Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-01-29
it was folded he had written, in his
fine Italian handwriting:

fine Italian handwriting:
"Cut off on Mount St. Gothard and ded-
icated to vengeance when read the false
and calumnious article made against me
by D. W. when an ocean rolled between
u.s."
For many years, Mr.. Randolph oc-
cupied the house next to ours in
Washington, and his Johnny
and Juba-were as much a part of
daily life to me as our own people
and horses. The old English life was
the plan to which the Virginians
were trained, and a great deal of.open
air life made part Of it. Arlington,
now vast cemetery, was one of the
country houses near Washington
which it gave me so much pleasure
to visit, that, after all these years, l
still see plainly the bright river as
our cavalcade crossed it-four horses
were always put i'll for this distance
and the bad roads, and some on
horseback, going ahead Of us to ex-
anime the road-riding back in the
carriage; and the meeting there with
the old time hospitality of refresh
ments offered and gardens visited,
and kind notice taken of the chill
dren's growth since last year. Mr..
Randolph and his Juba make part
of this pict re.
| was no favorite with Mr.. Ran
dolph. My health and high spirits
Jared his nerves. 1t is hard now to
realize the cruel treatment then given
to invalids. Bleeding to excess was
matter of course-horrid blisters,
quarts of drinks that destroyed the
appetite, and, in addition to this,
"diet' was enforced. Healthy pa
tients died at once. Imagine a
chronic invalid. with wrecked nerves,
subjected to beeding, blistcrs, and
"dictw This should be remembered
to lIr. Randolph's benefit, and offset
his bitter and halfinsane sarcasms,
and personal thrusts. Struggling
against this was counter-current of
kindness and lofty thought, which
found expression iii his care for his
own slaves, and his unceasing efforts
for general emancipation, and, while
waiting for that, colonization. Mr..
Randolph was sincere in his care for
his slaves, although his morbid mind
did not devise anything SO simple
and practical as acting for himself
and liberating them in his own life
time.
Among the few things his pa.ate
craved was a certain preparation of
almonds and fresh milk, supposed to
be healing to the lungs.
The preparation of his morning
glass of milk was always pleasure
to us children. The breaking Of the
almonds, so many sweet and so many
bitter-dropping them into hot water
and then drawing off their shrivcled
brown skins, then pounding them in
marble mortar, then straining the
whole clear through bit Of new thin
muslin, then mixing this milky fluid
with the proper quantity of sugar and
fresh warm milk-this much | was
allowed to help in. But the crown
ing honor Of going with the glass of
milk and giving it to Mr.. Randolph
was taken away from me-at his ask
ing, | am sorry to say-because, in
my eagcrness, | had stumbled and
spilled the almond milk on his white
flannel dressing-gown.
AS an instance of Randolph's anx-
iety to atone for the pain he gave by
his bitter speeches, my mother loved
to recall not only the words, but the
look and voice, and evident deep feel
ING with which she once heard him
say to lady, who had been stung to
tears by some sarcasm he made upon
women and the evil they had done
from the creations: ''But if woman
lost us Paradise, it was through wo-
man we gained the Savior"
He claimed his namesake; and one
of the many wills he made gave an
estate to my brother and another to
my father. My father did not accept
either; nor would they have been ac-
cepted if the number of wills made
by Mr.. Randolph had not neutralized
each other.
But among those l know to be
friends to-day-"friends in the best
sense of that much abused word'-
are the nearest relatives and heirs-at-
law of my mothers and fathers
friend, the honorable, generous Vir-
ginia gentleman-John Randolph, Of
Roanoke.
*Daniel Webster