The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-09-10

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rhshtost 8 ingular Character OF tho Axe.
Fro" the LousUzls.. Journal. z iii;
There ishardly aman in this common I
wealth who will not be affected by the
intelligence that "Live.forcver" Jones
Is dead, for he was known either per-
sonally or from his extraordinary
character, in every town and hamlet
and ighborhood in the State. He
brcathed his last at half-past seven
O'Clock yesterday morning in the City
Hospital, where he was admitted on
Friday last.
Leonard (or "l.ive-forever") Jones
was q native Kentuekian, having been |
born in Henderson county, We believe,
in the year 1898, and was consequently |
seventy years Of age. His family were
noted for their intelligence and high
moral standing. When Leonard was
not more than twenty years Of aye he
exhibited synatens Of monomania, his
hobby being that by fasting and prayer
man would live always. He wandered
"from pillar to post" in the State,
preaching this strang doctrine with all
the zeal of an enthusiast. AS years
passed on he grew more and more to-
nacious in this remarkable faith, and
manifested various other oroohets of
mind that rendered him an object of
fun to almost every one with whom he
met. It has been some forty-6ve years
since he appeared conspicuously in the
character of "Live-forever" at Licking
ton. While there he once wheedled a:
number Of citizens into land specula-
ton which turned out to be altogether
a freak of Jones's wonderous imagina-
ton. The parties were all swamped
for large amounts, and they dropped
the eccentric agent like hot poker.
After haunting Lexington for long
while be struck out as an itinerant, and
in his travels during the last thirty-6vo
years paid frequent visits to Louisville.
For many years he was standing as
piraut for every high Office, state and
federal: He has time and again stump
ed different portions Of the state as the
"high morar' candidate for President,
or Governor, or Congress sman or the
Legislature, as the occasion suited
Discouraged at his failure to overcome
all opposition, he finally canvassed on
the principle that the man receiving
the least number of votes was to be the
candidate elect. Impressed with the
idea that he had been thus landed into
Congress he journeyed to Washington
several times to assert his claim to q
Senator-sh,p or Representatives chair
From these pilgrimages to the seat Of
government "Live-forever" acquired a
national notoriety. p: -.
He had a memory wonderfully reten-
tive, and, having been constant read.
or, his mind was stocked with much
valuable information. His recollection
Of celebrated men and great public and
local events was surprisingly accurate.
But, from the visionary structure Of
his faculties, he could never apply bis
knowledge to any useful purpose. To
illustrate the amusing tendency Of bis
live-forever theory, we have heard that
be once happened at house in this
vicinity, and was invited to dine. He
pointedly declined on principle, telling
the lady of the house that he had not
tasted food for forty years. This was
treated as jest. and Jones was pressed
to dine anyhow. At length he yielded.
The table was bountifully supplied with
soup and pumpkin; "Live-forever''
gu1ped down large tureen of soup,
sans cerensonie; and then ravenously
pitched into the boiled pumpkin. Fol
this article bis appetite yearned again
and again. Plate after plate was filled
and emptied, until the demand totally
exhausted the supply Of pumpkin:
jones then arose from the table with a
| self:satis6ed air, and went on his way
rejoicing. The hostess, who at first dis
credited Jones's starvation story, after
witnessing this voracious performance,
! declared to her husband that che be-
LEV ed it to be fact. Many similar
stories are related of Jones, but all of
them are exaggeratious. Still, he was
certainly one Of the queerest human
compounds that this century has pro.
| duced.
According to the testimony Of physi-
clans, he was insane. and the phrenolo-
glsts who have examined his cranial
developments say that his mind was in
state of quasi-deformity, with many
rational and even superior qualities
predominant. We have known him to
converse not only coherently but elo-
quently in the true sense, at times, and
again we have seen him display ali the
characteristics, in speech and action, Of
q confirmed lunatic. It is certain that
he was . monomaniac OF most original
type. One Of his chief peculiarities
was personal vanity-or:, rather, an in
ordinate love for conspicuousness. He
was faithful attendant at the sessions
Of the General Assembly, and never
failed to put in bis Appearance At pop
ular meetings Of overy kind whenever
is was possible for hum TO- ,get there,
He habitually disturbed such public as
!