The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1853-01-19

hSioP'eeehtea, ana when we were with
him, at various periods, we never wrote a
line, that concerned him in any way, that
we did not show to him before sending II
away. The sheets alluded to above are
series Of letters about the South, her in
stitutions, her resources, ete., which were
intended for the London Times Ia matter
Of our own,) but we showed them to Mr..
Calhoun, and he took pencil and cor
rected them carefully. Tie letters were
not sent, and they became doubly dear to
us, from being carefully corrected by him,
for he had his views on many points, to
which his attention would not h I'VE been
called, but for those letters We were pre-
pairing.
While at Fort Hill, in ls49. the fall
previous to his death, we said to Mr.. Cal
houn one morning:
"Mr. Bennett, of New York, has made
of me private request, which l would
like to comply with"
"What is iti" asked Mr. Calhoun.
ale says that the whole world knows
all about Mr.. Clay and Mr., Webster, and
he wants to know something about you,
OF home. He wants me to write him
about your habits at home; what YOU do,
say; and If you are like other men. He
dan't want it to publish; it is for his own
qualification"
"Very well; write to him with that un-
derstanding. Lie has always been friend
ly to the South, and the Herald has done
us more justice than any other Northern
paper"
Every evening after that, for about
week, when we retired to our room, we
would write sort of half journal and half
letter, Of what Mr.. Calhoun had done and
said during the day, his opinion on this
or that subject; from sweet potatoes and
chickens up to European diplomacy and
Hungarian affairs. When we had written
about dozen of them, We said to him,
one pleasant evening:
ado you want to hear read all that YOU
have done and said for weekl"
He smiled, and acquiesced, and we did
read him the letters. lie corrected us in
several particulars, and said:
"iou have a remarkably correct mem.
ory. Mr.Bennett will be very much amused,
and think Of my opinions as somewhat
singular. lie will find them correct. Tell
him not to publish them. He may do so
when am dead"
Strange as it may seem, we went up
to our room and added that, rs a post
script; and what is stranger still, the in
junction was kept to the hour almost; for
Mr.. Calhoun died on Sur day morning, in
Washington, and the Herald of Monday
morning contained tmo columns of ex
tracts from these letters, which were word
for word as they came from Mr.. Calhouns
lips, and, in the excitement of the time,
they passed unnoticed, save BY few, and
the rest believed the Herald made them |
up, and yet they were "o:thodox;;" and |
there never was allocumcnt that contain
ed so many ideas and opinions Of Mr.. Cal
hoan, on various topics, men, and things, |
as that copy Of the Herald aud nlthoug gh |
we were horrified at the time, yet we |
made no explanations save to some of the |
members Of the Calhoun family, Of how |
those tremendous sentences" "a a Lon
don paper called them F., got into print.
Nh'' 'Suhctt hau COHiIHcu WIN our |
request. But small portion of those let.
ters were published. They were used by |
Charles Edwards Lester, in writing abou,
Mr.. Calhoun for his Gallery Of IlIustrious
Americans, and when Mr.. Bennett gets
back from Europe, we intend to ge, them
from him. for they are ~ authentic ms if /,
they had Mr.. Calhoun's signature attached |
to them. II the ledger want. 10 get an |
article that our people will deli ght to
hear" let him copy from the Herald Of
April 2, 1880, what it said about John C. |
Calhoun.
We did intend to write n history OF the !
last New-iear's Day Mr.. Calhoun spent
on earth, forw were with him all that
day, but our Sanctum space is used up.
tB We would be obliged to the Editor
of the Pick" If he would furnish US with
the article alluded to, as the Herald of that
date is not in our possession.
We have distributed the papers, and will
do what we can for you.
(Aside-modestly)-Wc have been the
means before this, OF increasing the number
Of your subscribers.
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