The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-09-06
fFrom ,hs Loui.rIII. courl.r l.,l

From the Louisville Courier Istl
In one of the wards of the city hos pitsl on Sun
| day morning. died Leonard Jones, one of the most
| eccentric characters OF our day, aud one. whose
| strange, wild erratic career has made his name
familiar in every household in Kentucky. His his
tory Is one that, were it fully written, would form
| curious chapter in the story of mankind, and
would not fail to attract the attention OF students
| Of humsn nature everywhere.
| Bern IN Frankfort. Virginia, on the Sd Of July,
1 1862, be was seventy six years OF age when he
| died. BE was but twelve years of age when his
| father moved to Kentucky and settled in Hender-
/ son (Bow Union) county. When a young m an he
joined the Methodist church. afterward leaving the
| Methodisis and became member OF a Quaker So
| eieiy 10 Mercer county. At one time he specu
| lated in wild lands in this State amassng with
his brothers and the lameuted Elijah Hise, a Goa
siderable fortune. He afterward made trip to
/ Clark county, Indiana, and purchased large por
ton OF the Clark grant lands, in connection with
| several ether gentlemen.
| HIS acquaintance with the Shakers did not seem
/ 10 wear well, for he subsequently abandoned
| them, but his erratic mind did not long want "
| food It seemed always to crave. II was all of
thirty years ago when Jones first mbibed the live
forever idea, which eventually made him so famous
and gave him the sobriquet which remained at
tached to him ever after. All that time an aged
fanatic named Mcdaniel travelling through
the State preaching the novel doctrine that imam
| by failh cou. live forever" Jones happened TO
| attend one OF McDaniel's meetings, and no sooner
had the strange doctrine been presented to his
mind than he became an enthusiast 10 the new
faith. Well versed in the oraces of God the travel
i lunatc and the born mailman were not want
log 10 plausible argument in advancing their ideas,
and certainly two more honest and earnest believ.
never lived. ThencefOrward they travelled
together, pre- aching their doctrine wherever they
went and no inspired servants of God ever worked
more zeslously than they, until one day old Nc
Daniel was taken sick and died after short III
ness, quite contrary to his doctrine. aud Live for
ever Jones. the sole disciple of the new faith,
1 laf IN hat xuIrh rtrran
Some one asked Jones il his faith were not shaken
by the death of Mcdaniel. NO. he replied
"but was very much embarrassed to preach his
funeral!"
With the persisteney of a MARTYR, he chung to
this marvellous doctrine. He bel eyed what he
yled the :" high moral " was the exponent of God
ON EARTH and entitled to administer all the offices
and monopoize all honors. He was. therefore,
candidate TOR every vacancy, though he wanted
no Office. When Mr.. Buchanan was running for
president, Jones announced himself "a Oppo-
sition candidate. but be was not elected and as
the clerks had failed to put his name upon the
poll books, be declared the election Illegal He
applied to Chancellor Logan, and at a very to-
formal court obtained a written injunction upon
Mr.. Buchanan. He also contested the election of
Mr.. Lincoln and asserted that the untimely death
of the president was Tetributive justice for not
giving Leonard Jones, the morally elected candi.
date the seat in the White House. He also claimed
10 be the morally elected governor of Kentucky,
and looked upon the death OF Helm as vndica-
tlOn OF DIS NntOTys NumDeFless were the sutS ne
instituted in the Chancery Court ag 4inst national
and State office holders, and at every session of
the court the cases of Leonard Jones VS.. James
Buchanan and Leonard Jonesv Abraham Lincoln.
were duly called, but we're always at the heel of
the docket and invariably went over until next
term at cost of defendants.
1t was part OF his creed, that only by highly
moral life with fasting and prayer, could any one
live forever and well he lived up to this lofty
mark. He had no vices, and was not even intern
peTste. Occasionally extreme hunger would carry
him beyond his doctrine. but he would never eat
in the presence Of any one, and when discovered
would denOunce the food as moral poison"
Though he formed associations with many erriuc
minds, he never. we believe, had one disciple to
his faith. Believing he was called to preach the
new principle, through life of extreme poverty.
hunger and rags. he went about prOclaiming 1t
wherever he could find listener. When pressed
by hunger he would borrow from a friend, but
this was the last hing be would do, sometimes
suffering excruciatnely before he would ask
Never forgetting debt, he always paid, when he
could, and probably did not owe three persons 10
the world at his death.
No political meeting ever passed off within a
hundred miles of Louisville that did not hear
from Live forever Jones. Though a warm sym.
pathizer with the South. be believed himself the
only man who could save the country, and though
his speech was usually the last, il was always
there. The antics he would cut 10 EN- phasiziny
his remarks were grOtesque in the extreme, aud
We have seen him jumping straight up and down
for several minutes at q time, varying the exer-
cises by whaeking the table with his cane aud
drowning his own voice in the racket be made.
Sometimes band of music would undertake to
play him down. He always waited and had bis
say to the rOllickiBg, shouting crowd. that Was
ever ready to applaud and exto him. HIS
speeches never got into print. however. aud be
was always at lOggerheads with the reporters for
leaving him out.
Ityer-forever frequently visited the police court,
al seemed to take great interest 10 the proceed
ings. He has more than once interrupted the
80 ou1 NNn1
jail for contempt. He was, however, always re-
leased in few hours. His high moral principle
would often lead him to imagine that injustice
being done some OF the prisoners on trial. La such
cases he would bounce from his seat, and, swing
ing his right arm high over his head. vehemeuuy
denounce the court and commonwealth attorney
In unmeasured, yet not profane, terms. He be-
leyed it was his mission to see that every man got
his rights before all tribunals.
He always went to the polls on election day, and
the judges would receive his ballot and preteud 10
deposit it. We do not recOllect OF any indignity
every being offered him at public meetings.
When George Francis Train spoke here with CAdy
Stanton and Susan Anthony, Live-forever accepted
Trans banter to the audience for free discus
sion, snd pitched into him holly. For some time
the eccentric Train was OF tue track, AMI
deavOTed to reply. but his voice was drowned by
| the laundering tones of Lve-f0rever. The audi
ence finally told Mr.. Train that he was talking to
q crazy man, whereupon Live forever remarked
that Train the cTaziest of the two, aud left 10
| llRn uuOgeOus
BE was well acquainted with the great men of
| our country, and knew almost every prominent
| family in Kentucky Beyond a rem arkable knowl-
edge Of the scriptures. his information limited
and gained only from bis long and varied life
| rather than from study. He often counseled his
| friends to throw aside books, alleging they would
| Obly cloud the mind. His memory was very re-
tentive and he remembered triding occurrences of
fifty years ago with great distnctness. fine con.
versationalist, he was sometimes truly eloquent,
and Until bis mind would lose itself in the labyrinth
| of ideas of its own creation he could hold an
| audience with some of the best speakers of the
| day. He was honest, truthful. generous and can.
did. Some have thought it strange that he should
at all times be without clothing and apparently ia
want of food, when so many generous persons
contributed 10 refieVc hts nevsssriaz The Duhlis
| generally did not know what his more inum4te
| friends kDew-that be gave away as fast as he
eeived. Yen might give him dollar or five dol
| lars at the postofice, and before he would GO a
| square he would give il adj away if he happened
10 meet with objects which he deemed more
| needy than himself. At time his friends In
| Psducah gave him horse along with a saddle and