The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-07-11
John G. SAKE.

AT reception gwen one evening las
week to Mrs. Al IA Randall Diehl b,
her pupils in elocution, heard Mis-
Nellie Kline recite one of John G.
Saxe's humorous ballads; and she pre-
sented il with so much sk''l as to brins
out all of its funny meaning. AnC
then | asked myself, "Where is Sax,
these latter years?"
Some inquiry located him in Brook
| lyn, and thither, this morning, | went
n a cnoice ncighborhood, in a spaciou,
and ornamented court known as Firs
place, | fC and his residence, hand
some brown stone.
"NoW the girl who answered my
ring said, "Mr. SAKE could see nobody
but i could see Mrs. Sake"
Presently the lady appeared-tifty ode
in years, an amiable face and sweet
voice, and hair scarcely begun to turn
to silver. | introduced myself.
"Mr. Saxe-didn't you know" she
said, "has not been able to see bis
friends for some time now, and has moi
done any work for three years.
| bad heard of his afiiction, and so
told her.
"But really don't like to talk to
| JOut ShC liduhiN OtCduSt
newspaper men have been here, and
some of them have carried away terri.
BILE reports that Mr.. Sake was para
lyzed, and that he had softeDing of the
brain, and other disagreeable and total.
ly unfounded rumors that have seemed
to grow worse and worse with rcpeti-
ton.
l assured her of my good intentions,
and reminded her that had called not
merely as journalist, but as former
acquaintance of Mr.. SAKE.
"When did Mr.. SAKE write his last
poemsY" l asked.
"Three years ago last winter. lie
then turned of six or eight for the mag
| azincs and large number for Mr.. Bon
ner for the Ledger. But gradually he
yielded to the nervous prostration oc-
casioned by the railroad accident the
previous winter"
"That was in Virginia, believe" ]
said. 81 remember it."
"1cs," said Miss Sake, the poets Sec
ond daughter, who bad just come in,
and to whom had been presented, 'it
was on the Panhandle road. some fif-
teen or twenty miles from Pittsburg, in
the night"
"You sec," explained Mrs. Sake.
'the train was flung from the track, and
he sleeper in which Mr.. SAKE was w.
ing rolled over and over. lie said he
was conscious of the overturning, and
his thought was, 4 wonder if this car
will stop rolling Then he was struck
and became unconscious. A cattle dro-
vcr from Texas was on the car, and
when all had scrambled from the wreck
and got their things out, and were
standing on the railroad above, seeing
it burn, the cattle-drover went back to
try and recover his overcoat. The
flames lighted up the darkness some
| what, and as he looked in he saw q
mans foot, and shouted to hlm. Mr.
SAKE had just recovered consciousness
and he was lying on his back looking ur
through the window directly over him
observing the stars. lie answered the
voice, and presently the debris was re.
moved from him, and lie scrambled out
His back was hurt. III, had OH his fan.
nels only, and with these, and an over.
coat which he picked up in the wreck
he rode twelve miles that cold winter
night.
"And there was a very odd thing
about it," she added with smile
"When they reached their destination
it was forld that Mr.. SAKE had tn,
overcoat which his rescuer had lost
and his rest Ier had his'
"And the trouble with Mr.. SaX'
now" | asked.
at is merely nervous prostration,
said she. Gle is only 60, and physi
clans say there is no reason why h,
should not wholly recover. Physicall,
he seems pretty well. He eats well
and shows the possession of hard,
constitution. He does not write, bu
he exercises his critical faculty an,
knows as we'll how a thing ought to b.
said as he ever did. He distrusts him
self, however, and avoids. society, no
being willing to see his old friend
even."
AS we were talking Mr.. SAKE cam
down and stepped ont to take his morn
ing walk. lie still looked straight an,
spruce, and moved with apparent ease
Gle walks about couple of blocks,
. said his wife, as she rose to see that h
was well wrapped before delivering
him to his attendant. "Curiousl
enough" she resumed, she broke o
the use of tobacco himself, after havin
been an excessive smoker and eve
chewer all bis lie. And he disconiin
ued morphine just as suddenly, afte
taking it for long time in hypodermi
injections under the skin. The docto
was confounded and did moi understan
, why he was not sick after it. But MI
/, SAKE has a very strong will.'
,, Before leaving looked into his libri
ry, pretty extension beyond the bac
parlor. 1t was walled with book,
S many of them in luxurious binding
b The poets were particularly conspicl
: ous, but there were French and Gci
! man books, which languages Mr.. Sax
both speaks aud writes.
have only to add, for the gratifc,
ton of Mr.. Saxe's numerous admirer
: who may be found all over the worll
: : that the poet is not likely to need am
!. thing. lie has some valuable propcri
= of his own, besides which his two fin
sons are in mercantile pursuits and al
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