The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-06-27
DAILY LEADER.
me Suicide oF b OIdest s-eeeSsionist
in America.

IN America
An who were witnesses Of the scenes of
ths Charleston Convention, will remember
well the rosy face and keen blue eye and
long, snowy hair of Edmund R0fRB, of
Virginia. BE was ct that time IN agoWed
secessionisb and boosted that be bad been
one for more than thirty years. Animated
by the prospect Of the Contamination Of the
hopes Of his life, he lsbored with more
than youthful vivssity 10 defeat all schemes
Of eoInptomise that might preserve the in
tegrIiy Of the Democratic party and, IS
the contest deepened and the quarrel be-
came irr~econcilatle, his keen eye FILTERED
with Joy, aid he devoted himself to iniam-
ing the hot blood of the South, and cheer
ing the fiery spirits to 8 pitch Of insolence
that he knew would be intolersble.
The Southerners looked upon him as q
prophet and the ~venerableuess of his ap-
pesrsnce, and the extreme dignity
Of his personal bearing his we'll
bred style, singularly mixed with the
glowing, fsnAtical zeal that made him i'm
Fortunate in advocacy OF his ideas assisted
the Illusion with which they pleased them
aelves and him. 1t was honorable then,
as the msster-spiIits of the South looked
upon ii, TO have been disunionists for q
generation. Those who saw and heard
have not forgotten how Edmund Ruflu,
Of Virginia, wss introduced as the dis
tinguished gentleman who had always
been "a traitor" as the Holspurs of the
Gulf States somtimes put il, fancying they
were most excellent jOkers.
Stories are told of what 9 magnificent
plantation" he had, how many slaves he
owned, what superb Wheat.felds adorned
his possessions-in short how rich he was.
And there were other stories of the bril-
lisncy of his powers. It was a fsvoriLe
phrase that he could lave held any office
he wanted; but, with his principles, of
course he couldn't hold flee in the Union.
Il was sven whispered that Calhoun could
hardly be counted his superior.
The old man triumphed at Charleston.
BE saw the convention dissolve, and his
i~ntensest desire WAS that the dissolution of
the Union was the next thing in order.
when the sece1ers from the Charleston
met in Richmond, Edmund
Rufin was there, his long hair, white as
lambs wool, hanging on the collar Of his
Qusker-cnt brosdcloth cost, and q large,
silVer-headed cane in his hand. His sctiV-
ity 10 defeat the efforts that were made to
heal the breach, was incessant, and the
measure of success that he attained is well
known BE did not engage in the final
st Baltimore, regarding it as
the dignity of a true Southern
nan TO follow the Northern delegates, who
we're determined 10 nominate Douglas,
lcross the Potomse.
That he looked upon the process of pre-
,ipitasing first the cotton and then the bor-
Ter states into the revolution, with pride
md joy, is certain; and when it became
lear that there might be sn exchange of
hostile shots in Charleston hsrbor, he
fastened there to beg that the battle might
'egin, in order TO drag Virginia after the j
hayward sisters" already gone, and ,
0 get the glory of firing the frat gun
lie could not literally FIRE the first shot
the wsr, for that had already been done
y the cadets of Charleston, aimed 81
he steamer Star Of the West. he did,
However, fire the first gun at Fort Sumter, ]
nd the Charleston papers were enthusiast
&c in describing the picturesque old man !
had made long journey to claim, as 5
reward for a long life spent in the cause Q
f Southern independence, the immortal I
onOr Of firing the first gun in the strug- S
10 that was TO redeem his country. They 2
sw a peculiar, singular and beautiful pro- :
riety in the opening Of the drama by the
enersble Virginisn, and when the siege S
Iss over the old man received an u
walton in Charleston that rivaled the B
Of B~esuregard. n