The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-03-18
A Local Celebrity.

The following extract taken from Parson
Bradley's Journal with comments BY VIII
liam Gould, Esq, published in the Sunday
Star, gives an account of one Of Portlands
old celebrities who will be recalled by all old
citizens: I f'a.
IL. p. NJ. Attended funeral at the CITY
alms-house. A eolored man by The me
Of Jones. 60 or more years old. He was n
very great curiosity. He was a man of no
education, but of original goo,l sense. He
had a language of his own. His words and
expressions were in the highest degree bonn
bastic. such as never heard any other per-
son use. He would keep the multitude
around him in. a continual roar of langl ter
Mt the words he would use to convey his
ideas-good natnred. what the world would
cali clever and obli.ing. But the poor fell
low has gone to the land of dea,h-to hap
piness hope. where the wicked cease from
troubling, and the weary are at rest.
This notice will refiesh the memory of
older citizens of this "Commodore" Steph-
ell Jones. The Parsons description and
eulogy is very correct, according to my re-
collection. don't think can improve il
much, except perhaps in his personal ap-
pearance before he retired TO the alms-house
on his laurels won in public defamation.
| Yet. now think of it, / am puzzledto know
how his eulogist discovered his ''original
| good sense"-it must have been rs his spir-
itual adviser, in his last sickness, for If he
ever had any good sense while in public life,
it was drowned in deluge of high sound
ing words and phrases not found In Web
ster, Worcester, or any book of quotations
these were uttered by the hour without
regard to any thing but their grandiloquent
sound.
Commodore" Jones was one of the ee-
lebrities of the town. He sometimes stoop-
ed to the (what he considered) nienial busi-
ness of washing windows; but his fayorite
employment was street exhibitions. His
dress was usually longifrock coat of some
fancy color, the new of which had been
worn off before it came into his possession,
red or yellow vest, large gilt watch chain,
and shirt studs. His head seemed to be
resting by the ears Gin which were large
| rings.) on his stiff shirt collar. On his fin
| gers were yellow metal rings, rs numerous
| and nearly as wide az the ferules on an old
fashioned stageman's whip. His figure was
| usually surmounted by tall white fur hat,
more than half covered with mourning
Grape, the end of which, as weeper, hung
down his broad back. A large snowy cane
completed his rig. In this costume, with
variations, he took his place in the morning
on the sunny side of the street. His eyes
and teeth were the whitest, his skin the
blackest. When he stood leaning against
building he looked as If his skin had Just
been oiled. and he had been set out in the
sun to dry.
He had no secret trouble, like viper
gnawing at his vials. His broad happy
face looked like the cut of the full moon In
Robert B. Thomas's Almanac.
Those vino wished to be electrified by his
powers of eloquence had only to ask his
opinion of some public matter, when the
stream of words would Aow as freely, for
hours. as Sebago water.
He was an inoffensive man, and had very
little TO repent of in his last days. 1 see no
reason to doubt that the Parsons hope that
he chad gone to happiness was well
| grounded, although some politicians have
expressed serious doubts about people of his
complexion having souls, He. like Dickens,
is entitled to niche in the temple of fame
for his efforts to amuse the people.