The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-11-28
JOHN G. reAIHouN's VISION:
A CHAPTER FOR DIsuNroNIsTs--A MosT SIN
I3is su.139lEs GULAR DREAM.eL ayh nsdf

/ The following most remarkable and singular
story was furnished for the Philadelphia Qua
ker City, in the winter of 1S49-5O, by it's
Washington correspondent, and was, at that
time, quite generally copied into the leading
papers of the, day. A rfEewal of the exciting
issues of that tisae render the supernatural
lesson particularly appropriate forto-day. Read
| it, all you who would serve with unhallowed
hands the sacred bonds that unite in peace
and prosperity all the God given blessings that
has descended to us from former generations;
Read it, all you who would raise an umhallow-
ed hand 10 pluck single star from our nation
| al escutcheon, or erase single stripe from the
banner of the free. Read it, all ,ye who de-
liberately and unbushingly lay plans for the
dismemberment of all that the true American
holds dear, andsthe true patriot cherishes as
his blood bought birth right, and remessber
that though that hand may not lie palsied in
this life, yet the mark of the traitor shall rest
upon it in the, world to GOMEZ ad rf--f- a.
t. -f- MR.. CALHoUN'st DREAM. ia.r
Mr.. EDlToR.: The other morning, at the
breakfast table,, our friend, the Hon. J. c.
Calhoun, seemed very much troubled and out
of spirits. You know he, is altogether VEN
| cradle man, with hard, stern, Scotch. Irish
face, sottened in its EXPIRE ssion. around the
mouth by sort cf sad smile, which wins the
eye of all who converse with him. His hair is
snowy white. r He is thin tall and angular
te reminds you very much of Old Hickory.
That he is honest no enc doubts; he has sac
rifccd to his fatalsm his, brightest hopes of
political advancement-has offered up on the
shrine of that necessity which he worships, all
that can excite ambition the Presidency
of the United States ~ 49, ---.,-fr 30,
But to my story: The other morning at the
brcakfa fast table, where [, an unobscrved spec
tator happened to be present. Calhoun was OBJ
served to gaze at his right hand. and brush it.
yith his left in q hurried and nervous manner
He did this SO often that it excited attention.
At length one Of The persons composing the
breakfast party CToombs, a melnber Of Con
sress from Georgia. took it upon himself to
ask the occasion of ,sIr. Caihonn's 'disquietuder
'sDoes your hand pam you% he asked, n.
To this Mr.Calhoun replied IN rather i, furrcd
manner, .:Pshaw-! It is nothing!. Only ii drean9
which | had last night, ard that makes me see
rerpetually a black srot-likeS an ink blotch--
the back Of my right lp hand q optical qelu
OF course those wor3s excited the Ssaario curiosity i7ty
Of the omrrany but no one begged he details
ID - u e.f9TaN JOS t6TTd5 siiSdG1f Tsh
What was your dream li1e am not very
superstitious about drea ms, but somctimes they
have gool deal of truth in them 2" ~, ,,'N
a,"f}dt this was snchoia peculiarly absurd
1lream, said AIreC CaihDuaJ agsinHbrushi1sg the
back ef his rphts lar d ~ howexer, if il does
not too much intrude Upon the utimci of our
friends, ITit reEateyit To- you!p puilU9sz9 ''i
i7 OF, course the company were lprofIse intheir
l.. L. A.It.4
dream. In .his9 singuiarly sweet voice, Mr..
Calhoun related it:af.T TosTsq 7t9vs 3ait p"A
-a"At a late hour last mig hit; as I was sitting
in my room engaged in writing, was aston =
iShed by the entrance of aayisitor, who,9 with
out word, took a seat opposite me at my ta
blegarThis surprised me- as i had given par
ticplar orders to Il servant thatcIsshould on no
occasion be disturbed The manner in,w hichi
the intrHder entered, so perfectly self possess,
ed, &sk Jag his seat opposite me, without word
as though my room and ,allIwithin 1T belonged
to him. excited within n e as much surprise as
indignation. As 1 raised my head to hook into
his features, over the top Of my shaded damp
discovered that he was wrapt in a thin cl oak,
which efectually concealed his features from
my view. AS raised my head he spoke:
.r '.Wha are you doing, Senator from Carroll
ma ?"5 aau5hil3 iae3i I'd 10 .roiiGta9z D5b
l did not think of the impertinerce at FIRST, i
but answered himfvoluntarily ia .9s2 ra,I
,1 81 am writing plan for the dissolution of
the American Union y sS( You, Know, gentle
men, ap expected to.produce d plan qf dis
solution Ia the event of certain contin gencies.3
To t,is the intruder replied, in the coolest
'.Senator freq South Canolina,a viii you al
low me to look at your hand--your right
haud? ?"l1 I.J.G5 b5rf sd ji6ds sd .t9s z5T
''IIe rose; the lcloakfslf, and J. beheld his
face. Gentlemen. the sight of that face struck
me like a thunder clap. 1t was the face OF. a
dead man, whom extraordinary events had
called back to life. The features were those
of General George ~ ashingvon; yes gentle
men, the iatruder was1no other than George
Washington. He was dressed in Revolution |
ary COSTUME, such as you see preserved in the
Patent Ofiee.'''I .'t-it n9Fn eTom phaI
~ Here Mr. Calhoun paused apparently much
agtatcd. His agitation 1 need not lteh you,
was shared by the cepapatyto Mr. 9Toombs at
length broke the embarrassing pause N"Well,
well, what was the issue Of this sceneH Mr..
Calhoun resumed: ''
ssThe intruder, as I have said, rose and ask.
ed to look at my right hand As though Ii
had NOT the power to refu4e,9 4 extended it,
The truth isl 1"felt strange thrill nervade
me at his touch; he gTasped it and held it near
the light, thus affording me full time to exaE-
inc every feature of his face. 1t was the face |
of George Washingfo on, gentlemen. % I shud- I
dered as [ beheld the horrible dead dlfee look |
sf that visagc: After holding my hand for a !
moment, he looked at mt steadily, and said in /
a quiet Way n'a ''5'-S zf''A9a.'s 9''7'' nia I
a.And with this hind, Senator from South
Carolina, you would sign your maine to a paper |
declaring THE Union dissolved ?"9 s't1
@ 81 answered in the Affirmative. eYes,' said
I, If certain contingency arises, will sgR
my name to the Declaration of Dsunion' But
at that n aoment 4 GblaGk botch appeared on the
back Of my hand--an inkyy hloteh fhat1 seem to
see now what is that? cried I, alarmed, I !
know notF3shy, at the blotch on my hand.
j. the mark BY which BeasdI st afaala Is shpq~B y
in tho next world - - -, Tssl15 a - T5'
Gle said no more, gentlemen but drew
from beneath his cloak an object which ,ie
placed upon the .table-placed it upon the
very paper upop which was writing. That