The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-02-18
george Francis Train.

George Francis Train.
GEORGE is rioting in Ireland. He was
seized by the Lion and thrust in prison !;
but it has only made great lion of GEORGE.
BE has become q regular Patriot, and all
Ireland is agog about him. He is watched
by the people, and can't walk the streets
without crowd of followers, who cheer
him and honor him with all sorts of Irish
compliments. He is carried on the backs
Of strong men, and so pulled and hauled
about that in Cork he had to run off to a
water-cure establishment for few days to
bathe away the bruises and aches from the
display Of too much Irish affection
But he keeps agoing-writing for the
World-writing for the Times Gondon)-
telegraphing {" our" Minister ADAMS, and
dragooning and threatening the British
Government with his demand for damages
for his imprisonment-praising the Irish,
and declaiming of their wroDgs-ridiculing
England, prophecying her ruin-talking Of
woman's rights-of his being President
of his credit foncier-the Pacific rail-
road-the towns he owns on the plains
street railroads in London, etc.-and, in
deed, of everything and everybody. AS
presenting in brief the character of this
most extraordinary man, we copy from
the London Morning Star tho following
perfect
PORTRAIT OF TRAIN.
elf George Francis Train could be taken
just as he is, and put into novel or play,
he would make a fortune for his translator.
There is certainly nothing like him in all
literature, though he is the great archie
type of many thousands Of men who now
exercise mighty Influence in the world.
We have nothing like him here, either in
life or art. We have enthusiasts, jobbers
in stocks and politics, orators, ideologists,
and adventurers, but we have no such
combination of all these in one as this
extraordinary creature. Our men are
one thing or the other; this man is all
things, and something more. There is
certain solidity in even our fightiest cha
racters, as there is certain gravity in the
dancing of an elephant, and there is much
consistency. IF they are fools, they are
fools for good and all; they are expected
to make asses of themselves, and they never
disappoint. But this man-who can tell
where to have himS There are as many
sides to his character as there are facets
to gem, and his aqueoes incapacity for
peeping still makes it impossible to get
view of him twice in the same light. You
read one of his sentences, and you think
braying in mortar would hardly work
his cure another, and he seems consider.
ably too clever to be good third, and he
seems too good to he clever. am some
thing more than an epigramatic writer,
traveller, an orator, or disputer '-and
so he is. He is chief owner Of a city he
is shrewd enough one day to engineer a
colossal railway scheme; the next he is
mad as halter on woman's rights. He
asks $50 editors to dinner, and then takes
them to see him pick cob nuts with Big
Mouth the Indian chief. When shut up
in an Irish cell be spends the night in al
ternately whistling "Yankee Doodle"
writing formal protests against the illegal
ity of his arrest, and scribbling on all
mortal things with mixture of shrewd.
ness, impudence, and earnestness, absO-
lutely perpleSing; wonders whether STAN
ley, whom he clips of his title, is playing
poker with Adams the American Minis
teri makes up his mind to get out new
edition of his works, and devote the en-
tire proceeds to the cause of woman, edu-
Gated suffrage, eight hours labor, green
backs, and the political campaign in Kan
sas, Missouri, Michigan, and Wisconsin
and amidst all this finds time to nearly
worry his iailor out of his life. An extra
ordinary man surely, whether for good or
for evil, and certainly quite new develop
ment to US here. He announces his intcn-
tion to stump the country with lecture. !
to borrow one of his own phrases, he would
certainly 'go.'"
Amidst all the popularity of GEORGE
with the Irish, there are evidently some
persons who rather "twig" him, as the
following, among the many notes he has
published, show
isJANUARY 26, 1868.
"Mr. Train-Sir: Trusting you will ex-
cuse me for trespassing on your most val
liable time, write to ask you if you are
in any way connected with the City Gas
Company. My reasons for wishing to know
are that intend, if possible, please God,
to attend your lecture, just to have look
at you, for you seem to me to be quite
cariosity--and if you are, as I am led to
believe, connected with the Gas Company,
I am anxious to know whether you are 60.
ing to take meter with you. You must
know, my dear sir, that 1 am very timo-
rous, and if your meter should happen to
burst, look at the dreadful consequences.
Unhappily, of late we have heard of some
very dreadful explosions, though, thank
God, they have been far away from US, and
I think it ought to be lesson to US, and
teach US to be very careful.
"I beg to remain your humble servant,
"PEACEFUL CITIZEN"
Another style of letter:
"5l ST GEO ST CORK, Jan. %, 1868.
"Sir,-I borrowed a shilling last evening
r and xyhon UninO