Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-05-31
Morphy and the ess-Playing Mania.

ENtltcIlltUl VI SbIiIt spIt w u piiiUi &c 80
necessary for the people of New York rs
military f9tes and exhibitions are to the citi-
zens of Paris. 10 crafty this devourins
and consuming appetite for novelties and
exhibitions, the mercurIal Gothamltes avail
themselves of every unusual event, and
~lioniZe every transient not"riety. thus they
bounced upon a Turkish Admiral and en-
tertained him with hamSandwicheS. III nj
ter disregard Of his religious antlpathy {"
pork. They lost no time in Initiating Dui-
lev Field, and burnt their City Hall. and
filled Broadway with n vast procession both
civic and military in honor of the Atlantic
Telegraph. Every }Timd donHa who per
forms nj the Academy Of Music, is refreshed
with an ovation. and Il tirst-cla>s, neatly eX-
ecuted murder, makes the perpetrator OF it a
great man.
The New York papers are, at this time,
filled with the details of the presentation
of the Morphy testimonials" and 1.-THE
Morphy speeches" and the Morphy ova
ton" The Triumphs Of Morphy, the
Chess Player" appear to have effared all
thoughts Of the excitement" which immr-
diately preceded 1.-THE Sickles tragedy
and trial Nobody now thinks at SlrkleS,
whilst Mnrphy is the theme Of every tongue.
The talk Of New York is now Of Chess
nothing but Chess. One publishing house
in New York has Just issued five different
t~reatises aud manuals of Chess. The young
gentleman who, during the last twelve
months, has proved himself the greatest
Chess player in the world, has eclipSed for
the nonrr all other celebrities. llecnan, the
p%ugilist, and Phelan, the billiard PLAYER,
have both been forced 10 hide their diminish
ed heads.
Mr.. Paul Morphy, the Infant phenome-
non of the world Of Chess players. is Il
young gentleman not vet twrnty-one years
of age. Il son of Judge Morphy of the SUI
preme Court of Louisiana. He is 4 good
looking. we'll born and well educated youth.
who graduated some years ago at Columbia
College, South Carolina. lnheriting from
his father great londness a well ~ talent
for Chess playing, he, ut the age of ten, beat
Mr.. Ernest Rousseau, Of New Orleans. and
Judge Meek. of Alabama. two of the most
famous of the American paladins of the
Chess board. The fame of the wonderful
boy attracting the attention of Herr Lowen-
thai, "a mighty Hungarian Goliah of Chess
he iournevrd To- the Crescent city t. beat the
Infant hntHollcIbld, but WIZ 'pllpItttIN
demolished bv the wonderful Paul. Having
conquered every C~hess-player of note south
of Mason and Dixon's line, Morphy attend
ed the first meeting of the american Chess
Congress" which was held in New York. in
October, 1857. He there fnund assembled
Perrin, Stanley, Fiske, Schulten. Week,
Rousseau, Julien, Colthroy. LechtcnStein,
and others, whose names are a. famous
among ClrSs-players As Scott, Wellington,
Canrobrrt, and Cardigan among military
men. AT that Congress, Morphy beat six
teen famous Chcss-players, and easily un-
horsed every knight who wished to break a
lance with him. Longing for other worlds
to conquer, Morphy then went to England.
and to use the elegant phraseology of one Of
his Western admirers, he "catawUmp"usly
rhawed up" all the best players Of the crack
Chess clubs of London. with the exception
of that distinguished and veteran Chess
PLAYER and writer about Chess, "Staunton,
who exhibited marvellous deXterity in dOdg-
ing IL contest with the young gentleman
from America"
Having conquered Great Britain. Morphy
next invaded Europe, and spread dismay
and terror through al the great cities Of the
Chess. playing continent. in account of his
wonderful achievements in Europe, in the
most condensed form, would fill halt Il dozen
columns of this paper. His late Secreta.
ry' has published an entertaining Volume
Of three hundred pages about MorPhy,
which il Il mere history of his brilliant We
tories. Without reference to their natI"naII-
ties. the most famous Chess champions "t
Europe were Baden, Herr ANDERSEN, II.
.Amant. llarrwit2, Lewis, Walker. and Mon
r~relicr. All Of these gentlemen were hea-
ten by Morphy. He then encountered III
once. hlindl0ldcd. eight Of the most accom-
plished Chess PLAYERS Of Europe. aud was
again triumphant. The last feat having left
him without a competitor i'll Europe. and
having established, beyond controversy, the
fact thar he is the best Chess player n,w
living. he returned to the United STATES II
few DAYS since. Having become IL celebrity
and a lion, New York seized upon him rs
they did upon Dudley Field, the hero Of the
Atlantic Telegraph, and all the dignltarlcs
Of New York have been doing honor u Nor
ply. The Chess Club Of New York presen-
ted him, III an immense hail, denscIy packed
with the fashion, wealth, and beauty Of New
York. with a board OF Chcss-men of gold,
besides a wreath Of gold and silver %laurels, d
splendid watch, and sc know not what else.
The orator of the Club was John Van Blu
rem, and the account of the proceedings fills
ur an entire page Of several OF the New
York iournals.-Rirh. Examiner.