New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-05-25
Sketches Of Prominent Virginians
correspondent of the Chicago Tribune
gives the following account of men once Promi,
nent in political affairs in Virginia

- correspondent VI tue NnlCaIO iftOtH
gives the following account of men once promi
nent in political affairs in Virginia
GEORGIA AND VIRGINIA.
The richest State in the South. as thing.
stand. is Georgia, which has more high lant
than any State but Virginia, and more new
land than any Eastern State of the South ready
to come into market; but, except for the acc
dent of few pushing men being in -Georgis
with capital. Virginia would now be- a for
merry. the controlling State of the South The
only towns in the South which have developed
since the war, have been Atlanta and Rich
mond, the latter contriving TO rebuild all It's
burnt district better than before and Atlanta
has mounted from a third-rate Southern town
to one of the better second rate cities.
RICH MEN IN VIRGINIA,
/ The State of Virginia possesses but three or
four men possessed of above 500. 0O0 or $500
900 in capital whether considered in stock.
land, or cash at present valuation, The four
richest men IN the State are William T. South
erin, OF Danvile James Thomas, of Rich
mond; Joseph Anderson, of Richmond. and
Franklin Stearns, of Richmond.
Southerlin possesses number of hrst-class
/ tobacco plantations, and he is tobacco manu-
tacturer. lie owns one Of the best residences
in the South, completed during the war, and
(
premises Thomas is about 90 years of age
10 years the senior of Southerlin and is worth
about Sl5O,OOO, rather less than the Danville
man. Anderson is worth $500, 900 As
! rebel general he was a coward and ran away
from the battlefield, but he makes money very
we'll, and be made most of il casting cannon
during the war, and in doing ali other sorts of
running metal. Frank Stearns is = native
New Highlander, who went to Richmond early
in life as canal digger He had a great deal
more confidence 10 the power and pluck of the
North than the North had in itself He
never would keep in his possession the rebel
money, but took the entire scrip which he
could receive and planted it iE Southern lands,
so that when the warclosed, and the scrip was
little worse than brown paper, Frank Stearns
possessed all the land of the rebels within ) or
20 miles of Richmond. Nobody could say
anything against Frank, because the rebel
government had put him in Castle Thunder on
suspicion OF his honesty and otherwise NAL
treated himself and family but Frank was
wonderful peace maker with the whskey which
he distilled near the city of Richmond, and he
was determined to be always aggrieved, but
never to be mad. At one time or another
every bare-kneed and bare rumped rebel digni-
tary rode out to Franks house to get some
thing to eat or have a drink, and it was ALWAYS
ready for them. Franks is now the first family
of the South he is at the head of the old
chvalry. Patrick Henry, James Mason, j ohm
Randolph, etc, were all well in their way, but
Frank Stearns is the noblest Nirginan of them
all.
MALONE.
General Malone, who is at the head of the
Virginia and Southern railroad system. small,
attenuated man, with the heart of u lion is
looked upon "a one Of the most powerful ma
teral men OF the South, and he has a large sal.
airy from his railway interests; but his conf
dence in Southern securities has not enabled
him to stand highest among capitalists in that
region. This extraordinary little man, who
figured in many of the most terrible panics of
the war, as, for example at the blowing up of
the fort before Petersburg, where he led the
way into the hollow crater to redeem the rebel
line; never carried a sword or pistol during the
whole war, and went at the head of his troops
with nothing in his pockets and nothing in his
hands. Ills only weapon was his indOmitabe
nature and determination to be leader He
was too weak To WELD a sword had he possessed
one, and he always forgot the pistol.
HUNTER.
Il. NJ. l.. Hunter. one of the milde,t and
sweetest natures Of the South who ia ut the
present time % years of age, lives upon his es-
tate In Essex county, Virginia, on the west
side of the Rappahanock river, 30 miles from
any town worthy the name, possessed of from
1000 to 5000 acres of land, aud yet over
whemed with debt and unable to know where
To turn TO keep his head above destruction lie
! lives upon the spot Of his birth, and it is "a
years since he appeared in Congress to support
the Independent treasury of Martin Van Buren,.
In l845 he was Speaker of the House, and as
long ago as lS4I he took his seat in the Senate
and remained there continuously until after his
expulsion after the opening of the rebellion.
la NaG a nth pf ha E T.
the warehouse system which prevailed at the
beginning of the war. Hunter could do no less
than go out with his State but he condemned
himself and family to misery for the rest of his
days. lie was Secretary of State under the
Confederate government and member of the
rebel Congress. Johnson pardoned him in
1867, and since that date he has been consist
ent with his former character of the mldest
spoken man in the State of Virginia, never APP
pearing TO draw maedictions upon his section,
but living down on his blasted territory on the
Rappahanock, worn out with slavery and bad
cultivation, and compelled to mediate upon
more than the downfall of slavery-upOn the
utter destruction which slavery had wrought to
the clods of ground which gave him bis nourish-
ment. He is worth less than nothing, with
nearly 5000 acres of the globe in his possession.
sEDDEN, EococK, AND WISE.
James A. Sedden, rebel Secretary of War,
and member of the American Congress sub
sequent to 1915, lives in Goochland county,
midway between Charlottesville and Rich
mOnd. lie has been quiet since the war, and
practices law in Richmond and the surround.
ing region.
Thomas s. Bocock, who is now ifty-six years
of age, came to Congress in lS47, acting for
many years as chairman of the Committee on
Naval Affairs he lives in Lynchburg, and
suffers somewhat from his extravagant habits
of life, in which he is said to be exceptional,
the'maSs of leading Virginia politicians were
temperate men in eating and drinking, includ.
ing even Henry A. Wise, who abides now in
semi-lunatic state at Richmond, but is still
frugal liver. These are all the men worthy of
mention in the State of Virginia. In the esti.
nation of the best observers il will take twenty
diligent years to put that State upon the foot
ing OF the secondary Northern and Western
States. The eastern portions of it will have to
be resigned to fruit growing, and 10 vague,
helpless sort of way the Virginans down the
neck OF the Chesapeake are now reaching out
tor persons TO help them to apple orchards and
vineyards. For grain purposes and tobacco
purposes their land is warn out.