National Republican., 1874-05-07

, AA@g moHto VI rluccuIe plhceb IN 0ONeFf
+ nent offices rather than attempt to hoe theI
4 own row and risk their chances In the great an
r growing West, or the stat,s Of the Northwest
Q With such young men, IL hale and hearty, sh
r had no patience, and was unsparing in her denur
Citations OF their lack Of energy. I will state, b
way OF Illustration, an Incident which Will neye
+ forget Richard Graham Dobyns, of Msysvill.
= ny. taIerWards Dr.. .Dobyns and the mayor
.na' cny) was desirous Of being introduced I
) her, and, Of course, 1 cheerfully complied wit
MS request, taking care first TO post him as to he
Pecaiarlties Fixing her sharp, piercing eye
l upon my young rriend, and putting her erm
; aklmoo, she wanted to know "what could hay
lnouced him, so young man, to leave the fertil
! ana beautiful bluegrass region of Kentucky t
become resident Of the poverty-stricken, God
iorsaken ten-nile square2 There must, !" she said
be something radically wrong about you, (peI
haps, you are good for nothing and lazy,) to max
such change at your early stage Of life?
Dobyns, who was distinguished for his droller.
and quaint humor took in at once her peculiarity
and replied with assumed gravity, that ho "cam
on to get an once In one Of the Departments ant
had spent several days in exploring the diferen
ofioes and bureaus to nnd out some heterodo,
Whig who occupied desirable desk at the sum,
side Of some Of the buildings, with the view o
having him turned out, and administering for hi!
own benefit, on his political estate. have
madam, bawled myself hoarse in hurrahing fol
old Hickory and, the principle that the lsborel
IS worthy Of HIS hire, and that to the victors be
ing the spoils, have come on to the Federal
capital to get my reward" ....-g 4 "a :.
This was all put on, for Dobyns was and con-
tnued to be till the day Of his death, aninveter-
ate Clay Whig; but Mrs. Royal, assuming him
to be in earnest went for him with her accustomed
vim, and denounced him as o degraded mercc-
nary Hessan, and q disgrace to his country; and
especially the State in which he was born and
from whence he had the meanness to come to be
the sycophant and toolof some executive minion.
An attempt ut yindication only excited Mrs.
Royal the more, and, seiEing o broom, the sup
posed "of1ce-seeker from the rich and tccming
West" was compelled to beat hasty retreat from
her rooms, which were then on the south side OF
New Jersey avenue, opposite east B street. She
peremptorily ordered him out of her room, and
warned him never again to darken her door,
Turning then to me, she wanted to know why
picked up such degraded associate, who, though
born among sturdy freemen, had all the eleme nts
| and earmarks of mean and crouching mercenary
and slave. Dobyns, of course, laughed heartily
and vastly enjoyed the joke, and declared that SO
long as he lived he would never forget that boIs-
| ferrous and tempestuous interview with the eele-
brated old lady. He got what he expected, and
enjoyed 1t vastly, for It was rare sport to him.
By the way, Dobyns was one Of those young
men who never failed to turn everything, even the
most serious, into q joke. Soon after this Tin
1884 think when the cnolera ragged fearfully in
Maysville, his daily amusement was, pole In hand
to watch the passengers as they landed from the
steamers in the Ohio river; and as soon rs q tall
awkward, gangling fellow, above the common
sizerstruck shore, to run up and measure him."
and then suddenly retreat He was invariably
followed by the object Of his attention for tan
explanation" when Dobyns hurriedly informed
him that he was "the city undertaken" for bury
ing the victims Of the epidemic, and, as they died
at the rate Of five hundred day, It was his ocial
duty to have collins prepared for persons, like
himself, above the ordinary size. It is scarcely
necessary to add that the measured" greenhorn,
In almost every case, beat hasty retreat to the
boat he had just left (cursing the undertaken and
the place, of courss) hoping to land at some more
salubrious port. |
Poor Dick Dobynsi He was o man Of infinite |
jest and humor and, in despite Of his levity, was
the best and most indefatigsble cholera nurse In
MaysvIlle. He was perfectly fearless, and, while
the epidemic ragged, up night and day with the |
sick. -.
Although Mrs. Royal was carried away from |
Monroe or Greenbrier county, Va, when q child, |
yet she appeared to have acquired o wonderful |
knowledge Of that section Of country and its lead
ing families, Judging from her numerous anec- |
dotes and details OF what she there saw or heard |
ASA Eesiooucc. - nbNo llbtcucu W
by the hour describing the leading celebrities of |
that wild region, but time will not admit Of |
recapitulation Of them. She told o vast number |
of Andrew Beirne, OF Monroe county, who she |
knew as young emigrant from Ireland, at q |
time when he peddled merchandise on horseback
and packsa along the valleys and mountain |
slopes Of that romantic section By indomitable
energy and enterprise he not only greatly in
creased his business an itinerant merchant but |
al Fpa hlIuhT
stores, grist and sawmIls and all sorts oftrading
places in that portion Of the State until at last
he became and died millionaire.
One Of his sons was afterwards In Congress. A /
single anecdote viii show Mr.. Beirne's shrewd-
ness and knowledge Of human nature. Among |
the scores who sought employment at his hands
was young countryman of his own Of the name |
Of Burnsides, from the neighborhood Of Belfast,
now rich Louisiana planter and millionaire.
Burnsides was then young, green and somewhat
awkward, but his subsequent success and career
shows that, like the marble in the quarry, he had
the stuff in him to make statue or man, If PROF.
erly worked up. One morning Mr. Beirne direct
ed him to get o horse and take sack Of wheat to |
The mill to be ground into -four for family use
He did as requested, but in throwing the bag on
The horses back It slipped over to the other side,
but Burnsides, instead Of letting It go, held on to
bis grip with bulldog tenacity, and Of course was
His employer chided him for his stupidity IN not
citing the bag go, but Burnsides excused himself
BY saying, Faith, I had q good holt and was de-
mined the id thing shouldn't slip through my
ingers." "Well," said his employer, "you, after
III, arc just the sort Of young man to get through
he world successfully, for II you get grip Of
Inything you will never let It CO." It Is needless
o say that Burnsldes daily grew in the estimation
II his sagacious employer, who soon after sent
lin Hunarfntand md mi htu Iar |
ion house in New Orleans. In this capacity he
ully realized the confidence placed in him, and
the business with such consummate
act and success that in o very short time Beirne
ook him into the concern as o partner, and the
esult was Burnsides laid the foundation of q
arge fortune for himself, and greatly increased
hat Of his patron and business associate.
Mrs. Royall's accurate knowledge Of the early
ettlers in that region, (such as the Lewises, the
the Stuarts, the Reids, the Beirnes,
sc,) and Of their family history and antecedents
he ways and means Of their rise and progress
rom obscurity TO financial success and independ-
nee, and especially Of their primitive manners
nd customs and modes Of life reminded me of |
Doddridges Notes, }" descriptive OF the early pIo-
eers OF Northern Virginia; and, II faithfully
Tritten out, would furnish most instructive les
on to the respondent and lethargic, and could
ot fail to stimulate the youth Of our country to
1SEeaseu mhnly lnuepenQence ana belf-relance. |
n her youthful days, every one was q pioneer,
nth little diversity Of em2loyments. There were
% tailors, shOsmakers, saddlers blacksmith J
arpenters, grist or saw mills, SC, % such, but
very fsnily d.a tbs best th.! could to manufac-
: -"n way, y,everything necessary to the
omfort and support Of human life. The rude
1occasins coor-skin caps, and clothing made OPT
the skins and peltries of wild animals, super
dded to the products Of the household spinning
Theel and the loom, constituted the habiliments
{ the rich as we'll as the poor, in her youthful
ays; and manly and athletic sports the only past
ines and amusements OF the young. The corn
zeal, upon which they principally subsisted, was
made by the grain being pounded in o mortar,
rated by a Crater, or ground by hand-mill;
nd 1t is no wonder that people raised in that
manner should be stalwart and hardy, frank in
manners and brave in battle, and have earned
rom their Indian tormenters and antagonists the
ame OF the "big'' or 'long knivesr or that Anne
3utler, raised partially amongst them, should,
lntil the day Of her death, losthe and despise
soap-lock dandies. Foreign luxuries,
q that remote region, were then almost unknown,
or the sugar tree furnished the means to sweeten
he ingredients substituted for tea and coffee She
elieved with Horace Greeley, lowing to her early
hat 4