The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-02-08
INTERESTING SKETCHES.
RecoIIeCtious of Prominent Men Of the Past,


A LMOST any day, sunny or wintry,
IA there can be seen on the streets of
Atlanta short, thickset, sturdy old
gentleman, bearing erectly on unusually
broad shoulders an immense head, sur
mounted with a crown of white hair.
A trife reserved, holding himself like
gentleman and man of affairs, with
ruddy face and quick, penetrating eye,
holding stout cane in his hand, less for
support than in Difference to an old habit
of the Southwest, the stranger who sees
him usually inquiries of some one for his
name. Any by-stander will inform the
inquirer that it is Colonel w. H. Sparks,
an old veteran, who has known more
distinguished people than any man
living. l do not think there is so re-
markable link between the past and
present to be found anywhere. Colonel
Sparks is not centenarian, being only
about eighty three, and he has none of
the querulous weakness or vagueness of
old age. He is still good for ten mile
tramp; is a decisive brilliant talker and
altogether a compact, vigorous old gen.
tleman. He has been prominent in pol
itics and society all his life, and as leg
islator, writer and wit has been famous
for more than half a century throughout
the West and Southwest. He has known
personally every President since Wash
ington and has the most entertaining
IN ah nj, Of Ia f6a
intimate of Henry Clay, Prentiss, Craw-
ford and the most of their contempo-
raries sat opposite Aaron Burr at table
for three months; heard the story of the
execution of Andre from the lips of the
man who superintendent it; heard all the
small talk of the meeting of the signers
of the Declaration of Independence from
the mouth of John Adams, and is, in
short, a perfect treasury of gossip and
personal history.
Your correspondent asked him one
morning if it were true that he had been
personally acquainted with every Presi-
dent of the United States, except WASH
ington.
Eyes, sir" he replied: {" L have had
the acquaintance of every man who oc-
cupied the Presidential chair since
George Washington left it; the friend
ship and confidence of most of them
certainly of the greatest of them.''
Where did you meet John AdamsY
He must have died when you was very
young"
"There is a story connected with that.
was at Cambridge with three young
Southern chums. We were discussing
the best way to spend the Fourth of
July and determined to spend it with
Ex-President Adams. 1 wrote a letter
soliciting the privilege of calling on him
and destroyed quire or two of paper in
forming the request. Mr.. Adams re-
piled that he would be happy to see us
and instructed us to stop at a certain
hotel iE Boston. As soon as we were
registered the landlord informed us that
Mr.. Adams carriage was awaiting us.
At the door we found his coach, drawn
by four horses and equipped with great
pomp. We were rapidly driven to his
home, where he welcomed US cordially,
being touched, think, at the respect
shown him by Southerners. He gave us
most graphic account of the signing
of the declaration and the election OF
Washington as commahder-in-chief.
While we were with him he received the
first of those letters from Jefferson that
led to the correspondence between them.
He read it to us and said; This is the
finest letter ever written by an octoge.
MARIAN"
dyou know Jefferson intimately?'
knew him well. 1 was once trav.