Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-03-21
AND THE GREAT SEAL.
COPYRIGHTED. 1888, BY FUNK & WAC NALs.l

-4ND - A<A'D6NNOL hlNO 4AG 0h1AA PG<A
COPYRIGHTED. 1888, BY FUNK & WAGN NAILS
When l was many, very many yea
younger than l am now, l spent some tin
with kinsman in Philadelphia who live
near Independence Square. Near him dive
two octogenarians, lively relics of our nj
tlonal birth-lime, who spent several evening
OF each week at the house Of my cousin
They were always there together, and th
chief burden of their conversation was rs
collections of their young manhood, an
especially OF the events of the old war fo
Independence, ''a part of which they say
and part Of which they were."
One OF these venerable men was stout
baldheaded, rotund, jolly old gentleman
and was known by everybody as "Uncl
Billy" The other was tall, spare man
with abundant flowing locks, rather grav
and precise in speech, and magisterial il
department. He was as generally know
as 1.-THE Squire" he having been justic
of the peace several successive years in mid
die life. Both were more than eighty year
of age.
Uncle Billy was the senior of the two b,
few months. In his youth he was clerl
with Robert Morris. the patriotic financie
of the Continental Congress. Later in lifi
he became successful merchant, owned /:
privateer during the second war for inde
pendence, and for more than thirty year,
had lived quietly upon an ample compe
tence in the enjoyment of wife, children ant
friends. The Squire in his earlier year.
had been a sort of miscellaneous man-s
wit, a scholar to considerable degree, 6
journalist, and great favorite in the bes
classes of society, and holding some pub
lie office now aud then. In person he wal
handsome in fofm and feature, and little
foppish. He had lived bachelor, and hal
saved sufficient money toward the sunset O.
life to mnke him comfortable without labor
ing for it during life's twilight.
The Squire was genius of many fea
lures, and had capacity for many excel
lent performers. Before his majority he
was sort of sub-editor of Bradford.
Pennsylvania Journal, and he took pride in
pointing to his artistic achievement in en-.
craving, with his penknife. the ugly, dis.
jointed snake representing the English.
American colonies, with the significant
words below it, "Join or Die" 1t appear
ed at the head of The Journal for many
months, to the great annoyance of the
''KiDg's Men," who called it ''a scandalous
and saucy reflection" The Squire be-
came a man. of-all- work-a sort of Caleb
Quotem-on Atkins Pennsylvania Maga-
zine when Thomas Paine was a FREQUENT
contributor to its columns.
One evening the Squire and Uncle Billy
were conversing about journalism in s'Revo-
lutionarY times" when the former gave a
most interesting account of "Tom Paine"
as he called him, and his habits. On these
occasions sat like sponge, absorbing at
all points and imbibing an enormous quan.
tity of the esprit of 49," which affected my
life career. The Squire said Paine had a
head. His forehead receded
very much; his eyes were a sort of steel gray
and rather piercing in their glances under
excitement; his nose was large and slightly
rubicund, and his hair was very dark brown,
nearly black. lie would come into Atkins
little back-room at the Pope's Head, above
the London Coffee House on Market street,
quite early in the morning, chat little
while with any who might be present, and
after he had swallowed his third glass of
brandy would take up his pen and begin to
write with amazing raidity. This was a
signal for all to leave the room. Paine's
pen went on without ceasing, trying to keey
up with the rapid pace of his thoughts; an
in less than two hours, sometimes, he woulC
finish one of those bold, incisive, logica
and almost fierce essays on the current poll
tical topics which appeared from time tc
time and stirred the hearts of the patriot
with holy zeal. Then he would stretcl
himself out on a settee and sleep soundlJ
for an hour, when he would sally out tt
meet some congenial friend on the street,
or go to some favorite social haunt.
The Squire was sort of Ariel in thu
public bodies of the city at that time, ant
his memory being Photographic in its &C
curacy in reporting sayings and doings he
was held in great repute, and was favorite
at social gatherings. A valued friend OF
Charles Thomson, the Secretary of the Con
tinental Congress, he learned many a secret
motive for acts of that body which were
hidden from public ken. The revelations
of these things. long years afterward, made
the Squire one of the most delightful and
instructive companions.
One evening l handed to Uncle Billy a
document printed and written on parch.
ment and bearing the recumbent seal of the
United States, the date as early as 1887.
asked the oracles to explain the origin oi
the seal, as it seemed to have come down to
US in similar form from the beginning OF
the nation. Uncle Billy handed the docu-
ment to the Squire, saying, "You know
more of this than do; tell the boy all about
it," The Squire looked at it moment,
and turning to Billy asked:
"Do you remember the fearful thunder.
storm that swept over Philadelphia on the
evening of July 8, 1776, and the very cool,
bracing wind from the northwest the next
morning ?"
Uncle Billy answered in the affirmative,
and then with much animation he related
some of his experience at that eventful time
Morris had sent him to Chester on some
business, and the clerk had ridden some dis.
tance on the way by the side of an express
sent by Mexican, Member of Congress
from Delaware, to his colleague, Caesar
Rodney. The errand of that express, Uncle
Billy said, was of vital importance. The
resolution for independence had beer
adopted on the second day of the month.
The preamble, or the declaration of causes
which had led to that resolution, had been
presented and debated, and there were
doubts of its adoption, as there had been
developed some strong opposition to it.
Mexican and Rodney were both in favor of
the declaration but the latter was at his
home in Delaware, eighty miles from Phil
adelphia. Mexican sent this express for
him. Rodney detained him only long
enough for luncheon and to make change
of linen, when he sprang into his saddle,
and riding all night he reached his seat ln
(now, Independence Hall in time to cast his
vote for the great measure. $50 was Sc
cured the happy result" Uncle Billy said.
II was detained at Chester by a shower -
said Uncle Billy, ''and I was compelled to
ride all night. was thinly clad, for the
weather had been extremely warm. The
sudden fall of the temperature that succeed
ed the shower was severe upon me, and I
was almost frozen when / reached Phila-
delphia, before SUNRISE I observed, as l
passed the church of Rev. DR.. Duche, that
the electric rods, put up by DR.. Franklin,
had been struck and bent by the lightning
the previous evening. Pity it hadn't bent
the Tory parson back to good Whig, as
he seemed to be when he preached that pa
triotic sermon in Christ Church, just year
before, to the First Battalion of Philadei-
phia."
Uncle Billy said Jefferson came into Nor
ris's counting-room that morning, on his
way to the State House, and remarked that
the mercury has fallen from SO to 6S degrees
iu twelve hours.
The Squire reminded his companion that
it was on that day, with fresh wind from
the north, when Congress so coolly declared
the English-American colonies ''fee and in
dependent states"
'.Yes," said Uncle Billy, 81 remember