The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-10-07
A LIGHT OF OTHER DAYS.
IEcrDENTs IN THE LIFE OF TOM
MARsHALL.
Tho KcntuclSian who Moved Crowds
with ltis ElOquence and Made
Night HHidcOus with Orgies

marked character in his day and time,
put died, like Reverdy johnson, without
leaving, so far as can be ascertained, any
record OF his career. Mr.. Marshall was
very fond of narrating his experiences,
and If they could be written as they were
told and word-painted in his own Lam
guage they would be, indeed veritable
setting cf colloquial gems, admixed it
is true, with much dross. Tom Mar
shall's life was ftful and fateful and,
although possessed of talents and accom-
pishments far beyond the average of
very great men, his fault consisted in
lack of ability to put them to good ad-
vantage.
1t was in the fall of 1859, after the In
dian summer of the Northwest had
passed and gone, and the air had be-
come sharp and chilly, when Tom Mar
shall made his appearance at st. Paul,
Mlnn. lie was unseasonably, indeed,
wretchedly, clad, presenting every indi-
cation of straitened circumstances, but
the good people of that city, neverthe-
less, made him welcome, and expressed
satisfaction with his announcement that
he intended to lecture upon the lives and
Characters of George Washington and
Henry Clay. The writer made his ac-
qCalntance at that period, and, in com
mon with his colleagues of the press and
the citizens generally, busted himself to
induce appreciative audiences to listen
to his addresses.
Although unkempt, unshaven and un-
tidy, bearing the appearance of a man
with whom fortune had dealt neither
gently nor generously, Tom Marshall
held himself proudly. Straight as an
arrow, he stlode through the streets
buttoned to the chin in drap d etc coat
leaving to impertinent conjecture the
presence or absence of a shirt, yet, never
theless, the very incarnation of dignity
and assumed superiority The St. Paul
people, with their accustomed hospital
ity, fraternized with him in traditional
Western fashion, and as consequence
the bowl flowed freely to the music of
Mr.. Marshalls superior conversational
attractions. Within a brief period every
body came to know him, and as there
were many noted characters resident at
St. Paul at that particular period the
nlnts OF their association came together
and many Promethean sparks were there
by struck and scintillated.
When the evening arrived for the de-
livery of his lecture upon George Wash
ington, Mr.. Marshall appeared sadly un-
der the influence of ''the rosy" Nothing
abashed. however, he Grated upon the
life, character and services of the Pater
Patri@ in glowing periods and ornate
rhapsodics, but interspersed with occa-
sional commonplaces which grievously
maIred the effect of an eloquence almost
divine. His succeeding address upon
Henry Clay was a repetition of the pre-
vlous lecture in all its beauties of con-
ception on the one hand and attendant
coarsenesses on the other, and the au-
dlences naturally became indignant, if
not disgusted. Having reaped plente-
ons harvest of dollars, the proceeds of
his lectures, he forthwith proceeded to
roam the town night and day, in a con-
tinuous orgie.
Meeting him in the street one day he
stated he had just learned a lesson in
poiiteness. He had met an Indian, he
said. clad in all the gorgeous arrav of
paint, feathers, trinkets and blanket.
Struck with the apparent majesty of
the Indians presence, his hand involun-
tarlly sought his pocket and drew forth
silver half-dollar, which he proffered
as token of peace and admiration. The
aboriginal took the coin, silently bowed
his thanks, and with the combined dig
nifty of Scipio and Jugurtha, strobe
away. "It was the most magnificent
specimen of untutored courtliness and
native grace ever saw, "quoth Mr.. Mar
shall. He was much disturbed, how
ever, when informed that Indians were
great beggars, and their cupidity knew
no bounds.
One cold, stormy evening Marshall
put IN an appearance at the Winslow
house, evidently suffering the effects of
aprotracted debauch. He was the very
personlication of wretchedness and suf-
fering and approaching the stove, then
sending forth its grateful heat, he held
MS benumbed, skinny hands over it,
shivering to the very marrow. Allhe said
was Poor Toms acold |" and the guests
seated in the foyer gazed upon the
modern King Lear with eyes of distress
lul sympathy In few minutes he
thawed out sufficiently to peer about in
a quaint, inquisitive manner, when OBJ
serving group of persons seated near
by. he exclaimed. "Gentlemen, do not
intend to be offensive. but may I be
hanged if ever in my life saw so many
hook-nosed men together at one timeh
involuntarily the guests took each others
dimensions, and sure enoughit happened
that all of their noses were of pronounced
Roman architecture.
Tom Marshall happily broke the sig.
nihcant silence by loudly exclaiming:
Landlord, what time do you have sup
peri" "Supper at T." Iaconically replied
the host, the clock pointing to a quarter
to 2. A dead silence fell on all around,
which, as the clock struck z, was in
terrupted by Mr.. Marshall, who, thrust
ing his hand into his pocket, extracted
a set OF false teeth, and swapping them
vielously into his mouth, shouted "Now
bring on your supper and be hanged to