Connecticut western news., 1886-03-24
SALMON P. CHASE.
Romantic Incidents in the
 Life of the Chief Justice.
His Struggles in Early Life and Love
 for Beautiful Southerner.

 secretary to Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, recites in the New York lNaa and Express some interesting instances in the career of this noted man. MT. Didier says:
 'I had a hard enough struggle in my early life," said Chief Justice Chase to to me, one afternoon; as we were walking from the Capitol together. "When I first came to Washington to push my fortune, asked an uncle who was Sen ator, to obtain for me clerkship in one of the departments. He told me he would rather give me a dollar to buy spade with which to work my way in the world. thought my uncle was unkind, but I have long since known he acted wisely ill not getting me an office, and attribute all my good fortune in life to that refusal Had I secured a clerkship at that time, I should probably have re- mained clerk all my life, and, instead of now being the Chief Justice of the United States, be the chief clerk of de- partment."
 Salmon P. Chase worthily won all the high honor that he gained. For years alter removing to Washington he went through the daily drudgery of teaching boys school, studying law during his spare hours under William Wirt, the fath- crof one of his pupils. It was at MT. Wirt's i house that he met the beautiful Miss Cabell, and then began the only romance in his lie. He was thrown into her society every day, and each day added to his interest in the lovely Southern girl. Love inspired him to write verses which, however, were intended to express the | passionate sentiments of lover. The proud Virginian beauty accepted Mir. 1 Chase as an escort to parties, receptions and the theater, and she found him a very agreeable companion in the parlor, for he was clever and intelligent, but she would not think of marrying a poor young school-teacher with his own for tune to make and apparently with little prospect of making it at that time.
 Miss Cabell made the same mistake in declining Mir. Chase's addresses as the lady did who refused to mary Louis Ma poleon when he was living an obscure ex- ile in England after his escape from the prison of Ham, and thereby "refused a crown" as the future Emperor said to her. Perhaps MT. Chase's unfortunate love affair was the cause of his leaving Washington and removing to Cincinnati, which he did soon after passing the bar. He got so bravely over his passion, how ever, for Miss Cabell, that he lived to marry and bury three wives, before he was forty. The aroma of that early love still fingered many years afterward. Once, when the Chief Justice was visit ing Richmond with his daughter, niece of his first love-another Miss Cabell, equally celebrated as belle and beauty called upon Miss Chase, her father re- called with tender feeling the circum- stances of his youthful love and the re- suit.
 When he spoke of his first sweetheart there was a pathos in the voice of the calm and digniied Chief Justice, which was as rare as it was interesting. When l became the private secretary of Chie1 Justice Chase, he was in his sixty-second year, and to all appearance in the full vigor of his magnificent manhood-he was six feet high and eiehed two hun- dred pounds and was as straight as 6 Tuscarora Indian. He had very com handing appearance, and as he walked along the marble corridors of the Capitol his presence was felt. He was naturally very austere man and seldom unbended even at home. He had little or no ap- preciation of h,lmor, and rarely indulged in a joke. He was just as abstemious in his words as in all other things. He talked little, drank little, and never used tobacco in any shape or form, and did not like it to be used in his presence His life was regular and his tastes simple, rising at in the summer and in the winter. In good weather he took short walk before breakfast, returning ir time to join his family at morning prayer
 The breakfast hour was o'clock, after which he joined his secretary in the libra ry, where he spent an hour reading over his letters, dictating answers to them, ol preparing his opinions.
 At 10 he left his house to go to the Capitol, always walking when the weath. CT was fair, and riding in the cars in bad weather. From ii to he presided over the Supreme Court of the United States, after its adjournment walking back to his house. Arriving home, he took lunch of crackers and tea, and then went wig. orously to work on his opinions, remain ing so engaged until dinner, which was always served precisely at 6 o'clock. His table was elegant, but not epicurean, and consisted always of three courses and a dessert. The Chief Justice always dressed in black when in Washington, and I was very much astonished to sec him appear in light pantaloons, sack coat and slouch hat on the morning that we started on the Southern Circuit, in May, 1869. Miss Chase told me she was afraid her farther would become so attached tc the slouch hat that he would want to wear it after his return to Washington, which she seemed to think would be lowering the dignity of the Chief Justice.
 ''Hope on, hope ever," is the motto ot