, 1874-07-11
"reminiscences Of Margaret Fuller,
Bayarl Taylor, and NoaA
Brooks.
Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Dayis in
th8 Black Hawk Var.
Al 'ns.>s!gx g.x: ~:::::::l r. ypixon, the Old
~: " ,M*!!,1'., ,,Ilnois.
~ a,,sA.y ,'''.
The Awful Calamity Of tho Fall
ing Bridge.
Special Correspondence ~ The Chttd0o 1ffb''ne.
T,,1,

Special Correspondence ~ qhe chteooo 7ftbnns.
DIXON, ILL.,, July I, 1874.
This town is by no meaus watcrlug- place
au contratro, there IL a great scarcity OF TINT
valuable commodity, tho wo1ls md csatofns boiag
nearly all dry, and even tho riSor-thc fatal,
murlorouB riyer-running 10 low that 1t Ia lil!ed
with shoals and sRnd-bankB. Tho wfito sand
TINT mixes 1arRe1y In tho soil lere Is hot and
glating, and on tho loaat provocation. fills o'ios
eyes and throat with All irritating cloud Of what
Robert Coliger would cali elear grls." Yet
there ID not In tho State Of Illinois q town moro
beautifully situated or With greater nattirnl atl-
vantageB tlnn this. As I mado wide datour
from my rcgrl!ar route to como here. concluded
to learn what there might 10 Of interest about
the place that nestlcs 80 prettlly In tho
hills on tho banks Of Rock River.
DIXON
is 4 town of 5000 or G.000 inhabitants, aud hns
many beautiful private residences. and fow
handsome public buildings, such as schools,
churches, atc. 1t is crossed by two important
railroads the Illinois Central running north and
aoutL, and tue Northwestern, running cast and
west. It is thacen.re Of u lasge grain producing
country, and docs an enormous buslnoss IN grain
md Produce ,-bntsor md cgga being shipped to
Boston from Dixon by moana Of rerriEotator-
cara. Tho Chicago market Ia alao largely aup-
piled from the same source. Like gront many
other p1acos, Dixon grew to . cortain size, and
thon stopped or, rathor, aince therc Is no stand
sill in life, began to retrogra1e. Tho men who
lad made their money In tho place were satisiioa
II thoy took care Of Number Ono but went
no further. So tho streets are unpayod, the side
walks arc unimprovod; there are no public parks,
or squares, Or drives; bns there arc ono OF two
handsome clufohos, and q splendid seminary"
building with ono Of tho finest natural aitos In
rhe world. The whole thing iB going to decay
because no ono Gun ha found to nuke 1t A pop1-
lar, paying institution. Tho public schools aro
among tho tiuess In the State. and have attracted
pupils hcro from other gou1inarles. The Super
intendent hlr. e. G. Smith, brother of Dr. Smith
of the Standard, in Cllicago,-iH . gentleman
whose intellectual gifts, eaucaH:n, and h!sh
Christian character omineNtiy 1T lin for tho po-
nition. There Is beautiful new Episcopal
Church lately finished. The Inferior ia like o
cathedral in ita quaint beauty.
The social life Of Dixon has changed so1ne-
what In tile last twonty years, and IL now omi-
nently proper and conservative. It used to bo
brilliant with tho wit Of ....
roETs ARTISTS, 11TEnATEuns.
It was noted for its 1ns convafHationnllsts. 1ts
9EarKllQR HUuoug 1%s HbH1Al, AoAAta4u6 uIeut
Dohemian-like, they wore at hume everywhere !;
and wlothor they met iu tho baro chambers Of
some brienesa lawyer or the auporb home OF
their pct capitalist. 1t was all tile samo.-they
we're the gloyy Of tie occasion. n ,. those 1sys
tors wis thrown open to his friends, and his
With a'N':f Margaros ' FuiieS Sssido her. The
houae.. stands OIL elln J., m'lea from
tho city. It Ia quoer, rambling structure,
furnished With beautiful things gathered from
Tho four quarters Of tho globe. lilo original log
house iB used for the Aeryants' quarters Here
Margaret Fuller wrote part OF ler "summcr on
the Lakes" Here bayarl Taylor louugod,
smokad, alto haaheosh, and sippol golaen-toprea
champagne. This was before he had gontla
German wife aud moon-faced clildtcn, when ho
waa mixing bis fano "a lecturer.
BuCH 8TOEIEH
ea are told ct those days! How they Eat down to
dinner that lasted I'LL daylight or pa1took OF
breaafaHts that ouly nndea at shutdown. It was
After such lnatntiuRl meal that Dayard Taylor
remembered DO had An engagement to lecture
before some literary society. It had rntnea Tor
week, and tho horsea' tails were all tied up to
keen them out OF the mud. It wae
B o'clock, aud there wore 3 m1los to get over
after dinner OF seven llolrs' duration. The
dear lifo An ho splasl,od along through tl!o
mud md darkuess OF the streets, q won'an'e
voice called to him from balcony, "Johp! ii
that you?" Both woman aud balcony were TIT
llAsinguisAable, but the flettnl tones was!
distinct enough, and tho great lecturer stehdlec
nimaolt mon,ent OH tue born Of h1s saddle tt
anawer. in thick tones, "No! 1t ign't J-o-h-n
it's B-a. .y-a-r:d;' adding. aotto voco, "John WI
under tho table when left"
Here, too,
NOAH DRooKs,
}he journalist, made venture OF liying. I'll
bad not then developed any literary ability, b,l
embarked in . business i'll the furniture Ane
lalicd and went to publishing tue county papeE,
Er.~. fh+t frnY1
t,g furnisute-house in New York, asking him X
receive large consignment of furniture, NH
seli 1t to the boat ndvantage for them and him
self. Ho responded courteously III = letter, atat
Ing that nothing would give him moie pleasure
md Thanking ttlom for their patronage; but, 4
IN aftorthought, ho added 4 postscript request
Ing them to prepay tue freeht, as he had lns
gone into bankruptcy aud would be unable to d
ana kept tho furniture. Brooks edited tho pape
on plan Of his own. 10 mako 1t spicy, L
aishea up all tho local gossip. The epna'
qaonce was. he had to be lowered from t
Office: ind he got tired Of barricadine tho doc
and tho paper had another editor. Druoks the
went to Washington mud entered tho field {
Journalism. uo was much enlcarod TO Pres
dent Lincoln. who had just gwen him tho 1'oa
tion Of Private secrat4ry but d week previous
bis death. The Private Secretary Of pyesaa,
Grant IL alao Dixon mau,-Low r, Lucke
ESQ.
ulAy HH VI lukGlGak VI huDW klAk
0un LATE PRESIDENT
WAS first Bworn into uilice-now nearly forty yeR
ago-iu this town, I.incoln tl4en q snw-bone
youth, awkward and ungainly, fresA from IL
hard work that halped to make him tho man Il
WAS, came hero, fired with martial enthusiasm.
serve his country when she needed him. Tll
wan during tie Black Hawk War. II
gallant Mai. Anderson mustered Lincoln il.
ile service ~ private soldier. At tho san
time JefToraon Davis was lere. under tho COT
mand of Gen. Taylor, who afterwards bccal
his father-in-law, the hero OF tho Moxlca,l Wa
mud President OF tile United statos. Day's W
NJ elegant young officer. Who could conpa
tho two Al ihoy stood hide by side7 Who col,
prophesy that tho Ao1naly youth ia bomeBll
would 30 President OF tho county, and the lau
kon,e, accomplished, Hudor-brel rival the he
OF q nebat GovornHlent2 This town haB ay
boon emnontly loyal, md there came day VII
tho streets were filled with white, torroE-strick
faces, and womon cried, and ulou strange
mlueiod prayers and carsea, aud tho flags lii!
dropping, and teIegrams flew here and tAel
when lfuc0ln'H work WIS done.
went yesterday to 500
THE OLDEST MAN IN THE STATE,
Tathor Dixon, a!tcr whom tho place is namt
and who waH the first whito man hero. 7
thermometer stood ut l02; but, as / matlo
my mind, a hundred ycara ago, never to grufnl
At work or weather, tried to think 1t was co.
We orosaed tho new bridge Mhcl. Bpans ITO
River, aud drove slowly, by winding rot