Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-01-19
A West Virginia Politician.

A correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette
gives the following sketch of a possible can
ddate for the United States senate from West
virginia:
This gentleman, Judge Ferguson, is in some
respects the most remarkable man in the state.
intellectually, he towers among us like Saul
among tn Israelites. He is production Of the
wids of the southwest part of the state of Lo-
gan or Boone, or some OF the adjacent counties.
1t is said that he grew up TO mans estate almost
wholly untutOred and unettered; that he stud
led law on the shoemaker'S tench without the
previous discipline and development of even a
rudimentaTy education; that thus cTudely pre-
pared he made his way at once in the profession
rs with the stroke of Il battle axe in the hands
of giant; that in the Virginia constitutional
convention of 1850 there were few men who
could cope with him; that notwithstanding the
irregularities of his life he always commanded
attention and exercised great influence on the
deliberations Of that body, This, and much
more is told of him.
The strange feature of his history, however, is,
that after the adjournment of the Virginia con-
vention, in which he had won SO much reputa-
ton, he should return home, and in short time
leave the state for parts unknown, forsaking
family and friends, and for ten long years give
no account of himself whatsoever. And to this
day that strange hiatus in his career remains a
mystery as | am informed unknown to any per-
son in this state. People will tell you that he
went off among the Morm0ns and became a
functionary in their church. Others say that
he was in California, and others say again that
he lived incog in New York. But nobody knows
anything for certain, either of his whereabouts
or whatabouts during allthe time of his absence.
All that is known is, that he disappeared from
the state for ten years, and that at the end of
that time he suddenly and mysteriousy reap
peared among his old friends and neighborS, and
settled down once more in their midst to the
nF ,1 FI,a,
power of the man, it is worthy to remark that
he was hardly warm in his old place before he
contrived TO secure an election to the house of
delegates, and turned up in that body at the ses-
sion Of 1864, as the republican member Tor Cnbell
county, Once there, he became not only leader,
but an oracle. He virtually had control of the
legislation of the state for while. And he re-
tains part of that control to this day, for he
has had the code in his possession for nearly two
years, under an appointment to index it, and
still it remains an unfinished task in his hands,
and sealed book 10 the people.
Since his return TO this state he has been twice
republican and twice democrat, all in the
space of seven or eight years. He is now on his
second heat as democrat having been elected
to the legislature on that ticket last fall. In
1868 he gave out that he was going to quit poll
| tics and follow the law exclusively. And to be
removed as far as possible from temptation, he
wanted Gov. Foreman to appoint him judge
| in place of Judge Hindman, impeached and re-
moved by the legislature in that year. This the
| governor would not do. But not to be headed
| off in that kind of style, he went home, and at
| the ensuing election became a candidate in his
own bailiwick for judge and was elected, and
| after serving year or two, apparently to con-
| quer a status and show that he could be Judge
| when he wanted to, he resigned and returned
again to the more Congenial arena of politics.
And there he is now, on the democratic side OF
the house, after having been more bitterly
| abused by the democratic press than any man
| in the state. There he is arrayed with the con-
| servatives, after having out-heroded HerOd as
a radical in the way of proscriptiye legislation.
| Politics makes strange bed-fellows, as we all
| know, but it will be strange sight indeed to
| see Ferguson tearing to pieces the work of his
own hands amidst the plaudifs of his former
execrators and stranger still to see him become
their leader, and perchance, at last their candi-
date. 1t is said that the southwest looks to
and that it was his influence, as a lobbyist with
the legislature of 1862 that secured the location
at Charleston. Also it is said that, in consider
alton of that championship, past and future, the
Charleston influence will rally around him for
United States senator. But of this | am very
doubtful and would recommend you to take ii
with several grains of allowance. For of all the
strange events in this strange mans career, the
strangest of all would be to see him in the high
office to which his acknowledged abilities sc
well entitle him to aspire, by the votes of the
democratic members of our legislature. | pre-
dict that event will never occur, either at theil
hands or those of any party in West Virginia
| Of him, as of a certain prominent man, 1t can
only be said that she has left splendid fu'
| ture behind him."