The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1870-01-21
" istella E q Vt & .
Rec0gEecfiONs Of the OIden Time
First Series---No. 6.

TO the Editors Of tie -12giS d hteHigenccr:
When commenced my last letter, upon
the subject of the young ladies in Bel Air
and vicinity of the olden time, | imagined
/ would, before closing, work up all the
raw material at my command but | had
progressed but few sentences before one
old acquaintance after another began to
come up in memory, and found my pro-
gramme would be very incomplete without
another letter, Hence, with your privilege,
Twill refer to few additional men and boys
who lived in and around your village du-
ring the first quarter of the present centu-
ry.
In speaking oflegislators in a previous
letter, | forgot to mention Jas. w. Will
liams, who lived on Deer Creek, not far from
Husbands lanyard. He was tall, swar-
thy man, not unlike some four "F. f. VS."
who take great pride in the very uncer-
tain genealogy that turns the current of
Pocahontas in their veins. (And just here
let me say in particular, that If one-half of
those who claim to have descended from
the Indian princess are really such, Virginia
in her most savage days, never had more
numerous tribe of malungeons than at
presently AS before said, Mr.. Williams
very much resembled these claimants, with
his erect form, elastic step, straight black
hair, olive complexion and brilliant eye.
When said that Elisha Guyton was the
best penman in Hartford, should have ex-
cepted Mr.. Williams, who wrote the bold
est and most legible hand of any distin-
guished man have ever known. He was
man of thought deep, investigating
thought-formed his own opinions indie
pendent of the opinions of others, and was,
withal, of high, honorable and generous
impulses. Did you ever notice. Messrs.
Editors, that the man who wrote bold,
free hand, is rarely capable of mean ac-
ton and on the contrary, have you not
noticed that the man who writes COM
pressed, diminutive, stingy-looking hand,
is rarely capable of mgnanimous action ?
If you have not, have, and flatter myself
that show me the autograph of Il man, and
l will give you the measure of his mind
and morals Everything that Mr.. Will
liams did was upon broad and manly
scale. In electioneering, for instance he
never stopped to conquer" and would
have preferred defeat thousand times to
success through the wiles of the dema-
gogue. was at his residence when small
boy soon after his barn had been struck by
lightning and all his grain consumed
when he put his hand upon my head and
remarked-"This is a great calamity, my
son, but he who unchains the lightning
knows where to direct it, and l have no
right to complain" The idea was grand
one to me, the resignation sublime, and
worthy of the man. He was, apparently
of delicate constitution, and may long since
have been gathered to his fathers. Ii not
| hope he will pardon the license have
thus taken with his name-if he has, Of
fer it as a feeble but honest tribute to
worth and manliness.
Another legislator about this time was
Bennett M. Doran, who served, think, but
single term. He was an incessant talk Ell
and very noisy man, with no peculiar
characteristic as now remember, except
the big and the little Il. He was fat, funny
d and friendly, and was about as tall when
lying down as when standing up. He had
many good qualities, not many great ones,
owned good farm on upper Deer Creek