The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-10-27
odd Characters.


In "Cewick's Life and Letters, -
a very entertaining book, we find
many anecdotes Of celebrated charac-
ters. OF Wilkie, the panhter, it is
said that he was tall, 1ng ainly, and
awkward in his manner, and, though
not quite deserving the d escriptiOn of
Mrs. Flynn, the bear .tifuI house
keeper at Castle H0war j, who spoke
of him as the ''ugliest ynan she had
ever seen," he was by no means the
golden-haired A9om ) his fellow
cOuntryman, b1lan Cunningham,
had rather a draw ling, heSitating
speech, anT. when iD close argument
would for get himself, and the twang
of his Northern tongue was very
strong. Indeed, he was never quite
free from it, although he could not
be persuaded that it was possible for
ar. v one to discover by his speech
Fhat he was a NOTtherner, and he
sometimes got out of humOr when
told oft. Hayden would laugh at his
provoked expression when he tWltted
him with his Scotch accent, and
Wilkie would insist on his prOnunci-
alton being ''pure English" Hay
don would cry out, "Ha, ha, ha! what
warm and vexed his native Scotch
was evident enough. Hayden would
then repeat and initiate the broad in
tOnation of a particular expression
Willlie had, in his heat, allowed to
slim out. When he found that he
could not edge off or get out of 1T in
any way, Wilkie would laugh too,
and return the quiz upon the Devon
shire pecuEarities by saying, "Well,
and YeaO tGRU are DevOnshire, and fan
cy, like INorthcote, that you speak
pure English" -e
We are told of Hazlitt thatthe good
people of MeIrOse, when he walked
feisureIy through the town for the
first time, and alone, turned out in
a body to watch his turn, that they
might have a sufficient opportunity
of scrutinizing his person and be
Iongings. He found them in ranks
or groups in front of their dwellings,
gaping and staring at him, as he told
me, like so many idiots" Instead,
however, of taking no notice of this
provincial attention as COMPLIMENTS
~ to his popularity, he was highly
offended at the liberty taken with
him as a stranger, and he made fulI
stand, fronting round TO the principal
position of the enemy, and, with a
nation. he addressed them in loud
and laundering voice: "What the
devil do you see in me, you staring
hawbucks? Can not a stranger walk
through your town without exciting
this vacant and ndimpeTtinentc curiosity?
What is there for you to see, you gap
ing scotch ninniesHl
There is a capital sketch of Matu-
rim, who, by sticking Q FPd wafer on
his forehead, used to signify to his
hTlsehOld his desire to be undisturbed,
when he wished to be considered un-
der the infiueaGeqfppetic inspiration.
The author Of the tragic cpd once
narrowing romance OF HMeinoth"
greatly surprised our author by MS
| costume, appearance, and manners.
HCominp TO him by appointment, ]
| found him waiting for me, dressed up
| for the occasion, a courteous and
! finished gentlenlai4, pacing his draw
| inr-Toom in elegant full dFGSa, 2
| spIandidIy bound book laid open up
| al, a oSulbric pOcket-hankerchief,
laced round the ssiges, and scented
| with euu de Cologne, and hplG, upon
| both hands; q stylish new black wig
! curIed over his temples, his shirt col
| lar reaching halfway up his fnee, and
| his attenuated checks rpuged up 20
| the eyes! 1t was perfect makeup
| and my chagrin was exceedingly
| great. I had expected to find him
| in costume which would have been
sucl, aa to aid the poetical character
i'm something's Ryr0nic and picturesque
something suggestivs Sf the person
! ificatiOn of a wild and rOmanlfe itsT2l
onst in the sombre light and shape OF
mysterious thought or ascetic asperi-
~"