Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-01-30
Baldwin, shefsy, Specie.
s@itors indicator:

% atlon OF the mulberry tfee whereby wal
br o'aght to the light of day the foundation
cor 1fer Of the old chancery court room. ha.
aw Hkened the recollection of some scene,
and. actors Of past generation which ]
wo' aid recall as associated in my mind witt
tina old building and the yet older stone
cou rt-house, which in due time gave place
to t he present more stately structure.
was boy of about IL Yeas old when
made my first visit to Staunton. 1t WI.
then and for many years after [as 1 nov
know quiet, dull, easy going and for thu
most part rather weather beaten. not to
say, dilapidated village. But to my youne
eyes, accustomed only to the country and
which had never seen anything SO citr-llke
it doomed up great and wonderful town,
1 think I did not quit it's precincts tina.
eventful day till had read all the signs OF
all.the stores aid shops, and certainly moi
without gazing at and admiring once and
again Gen. Geo. Washington and Gen,
Anthony Wayne as swinging in the air.
they waved welcome to the weary travel
Ter who would seek refreshment and re-
pose at their respective INNS
But my wanderings and sightseeing
brought me to the old stone court house,
which on entering found pretty we'll
filled with people. All alike were stran-
gers to me; but with boys curiosity and
push soon found out the chief actors.
Maj. Daniel Shelley was closing speech
and about resuming his seat by the time
had worked my way well up to the front.
Ton Ro1dUin od
and from the opening passage of his speech,
with the aid of subsequent reading in AN
author had probably never then heard of,
[ would infer that Shelley had in some
way likened the General to the redoudtabIe
Don Quixote. The latter seemed to ac-
cept the role with great good hnmor for he
went on with evident zest to pourtray, first
himself mounting or trying to mount his
R0sinante, full equipped for martial eeds
and having made himself sufficiently grOt-
esque, he with lnfinite skill and humOr de-
picted in yet more ludicrOus light his
faithful and doughty Squire Sancho Panza,
fitting the description so Enthusiastically
to the person OF the Major that when he
reached the climax of his picture the whole
audience broke out in unrestrained merri-
ment.
just at this point and quick as a flash.
Maj. S. without rising calculated in his
slightly German accent. Every good, your
honor, very good; but all the world knows
Sancho had ten times as much sense as his
master!" This sally fairly drought down
the house," no one in all the crowd Join.
ing in the laugh more heartily than the
ci-deUGMt Don O., Gen. Baldwin himself.
This was the only time ever saw Shelf
fey and those few words of quick retort
were the only ones ever heard him utter.
yet the man in form and feature, voice and
action, remains to this day distinctly III
my memory.
On my return home and attempting to
describe to my father this encounter of
wits, he went at once to the book CASE
and taking from its shelves the volume in
whose pages the inimitable Cervantes has
enshrined his genius, handed it to me
saying would learn from 1t great deal
more about these two lannon's personages
and their exploits.
Here were two men of mark and dis
tinction in their day, not merely in Au.
gusta county but throughout Virginia
and beyond her borders. Their virtues
and the tradition of their intellectual
prOwess IN the forum and on the hastings
ought not to be allowed to perish from the
memory OF the men of the very next
generation, but ought by US at least 10 be
sedulously cherished. l could wish that
our townsman, Mr.. Stuart would devote
some of his leisure hours in the serene
evening Of his days to the production of a
memoir OF each of them, such as, from his
intimate opportunities of knowledge, I
know his facile pen could sketch.
But it was not of these eminent lawyers
that chiefly meant to speak, but of an-
other quite as great and eminent in his
profession as they in theirs.
len years further on l had gone
through school and college. and had just
hung out my law shingle in Stanton.
The old courthouse was gone and the new
one IT, rapid course of building. Mean
while all the courts were now held in the
old chancery room. The county court (of
which the late jefferson Kinney was the
accomplished clerk was about to hold its
quarterly session. With the accustomed
courtesy of the Commonwealth Attor-
ney had been invitt as new conner to
take his place IN add esslng the charge to
the graud-jury. Resolved to make the
most Of my opportunity, had prepared
myself carefully and did my best in the
delivery Of my spt ech, not am sure,
without some betrayal of the difidence
tlced the massive form of a gentleman.
well known to me by sight, though was
unknown to him. He was looking toward
me, and speaking to some one at his side.
was vain enough to imagine he was in
Quiring my name. At all events he came
at once to where / sat and taking me by
the hand spoke in the kindest manner
words of commentator and encourage
ment. most grateful to a young aspirant
after professional honors. 1t was the
venerable DR.. Conrad Specie, of the Stone
Church.
/ had been accustomed during four
years, while boy at boarding-schOol, to
'ee and hear him once or twice or oftener
zach year, as he cherished warm friend
ship for our principal and liked to visit
him. was too young to fully appreciate
lis sermons, but could not fail to enjoy,
wen then. his rich and quaint discourse
n the social circle and at the family board. !
lie had a rare fund of anecdOte, fine
low of humOr and keen sense of the lu- |
ferrous. tie was passionately fond of |
music, and think played on the flute or |
Iiolin or both, though l never heard him. |
lie was an omnivorous devourer of books.
lot excepting the novel. But in this |
lass he placed at the very head Sir Wal |
er Scott, and of all the her0ines portray |
ID by that master hand, the gentle but in
repld Jenny Deans, we'll remember was |
lls prime favorite, In the British classics,
AddisOn's Spectator, Paradise Lost, Shak- |
peareis Plays and Oliver Goldsmith we're |
lis delight, He was ono Of the few men
have known who could read Millions |
,reat epic with appreciation, and have |
leard him recite passages from it with an
locution and emphasis which brought out |
ts occult meaning even to the compre-
tension of a boy.
He wrote series of shortpapers under the
ignature OF "MOuntaineer" modelled after
be Spectator" Of Addison and Steele,
nd published them in our town newspS. 1
er then edited by Isaac Collett, Cost. |
iarper's predecessor aud called at that |
ay the Republican Farmer" I think.
These essays were afterwards collected and
published in small volume, and the |