, 1877-08-17
Anecdotes of Gilbert Stuart.

1t was only few days previous to his
death that he was requested to paint
head of himself, for the Academy at Flor
enee; but, as usual, he did not even an
swer the letter; he seemed perfectly in-
sensible to compliments of every kind,
and particularly during the latter part of
his life. Persons would sometimes flat
ter him extravagantly, and he would an
swer in the most dry manner; tlatterers,
in fact, never failed to elicit an ironical
or absurd answer. After some very fine
compliment, he would say, ayes, but is
1t not too bad to think, after all, | should
have been taken for the devil2" He
would then relate the following anecdote
with great gusto.
His friends frequently sent him mas
ulapatam snuff, put up in a common
glass bottle, the contents of which it was
impossible to extract, without running
the risk of breaking the glass among the
snuff; to avoid this, he thought of the
plan of dipping candle-wick in the spirits
of wine, and tying it around the neck Of
the bottle; then he would set it on fire
with candle, which took off the neck
and all the upper part of the bottle,
without particle of glass mingling with
the snuff. The servant man was sent out
to the kitchen for all the implements
to this performance; but a servant wom-
an who had been suspected Of taking
some spoons, becoming coEscience-striCk
en-, got it into her head that he had some
dealings with his Satanic majesty, and
intended raising him to discover the miss
ing property. She therefore made some
excuse to go into the parlor, as it chanced
lust as the blue flames were ascending in
the most fearful manner around the bot
tie. She turned pale as death, and with
her teeth chatterlng, cried out: ~ know
what you are about; am as good as
anybody; 60 to meeting; I-I-read
the Bible, and amt bit afraid of Sa-
TAM then, bursting into paroxysm Of
tears, she rushed up stairs, packed up
her goods and chattels, and was off that
evening. But she took care to put pile
of spoons on top shelf in the kitchen,
where she was sure they would be found.
NV father stood for some moments in
dumb smazement; but when he recovered
himself said: "Why, what in the ID is
the matter with the woman2" Then he
became convulsed with laughter, and for
weeks could not think of the incident
without bursting into peals OF merri-
ment
When boy he went to school in New
port, r. l., where he, together with
companion of the name of Charming,
getting into scrape in consequence of
the tell-taleing of an old shoe. maker of
the place, they both vowed vengeance,
and adopted the following mode of carry
ing it out; They provided themselves
with an old gun, syringe, and some
blood from butcher. They gave the gun
liberal charge of powder, and filled the
syringe with blood, so mixed with hot
water as to be about blood warm.
These preparations were made in the
evening of summers day, and thus pre-
pared they crept to the open window
where the shoemaker was at work, and
while one fired the gun, the other at the
same instant squirted the watered blood
upon the bald head of the unsuspecting
victim. Startled by the explosion within
five feet of him, and feeling the moisture
trickling down his neck, he raised his
hand to his head, and seeing blood, rolled
over among his lasts and lap-stones, call
ing out that he was murdered. His wife
ran in, and with some assistance got him
into bed, where he was washed, in order
to find the wound, but as no wound could
be found, and as in short time he felt
as comfortable as ever, he suspected the
trick and Immediately ran to the school,
to inform against his enemies As Stuart
and Charming were found in bed With
their shoes on, they were held responsible
and suffered the application Of birch that
was customary in those days. Years
after, when Stuart returned from Eng.