The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-04-13
SALMON p. CHASE.
Romantic Incidents in the
Life Of the Chief Justice.
His Struggles in Early Life and Love
for q Beautiful Southerner.

"sNHHl# r"F#r"-#.aa .a& .
Eugene T.. Didier, at one time private
secretary to Chief Justice Salmon P.
Chase, ~recites in the New York Mail and
kxpress some interesting instances in the
earcer of this noted man. Mr.. Didicr
Ays:
81 had a hard enough struggle in my
early life" said Chief Justice Chase to
% me, one afternoon; as we were walking
rom TOM the Capitol together. "When 1
hrst came to Washington to push my
fortune, + asked an uncle who was a Sen
stor, to obtain for me a clerkship in one
q the departments. He told. me he
you'd rather give me a dollar to buy a
spade with which to work my way in the
world. | thought my uncle was unkind,
Mt ! have long since known he acted
wisely in not getting me an office, and 1
attribute all my good fortune in life to
thnt refusal. Had I secured a clcrkship
1t that time, I should probably lave re-
rnaincd a,clcrk oil my life, and, instead
Of now being the Chief Justice of the
Omitted States, be the chief clerk of a de-
partment."
Salmon p. Chase worthily won oil the
high honor that he. gained. For years
atter removing to Washington he went
!. through the daily drudgery of teaching
J: boys school, studying law during his
spare hours under William Writ, the faith
srof one of his pupils 1t was at Mr.. Wirt's
~ hOsvpo ~ thot - - 800 A. Laac1 nr.--
Cabeu, and then began the only romance
m his lie. He was thrown into her
society every day, and each day added
D. his interest in the lovely Southern girl.
Love inspired him to write verses which,
kowever, were intended to express the
passionate sentiments of a lover. The
proud Virginian beauty accepted Mr..
Salase as an escort to parties, receptions
md the theater, and she found him a
very agreeable companion in the parlor,
log he was clever and intelligent, but
ne would not think of marrying a poor
young school-teachcr 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
deciining Mr.. ,Chase's addresses as the
hady did who refused to mary Louis Ma
Poiesen when he was living an obscure ex-
Ne IN England after his escape from the
prison of Ham, and thereby ssrefused a
crown, as the future Emperor said to
hen. Perhaps Mr.. 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 go, bravely over his passion, how
svef, for Miss Cabell, that he lived to
marry and bury three wives, before he
was forty. The aroma of that early love
shii fingered many years aftcrward.
Once, when the Chief Justice was visit
ing Richmond with his daughter, a niece
q his first love--another Miss Cabell,
equally celebrated as a belle and beauty
called upon Miss Chase, her. father re-
rallied with tender feeling the circum:
stances of his youthful love and the re-
aalt.
When he spoke of his first sweetheart
there was a pathos in the voice of the
iealm and dignificd Chief Justice, which
Eas as rare as it was interesting. When
j became tho private secretary of Chief
Justice Chase, he was in his sixty-second
year. and to all appearance in the full
yigor of his magnificent manhood-he
Vas six feet high and weighed two hun
bred pounds and was as straight as a
T1scarcra Indian. He had q very COM
handing appearance, and as he walked
slong the marble corridors of the Capitol
= presence was felt. He was naturally
= very, ~aslstcre man and seldom unbended.
sven at home. Hc had little or no an
rreciation of humor, and rarely INDUCED
= ajoke. 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
rot like it to be used in his presence.
His 81 life was regular and his tastes simple,
1ssi1g at u the summer and 2 in the
Winter. In good weather he took a short
yak before; breakfast, returning in
tdnne TO join his family at morning prayer.
The breakfast hour was 8 O'Clock, after
which he Joined. his secretary in the libra
!, where he spent an hour reading over
ma letters. debating answers to them. or
repairing Ills. opinions.
AT 10 he left his house to 20 to the
Capitol, always walking when the wealth
iseR was fair. and ridin1 in the cars In bod