New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-02-08
THE HON. JOHN PETIT.
10 To Editor Of The N. Z. Tyibyne

ON fAS is reuafkaoie parsonage occupies at pres
eat prominent position in the eyes Of the nation in
connection with the Federal District Judpeship Of
Kansas, created by the bill admitting that State into
the Unon recently passed. il is meet that those who
are interested in the future fortunes OF the new Com
monweah should have the pleasure Of an introduce
ton to the Judge whose nomination by tho Presdeus
toe Senate may shortly be called upon to confirm.
observe by telegram that he has just made bis pii
| grimage to Springfield and :" had long interview
with Sir LincolD from which infer that be expects
| bis nomination will encounter opposition. Should
this be the csse b character and will probably
be subjected to nore lees unfavorbie criiicim Of
whose justice iDnsce propose that the readers Of
The TRIBUNE shall be able to judge for Themselves.
describe bin as knew him ike a book" ia Indiana.
before bis removal to Kansas, the of the
| atrocious Lecompte.
In person the Judge Is shortish man, with vast
belly, bald head, face Ike full moon, and wears
gold bowed spectacles. What State might lay claim
10 the honor Of bis birth and breeding unable TO
| cay, but for certain reasons l surmise keut1eky.
whence large number Of prominent Hoo iers have
emigrated As to religion l found him an ioAdel.
holoitg the clergy OF every persuasion il great con-
tur.s. As TO morals, he probably drank whisky
| than any other man in Indiabs Though never saw
him intoxcaed), WIS an inve'erate player OF poker,
and tire proanest old reprobaie in all the West. lie
seem except Vt his meals with mt cigar IN
his mouthst home in the street, Ia bis flee, nor even
on the bench-for he presided Of the Circuit
Courts OF the State curing porti OF the tiue knew
hlm Somebody said to him one day:
Judge why is it that you never go TO Church =
I" Because, by =. they won't Let me smoke therer'
wa lis reply.
But although be was an infdel and lawyer, he had
received some yeaS previously the degree oil u ID
Representing Iuoiana Senator in Congress- be be-
CAME Involved in a controversy with Thoua, IL. Ben
ton who pronounced bin on the door OF the Sci ate
chamber. . a great liar and oirty dog. me NJ"
elithet might have been perhaps slightly caiamnoos,
but the ami aptness ana TITUS teTei atqne ro-
tuadus truthfuness Of the Latter were universally ae-
kuowledged at once BY all that knew him. and ever
after ward the nil of d. ID. dirty dog), Conferred by
the ustous Missouian, was appended to bis name IN
the newspapers OF The WesS
For of all the foul-mouthed porcine wallowers in
verbal nasness, he the glimy pIioce tue unpar-
allelrd unapproachsble sovereign poDtif, the arch
hig priest lachet Of shoes tie viest black
guard was not worthy to uDlDOse One was amazed 70
learn that the Enghsn language Contained 80 many Of
fensiye words. Beeide him Walt Whitman were
sweet singer Of Isral, and bis EsJon' Adam might
be ehan,ed in church 70 excite devotional feelings
| As lie was All ackno lodged leader OF the Indiana
Democracy l would red much, before knew him,
WHY he never add ed political meetings. The Pres
| idental contest OF l8O6 was raging violently "the
unterrfed gathered together two or three times
a week and bsraDgued by all the popgun lawyers In
the pllce but to MY surpie. Petit, who bad been
United States Senator though often present. was never
called upon 70 speak. asked prominent Democrat,
Que day, 10 toll me the rsason OF this.
.If YOU were TO Lear bin once, you'd know the
reason why We allow him 10 speak, II we can
help it. He always does us more harm than good,'
wa the reply received.
But az length he did speak,. One day an announce
enr appeared ia the papers that he would address tee
Democracy Of Lafayette that evening" III the Court
| House. Dropping in there about o'clock, found
the roo crowded With laborers from the railroad and
the ex Senator engaged ID reading TO them extracts
from an old cabOu Volume of the sermons OF Jona
| than Edwards, making scandaious comments as he
went along. Lay 10y aside he book presently, be COM
meuced general AID Odi>,Tmiaate attack upon the
Clergy in return the sympathy many Of them had
shown No the cause OF human freedom. Outside the
yilesGUAw in the Five Points such language as he
employed not venture 10 say ever heard oe'ore.
Juveal and Martial dreamed Of such obscenity,
and nearly every period was rounded with an oath.
All the beasty, disgusting, slang expressi!ns which
degraded ever Invented he had at his tongues
end and poured forth without apology IL ~as COM
pound of bla-phemy, vulgn and filth, unredeemed
by one rhetorical phrase, tie fatest emmei1ng OK
polished dic'ion. The brutal audience yelled ut bis
nasty anecdotes hurrahed and stamped at stierances
which would have shocked the vilest prostitute and
screamed az be reiterated verbal ndeceDoy from bn
mouth, that eeemed to fill the room with ioathsorne
stencil. A De@sPaPer that had dared TO report the
snee,h would have been mobbed by the citizens, and
tie editor sent the State Prison under the law pro-
hibing immoral publications. l was sInazed at sneh
auds, iSus impiey and infamous grUssness, aud He'd
from the CounHouse before he had concluded, ieeunS
that bad been deiled.
He delivered one more address during the campaign,
on the night before the election, and accidentally
heard portion Of it, No place could have been more
late for him TO speak IN IMAM that who're tno
meeting was held. Pas0g, late in the evening an old
shany used as maket house, saw 1t Ii cited up, and
heard shouting within. Choosing my way through
the crowd about the door, found the buhdng packed
with hborers from the railroad, on when = few tin
lanterns depencing from meat. hooks, shed dilo,
sckly hight the butchers stands reekiDg with oen.
sye odos and the Mayor of the town on pork barrel
making q speech. When be got down, John Petts
waa yeled ior and that bogshead Of whisky was rolled
no in lie se. He told his auditors that he was gong
t pI each them Sermon and took for his text the len
Commandments, "every one Of which" be SAID inc
ID black Republicans had violated" G"mmooclhns
near The enc OF the Decalogue be found rtle trou9ie
in briefly oisposing Of Thou shah not pear ialsc
witness sg9iust thy neighbor, and Inon shali NOS
steal When taking up the ,eyenth, don ne pro-
csed to spread hmse 20 de % h sp cbprch Which he
eond remember 10 detail the most offensive portions
Df all the Grim con- trirs involSng the character Oh
he clergy which be could call 10 mind; AID olant tue
via senn, that listened to him yell aud scream ana
roar at his Lhsphemy At length, he came TO COM
| naodment which thought would snag bin" Honor
thy father AMI thy MOTHER but it did no be got over
| il without the least diihcniy. an. o,o.,,h.
| q Honor tly father and mother, he saidi aou t'oe
| Il Bincl, Republicans violate that commitment
| ~ = they do. There . George Washington, Thomas
Jegerson. James Madison, Andrew jackson, al l1er
Docai fathers, and they don't honor ID enc o'
thosht ,hi, decidedly original and ingenious ex-
| eossis Of that clause OF the Decaisgue ..uo,
'e0nca he was interrupted bY "a drunken is NV,
roh.S ia a brace over bis bead, who shoutes, DIR
yo that's ,be cieess-go it old ro':bellyr' When
soopus, locking up AID shaking his hSs at him. DO
| cried: x..u $500, mia, Z, "a 70 vor
don, sha, an your head, yoan come down ont o that
B1y to give me devil Lis due" notwithstanding
this constitutional depravty Pelnt WIS gebs sNS
whole. soued man, the best lawyer III iuoMn All ,ar
;ndOe OF singular ability He was universally popaias
With the members OF the bar for biz aiaCh'y aha r0'
he and general correctness OF bis oee,ons