Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-11-20
MEMPHIS APPEAL
WEDNESDAY MORNING, NOV. 20, 1879.
HEUNFEaL OF JOHN F.sALE.

every friend and admirer, Of The lat
John F. Sale must have been gratihe
At the universal honor and respect whicl
have been rendered his memory. Tn
meetiugof the bar on Monday was on
Of the largest ever held in Memphis, ol
a similar occasion, and the variOu
speeches. the general expression Of re
Vret. were eloquent attestatiOns Of tn
bipb position which the deceased oocu
pied in the professional which he was
hight ornament. The attendance a
tbs f,nerl services showed, too, thI
r,nspicuous place which General Sal
,ceupied in the affections Of a peOpl,
nmonR whom be has 80 long resided
Everybody seemed inspired with the be
lief that a star-like genius had fadeC
into nothingnsss, and the sad event hac
c,me upon them like the shadow Of
great cloud. It Is natural, Il Is com
mendable, in our old citizens to mourn
the loss of a comrade who has Travelled
with them through many vicissimdes-
seen Memphis emerge from an obscUr,
vluaget to a prosperous city. How rap
idly are the old citizens passing away
WaIkerhas ceased 20 bea dweller Of tn,
earth. Mcmahon sleeps in the silenl
CITY Of the Dead. The graves Of Irwin
and Dunlap have not yet been disturbed
10y the pitiless winters rain. Carroll
and Dill and Mechanism and Nooe ART
dscaying in the 'land Of the sleepers.'
E.. NJ. Yerger, whose genius was God.
given, faded from our midst like
a Upright particular star from the
heavens; and now, John F. Sale has
gone i'm pursuit of his twin-spirit. May
they both meet in that blissful realm be-
ylnd the clouds, where love is imm0r-
tai, and the rainbow never fades
f-om the skies; happy in the midst Of
TIE stars, the angels, and the majesty Of
God.
We have but little to add in addition
d what we have already said, in regard
20 the life and character Of General
Sale. He was endeared to Us by SO many
associations hat it is a melancholy
pleasure to dwell upon his memory. We
think We can paint a Hfe-like portrait Of
his character, and in the attempt shall
observe the rigid exactness which Crom-
wen required Of his artist. On the
twentieth day Of January, 1870, George
D. Prentice died, and the writer of this
published an obituary on the next day,
in which these sentences occur: "His
rsd-hot invective was dazzling, eloquent,
sublime. His editorials were full Of
amazing richness of thought, swarm
ing like an ant-hin with stirring, n
igue, chaste, g~rotesque ideasa and images.
As an editor, he had no equal, from the.
flaming cataracts Of his elOquence
aud poetry down to his splendid
abuse. His fertility Of resources
were exhaustess. His intellect was Of a
high order, clear, quick, rapid and pen
Grating. He saw with a keen glance,
and grasped with a strong hand the ker-
mel Of his subject. He could treat the
most difficult topic playfully, and yet
with the profoundest ability. The South
eru people still remember the bitter COLI
rr0versies between Mr.. Prentice and
Sladrack Penn. II was like the wrest-
ling Of two giants. It was like Etna in
Eruption and Nesuvius answering in
DID, g MI F.FS,.o4i,, II NJ Dan 1
ce's character 50 struck General Sale
.lat be often commented on it, and the
lay after its publication in his speech de-
.-nding Dickens for killing Bolton he
uoted the expression from the flaming
.ltaracts Of his ~eloquence and poetry
own to his splendid abuse
Little did John F. Sale dream
nat the description he 50 much adj
nired would be quoted as properly de-
riding his own character. What was
aid Of Prentice is eqslly appropriate TO
General sale, for he was great in his
-ivolities, great in his burlesques, great
D his humOT, great in common CONVEX
alton; the great lawyer, the great ora
y, the great BLACKBOARD, the great COM
anton, the great friend, the great wor-
.liper Of ladies, and the great spend
lrift. In nothing was be little. He
.xceued in everything. While speaking,
u almost alternate sentences he could
make the transit from " grave to gay,
rom lively to severe.r He could make
speech Astounding in the Hottest states
uanship, philosophy or metaphysics,
nd then suddenly deal in abuse, either
haste, classic or vulgar, as the emery
.ncy required. His wit was bright and
Darkling as a diamond; his sarcasm
,een, sharp, pungenti his irony was
.austic and biting; his ridicule was chat
whitening, overwhelming, and when
ne exigeney required it he could, by his
buse, granulate his victim into mince-
neat. His intellectual display, whether
peaking, writing, or in private CONVEX
alton, was that Of a Titan tumbling
own massive fragments Of originality.
lie always produced a splash and a foam
8 he hurled into the stagnAnt stream of
,.her mems thoughts, his bright, fresh,
ideas. He stood over six feet
ligh, and in every u he was a man.
There was nothing weak, petty or vacil-
about him. He had physical
trength and mental capacity Of such a
that he could endure any amount Of
lbor and exposure. He was built for
.ower-power Of body and power Of
rain. There was no attempt at display
D his manners, no Notwithstanding
( the Miss Nancy, but a steady, strong
5ility and esmestness which COM
respectful attention, and made
i'm invincible. He comprehended law
I'd principles, and applied them In a
latter-offact way. He understood hu-
IAN nature well, and knew how to
lould the minds OF men TO his will.
reneral Sales head was phrenologicslly :
ne; but the features Of his face were {
road and strong, inclining TO rough J
ess. A stranger would never dream {
nat the rugged countenanee could soft /
n into beauty, grow radiant with hu-
Tor, and beam with magnetic love.
.ut a. the brightest waters gush from
mong the eraggy rocks, and the sweet >
It flowers bloom amid the thOrns, so J
as the nature Of John +. Sale peeu- $
arly mellow, kindly affectionate and
He wa ~singularly sympa-
letic, friendly, devotional, trusting and
Where he loved, he loved with Z
ne whole energy Of his strong mind.
he wrath was as impetuous as his affec- !
ons; but he was forgiving, and never \
nerished malignity In his heart. John '
. sale was a man, take him all in all, !
hose like we shall never see again. l
lie virtues and vices were strangely I
Tended. II was a peruliaritv in his I