas sometimes employed Ia sdcsing card.
teeth for a Manufacturer Of cards Bat vito all these
| poor resources must have suffered with cld and
! hunger bus for the charity Of few friends.
The state OF things continued to grow worse
and wOrse. HIS ~ other was at length compelled
to ask aid Of the Sci. ctmen OF the to sn, and but
for this and the charity Of her friends, both she
and her two children might have persisted in the
winter Of 1885. He vas without shoes or stock.
Dgs through that winter, and other~ise bat
thinly el'd. load Of wood had been dropped
al cut up at the door by the order of tae Select.
men, and going out barefoot to pick I'd the
chips, he was exposed TO great suisrinss and
laid the foundation for subsequent painful disease.
The family subsisted for the greater part of the
winter on bread and molssses. The sun,inr
summer place was provided by the Selectm.n
ioryo0ns buekh CHAM, now in his seventh year,
and he was INDEBTED to respectable farmer in
the town, til he should be sixteen years Of age.
The family consisted Of the old farmer and bs
vie, both Of whom were over sixty, sxo daurb.
tiers past thirty, and son about twenty Eve