Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-07-31
5flistellanepas &eading.
TOM CORWIN.
BY HON. r. C. PARSONS.

| 1UM CUItN1Ns
BY HON. R. C. PARSONS.
At the time I first saw Mr.. Ewing, Mr.
Corwin was in the fullness of his glory, and
reveling in the most extraordinary popularity
ever given to public servant in free coun-
try. Wherever he went crowds followed at
his heels, and whenever he spoke there was a
perfect carnival of fun, frolic, logic and tri.
umphs. What wonderful and gifted man
he was! OF large frame, broad, deep, heavy
chest, a complexion as swarthy as a savage, Il
well-made, large, significant head, brilliant
eyes, and face so capable of expressing eve
ry varying emotion, that as comic actor he
would have rivaled Burton in his palmiest
days and as preacher would have looked
more doleful than the children of Israel, when
they sat down by the river of Babylon and
"wept when they remembered Zion."
have often heard our friends describe him
as he appeared during the campaign of 1910,
when the people, reused to pitch of enthu-
siasm rarely witnessed, with the cry of Tip
pecanoe and Tyler too," followed Corwin with
almost hungry eagerness, content ifthey could
only listen to his voice and gaze into his
magic countenance.
Farmers and their wives would get up in
the middle of the night, fodder the cattle for
the next day, feed the horses, put the house
hold in order for days absence, and drive
thirty miles over rough roads and through
sparsely settled neighborhoods, considering
the labor we'll bestowed as midnight once more
found them, worn and exhausted, at home, if
they had heard the wonderful orator, Tom
Corwin, the "Wagon boy of Ohio"
1t was my good fortune, some years after
ward, to be known to him, and often had the
satisfaction of spending many hours in his So
ciety, in different years and places. Often
have heard him, in the meridian of his
power, on the Stump" that place which to
Corwin was throne, and where, for the time,
he was indeed the master and the king OF
men.
Mr.. Corwin was great reader, hard stu.
dent, had wonderful knowledge of history,
a profound love for the sacred Scriptures, and
was gifted with retentive and remarkably
accurate memory. His humor or pathos were
equally irresistible, and sometimes l have seen
vast multitude of men and women before
him, with the faces of many actually bathed in
tears suddenly breaking into the most bois-
ferrous and convulsive laughter; so that the
tears were actually arrested half way down
the cheeks, where they glistened like the dew
drops of the morning upon the comical coun-
tenances of the "weepers," in doubt whether
to dry up in the sunlight of comedy, or to
proceed upon the sorrowing mission upon
which they were originally sent to travel.
AS mere orator, Mr.. Corwin excelled any
man it has been my fortune to hear. So
full of wit, humor, pathos, history, imagery
manner so charming and magnetic as to be
fascinating beyond description, and face so
variable and wonderful in its power of ex-
pressing emotions that no man could look upon
it without yielding at once to its bewitching
influence. In private life, at the social board,
he was the centre and idol of the circle, and
when in Congress, in the latter years Of his
life, he was always surrounded by the mem
bers who loved and honored him, and were
only too delighted to listen to his attractive
conversation. Still later, after his return from
Mexico, when forced by poverty to open law
office in Washington, called at his rooms on
Pennsylvania Avenue to pay him visit. He
occupied two very small rooms, one of which
was nearly filled with large bed. He seemed
very glad to see me, and pressed me to remain
and talk about Ohio. In the course of the
conversation I asked him where he lived, that
1 might, if time permitted, call at his house
and again pay my respects. Looking up with
that solemnity Of manner he could assume in
a moment, he said:
"You know I have had my fair share of the
good things, so called, of this life. I have
been member of the Legislature, lawyer
among my neighbors, a member of Congress-
Governor Of Ohio, Senator of the United
States, Secretary of the Treasury, and Minis
ter to Mexico and now" said he, changing
from the most intense gravity to the most
playful manner, 81 sleep there (pointing to
the bed) and board with the peanut woman
round the corner"
once went with him to Buffalo, where he
was to speak during the campaign Of 1864
In the course of his remarks he urged the
great Importance of individual effort, and re-
lated well-known anecdote of his defeat
while running as candidate for Governor Of
Ohio, against Wilson Shannon, his Democrat
ic competitor He said the day after election
he met an old farmer and friend of his, who
condoled with him on his defeat, expressing
at the same time, his astonishment and dis
may that such an extraordinary and unex-
pected event could have occurred, and such
disgrace be fastened upon the people of Ohio
Taking the old man aside, he asked him if he
had gone to the polls on election day, for, said
Mr.. Corwin, II noticed your township did not
give its ordinary vote"
"Well," said the old man, evidently great.
ly embarrassed at the new turn things were
taking, "the fact is, Mr.. Corwin, election day
was very fine day in these parts, and me and
my neighbors all thought you had such sure
thing, and it was such good day for cutting
buckwheat, we thought we would not 60 and
vote, as it wasn't necessary and that accounts
for the light vote, you see."
"And so," said Mr.. Corwin, "you sacrificed
the best Governor that Ohio ever had for a
paltry patch of buckwheat" "Bah" said
he, turning to the chairman of the meeting
with merry twinkle in his eye, 81 was so ut
terly disgusted with that communication, Mr.
President that I have never been able to eat
buckwheat cake from that day to this"
OYERWORK AND WANT OF SLEEP.
Overwork causes great deal Of i'll health
in farming communities. Very many farm.
! ors IN tho;r offnrts to avoid idIenass which