Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-09-12

\ REroRTER's RnuNIscENCEs.-A the
annual dinner of the law -tenogHphers' As
Sociation. Henry VI. Parkhurst. in respond
ing to a toast. said Looking back over
professional career now exceeding q quarter
Of a century, many pleasing incidents crowd
upon my memory. | remember the Fourth
Of Julv excursion to Marshheld. to listen TO
Daniel Webster Seated with him in the
rear ear. when the coupling broke. and the
locomotive with the rest of the train dashed
on without Us, remember con~0iing myself
with the reflection that wherever the rest of
the audience might he, whatever Daniel
Webster might say. | should be there to hear
and report There l. a curious circumstance
connected with that very Marshfeld speech.
1t was reported independently by DR.. Stone
and myself. and either of Us could at that
time have written nearly or quite one hun
drel and fifty words Ter minute. W bile
the reports agreed almost literally in every
other respect. there was an aTostrOphe 10
Lord A~hbarton. occupying two or three
printed lines, which we gave in entirely dit
ierent language. Thereason was this 3: Webs
ter broke ont SO suddenly and 50 rapidly in
that apos,rophe that | almost dropped my
pencil inastonishment, and lost the commence
ment of it. while DR.. Stone dashed on un-
ii! he broke down, taking the first part Of it.
In the mean time | recovered my equanimity
and took the last part. s. that although
the ordinary rate of Nebster's speaking was
less than one hundred words, there were oc-
casionS when he tar exceeded one hundred
and fifty words per minute.
- | remember the manuscript handed me
by Rufus Choate from which he had read
brilliant political speech. which | had been
called upon TO report because no printer
could read that manuscript and being com
PEELED to throw it aside after yainly attempt
ing for half an hour. with the aid of my
notes. to discover from which end Of that
manuscript he had begun to read | remem-
Der. in the senate Of the United States. the
dying speech of John c. Calhoun; the COM
promise speech of Henry Clay; the boast Of
John p Hale. that the free-soil party had
doubled in numbers. because at the previous
session there was but one. and now there
were two; and | remember seeing the new
North Carolina Senator, Barnwell Rhett,
perhaps not on the same occasion, burylng
himself in a newspaper. lest he should ap-
pear 10 be listening. but soon. overcome by
tut tlufututt hl MI Iiilt- lli-t Ia M N''A
his newspaper, and finally removing his seat
for more convenient location.
d" | remember the grave announcement Of
Daniel Webster to the Senate, when PreSi-
dent TAYLOR lay at the point Of death, that
dlgestioH of the brain had commenced. |
remember the scene when Senator foote
stood near the president chairwitha drawn
pistol in his hand, waiting the attack of
Senator Benton, who drawn behind desk
and held there by four stalwart western men,
two on either hand, thrust them all aside by
one vigorous motion, and called upon the as
sassin to fire and | remember Jefferson
Davis. little after midnight on the morning
Of the 4th of March. advancing to the presi-
dents desk and demanding to be sworn into
the new Congress. upon the ground that the
term of the sitting Congress had expired,
kicking a spittoon out Of his way with the
same impetuosity with which he afterward
kicked the constitution itself ont Of his way
when he desired to be sworn out.