Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1867-10-04


famous character:
"There was Lane, nncouth and unscru-
pulous, jealous without convictions, pun
gent. fiery magnetic, his keen, eager eye
steadfas,ly fixed on the Senate of the
United States-contorting his thin, wiry
form and uttering bitterest denunciations
in deep, husky gutturals. He was once
Lieutenant Governor Of Indiana. After
ward, while representative in Congress
from the same State, he voted for the
Kansas and Nebraska bill. A dead poll
tician a. home, he came to Kansas to help
make it slave State. But his bread
never fell on the buttered side i; he was
soon an Anti-Slavery leader, and major
: general Of Free State forces in the field.
! If common report was not a common liar,
. his domestic life was shameless. The Bor-
der Ruffians declared that he was heartily
! in sympathy with them until the first
bogus Legislature refused to grant him
divorce. He finally obtained the decree
in court but was afterward REMARKED to
his divorced wife, and lived with her until
his death. In pecuniary matters his un-
/ scrupulousness was proverbial. Again and
again heard tales like this:
"One day Lane said to Lawrence
merchant: want five hundred dollars
this morning. ! have money on deposit in
e the Ohio Life and Trust Company Bank !;
but it will consume two weeks to write and
get a remittance. Will you cash my sight
draft?
"There was no telegraph in those days,
and eastern exchange was always in de-
mand. The trader cashed the draft ; and
in due time it came back from the Cincin-
q natl bank, endorsed Don't know the
man; he never. had any funds with us.
Lane declared it mistake, bur years after
he had never repaid the merchant.
Lane was an anomaly of our civiliza-
ton. No other country could have pro-
duced him; our own never saw hi;
parallel. With but narrow education, very
'A little reading, and utterly uncouth man.
lie. ners, lie was as truly born orator as Clay
ns = or Prentiss, or Wendell Phillips. M
ng other American has lived in our generation
lar who could sway masses and Legislature
as Lane swayed these men of the prairies
: In early days, without much fondness o
fighting, he obtained extravagant militar,
, reputation which extended to the remotes
cabins of Missouri and Arkansas. Agail
and again, through those inaccessible re.
gions, two hundred miles from railway ant
Telegraph, have l been asked by settlers
before the evening fire;
S. do you know that man Lane, up il
Kansas? ] reckon he must be a powerful
fghter!"
"a seemingly transparent demagogu
sooner or later betraying every cause AM
6 friend, he invariably claimed TO embod
some great principle, and made the sin
N cere, the honest, and the earnest his enthu
siastic supporters. In spite of his notori
i'd, Gus personal character, he was twic
ht, elected to the United States Senate. Fo
5 "a, a years he controlled the politics of Kansas
even when penniless, carrying his meas
. ures against the influence, labor an
money of his united enemies. His pei
!. sonal magnetism was wonderful, and
|
lin Like John Wilkes, he had sinste
in face, plain to ugliness; like him, too, h
ger could talk away his face in TIVE, ty minute
BY Defying every recognized rule of rhetor
hen hen and oratory at will he made men roar vii
,es, X laughter, or melt into tears, or clinch the
I. " teeth in passion. In war times, the Ere
State soldiers half starved, ragged ar
foot sore, often grew weary of fighting Il
,r Missourians, and the power and the pa
ronase of the United States Governmen
and and declared that they would go home
Keep their suffering families and neglected cor
ITS, fields, and leave the great question to Sc
from tie itself. Then Lane would mount Il
dsrs nearest barrel of dry goods box, make
ten minutes speech, and conclude amid
= shower of cheers for old Kansas, the I
lk. peka Government, and Jim Lane wi
= his hearers begging him to lead the
against the enemy.
Repeatedly the United States marsh
from Lecomtpon with an armed posse
DIRK, his heels galloped into Lawrence with
days warrant for Lanes arrest. But the La
I'd on renee people were miracles of heroic
n. ticence. The first person asked wor
'''A perhaps reply that he never heard of a
anu such man. Another would report h
,ste,a gone down South A third saw him
f'3y hour ago, but thought he was now oV
upon the reservation. Then young m
'tfosd ford with a revolver at his side wonld step
,ss no,. and demand gravely:
"s Hslloa, Marshall, looking for J