The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-01-01
COURT IN CALHOUN.
A "Reminiscences Of Judges LOOMS
: Brown and Others.
1.-THE SONG OF THE CAMP"
wEsroS, Dec. Goth, 1878.

Weston, Dec. Goth, 1878.
Editors IutslllgeneeT:
In common with all who admire hero
ism, and honor those who have added lus.
TIRE to the fame OF our country, the writer
Is an ardent admirer Of the late Bayard
Taylor. To several climbs OF the law" in
this region, Taylor's poetry is familiar;
but yet q constant hearing Of 1t has not
robbedit Of any Of the beauties which 1t
will always possess. have an incident
in relation to 1.-THE Song OF the Camp"
which desire to relate to your readers,
and I only regret that It cannot be placed
upon paper so as to convey the impression
Of true grandeur and sublimity it produc.
ed on the occasion when tirst heard it.
In 1867 Judge LOOMS, Of ParkersburH,
was holding his court at Arnoldsburp, then
the county seat OF Calhoun county. The
onlyhousewhere accommodations could be
had was at the residence Of Hon. Peregrine
Hayes, on the opposite side Of the river
from the Court House. During the whole
term the rain had poured down In tor
rents; and the "raging Kanawha" rushed
by like the waters OF a mill race. When
the court adjourned from Saturday until
Monday, some OF the lawyers foresaw q
freshet, and fed to Glenville and Spencer,
but several remained, among them Judge
LOOMS, r. S. Brown afterwards Judged
r. F. Fleming and o few others,
During the whole OF Saturday night the
rain continued to fall; and when, finally,
on Sunday morning, the sun shone through
the clouds, We were surrounded by water.
Allaround us was q vast, eddying, troubled
mixture OF muddy water, logs, RATS and
driitwood. Fortunately the house was
upon an elevation, and our kitchen es.
capped humiliation. But there We were,
with no chance OF escape until the abate.
ment Of the waters, and the question at
once occurred, how should we pass the
time?
Judge LOOMS is a host in himself, in q
conversational way, but he broke down
under the load imposed upon him. And
Mr.. Brown? What shall l say OF him? As
he is q lnember.eleCt Of the Senate, you
Wheeling people will soon he able to pass
judgment upon him; but / may say thi.
with fairness, that Judge Brown Is not the
easiest man in the world to get acquainted
with. In the days speak OF he was moi
over polite, either; and strangers were
apt 10 form IN impression OF him that wa.
not only unfair, but absolutely unjust; fol
those who know him intimately know thai
under the rough, plain.spoken exterior
there was as sensitive anature, and mine
far more refined and tender than any one
not acquainted with him would suppose
was then comparatively stranger L
him, and | own that my mind had beer
fully made up that he was cross old hear
lacking refinement and the social qualities
which make acquaintance desirable; ant
I concluded to have as little to do witt
him rs possible. So matters stood on TIL
evening Of the day Of which write; AMI
after supper Judge LOOMS louuged int,
my room and invited me up stairs to TIL
apartment he occupied. After awhile
went, and there found tho Judge laying q
full length on his bed; Mr.. Brown wa
seated upon q chair, with his fee
resting upon q window-sill, and
laIily took chair, and following the e1
simple afforded by Brown, placed my fec
Upon window sill and gsEed upon th