Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-03-12
BRECKENRIDGE.
Refnrn of Gen. John @. BrCk-
Inridge.
His Reception by his Friends
and Ne!ghbOrs.
He Is Serenaded and makes
a Speech.
From the Cincinnati Commercially

ture, with face that women call hand
some and men intellectual and strong,
with the same eagle eye that your read
ers have seen in pictures of him as a
Confederate Mai r-General. His cheeks
are square from the cheek bones down,
complexion ruddy and almost fiorid,
mustache and chopped gOatee OF mixed
gray and sandy, forehead scanned with
lines of thought and care, and hair very
gray, with much more OF gray than any
| of US remember in our recollection OF
| him. In his commanding personal sp-
| pearanee, his stature of rear six feet, he
reminds us of the John c. Breckenridge
of military fame. But in place of the
cray, gold and silver of his warlike days,
| be wears q plain dark suit OF civilians
clothes, and in all his foreign experience
he has not forgotten the cloak that Ken
tuckians love in common with Span
iards.
Gen. Breckenridge left Covington this
afternoon, at 2 O'Clock, with as much
privacy as possible. l understand that
Mr.. Wash. Me! !sRn, of the Enquirer, ac-
counpanied him to the train, after having
| been his host in Cincinnati. He had
hoped to avoid recognition, in q great
measure, and to this end word had been
given out that he had already passed
down, and that he had gone by the way
| of Louisville. All along the line of the
road, from Covington to Lexington, the
stations had been visited by anxious and
expeetant crowds for two days, all desi-
rous Of catching q glimpse OF the man
who, as Winchester lawyer said to me
| to-day, "was more loved by Kentuck-
ians than any living man"
The General, in company with his
4 iaR : in fba FnlF and
at all the small stations between Cincin-
| natl and Cynthisna, those who had
waited and watched TOR him gath cred
around the car, and forced him to ex-
| change words with them. At Cynthi-
ana, The first important stQpplng place,
the crowd cheeTed him and demanded
his appearance on the rear platform.
| Said one Of the observers; "G0d bless
himI he looks better than when We
fought together.n Crowds made their
way into the Gar aDd took him by the
hand To all hs was the uIbsne, gentle
manly Breckenridge of old, but to ali he
said " Gentlemen, you mus. excuse me
| for being quiet 1 am here by permis-
sion, and is is my request that be al
/ lowed to pass quietly" But he had a
! kind word from the heart for many an
old acquaintance, and more than once
| his eyes filed as old tiIaes forced them
selves upon his mind. Said he ; am
glad to get back to my home once more.
| 1t is nearly eight years since ! was
here" When ssked il the Old scenes
were familiar to him, he answered "yes,"
and then dived with some personal
friends into many "reminiscences OF the
past, and many personal recoliectons OF
old sssoci atoms.
At Paris the demonstration exceeded
even that at Cynthisna. Despite the
rain, there was large crowd on the
| platform, and many calls for his appear
ance. After shaking hands at the win
dow, he could not resist the demands for
| his appearance on the platform, and put
| on his cloak and went cut. There was
wonderful shaking of hands, and many
words of kindness. How is nay old
friend, Col. HIP" said he. He is one
of the oldest friends, and when 1 ask for
| him [ ask for all" Here, again, Gen.
Breckenridge assured them OF his desire
| for quiet, as he was here on permission.
He mad many kindly words of greeting,
such as "GOd bless yOu," General, il
does the heart good TO see you " Young
as ever,n etc. The General replied that
| he was well, aud glad to get back, but
! felt older, and certainly had grown gray.
| Col. Woodford, of the Southern Hotel,
met the General at Cynthiana, and in
troduced many to him, among them an
| Ohioan, who said he never saw the Gen
erai, but voted for him over there.
| A conversation sprung up about the
| Cabinet. AS to Stewart, Gen. Breckin-
ridge said, HE tbinks doubtless, he
will make q good Secretary, and 50 be
NAV, as he has head enough to acquire 8
| IL l,fy hr1F or
| they never thought Of that law. Sum-
ner would never have forgiven himself
for not being the fiIst to find that OUT
The General refused q pressing invitation
to stay at Paris, and left the crowd there
waving him adieu, and pushed on fol
Lexington. As he reared Lexington,
this returned exile peered out into the
gathering night to catch the familiar OBJ
jeets OF childhood days, aud recognized
many one as he sped onward, anC
spoke of them as friends who gathered
around him. NEARLY eight yesrs ego, .
said he twice in sOliloquy, Gs old land
marks sped behind and then was silent
At Lexington station the waiting
crowd peered into the care, and when he
appearef cheered, "three cheers fol
Gen. Breckenridge" The object of the
cheers, modest as ever, simply shOos
hands and pushed his way to carriage
with his vile, and with cheers following
him drove to VIII Breckinridge's resi-
dence, his home for time, where all the
evening q crowd of visitors and admirers
congratulated him. He was reticent g.
to politics, and his fciends did not speak
much OF the past, bat welcomed him a.
one simply returned home from long
sbsenee-One Inuch loved and long ex
| M ha Gnid no hid
want publicity-Only quiet. 4 serensdt
was arranged, but a heavy rain pre-
vented up to 10 o'clock. The Genera
had determined to simply return thanks
in ten or fifteen words.
THE sERENADE OF GEN. BRECKIERIDGI
AND HIS SPEECH.
Despite the rain, q eerenade took plac
at hslf-past ten tonight, preceded b,
bonfires and rockets. A large crowd
preceded by band, assembled in from
of the house, the band playing and th
people cheering for Gen. Breckenridge
When the band had ceased playing
Home, Sweet Home" somebody calle'
for " Hail to the Chief" and the crow
demanded Dixie.n The rain was fall
ing in torrents, then, but there were lou
calls of "Down, umbrellas" and dow
went umbrellas, and up went cheers int
the rain. At this point Gen. Breckin
ridge appeared, and, amid deafenin
cheers, commenced speaking. His re
marks attracted close attention, an
were greeted at the close with rounds c
cheers. Gen. Breckinridgesaid:
Fsll0a0 Citizens-In returning hom
after so long an absence, / would be
very strange being il were insensible t
this very cordial reception from 10.
friends and neighbors. [ feel it deeply
: aud thank you sincerely. Recently
have observed that it is very difficult 10
persons in my situation to pursue ths
lire of conduct that they may wish t
pursue. Nevertheless it may be pFope
: to say that l accept this informal, bu
most cordial, welcome as purely person
al, aud containing no particle OF pOliti
: cal significance. A voice, "Thap
right.nl Iadeed, I can and will ssy tba
! the tremendous events Of the last eigh
| years have had great tendency t
] deaden, if not destroy, old party feel
, iugs, and for myself can truly declar
J that I no more feel the political excite
! ments that marked the scenes Of my fol
+, mer years than IL were an extinct vol
, cano. will not now say more, exceE
3 to express the pleasure that l feel j
J coming back to the people whom l s
dearly loved