Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1870-06-22

New Y ork after short voyage to the
Bahamas. # slozs s3f T. a-
He changed his name to Rufus A.
Lockwood, taking his mother's family
name worked his way to Buffalo on the
Erie canal, and took passage op one of the
first schooners that made the voyage Of
the lakes, to Chicago. Chicago then
(lS30) wasa a frontier village, the solitude
OF the prairies on one side almost as, up-
broken as that of the lake on the other.
Lockwood arrived there bareheaded With
out moneyHor friends. A farmer from
the interior accidentally became acquaint-
ed with him, and believing there was ma
terial in him for country school-masler,
took him in hls farm-wag gon to his home at
Romney, Tippecanoe county, Indiana
For about a year Lockwood taught alter
nate terms at Rompcy and Rob Roy, a
village in an adjoining county deyoting
his time out of school to the study Of med
icine. A friend writes: "iFor some time
everything went well, but some unpleas-
antness arose between him and bis Rob-
Roy patrops, ard the warrior habit which
so distinguished him in later life brought
on a sharp collision. Without hesitation,
he struck out for Romney, one of the
coldest days in winter, with the snow a
foot deep. In crossing the 'eight-mile
prairie he, lost his way, and never was
nearer his end than when he went down
in the Central America. He reached my
fathers about 10 O'Clock at night, with
his hands and feet so badly frozen, that
though every remedy was resorted to, he
was disabled for the rest of the winter.
AS soon as he was able to walk, he COM
menced school. We had, at that time,
a debating-society in Romney that was at
tended by all. the natives Lockwood
did not seem to have the least capacity
for extemporaneous speaking; but every
Saturday-night he was regularly on hand,
with a half.hour's speech thoroughly com
mitted, and delivered without reference
to manuscript, Some of these efforts
gave promise Of his maturest years. You
remember his solemn mauner, his deep,
sepulchra tones. and the force and ener.
gy with which he pressed his strong points.
They are all associated, in my mind, with
the debates at the oldlog school house"
About this time he determined to study
law, and, borrowing copy Of Blackstone,
almost literally committed its text, His
country school of from seven to twenty
pupils did not afford very promising
outlook, and he was induced to 90 to
Charlottesville. That place, now the
fourishing seat of Wabash College, d
not then contain material for two schools,
and the field was already occupied by one.
Lockwood opened in opposition; got into
a newspaper controversy with his compet-
itor; stutied law by night; got married
without dollar in the world was admit
ted to practice by the circuit court. and
went to Thornetown,a a new place in Boone
county, to establish himself in his profes-
sion. He did not wait long for client
he was sued by bis lopdloid, and made
his first appearance as a lawyer in his own
case. He pleaded an unpaid tuition-bill
as set-of, but Judgment was givelagainsi
him.. He was unable to give an appea'.
bond, and the bed he and his wife slept
on was sold by the constable for less than
$40. No Incidents Of his life seem tc
have made Il deeper impression on him,
than the hogging of his messmate ana the
constable's sale Of his bed. In his second
case he was, fortunately, not his own cli-
ent-fort0nateIy lost it, and appealed to
the su rene court. Never was a case in.
volviug so small an amount morethorough'
ly prepared. He briefed il asthough thou
sands were pending. In after-years he
often referred to the embarrassment he
experienced at his first appearance at the
supreme court o Morbidly sensitive: hi,
uncouth appearance, and coarse, ill-fttine
clothes burden, to him; oppressed by q
deep sense of poverty and triendlessnes'
he shrauk from contact Of men of The
world as one long immured in darkness il
panied by the light. Hehad not the cour
age TO state 10 the court that he was pres
ent for examination as an attorney, ant
was only relieved from this difficulty by
the accidental presence Of the Judge o
his circuit, who made the necessary mo
ton Lockwood 5 appearance, of course
attracted attentiop; and the manner il
which he passed his examination, with tbC
exhaustive argument he made in the cast
he had carried up tPoulk et al. Us. Slo
cum, 3D. Backford, 42l) made hun know
to the court and bar as q man Of mark
Even his adlady noted the changed man
ner toward him. and translated him frou
lumber.room in the attic to the floor o
his peers. 1t Ii oi aN" s4 sa' 90 ih'
His new position. however, brought hin
no clients at Thoruetown. He knew uon'
of the arts by which success is conciiated
He was never the next friend Of the clerk
the favorite Of the sheriff, the intimate o
the Judge, familiar with Jurors, nor tn
con6dant of Witnesses He realized hi
disadvantage in the small encouuters,o Q
social intercourse, and avoided them. II
became moody, reserved distracted, stu
dious. Never seeking business what lii
Tile there was in his sparsely settled coun
try did not seek him. His deep love an
ardent study Of the law as a science, wer
rather bars than aids TO his immediat
sue cess; and his poverty was unrelieved
He was refused credit for ahiaipg amour
at the village store; he wrote the nam
of the owner in his black book, and wen
back TO potatoes in tho ashes, with sal
for a luxury. His homo was never q haE
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