Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1855-10-04
IFrOm the New York Commercial Avertiser

r AN IMPRESSIVE LESSON.
4 sad tale of early trGusgression and
criime-the suicked shall not liUe oat
half his days.
In the Pioneer or California Monthly
Magazine. we find the following melan-
cholIy story, contributed to that peri
odical BY the Hon. E. Gould Buffum.
The story is true; and we could fll up
the blanks with real names, if any good
object was to be thereby attained. Mr..
Buffum has not even given the true in
itials of the unhappy young man whose
fate he describes:
| had been to West Point in the sum-
mer of 1849, engaged in writing a Sc
ries of letters for the Morning
with which had been connected as a
reporter for some two years previous.
Upon my return to the Office, l found
sitting at my desk, young man. ap-
parently about twenty-five years of age,
dressed in the most seedy style imagi-
nable, and indulging in that full breast
edness of coat which usually covers a
shirt bosom of rather suspicious white
ness. A glimpse at his face, however,
removed the unfavorable opinions which
his dress had impaired. His forehead
was high and intellectual, his head un-
usually large in proportion to the re-
mainder of his body, and his whole
features we're cast in that classic mould
which gives so much beauty to the pro-
files of Michael Angelo. He struck
me at once as remarkable man, and
subsequent acquaintance and events
showed me that l was not mistaken
He had been engaged at the Office at a
small salary, and was miserably poor,
and upon my introducing myself to
him, as Immediately did, he asked me
to step aside, upon doing which he
craved small loan to enable him to
purchase a breakfast. 1 let him have
the money, and at night took him home
to my third story back room in my
boarding house, where he shared my
narrow cot bed, not quite wide enough
for one. In the close connection into
which our duties brought us, we soon
became as intimately acquainted as any
one could become with such singular
being as he was.
1 had not known him many days be-
fore found he was man of genius,
rarely ever met with, and that, grated
upon it were attainments such as are
seldom seen in any one so young. He
had been educated at " College,
where he stood at the head of his class,
and besides the musty lore of Greek
and Latin, he had made himself thor
ouehly conversant with Hebrew, and
of the modern languages be spoke flu
emily French, Spanish, German and
Italian. He sketched and painted, too,
with an artists skill, and soon after our
acquaintance commenced he showed
me a portfolio of paintings in water
colors of scenes from nature of wild
tropical scenes, where the towering
palm-tree cast shadow over the pain
ted earth, and where gorgeously-colored
tropical flowers and birds Of golden
plumage filed the picture; and then
some ancient ruins-the remains appa-
rently of a race which my history-rea-
ding had never taught me-of Incalike
palaces, and temples, and tombs; and
then scenes upon the broad desolate
ocean-like waving pampas; and then
again pictures of domestic beauty and
content at doors of little huts, within
which the fg tree and cocoanut cast
their refreshing shadows; and then
sunset scenes, on which his pencil had
left the gorgeous colors, such as inger,
ing on the billowy clouds OF the tropics
when the sinking sun is tinging them
With its farewell rays. One Of these
sunset scenes he showed me was fan
cy sketch such as only the pencil OF an
artist. and not my pen can describe
But it was scene of quiet, calm, peace
fnI and unclouded rest, where the very
Stiffness of the air seemed painted
where the tree leaves stood as motion
less as though no breeze had ever rus
tied them, and where silver stream
was gliding through the flower -enamelet
plain. By itsside, sad and melancholy