The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1873-09-03
I Reporters RCminiSCCnCC.

At the annual dinner Of the Law
Sten,gra aphcr's Association of thi.
city, Mr.. Henry NJ Parkburst, in
responding to a toast, said "Looking
back over professional career nov
exceeding 9narter Of century,
many pleasing incidents crowd upon
my memory. | remember the Four,l
of July excursion to Marshiicld, to
listen TO Daniel Webster. Seated
with him in the rear Car, when the
; coupling broke, and the locomotive
with the rest of the train dashed on
without US, remember consolinp
myself with tic rcil ction that where.
yer, the rest of the audience might
bc, whatever Daniel w cbstcr might
say | should be there to hear and re-
port. There is curious circum-
stance connected with that very
Marshfield speech. It was reported
independently by DR.. Stone and
myself, and either Of us could at that
time have written nearly or quite
$50 words per minute. While the
reports agreed almost literally in
every other resi- cct, there was an
apostophe to Lord Ashburton, occupy.
ing two or three printed lines, which
@o gaze in entirely different LAM
guagc. The reason was this Web
stcr broke out SO suddenly and so
rapidly in that apostrophe, that |
alwost dropped my pencil in astouisL.
mcEt, and lest the commencement Of
it, while Dr.. Stone, dashed on until
he broke down, taking the first part
oft. N the meantime I recovered
my cqnanimity, and lost the last part.
So that although tho ordinary rate
Of Wcbstcr's speaking was less than
100 words, there were occasions when
he far exceeded l50 words per min.
ute. l rememEcr tie manuscript
handed me by Rufus Choate, from
which he had read brilliant politi.
cal speech, which had been called
upon to report Iecause no printer
could read such manuscript and be-
ing compelled to throw it aside after
valnly attempting, for half an hour,
with the aid of my notes, to diacoxcr
from which end of that manuscript
he had begun to read. l remember
in the Senate of the United, the
dying speech of John G. Calhoun /;
the compromise speech o. :!cnTy
Clay; the boast of John 2. Hale, the
Free Soil Party had doubled in mum.
bers, because at the previous session
there was but onc, and now there
were two ;and l remember seeing the
new South Carolina Senator, Barnwcll
Rhctt, perhaps not or tho same occa.
sion, burrying himself ia newspaper
lest he should appear to be listening,
but soon, overcome by Tic cloqucncc
ct Mr.. Hale, first laying down his
newspaper, and finally removing his
seat for more convenient location.
/ remember tho grave announcement
of Daniel Webster to the Senate
when President Taylor lay at the
point Of death, that digestion Of the
brain had commenced. | remember
the scene when Senator Fuotc stood
near tho Presidents chair with
drawn pistol i'll lis hand, waiting the
attack of Senator Benton, who, drawn
behind desk and held there by four
stont Western men, two on either
hand, thrust them all aside by one
vigorous motion, and called upon the
assassin to fire ; and I remember
Jefferson Davis, little after mid
night, ON the morning of the 4,h of
March, advancing to the Presidents
desk and demanding to bo sworn into
tho new Congress, upon the ground
that the term of the sitting Congress
had expired, kicking a spittoon out
Of his way with the same impctuosity
with which he afterward kicked the
constitution itself o4t Of lis way when
bosdcsircd to be sworn out" t."-Ncw
lork Times.