The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1898-10-07
EAMNIMG MILES.
AnRornER,s rRIpure !.

On the morning of the 9th of
September. 1received the follow.
ing message from Van Bnren,
Ark, Tanning died at 9 80 p.
M. (signed) 20. L. Miles /
had never thought Of death in
connection with flaming Miles,
We had been through sad atilct.
ions together. We had been to.
| gether in the death chamber of a
mother, a brother, a sister and a
father. / knew the depth Of his
royal soul, and the tenderness OF
his kindly spirit, but laughter lay
! in his eyes so constantly and SO
happy and free from care was
he while firing his merry jests
into the great world as it passed
in review under his keen percep.
tlons, that death was never con.
nected in my mind with him. But
| while manhood was in its glory,
weepers gather at his grave. II
all mankind knew his sympathetic
soul, through pure responsive
ness, there would not be a dry
eye in the world today. In his
big heart there was room for
every body; and no matter how
black the skin or crooked the
form or gray the head or queer
and quaint the body. every body
he mot with in this life found o
corner in his heart. The negro
barber, the gossiping old lady
hanging over his gate, the boot.
black, together with his fellow
lawyers and the grave doctors Of
divinity, all opened their hearts
to flaming Miles and felt that
they had IN him a contidant and
a counsellor. a friend and a kind
brother. How the tears have
gushed into my eyes to discover
the keen sense of personal loss
some poor obscure life has felt
in his death. His soul was the
register for every trouble in his
town and his wise head and sun
ny soul left happiness in his
wake.
Many able lawyers have told
me there was no finer legal mind
at the bar, and yet how could he
practice law 2 He had fuller,
richer, sweeter mission. He gave
to every hu man being that hap
pened in his presence abundance
of rich philosophy. merry repar.
tee. inimitably apt anecdotes,
convulsing pantomime and most
sympathetic fellowship. The
world could never harden him
into selfishness. The bes. he had
belonged to the first that came
for 1t. His chiefest joy was to
read character and study man
kind.
1t seems almost a proclamation
to try to print orreduce to litera-
ture his character sketching and
descriptive anecdotes. l would
not have the public think l have
let my affections lead me into IN
due praise, but not since Eng.
lands greatest dramatist left on
record the immortal humor of a
Bears Head Tavern, a Dame
Quickly and a Sir John Falstafi
have l met with anywhere
such side.shakipg scenes. There
is one explanation why he never
gave himself up to literature. 1t
would have been robbing the man
who came into his Office to be en-
tertained, 1t would have kept
him from the sweet little woman
that sat at home in the evenings.
| it would have interrupted the un-
failing flow Of spirits that bound
a continual circle of friends about
his chair. And to this he could
never give consent.
1t seems strange to be writing
about Tanning Miles. He was a
man whom everybody talked to
but never of.Why should you talk
about yourself to yourself And
to everybody that knew him was
he not a second self So close
he got to the life of every one.
There was no sign OF egotism in
him. So at this little sketch he
would simply be good naturally
amused. With wide eyed wisdom