The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-02-15
Anecdotes Of Webster.

I accompanied Mr.. Webster to Au-
napolis to inform him of the facts of the
case he was about to argue. But these
were by no means the main topics Of
our conversation. 1t was not until the
day before the hearing that he seemed
to address himself seriously to the labor
of preparation. He then shut himself
up in his room for the entire morning,
coming occasionally into mine to ask
about some question of fact, bringing
half-sheets of common blue letter-paper,
on which he would say he had been
making s'scratches." They were dis
tinct propositions, texts rather than ar
guments, carefully studied, and, as was
apparent from erasures and interlining,
labored with view 10 condensation, or
to satisfy fastidious Judgment. Once,
when / expressed q doubt whether one
Of his propositions was in accordance
with certain facts, Mr.. Webster drew his
pen through il, saying, $50, then, that
cock won't fight" The notes thus pre-
pared were the brief of his argument,
and he spoke from them. That the
glimpses thus afforded of the workings
Of q great intellect were extremely in
teyesting may readily be imagined.
But If the case did not engross US at
all times, conversation did not flag. Our
pleasantest talks were after dinner,
when we came back from the bar mess
room. Mr.. Webster would then put on
his slippers, and tilt back his chair,with
his feet against the side of the mantel-
piece on q level with his head, saying,
"Shan / not take mine ease in mine
innP1 and 60 off into q stream of anec-
dotes, quotations, incidents of his early
life, and matters and things generally.
On these occasions Shakespeare was
favorite topic, and his familiarity with
it was testified by the aptness and fire.
quency of his quotations.
In one of these protracted talks,
which always ran late into the night,
Mr.. Webster detailed the circumstances
of his refusal to accept the clerkship of
3 county court, as they are related in
Curtis, when the salary would have been
little fortune, and amused himself with
q humorous comparison between his
subsequent career and what would then
have been his destiny. ,s4st
On the same occasion he described
his early practice in New Hampshire,
and told with almost boyish glee of
overtaking, one bright moonlight night,
a timber sled at the foot of q hill on
which the snow lay deep! The driver
had gone to q tavern ahead for an extra
horse, and Mr.. Webster, hitching his
own horse as an addition to the team,
got the load to the summit, where the
teamster presently found it. ssI had
hidden behind 3 tree,n said the narra-
tor, "where enjoyed the fun, and only
came forth 10 stay the hand of the owner
of the sled, who was slarruping' his
horses because the starnal critters had
mt hsrraf ff, fbo of OF
ance when they were able TO do the
work themselves, and only refused their
load to spite him." 1t was MIR. Web
ster's way of telling the story, and his
imitation of the DRYERS tone and man
ner, that enhanced the drollery of the
incident. 1e rI.z. t.
Upon another occasion he gave an
amusing account of his escape through
the back window of an old-fashioned
stage-coach when the horses were run
ming away with it, and described the
amaZement of the driver, after they
were stopped, when he found a member
of Congress standing on the baggage
rack, and playing footman to a stage
driver. .f- - ---,........., =
The interest of these anecdotes was
not so much in their matter as in the
evidence they afforded that neither the
wear and tear of political and profess
sional life nor. distinguished position
hsd impaired the freshness of early
youth. .5s-r
Another of Mr.. Webster's anecdotes I
have often repeated to students in my
law Office. 1t was the infexible rule of
Theophilus Parsons TO give no law
advice on Sunday rule which he per-
sisted in adhering to when q client came
to Salem on that day from Boston to
obtain an opinion on q matter of first
importance in connection with business
to be transacted early on Monday.
Angry at having had. his journey for
nothing, the client was on bis way TO
his carriage, when Mr.. Parsons followed
him, and asked him whether he had
made up his mind as to what was right
according to the golden rule, and being
go back to Boston, do what he believed
! was ssjust right" and when Mr.. Parsons
| got to his Office later on Monday, he had
no doubt he would find law enough to
sustain him.
Speaking, on another occasion, about
the elements Of success in professional
life, Mr., Webster said, s.Why, there is
-, q most learned lawyer, most
laborious man, and in all the relations
of life absolutely unexceptionable, and
yet, confound the fellowt he never pro-
duces results"
The age of some one being mentioned
one evening, Mr.. Webster said: ''The
worst standard by which to measure a
mans life is the parish clerks reg
lister. Some men, sir, are born old /;
others, again, never grow old;" and
certainly, when listened to his flow of
of his remarks about men and things, I
fully appreciated his meaning-that it
was the temperament of the man, and
| not the number of his years, that made
him old oryoung.-John II. B. Latro6e,
ia Harper's Magazine.