Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-08-13
Senator Rusk Dead.

All in Washington were horror stricken this
morning by the announcement, per telegraph, OF
the suicide of Senator Thomas J. Rusk, of Texas,
by shooting himself through the head with rifle,
which occurred at his home on the 29th of July
utimo As yet no particulars of the circustances
under which this awful event took place are known
to the public of the Atlantic States. Those who
knew him intimately-and none knew him thus
except to love and revere him-will alone fail to
be surprised at the event. Previous to his advent
in the United States Senate, in 1916, he was dis
tinguished almost alone as a pioneer soldier, in
which capacity his courage, good sense and un-
varying urbanity won him universal popularity in
Texas, where the remarkable powers of his e1pan-
siye mind were then as unknown to the public as
elsewhere, except to the few who witnessed the
proceedings of the Texas) Convention of 1s45 to
form State Constitution. In the Senate of the
United States his acquisition of great fame as
statesman was as slow and regular, as sure. Dan
iel Webster shortly before his death, repeatedly
pronounced his to be the greatest intellect among
the members of that body, and such was the opin-
ion of him held by the leading minds in this city
from that day to this He had as great antipathy
to oratorcal display as to partizan politics, which
Induced him at all times to eschew oratorical de-
monstrations upon mere political subjects, though
always firm, and faithful the most faithful, to
the principles aud measures of the Democratic
party. Among the leading politicians of the par
ty, more especially in public life, it was generally
conceded that in case of o protracted contest IN
the next Democratic National Convention over the
Presidential nomination, the choice would have
been most likely to fall upon him, as being OBJ
noxous to no interest in the party, and most con-
fided in by all.
We knew him we'll throughout the last nineteen
Nd kppw M m
more entirely unselfsh, so conscientious in oil his
thoughts and acts, public and private, or to pos
sess more traits of character such as win for their
possessor the confidence and esteem, and indeed,
the ardent affection Of men of mind and abiding
personal character. As a father, husband and
neichbor he was loved as few men are.
In early life he frequently gave way to ungov-
ernabe temporary spells of dissipation, wherin he
lost his usual command over himself Later,
however, he gradually gained control over his
passion for such outbursts until they had become
very rare with him. While in them, his friends
often feared that he would injure himself with
weapons, and were careful as far as possible to
keep them out of his reach,
His wife died some eighteen months ago, and
thus the strongest chord binding him to life was
snapped He grieved over her death like child
for its mother. 1t preyed upon him at oil times,
affecting him daily more and more, though few
indeed were aware that the loss of the sharer OF
all his early tolls the best and truest friend he
ever had, the soother of all his troubled moments,
the object of his purest and most devoted affections
for twenty-five years or more-had broken his
heart for he loathed parade in such matters, as
in all things else. That in fit Of undue excite
ment under such circumstances, he should have
committed suicide, does not surprise US. He
leaves no abler American statesman behind him,
and the world will never behold more conscieu-
tious and upright public man. Washington Star.