Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-04-20
From the Barnwell Is. CO. Sentinel.
Richest Correspondence of the Season.
l57 BROADWAY, New York,

!
l57 BROADWAY, New YORK,
March l6, 1854.
DEAR SIR: Your name has been proposed
as a suitable one to occupy place in our
Portraits and Memoirs of Eminent Amer-
cans" now living, Of which several volumes
have been already published. This great
work has been received with much favor
everywhere, and contains many of the first
names in the country. For further information
of its general scope and plan, / beg to refer
you to circular herewith sent. Our portraits
are engraved on steel, by the first artists, so
that the likenesses are true and lifelike repre-
sensations of the originals, possessing greater
value to the subjects and their friends than the
most costly painting.
You are respectfully solicited to occupy
place in the pages of this work. Should your
consent afford us the opportunity of thus Civ
ing to the world true and permanent record
of your life and features, please send me your
likeness, Ia good daguerreotype Of the same
size as our portraits is best,) SO that it may be
handed oyorto our engravcrs.
Please cause to he sent to me also memoir
of YOURSELF or such facts as will enable me to
prepare it; and will not forget to say that
the facts for the sketch should be fully and ac-
curately given.
| hope you will send both the daguerreotype
and memoir at your earliest convenience, as
we have volume in progress, and wish to
avoid delay. Hoping to hear from you, am,
yours truly, JOHN LIVINGSTON.
G. F. ToBIS, Esq.
DEAR SIR: The above communication reach.
ed me last week, and, in replication, I beg leave
to state that if have ever done anything worthy
of the Immortality your magazine is likely to
confer upon me, am not conscious of it. How
ever, as true merit is always modest, it may be
to that virtue that | owe my ignorance; at all
events, land am anxious the world at large
should know it, have not sought fame but
fame has sought me. As Alexander Smith the
poet would say:
Fame Fame! next grandest work to God!n
In taking a retrospect of my early days, /
can discover nothing worthy Of record unless
it be the stealing of few watermelons at
school, for which ! was beaten with many
stripes, or the riding of few quarter races,
for which received an occasional and solitary
ginger cake, or adventures of similar import.
At II | ran away from my venerable old
guardian, the Rev. Hansford Dade Duncan,
(long life to him) and vamosed to the great
far west, where / aourished for short time,
and short time only; and, upon returning
lost all my money upon game vulgarly called
"poker," (of which, of course, you know moth
ing) upon one Of the boats of the Alabama
river. This was about the time the Ben.
Franklin bursted, and killed SO many; and had
| not been standing near the stern of the YES
sci, you would never had the opportunity of
handing my name, fac-simile, character, and
adventures, down to an eager posterity in the
columns of your Justly celebrated magazine.
| rntlrpod n m pun
less, and perhaps somewhat seedy in appear
ance, and ran for first lieutenant in distin.
guished militia company, but was unfortunately
beaten by the loss of one vote, by my worthy
competitor
In the year Of our Lord 1S49, my illustrous
friend, Thomas d. Condy, gave me the office
of assistant deputy United States marshal
for the district of Barnwel and, while taking
the census, killed one horse and another ran
away and broke my buggy, upon which occa.
sion rode my horse bareback fourteen miles |
in forty minutes, of which fact Colonel B. II. |
Brown is living witness.
After had concluded this herculean under-
taking, q man calling himself &C. Frank Pow |
ell" wrote me from Washington, that, if would |
forward certain amount Of money to him, he |
would prosecute my claims for an increase of
pay sufficient to cover these immense disasters;
but do grleve to say that from the time sent
the money have not heard word from the
aforesaid and -be-forgotten c. Frank
Powel, ne probably having gone to parts I'M
known. However, / still entertain strong
hopes OF seeing his distinguished name and fac.
s'm'te in your widely-crculated magazine.
Last year ran for tax collector in this i'm.
portant township, and was beaten SO badly by
a base combination, Of which was wholly un.
conscious until few moments before closing
u the polls,tha have not since entirely re.
covered my equanimity. AS salvo, however,
70 this disaster and just at this crisis, my dis
tlngulshed but benighted friend, the Hon. James
Campbell, Postmaster General, gave me the
post office at this place, the duties Of which /
may without vanity say, / have discharged to
the complete and entire satisfaction of the ,ohoe
:. MY friends, anxious to secure for me the
distinguished honor you have so politely ten ,