The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-01-11
Stlftttt alisftIlaup
From The New York Century. q a7e-
Personal DETAILS OF JOHN RAN
a DOLPH OF RoAEOxE s-;

(
| ai DOLPH OF RoAEOxE sr
| His Appearance and Manaers-His learning ant
EloquenGer-His Beauty in Youth and Peculisrit.
| in Manhood-Iiis Loves and Sorrows. > ~
| In the 'sOld Convention of 1929, )" which had
assembled to revise the Constitution of Vir
ginia, there was member whose appearanc.
attracted and fixed the attentionof every spec
tator. He was a man OF nearly sixty bu
looksd older His face was almost the color o.
parchment, and beneath the thin, gray brors
rolled pair of keen penetrating eyes, which
b ,rned with strong briiIianey. He was elaG
in moGrning with Grape upon his hat and upor
his arm, and when some ore asked him, one
day, if he had lost friend, s'No. sir, I am in
mourning for the Old Constitution" Sitting
apart from the other members, and resting his
hands upon the head of his stick, which he
passed up and down from tine to time, in a
measured absent manner, he seemed to take nc
interest in the proceedings of the Convention
ard Tor long time did not open his lips. One
day, however, the citizens Of Richmond might
have been seen haStening to the Capitol, in
which the body heli its session. From every
quarter the crowd poured in eagerly, scarce
Stepping to answer any question. The expla-
natiUn of the hurry passed from mouth to
mouth, through the streets of the town: eJohn
Randol phsw was speaking"
Sach was the public curiosity, and strange
interest felt in this sinSu ar man by his own
feilOw-citizens of the native spi. What was
the source of it? Many persons were as ia
nous. The Convention embraced two ex Pres
idents-Madison and aionroe-Chief Justice
Marshal, and dozen other men of wide celeb
rity but when these gentlemen spoke, the ci-
tizen did not hurry to lear them. 1t is true
that when Il e venerable Madison rose to ad-
dress the body, his associates crowded around
him to catch the whispered tones OF his feeble
voice; but the general curiosity to hear the
orator of Roanoke WAS greater even than this.
1t arose from the singular,ty of the man, far
more than his wide fame in the councils of the
nation A late writer called him with more
point than truth, 1.-The abortive child Of talent
and notoriety," but this was only ii portion of
the picture. The public NIGH have been =
trleted by his 'talens." and s!iin uated to curi-
osity by his notorety;" but his personal traits
were the real ca1ses of the general Interest,"
His person was q standing theme for gossi p I;
..a4a.A,laart-1 watched
and commented On. His well known and
striking career dwelt in the memories of all ;
and would have made him the observed of all
observers )" but in addition to al this, behind
all, lay the man John Randolph--R human be-
ing unlike any other persan Of his time, per
hips of all times. Let US glance at him, apart
from his political career-recall some Of the
peculiarities OF his person, his manners and his
habits-and notice. in passing, an anecdote or
two which ILLUSTRATE his character. They may
serve to present the orator of Roano,ke as he
lived anri moved, and the picture, rigidly true
to life as it will be, may not prove destitute of
in crest and value. 5lE La . ar-
Let me introduce the brief sketch design
nxror fha
of one of the apartments at Roanoke, hung
portrait of Il boy of twelve, by Gilbert Stuart.
In tht rosy complexion, the bright, plump
cheeks, the laughing eyes and beautiful lips of
the boy you saw and felt the fresh charm of
youth, tie Innocent and sweet grace of child
hood. One who knew the original once held
up his hand and exclaimed Il never saw such
a beautiful boy" His skin was peculiarly
thin and delicate, aud the warm blood played
visibly beneath. IN the happy eyes and inge-
nnous lips, every emotion wa: distinctly reveal
ed. Such was Randolph at twelve years of age.
What was he at sixty, even at forty exam
inel his portrait soule time since with meIan
choly interest. The keen eyes 6xeAcoldly and
steadily on the beholder de6ed every attempt
to read the thoughts of the brain beneath
The hair. parted in tie middle ard gathered
behind the ears, had lost the youthful gloss of
old days, and was stiff and intractable. The
bril- kt cheeks bad become sallow and shrunken,
Those two terrible enemies, age and misfortune,
had marched over the countenance once SO
and beautiful. They had trodden
down the flowers in the rosy cheeks-plowed
the smooth forehead into heavy furrows; aud
in those deep furrows they haosowed, the rank
seed of suffering and care. Bitter tears had
dimmed the bright eyes once so brilliant mid
night agony and groans had wasted the round
cheeks between the smiling portrait of Gil
bert Stuart and the picture L looked az, of the
aged man, there was scarcely any resemblance
to be discove red. E
john Randolph so "beautifuF' in his youth,
with such high hopes and bright thoughts of
the future, had become thus in time, and from
sickness and sufiering, quite another being, a
sad and sorroWful figure, the mark of jssts
W ,ader, of pity or admiration, or dislike. His
figure, like his face, was full Of singular eccen-
firstly. Tall, angular, thin as shadow, be
scmbla rather some ghost from another world
han veritable being OF flesh and blood. His
limbs were wonderfully slender and he lash ion
Of the time served to display this pecularity
to its fullest extent. He wore small clothes Sd
tight that they seemed to be part OF his per;
son and the snow-white stockings, fastened at
the knees by :. small gold buckle, fsted as
closely as the cuticle almost. Over these, and
reaching about midway to the Gait, were u pair
IF course, co9ntry-knit yarn stockings. or
hose" as they were then called. His shoes
were of the old revoluti nary fashion, with
huge buckles his coat ample and buttoned
lightly around his slender woman-like waist
his chin huff buried itself in the folds of a
great white cravat, and the dry faxen hair,
vas surmounted by fur cap The mqvenents
IF this singular figure were as unique as the
costume - u i.'tf5 537lv
In walking, Randolph fallowed the Indian
ashion, placing the feet straight in front--the
oes inclined neither inward nor outward. Al
anciiul mind lpigl!t have attributed this pecu-
iarity to his 1adian blodd for he was descend |
d in the seventh degree from the Princess
psczhontas. Nov ng quickly and slowly by
starts, his head thrown back, and the keen eyes
parkling beneath the rim of his dark furicap,
,ften mutering to himself, to wake suddenly |
o a consciousness of the world around him,
md stride IN rinidly TO his lonely anlriment--