Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1881-04-07
MAnONE.
Personal History Of the Virginia ssnstOr.

Personal History Of the Virginia Senator.
Wash. Letter in Cleveland HeraId.l
Happening to be In Virginia two
years ago this coming summer, at
one of the resorts overlooking the
beautiful valley OF the Shenan.
doah, I was treated to a near and
unprepossessing view of the great
'.Re.adjuster," whose fame has
gone into the groceries and bar.
rooms of out.of.the.way Virginia
towns and crept into the favorless,
aimless gossip of those summer
hives-"the' SPRING." People
were divided as to his merits as
statesman and politician. but he
had been true to the Confederacy,
had fought her battles and shared
the victories, short.lived, but none
the less dear to every Southern
heart, and so the day Of his com.
ing was an eventful one In the an.
nails of our sleepy summer resort.
There were bands, banners and
visiting delegations Of Virginians
to do honor to the man then agi.
tating Virginia politics, and when
he came aud was fairly set before
our eyes, where were all the pre-
conceived notions Of the much.
lauded hero? Certainly 1t was not
the fine figure and commanding
presence Of anybody's dreams that
we realized, but o little wizened
man, so thin and nervous that he
might have had an anatomy Of
wire and steel springs worked by q
battery, instead of the bone, mus.
Gle, flesh and blood Of the rest Of
mankind. His pale, deeply.lined
face was surrounded by q shock Of
gray hair and struggling beard,
and shrswdness and determination
looked cut Of the small, brilliant
eyes. His dress was one that
would have stamped him as eocen.
trio in any immunity. His low
quartered shU.s were tied with
broad black velvet ribbon, a broad
flaring collar falling over his
shoulders looked like an attempt at
juvenility, and his suit Of light
gray fitted his diminutivs figure
like the badly shrunken clothes OF
q school.boy. No one seeing him
could have guessed that this was q
leader Of men.
Away with your bulky heroes
your avoirdupois estimate Of great
men. Here Is one who has never
weighed q hundred, and yet he has
battled with armies, been Presi.
dent Of a railroad and made q for
tune. Senator Mahone's early life
was that Of many men who have
gone through privations and hard.
chips to success-a series Of strug.
giles, In which, no doubt, some Of
the Inherited traits Of his Irish
parentage came into play. He was
born in Southampton. county, Wiz.
ginia. In 1888. His parents were
very poor and his early education
very limited. For some years he
carried the mail on horseback, and
then mastered enough of the rudi.
ments of learning to teach school,
His energy and ambition com
mendsd him to the good graces oil
wealthy gentleman, who had
him entered as q pupil 10 the Wiz.
ginia Military Institute, from
which he graduated with distinc'
ton. First and last he seems Il
have had much to do with rail
roads. He was at enc time an en-
ginser on the Orange and Alexsn.
dria road, and later was chief engi'
neer Of the Norfolk and Peters
burg Railroad.
He distinguished himself as q
Confederate General in the wal
and enjoyed the entire confidence
of Gen. Lee. with whom he laic
down his arms at Appomattox, the
division which he commanded CON
shutting about one.fourth Of the
force which surrendered there
At the close Of the Wal
he turned his shrewdness ano
genius for management 10 account
by manipulating the States in
tsrest, amounting TO about &c.
600. 900, in q certain railroad, and
negotiating a loan Of SIS, O00. 900 or
the consolidated lines from Nor
folk to Brlstoi, Tenn. AS q consid.
GRAFTON he received $25, 900 q year
for Eve years as president Of the
consolidation, and then, at the ex-
piration Of his term OF office, re.
signed, leaving the road, according
to the testimony Of the English re-.
csiver, involved, while he lost
nothing. Criticism and censure
followed the retiring president, and
while there are many who believe
his administration Of Its affairs to
have been q steady and consistent
feathering Of his own nest, there
are still many who believe in bis
dtsinterestedness.
thodlcal, industrious man, studlous
and exaoting In his req ulrements
Of others, but affable and sociabls
In manner, and hospitable in the
true Virginia style. He has . fine
residence in Petersburg, Virginia,
where his family resides. He has
two sons and q daughter old
enough to take their places In socl.
ETY. 1t the capital, and his wife, .
very accomplished woman, who 10
the exact contrast to her diminu.
tive husband physically, Weighing
over 200 pounds, was the daught
Of Mr.. Butler, formerly treasurer
Of Virginip, and ! beauty In her
day. Senator Malone 10 by all
odds the most sccentrio and notice.
able man In tho Senate, and, next
In 1ovo 0d~p mka~h~u. <h> s-.uV