Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-04-19
DIXON HALL LEWIS,

"nen he removed to the vicinity of Renton
near the dividing line of Lowndes and DalIa,
ne Iass ume that l ever visited him occurs to
me, ana as some of the incidents which took
place are bubbling up from the repertory of
.he past shall relate them He had lust re-
turned home from Washington via New York
"here he had been feested and toasted " to the
oP oi MS 6ent ~ the merchants and manu-
sI In .act, L had scarcely taken a
Ai.er ei',ering the house, before | saw evil
uencs e mt the India rubber man had been
TI .oDet- iere we're India rubber trunks, India
capes, India rubber caps and cloaks-
s~d, he was enveloped in India rubber. After
We had inspected these articles, who should
Goole IN out his son John, looking like Texas
Ranger, and holding a yard-stick i'm his hand
Father" said John, - / have measured the
oand 1t twelve inches wide, and II think he
said) ~ feet long
That will do replied Mr.. Lewis, Il will
write on to New York tomorrow, about the
gin-bands.' -
The cat was out. He was about to write to
an India rubber maDufactory ordering a band
oi India rubber, as u substitute for leather. in
ginning his cotton. L saw at once that the
ieasung IN New York. of which tho newspa
teIs gave we most animated accounts had
oeen Puipessty designed, having for one Of its
OBJECTS the use Of India rubber on the Southern
farms. 0H 'N' ''"'N0ih
mat evening | spent with the handsomest
young lady of Alabama, who resided in hi,
Hneishoorhood, and on my returning to Mr..
UT. Ls"ls and retiring to bed at night, 1 was
SHOWN into the drawing room, which contained
a ecd, this being common among the old set
'Iers. Inc novelty of my position kent me
sHa&e fsc the rest of tho night, and "a the first
sHesh Oh day touched the window with it's an
hs' L jumped up and surveyed the field
HE bedstead was made fer some Giant tic
chairs and stools were Herculean and bav;nc
approached the mantel-piec l saw sight
Hat ecHpSed everything. At one end of the
IA ~ stu1ei, piece was miniature likeness of John
y. Ndihoun, representing him when he was
dpoue . years old at the other end of the
Inantel-piece was Mr.. Lewis himself. as if N
balance the intellectual giant nj the other end
-and what do you think was in the centre 2
"ny no less person than Tom Thumb, 7
Ioohea around Tor some quiet place where
IKE Annie Laurie, . l might lay me doom and
But L am admonished that these anecdotes
trench too nearly on reserved r;gbts auJ ne,
wnat snail do You ask for a description of
MI, Lewis low can you have him as he WAS
without my stating some of the peculiar traits
ol his En2 n2racter! Nay more In the morning
nc, .eu lhtP discussing some incidents which
na9 takel place in Washington several wears
before. lie found himself frequently at fault
ana ana II last he cried in his loud abrupt tone,
Jusan In little time Mrs Lewis sp-
feared at the door, inquiring what he wished
When did 80 and so take place at Washing
~hAtSA lItc S1e replied,
ana then returned to her duties We had not
got along very tar after this, when he became
puzzled again, and again he calleu out " Su-
san and again Mrs. Lewis appeared heard
what be had to say, replied, aud then returned
10 her business as before. She was his facto-
tum- lie appealed to her on all OCCASIONS
when he was doubtful OF any point. and in
truth they seemed to be as much one person as
u Is possible for man and wife to be- Mrs
Lewis was Miss Susan Elmore, the sister of
Franklin ElmOre, who succeeded Mr. Calhoun
In the Senate of the United States of Captain
Benjamin Elmore, who commanded the Rich
mond Rifles in the first Florida campaign snd
was afterwards. a competitor OF Gov Noble for
tne chief msgistracy of South Carolina; of
John A Eimore. the law partner of VIM L.
1ancey, In Montgomery of Rush Elmore, ore
OF the judges of Kansas, and of Mrs Benjamin
Fitzpatrick, vile OF one of our Senators in Con-
Sresa. She is one of the kindest and noble of
her sex, and what pleased me more than any
'ninS else, was the interest whish she took in
ali things that concerned Mr. Lewis If Am
not mistaken, she always accompanied him i'm
MS tour through his district in the recess of
Congress tour that he seldom neglected.
notwithstanding his physical infirn,ity. for he
was the largest man that the world perbsp,
has ever seen. He was as large as ten men
put togethcr-ten tat men-and bis head was
large III proportion to his body But there
was nothing supcrhuOus about that head. II
was compact, and his brow gave as ipJeIibIe
ana unmistable signs of intellect, as did that
ol Charies Fox, the great English statesman
There Is likeness of Lewis which | saw two
years ago, In tho daguerrean gallery of Mr.
Mcintyre at Montgomery, and which he told
me was the property of Mr.. A. j. Pickett.
Inc likeness Is very good one, aud deserves
to be copied.
IL Is impossible to mention Mr. Lewis with
GU; saying something of his immense size He
could scarcely walk. He could not visit his
cotton heids. on foot or horse, and therefore he
caused roads to be made, which he passed over
IN his wagon or carriage, or whatever the ye-
hIcle may be called which he Travelled in This
carriage was large round box, which opened
In the rear, and II was at this portion of il that
he ascended to his seat. IL was drawn by two
stout horses harnessed tandem fashion. and on
the lead horse his groom was mounted - This
was his travelling style his wife usuaJIv >nre-
ceded him IN her carriage, and he, ybip in
nand, brought up the rear, the little out rider
forming striking contrast to the. stalwart
statesman.
There are many anecdotes current about Mr.
Lewis, most of them touching his great size. of
which he was exceed ng sensitive Ii is well
known to everybody that when the collision oc-
CURED between the two steamers off the North
carolina coast, Mr. Lewis refused to leave the
SINKING steamer, until every human being had
been safely provided for. Mrs. William C..
ireston was present, and testified to his gal
Iantry on the occasion. lie was brouoht hack
10 Charleston, where he remained several days
like the people OF Charleston" =" said he TO a
friend, :" Tor they can pass a man in the streets
without staring at him" In one of his earliest
elecnoneerIng tours, he visited Camden, in
wilcox county. His enormous size being a
subject ot general discussion, the boys got up
early on the morning of the day of his visit,
anu tocS the road 10 meet the monster At
midday, the villagers were startled bv a uni.
versal snout from the boys, as they rushed into
town, eIclalming, = Here he comes, here he
comes all evidently impressed with the be-
lief that they had seen the elephant"
lie was, like most tat men, bit Of a humor-
lst will tell you Uf anecdote which oc-
Cured IN Congress in 1880. Mr. Edward Ev
erett, IN his speech against the Indian bill. in
troduced official statements that the Indians
who emigra:ed west of the Mississssppi were
IN very destitute and suffering condition-so
much 60, indeed, that the living child had been