Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-11-16
IUOH0S II. Benton upd Il UdSh
inJtOR BOOHsciirr.

The Washington correspondent OF the
C{nciandti Commercial tells this story of
Hon. Thomas Ii. Benton:
Shillington is an Irish bookseller here,
of rcdlt and rcnown. Benton was a
ncighbor and friend of his, and made
Shillin2tOn cut out OF books and Rows
papers every conceivable article upon
The Pacific Railway and bring it to him.
lie also employed shilling ton to select
from the Congressional Globes. which
were brought 10 his house in CStrcet by
thc carload, the matter that he wished
III publishing his " A hridgcment of the
Debates OF Congress"
1t was Il strange and remarkable
study" said Shilling on, " TO see that
old man lying there fiat on his bac :,
unable to rise, his spectacles poised o.
the tip of his nose, looking through the
long debates, whose huge folios he held
oil his breast. He knew that he had but
q week or two to live, and he was lun
ing race with death to get the book
flushed for he believed that ii was the
VITAL thing to keep the country to ether.
He used TO send ne word four or five
times day to come up there, and the
pt ollc said that ] was his slave. III
did not come promptly on time, the ola
gentleman seemed TO feel that l was in
some way di elicit in my duty to the
! country.
One day, when the shop was full Of
p oplc, " ord came down, MIR. Benton
wants YOU to come ut two o'clock, to
! help HIM on an important matter"
AS soon a. | could ossibly leave,
went acund to his dwelling and found
him asleep, breathing very hard, with a
large volume OF the Globe on his breast.
l lifted the book oil and st it on table
Il tue out OF BIS reach. Then, seeing
that he did not yet awaken, l fastened
back 10 my work.
In about Two hours returned, and the
old man looked very severely at me.
Il Sent for you. sir, two hours ago. ]
have but q month at NEST to live sir,
Snd it is important for the country that
this book shall be finished before / die.
You did not come Sir"
Yes, Mir. Benton, l did, and l found
lou asleep
II have not slept for fifty hours, sir
it wa impossible that I could sleep with
80 mach on my mind.'
Mr.. Ben on never tru; ted a man that
told him lie, so [ found it necessary 10
clear my eff
Mr. Ben on" said |, ''you were asleep
with q volume of the Globe on your
breast when / ente ed the room, and l
found you breathing hard, so | put the
book on the table yonder."
The Old mans eyes lighted up.
"Well now, SIR he said, / knew |
had that book on my breast or on the
bed somewhere, and I wondered how l.
got of there so Tar, Perhaps [ did dose
n little unconsciously. But come, sir
we must to work. | have but little
time to do a great deal Of work in.
: DR.. Hall and his colleague, to pro
long the life OF Benton, opened the old
mans abdomen aud, taking out his
bowels while he was still conscious,
proceeded to cleanse them. At one
place they found grape skins then they
found bits of wood, which he used tC
chew abstractedly while writing or read
ing.
"LoolS on, gentlemen" said the ole
man, feebly ! dare say you will fine
Congressional Globes next"
When Benton was about 10 die, sc
vii Il did he think his advice was to the
country, he sent for Buchanan, had the
door c.osei, and solemnly devoted his
: last hours to impressng upon the Presi
dent his opinion Of the mode in whicl
the country sho I'D be administered. II
ever tn are was man, concluded Shil
t lington, " who thought that in his mine
, ana reason lay the true destiny If the
Union, it was Tom. Benton. His fami
ly, his fame, is future were all subor
, dinate to his love Of country.