Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-11-06
Editorial Correspondence.
Richmond. Nov. 4th 1868.

lose time ] thought, and | almost des
paired of reaching indianapolis in
time for Coughs lecture. But Mr..
Putman's plan worked finely. Mr..
Deem WAS waiting at the Depot with
the tickets in hand. He took Mr..
Yotaw and myself, (supperless) to a
tolerably fair locality IN the Hall.
Contrary to all expectation, | believe
the Hall { Masonic) was not filed to
It's utmost capacity. The rain and
mud deferred many from going and
thus afforded considerable relief to
those who did. But the audience
was respectable and paying, there
fore the enterprise was 4 success
was TO tell YOU something about
the lecture and the man. The task
of describing either would not be so
easy. / sat too far from the plat
form to have a very fair view of the
speaker. / take him to be man of
medium stature, about forty five
years of age, dark complexion, head
we'll covered with black or brown
hair, face, ditto. He did not impress
me as a man of remarkable power,
properly speaking, and in an intel
lectual point of view. Perhaps it
would be different were / TO hear him
on his original and peculiar forte,
temperance, but will have to say,
since | must, that | believe had his
lecture of Monday evening been rob
bed of its mimicry, its antics and
bnffoonery, and especially had we mol
known that the speakers name was
Gough-it would have fallen rather
fat upon that expectant audience.
He gave us his lecture on "pecu
liar people, and had book of man
uscript before him, the leaves o.
which he turned as he proceeded
though that seemed the principal use
he had for it. He certainly ough'
to have that lecture by heart by thi:
time. 1t consists of sort of running
+ description of persons Of marked
peculiarities of character, dealing
principally with the different classe:
Of bore His dclineation anC
personation of character are to thu
life, and here is the great fas
cination. He is more the actor thar
the orator. and people run after hin
more for amusement than instruc
ton. The language employed is toll
erably correct and not decidedly
unchale. though he disdains no
enough OF yulgarity in diction anC
allusioa to come somewhere near e
, meeting the popular demand. y few
artful hits ON the state of the coun
try, and in the praise of one or TIVE
of our military notalles just now il
newspaper repute, most efectuall,
brought down (the feet of 1.-THE house
and of course were cut and dry 70
the purpose.
But fearing I may seem to b,
!. speaking i'll naturally of this Idol 0
the people, and especially remember
ing that the paper must be prett,
well up when YOU receive this, vii
bring it to a close-promising, whel
a more convenient opportunity oc
ours, to give Mr. Cough fair chance
to redeem himself in my estimation
tits of very little consequence, how
ever what may be mine or your es
tination. He has the "white straw
; and the rest will be after him so lon:
as he can keep it. know you vii
be disappointed if can tell you o
no original thought or mode Of ex
preston. But if anything of tn
kind was got off it has, as tn
Frenhman said, escaped out of IN,
memory" OF course 1 did not ex
pect the speaker to come up TO tn
standard the capricious public ha
set for him; nor scarcely, indeed
rs in the case of the Irishman who's,
pig didn't weigh as much as he ex
pected and he never thought i
would"-scarcely to my own-ant
he didn't. But must "press the con
+ clusion." j. E. Ii.
PLAIN TALK FOR THE HOUR.