Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-08-16
THE DEAD AND LIVING.
Interesting Reeolleotions Of Eminent
Men,


At the annual dinner of the Law Steno-
graphcr's Association Of New York, Mr..
Henry NJ. Park hurst, in responding to a
toast, said J.; Looking back over pro
fessiOnal career now exceeding quarter
Of century, mauy pleasing incidents
crowd upon my memory. | remember
the Fourth Of July excursion to Marst-
field, to listen to Daniel Webster. Seated
with him in the rear car, when the
coupling broke, ard the locomotive, with
the rest Of tue train, dashed on without
us. ! remember consolng myself With
tue reflection that wherever the rest OF
the audience might be, whatever Daniel
Webster might say should be there to
hear and report. There Is a cdrilus cir
cumstanee connected with that very
Marshh Id speech. 1t was reported indie
pendently by DR.. Stone and myself, and
either Of us could at that tine have
written nearly or quite 100 words per
minute. While the reports agreed almost
| literally IN every other respect, there was
an apostrophe to Lord AshburtOi, occu'
pyiug two Or three printed lines, which
we gave in entirely different language.
| The reason was this: Webster broke
out so suddenly aud rapidly In that apos-
trophe, that ! almost dropped my pencil
in astoulshmcnl and lost the commence
ment of it, while DR.. Stone dashed on uu-
I'll he broke down, taking the first part OF
IT,. In the meantime I recovered my
equanmity, and took the last part. SO
that although the ordinary rate Of Web
stcr's sleaking was less than 100 words,
there were occasions when he far eX-
ceeded l50 words per minnie.
remember the manuscript banded me
by Rufus Choate, from which he had
read 4 brilliant political speech which
had been called upon TO report, because
no printer could read that manuscript ;
and being compelled to throw il aside
after vainly attempting, for half an hour,
with the aid of my notes, to discover
from which end of the manuscript he
had begun to read. remember, in the
Senate Of the United States, the dying
speech Of John G. Calhoun the Com
promise speech Of Henry Clay; the boast
of John z. Hale that the Free Soil Party
had doubled in numbers, because al the
pre- yiOus session there was but one and
now there were two; and | remember
seeing the new South Carolina Senator,
Barnwel Rhett, perhaps not on the
same occasion, burying himself in Il
newspaper, lest ne should appear TO be
]
queucc OF Mr. Hale, first laying down
lis newspaper, and finally removing
his seut Tor a more convenient loca-
tion. remember the grave announce.
ment 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 whcr
senator FOOte stood near the Prcsideut''
chair with 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
assassin 10 fire and | remember Jeiler'
son Davis, little after midnight on the
morning of the fourth Of March, adyanc
Ing on the Presidents desl, and demand
.ug to be sworn into the new Congress
upon the ground that the term Of the sit
ting Congress had expired, kicking a spit
tOOn out Of his way with the same impet
uosity With which he afterwards kicked
the Constitution itself out of his way
when he desired to be sworn out"