The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-03
j. c. 8. BLACKBURN,
Attorney at Law.

1t Is the old law Office OF Thomas f. Marshall.
and its walls have resounded with the wit and
wisdom. the poetry and song OF many an Attic
night.
For more than third OF century the old
Commonwealth treated Blackburn as favorite
child. and never was there a moro indulgent
mother and never a more engaging. wllful,
selfish oTspring-one OF those household holy
terrors. total strangers to discipline, who think
they have all the rights and are absolved from
oil the duties.
When he returned from the war he reopened
his law Office. and 1t rained retainers He was
not over profound as a Jurst but as an advo-
cate he was superb. His magnetism n ed tho
Jury and his eloquence secured the verdict.
lie was the good fellow" When on circuit
instead of burning the midnight oil porting
over pleadngs and precedents. he was sitting
at the tavern cracking Jokes. ex poundinE the
American Constitution. regulating the fnan-
cial system. cussing the Republican party and
giving more serious thought to speculation on
the result OF the coming event on the turf at
Lexington than to the argument he was going
to make to the jury in the court house next
day. He was the universal favorite. Even
jockeys and bootblacks called him Joe" Men
who never saw him before slapped him upon
the back as they tipped glasses with him and
drank to the Sunny South. He was the life OF
every burgoo. had the best mount in every fox
chase. and was stationed at the best stand"
In every deer drive. Carpe diem was the order
wherever he appeared
his friends often lamented his aver aion to
study; but had he been student like Breckin-
ridge. or a thinker like Carlisle. Kentucky
would have found another fayorite. Ho would
not have been Our joe" A man cannot fol-
low the technical reasoning OF Lord Coke,
or Mr.. Justice Blackstone, or Mr.. Chancellor
Kent. and at the same time be tho best Judge
OF whiskey In all kentucky. He cannot bury
himself In the writings OF Burke and OF JefYer-
son. and at the same time invent the best re-
eeipt for burgoo ever ordered. II Joe ever read
anything. his best friend never found 1t out
Indeed. some OF them jocularly say he can't
read. Though an ignorant man. so far as con-
Germs the knowledge gained from books. he Is
no fool-far from it-and his ignorance only
emphasizes the extraordinary energies Of his
character and the force OF his personality.
In 1871. at the age Of thirty-three. Black
burn was first chosen to public Office. That
year he was returned to the Legislature from
Woodford county. after defeating Gov. Porter
for the Democratic nomination. He went to
Frankfort talking. and mono Of his colleagues
ever knew him to be silent during the session.
He war the best presiding officer in the House,
though he knew little about parliam entary
law. When the sessions OF the day were over
he held forth for the bettsr part OF the mig ht at
the hotel. where he was always surrounded by
admirers. He was the last man to bed and the
first to rise. All the time hts tongue was a.
going. and he never heard any body else. The
following anecdote illustrates tho man thor
oughly:
One day he attended q burgoo on the banks
OF tho Elkhorn. that beautiful tributary Of the
Kentucky River. ripping through the heart OF
the blue grass region. There were ], Stoddard
Johnston. Henry T. Stanton, William Jett,
George Harper. Attila Cox. Sam Gain %. Sam
Leavy. Price Mcdrath. Henry Martin. Jack
Chinn. Charlton Morgan. John SANFORD. Gov
Robinson. Hull Davidson. Matt Simpson. Jim
jewell Tom Bush. Bill Crabb. and perhaps
half dozen others. These were the men who
made Black burn a Congressman in 1874. and
these the men who promoted him to the Sem
ate In 1884. The burgoo was concocted by
Gus Jarhert who could have taught Delmonico
many trick OF the art culinary. The food was
mt for the gods. and upon 1t Luculus could
have supped with Lucullus for whole season.
As for the liquid refreshments. 1t sufaces to
say there was mint on the banks OF the Elk |
horn there was ice at Lexington. and Bourbon
county is Just over the way.
Blackburn was the one guest who seemed de-
pressed. He the soul of every such SYM
g aines asked him what he was mopins around
II don't IKE this crowd" said Joe.
Why. Joe. there is not a man here who |
y 4, 9os de for you. You astonish me" eI-
oh, the boys are all right enough" re-
turned joe but the tanned crowd is too big |
speech" AVA
It was a spentan eoas outburst of naIvete.
humor: He only gave vent to his feeling OF
a = when he saw that he could not do ali |
Much Of a starvcrt. and always an irreeoneu-
ne S H 5hs the
d James J. Beck In the famed Xshand dis
trict and he served noties on that peladln that
Sbe that Beck would Nave Sestsn hIm-i Raes At
h rs best he yeuld pot have made half-sole for
way and Black barn Was chosen the R~presspe
no pripn rose path q dalllancs he, trod to VIC
ksa;aety snyy TSss has coat fa1s and 20
9 : f6G .aS -. %.Shs ~ ns,cs ssss
q ksntuety As mases Gn II r 1de
tye !, I'd M9rshaLl never met his match not
'on. the United States b. aatcr hos. apsees
% Cuba. in 1s59 u an EnRh eiassia Mar
'na issxss up s ice oily 1 every eInAy
risd. In these days tho IN anc.I QUESTION Wa a
a bSpsiSssiy neb9lo1s state. aud then. as
Sacks being the PanAceA- az free silver 3 now. I
me DAY Marshall enF1ged him with som Othine |
angling about II ever since:
MY ieIiow-citizSns. when Joe discusses the
broad and expansive question of finance he re- |
nlnds me Of a duck sailing on the placid bosom
n Wa iN Vast ave drawing somethfnR less than
he GIasSy surface. and blssfuy and dehsntIv
.im." N.''''' eFue"'h
Marshall got the most applause, but Joe rot
ne most votes and 90 MarahalI again emf
rated TO California. which State he had before
epresented In Congress. and where he became
Inorney General not . v0EY Eroat Wills Gftar