Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1869-10-15
5fistellanu.
The Late Gen. Rawlins.

JolHliS tOWH OF OulllOTu, Wnefe ne was
reared.ls His father did an humble, but
not Improbable, business in burning
charcoal, and, had his life been regular,
need not have subjected his family TO
more than the average privations Incl
dent to frontier life. But owing to hab-
its of dissipation, the care and education
of his son were left for the most part TO
himself. From his infancy to the age of
sixteen or seventeen years, most of his
time was spent in looking after the well
fare of his fathers family, and especially
in carrying charcoal from the vicinity of
their humble log cabin in Galena. AT
intervals he attended district school,
and from the age of six years he ran the
usual course of poor boy at the West
"a few weeks of Indifferent schooling in
the winter and plenty of hard work the
whole year around. As he approached
manhood he collected together the means
of defraying his expenses at school, and
attended for year or so the Mt. Morris
Seminary, in Ogle County, and also the
Platteville Academy, in Wisconsin. Up
on leaving the Mt Morris school, he
commenced the study of law, about the
year 1855, in Galena, in the office of l.
p. Stevens. After years study, he
was admitted to practice, beginning as
partner with Stevens The fact that he
began the practice of law at the age of
twenty-five confirms the impression of
many of his acquaintance that his edu-
cation did not fairly begin until he ar
rived at manhood. Soon after he enter
ed the bar, David Sheean, who read law
in his office, was also admitted, and the
two practiced as a firm from 1857 to
/ 1861. Sheean was an intense "Demo-
crat," and during the war becamea mar
tyr to the system of arbitrary arrests, I"
so called, serving a period in one of the
Lincoln Bastiles." As lawyer, Raw
lins studied hard and worked faithfully.
He had the reputation of a strong, hon
est, earnest good fellow, who made a
good telling speech on the facts of his
case to q jury, and won considerable sue
cess. Though he was still young, there
was probably not one jury lawyer better
than he in the town at the outbreak of
the war. In the campaign of 1860. he
was a Douglas Democrat, and candi-
date for election on the Douglas ticket.
At the firing on Sumter, April 18th,
1861, Rawlins, like others of his party,
was aroused, indignant, and anxious to
hear from their leader, Douglas, who had
not yet taken ground for coercion. On
the 10th, however, came the news of the
fall of the fortress, and John A. Raw
lins, then one of the most popular men
in his Congressional District, made up
his mind to the course he would pursue
whatever might befall Douglas. On the
afternoon of the 10Th, the Stars and
Stripes were brought out in Galena, and
unfurled, amidst the cheers of the peo
pie. A band of music paraded the
streets. In the evening, the town gath
cred in mass convention. On his way tc
the meeting, Democratic friend said t.
Rawlins:
cit is an Abolition fight; do not mi,
in if you do you will injure our party
81 don't know anything about part,
now," he replied "All know is tha
traitors have fired on our flag" Arrives
at the meeting, after week-kneed speecl
by the Mayor, Rawlins was enthusiast
cally called upon, and made the speec
of the evening. Captain .. S. Gran
was present Richardson, in his admir-;
BILE biography of Grant, thus describe
the speech
Amid loud cheering Washburne too
his seat. Then on every side rose th
j cry, Rawlins, Rawlins.' The slende
erect young lawyer elbowed his wa
through the dense throng, up to the lit
open space ON the platform, where h
pale face, coal black hair and fashin
eyes could be seen by the entire aud
ence. He was still thoroughly angry {
9 the advice of his political friends. II
.. spoke in deep, rich tone which woul
have filled hall ten times as large. Fl
three-quarters of an hour, amid profoun'
est silence, he reviewed the past; tt
real or fancied wrongs of the slavehol'
ers; the good faith in which the Nortl
: ern Democracy had fought their battl
> under the constitution the blood an
). toll expended in the founding and d
{ Tending the republic; the cheerfulne
with which minorities hitherto out-vote
had submitted to the will of the majorit
AS on the Missouri Compromise, Il
s. Mexican war and the Kansas-Nebrasl
bill. That was the American way
trust the future, the good sense, justic
5. and sober, second thought of the peopl
,r Warming with his subject, he made
most cogent and stirring argument.