Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1880-06-12
OFFICE JEFFERSON BUILDING.
Saturday, June II, 1880.
Wade Hampton and his Leg.
FF'om he Brooilyn Eagle1


Il is rather mournful 10 look Il Wade
Hampton in the Senate, nursing his stump Of
leg and subjecting his splendid physique to
the disgrace Of crutches, lie is the ouly Grip
pie in the body meau visibly So To be
sure his colleague, the deshing Butler, has but
one. leg, but you might watch him move for
ten years and not know it, so perfectly does he
manage lis cork 70 be sure, too, there are
men who suffer sometimes intensely for trying
Ia stop bullets in the late unpleasantness, like
Gordon aud Ransom end ma.ey, but their
i,6rmiiies are not visible Not so With Ham,
ton. He is in the very prime of life, scarcely
over City, and Il hopeless cripple. Nobody
feels pain on locking at Aeck Stephens, for
his case is Just the result Of slow and natu-
raj process Of decay, " hich he rather seems 20
relish. Rat yda insensi5!y feel deep sym
palhy with lamplons loss as with The late
Senator Mortou's iniirmities, because both
cane along prenatuiely, like The hurricane on
the oak. ami N rrel powerful frames. Aud
the General c-oons ore. The abbreviated limb
all the liue-uus in Nny gfOwlIne OF testy
spirit. f,r he is the soul Of patience. but il
must be remen bered that bis whole life has
been one Of nerve, vim, dash aud bis present
forced inactivity must only intensity the
memory Of his daring exploits and moving
accidents By flood aud field" Cau it be sup
posed that when Morton sat in the Senate, a
biz, chained dog, the defenseess prey Of the
smallest cur Tat bad legs and could use them,
he never frettcd at the picture Of his past ac-
tiyity, when he USED 10 bound into the saddle
AT his governor 5 Office 10 war times. and dash
10 camp OF arsenal The very embodiment Of
uhvsical vigor as he lashed lis horse TO white
foam through the excited streets No wonder,
then. that while tie General nurses bis leg, be
also nurses mauly regrets. Several interesting
incidents happened lately in a single day. as
told by orc Of Hamptou's Intimate iriends.-
The General, IN the hope Of picking up some
views about cut legs, has way OF stopping
people similarly afflicted. As lac was standing
on lis crutchcs in the main ball, near the SEN
ate entrance, large man came along, hls right
leg lost above TIE knee, and he had some pat
eft arrangement that seemed like a frame
work, light aud portable, to hep lin out Of
his scrape Accostng him, Hampton spoke
of their mutual iuiirmities, aud asked how that
arrangement worked "Very we'll" replied
the stranger. " 1t is an invention Of my own
and he went on to exl lin. May | fsf
where you lost your leg % inquired the Gene
raj. Yes, certainly; it went of when
Hampton charged our battery at Gettysburg"
"Iudeed I'm grieyed to hear, said the Gene
raj sincerely. - My name is HAMPTON. -
They shook hands very warmly oyer the
bloody chasm, and the stranger turned out to
be Representative Caulk, OF Wisconsin
Later iu the day the General was Oh bis way
lone in the street car, when a man entered
with only one arm, the other gone at the sock
et The General invited him to seat, AID
managed the paymeu, Of biz fare.
"Whe7e did you lose your arm ?" asked
Hampton.
We'll sir it was at Gettysburg" answered
the man, when Hampton made Lat terrific
charge with bis cavalry"
Whcreupon those two shook, aud made up.
and The nan pow says if Hampton is put on
the Democratic ticket he will swallow 1t hook
and liue. 1t was on tie same bloody field
that Plcasanton aud Hampton net as rival
cavalry leaders, and they met ouly on Wedues-
day as. over :he pipe of peace. Pleasanton
was enchanted with his old enemy, and said
tia! be was The ouly soldier he ever heard Of
who told the truth in Gaze of defeat. let nc
tell another instance Of Ilampton's kiDd-beart-
edness. and then the reader eau possibly Judge
why it is that lie is the id,i of the cOlored
race Of the South Recently, it will be re-
membered, he went to Mississippi, on the
death Of his son. While there be met three
old slaves Of lis. They called to pay their
respects aud ia an apologize way told "Massa
Wade" that they had to fight Tor their free
dom and hoped he did not feel bad about it.
On inquiry be learned Of them that all three
had been wounded 90 board the Monarch dur
ing the war. They knew nothing Of how
their account stood, or might stand under the
law, with the United States Treasury. and the
Geuerals FIRST act when he came back was 10
obtain them pensions That's the way the
% rebel brigadiers " are depriying the South
erp negroes Of their rights.