The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1875-09-09
Extinci Characters,
From the Richmond Whlg,l

Before the war Virginia was famous
for great number Of marked, queer
characters. They nb0unded through
out the State. Every city, every town,
every county and every neghborhO0d
had them. They Were worthy to ad0rn
and illustrate comic alman0cs. Not
only were they queer in their DISPOSE
tons, manners, notions aud talk, but
they were queer in appearance, Ec-
ccutricity was expressed on every part
of them. Many Of them had such
faces rs are seen on old-iushiOled
da0r-knockers or umbrella handles.
If the whole number could have been
taken in group, they would have
formed q collection that would have
been the wonder Of the world, Some
had hooked noses, hollow checks,
sharp ewes and pointed chins. Some
had noses like Bardolph and mouths
that could take in aWhole dish at a
nouthml if it was to their taste, just
like that old Virginia country fire
plpce that could take in any hall-cord
of wood at time. Some were SO fat
that they might have sat for pictures
of Fallstaff. They "lmded the lean
earth Ms they walked" However va
rient in appearance, nearly all OF them
had two things in c0mmon-the love Of
liouor and the love Of country. We
nut liquor first because the inspira-
lions of patri0tismIwere generally the
results OF the liquor The writer has
before him as he writes the pictures of
seven such characters that he once
saw at fish all living within II
range of five miles. They Were indeed
n strange lot Some Of them had con-
siderable property, others had none,
hut lived upon their friends. When
tired OF one house, they would go TO
another, and they went to no house
that did not furnish good ana plenty
ofliuuor. Bnt there were queer char
actcrs of different sort, who cared
nothing for high liie--men who ha"
some pet theory that they Scfo ever
las,inMy preaching up. ihen laere
were the neWsmongers, who Wouln go
10 the country store gather up all the
news Of the neigh burhoodi andSlaito Oh
TO give il circulation Ihele were
men who did nothing but fish all day
long; Others who spent their Tune III
hunting squirrels and other yarmlhts.
There were people who went through
a range of the counties mendlng clocks,
who nbounded in gossip. The peddIers
were universally diStrusted, hui as UNI
yersally welcomed for they had the
very articles that We're needed III every
household, and that could not be pro-
cured at the neighboring store. Every
neigh borhood had its beggar, as wen
established as was Eddie Ochlltree,
"the kings bedsman." Nearly All
these odd characters have disappeared.
In those good old times OF when we
sneak, almost everybody was wen OIL
and society could afford to maintain Il
small army of these queer people, Who
afforded general amusement Ihey
were like strolling players, going rom
place to place, andweIcomeed "hereVei
ihey went. Where are they now
1t IL the raresJ t ,ni
10 see one nowadays. Ihel
have disappeared, and no one can tel
where they have gone. They certainly
were not killed in the war, Tor lhe5
were non-combatants. Perhaps then
accustomed grub failed them, and they
died of starvation and broken hearts
nfraeted and COrrobOrate," ms Pisto
said of Falstati.p Such characters are
the products offs plethora prosperity
of the "canller Of long peace" IL
times of difficulty and poverty mere i
no place for them War ana ,rouol'
eradicate eccentricities, smooIh uoWi
sinuosities and reduce people toa com
mon level Those who cannot ul'
derpo the process OF assimilation pass
ont of sight and die Oh There Is ne
room for Them, The time may CONF
we hope it will--when some oI tl'os'
characters may reappear. Ihey nreal
the monotony of life, ana some o
them are not only embellishments u
society, but supports TO IL Vhe oii",
acter, higher than all the reSt sV".iu
out from the canVus---a character qulV
common half century ago, rare Jus
anterior to the war, and now eXIlhcl
that of the real old Virginianr the COO
Of fine walk in his neghborh0od, who's
yirtnes were integrity, hard-heHdedhes
and love of State, aud whose clt di'
tnristic Establishments were rune
shirt, gold.headed cane, u 9Iu
coat with brass buttons, ana
huff waistcoast. Those respect,
bic and influential old codgel
were autocrats. They were general
magistrates, frequently members
"the assembly, and were authority =.
nil neiyhborhood and county mSVte '.
'They had true grit, and would nav
died before they would nave su Ii,,
dered their "rights in the territories ~
The believed in;the resolutions Oh -
100, drank the 6est.bradies ana VINE r,
and "chawed" excellent toouvo y
immoyabie, and their seli-reilance ~ u,
seIf-respect were such that tuey won
scarcely have deferred to Kings ,,,r
politicians, they were as oltyer =" $50 N"r
Some were wings and some Demo N,yh
Tue former read the Richmond " y
IA thew did their bible, and oeIieN
every word it contained. me iu ..'
swore by the Richmond Ehqu,re,
the great sheet anchor of the COUNT
Those good, hard-headed, hosplt3,,
old gentlemen have become extleV' II
the mnstedon and the dodo'