The Baltimore County union., 1881-04-16
COL. JACK WHARTON.

A New Orleans correspondent of the New York
TriLaac writes rs follows of Col. Jack Wharton, a
gentlemen well known here and brother Of Mr.
WIN. FitIhugh Wharton, Of the Baltimore county
bar;
Zone of the most interesting men Ia Louisiana
u the United States Marshall, Jack Wharton.
Ills reputation h almos, national story teller
and y brilliant stump.spcaker. lie u probably
forty-hve years of age and a native Of the State
Of Maryland, born at the loot Of the Bluc Ridge,
about llagerstown. Ills family IL of the most
respectable in that Stale. When young-hardly
In his teena-he received from . relative about
S65. 600 Ia Eiohv. a. a te.taneni, aud spent IL
without much trouble. llis natural force oT char
actcr, howe, CT. led him 10 study law, aud he went
10 Kansas. early In her history, and engaged In
practice. number cf young men from Mary
land surrounded bin his popularity ut that time
OF life being, appto xitnately. a. great now
JoH riroR and 6iish, companion and he was un-
able TO take that rank at the bar TO which his bril-
liant qualitics entitled him. lie became poor
that he and another companion were employed by
Captain aitcrwaTd Grnetal-Ilancock, as con
duetOrs Of train 60 the Pacific Ocean.
General Harvey. ~ hU knew Wharton intimately,
thought very highly Of him. lie was popular
with Hancock aud when Hancock swung loose
from the Missouri river for San Francisco, he
made application g. llarney to be allowed 20 take
Wharton along.
"Nt ufft wharton only received tlu To SIJ q
month and raiions. the latter. he says. being the
principle inducement to go along. Before he re-
tired from the military service, however, he was
n preferred clerk with something like 5000 n
month salary and larger responsibility.
at the beginning of the war, being In Texas.
he went into the Southern army asa Captain, and
became Colonel Of ono Of the finest regiments Of
Texas, which figured In the principal battles Of
the war-Pca Ridge. Shiloh. Corinth, ETC. In his
exposed life Wharton has stii been n man Of az
fairs his life often endangered; but he has been
hard customer 10 tackle, although the bent Of
HE nature was genial aud cordial. A Texas des-
perado undertook 70 waylay him on one occasion,
but the rapid eye and quick wrist Of Wharton
were too much for him, and he fell dead in his
tracks.
II was riding with Wharton one evening, ou, 10
Lake POnchatrain, and in his extraordinary man
ner Of speech-yivid poetical and analytical be.
yond almost anything had ever heard ho de-
seribcd many of the Confederate Generals with
whom he had cotnc in contact. and political and
distinguished men in civil life. giving me n re-
markable magic lantern view Of Louisiana and the
Southwest. lie was u brilliant fighter, and was
repeatedly shot in the war. lie took very SER
ious view Of its results, after the peace and
being very popular with warmoth, Packard, and
other leaders in the reconstruction movement, he
slowly, but firmly, at last, made up his mind 10
unite with the Republican party. His stump cx-
peTicnces, enlivened by his extraordinary wit and
mental resources, would make volume FAR more
entertaining than most Southwestern humor which
has been thought good enough to make books Of.
A thorough cosmopolitan, whether in the wilder
camp. the cmigrant train or the crowded city,
Wharton has never been out of the fullest public
notice and u generally the center Of element
or collection Of mankind wherever he happens to
go. In many respects he is entitled to be called
the Tom Cn'win Of the South. His political
prominence has been altogether beneath his abili
ties partly because he has not associated the bust
ness element sufficiently with his adventures.
president Hayes appointed him United States
Marshal in spite of considerable opposition. lie
has made one Of the beet tnarshals IN the country
and his rcappoinimcnt has been solicited by the
cntire bar of New Orleans, By every member oi
the Steamboat AssociatiOn, by the Cotton Ex-
change, and BY the business, social and military
leaders without distinction Of section or party,
Although very many hungry rats, strangers in
this region, and without following, are covetou.
Of hi. place. it !. worth only about 500 week.
The people. however, expect that he will be con.
tinued.