The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-09-22

Grafton. should uc lulelestllb' A"'-~ %
10 prettler town in all the state IMAM
versailles. II is In the heart OF the famed
blue grass. within striking distance OF
Frankfort. Lexington. and Georgetown
II IS an old-fashioned town, the houses
large and square the yards ample ana
blooming. The streets are lisuess and the
eornors shady. Everything is Tedoient
OF HOSPITALITY. good fellowship, and good
cheer. II Is in Woodford county the
asparagus bed OF ne blue grass It's bar
has long 0een famous for learning ana
eioQuence. In cross street, one square
rom the Court House, there IS a dingy
little building from which hangs newly.
ra.nted sign bearing this device:
J. c. S. BLACKBURN,
Attorney at law.
IL IS the old law Office Of Thomas IT,
Marshall and i,s walls have resounded
with the wit and wisdom, the poetry and
song Of many an Attic night.
FANORiTB CHILD
For more than a third Of century the
Old Commonwealth treated Blackburn as
"a favorito child and never was there a
more ihduleent mother and never more
cngageing. wil.ful selfish ohspflhg-ohe
Of those household holy ferrors. total
strangers to discipline. who think they
navs au me rights ana are GDsolved from
al. the duties.
when ne returned from the war he re-
opened his law Office. and IL ralnej re-
timers. lie was not over profound as
iurist but as an advocat. he was superb
His ma .reusm fixed the jury and hls
eloquence secured the verdict Tie was
tho good fellow When on circuit ln-
stead Of burning the midnight OIL porting
over picadngs and precedents. he was
sitfing at tie tavern cracking jokes, eN-
pounding the American Constitution reg
ulatine the financial system Cssing the
Republican party and giving more serious
thought To- speculation ON the result OF
the coming event on the turf at Lexington
than 20 the argument De was going TO
make % the jury in the court house
next day. lie was the universal favorite
Even Jockeys and BOOTH Ks called HIM
Joe" Men who never saw him before
slapped him upOn the back as they
tipped glasses with him and drank 10 tine
sunny South lie was the NE 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.
WOULD NOT STUDY.
His friends often lamentcd his aversion
20 study. but had he been a student life
Rrccknridsc r a thinker Ike carlisle
Kentucky would have found another
favorite Re would not have been "Our
joe A man cannot follow the technical
reasoning of Lord Coke or Dir Justice
Maidstone. or Mr. Chancellor Kent, and
AZ The same time De the Best judge OF
whiskcy I'm an Kentucky. lie cannot
bury himself m the writings Of Burke
and OF JEFFERSON. and at the same time in
vent the plst receipt for bureoo ever
ordered If Joe ever read anything his
aesi friend never found &c out Indeed.
some of them l1cularly say De can't READ.
Though an ignorant man. so iar az con-
Germs the knowledge gained from books
Dee is no fOol-tar from it-and his ~
norance only emphasizes the exiraordl-
nary energies of his character and the
force of his por- nality.
In 1871 az the age of thirty-three.
blackburn was first chosen 10 public Of
ice That year DE was returned 10 the
LEGISLATURE from WOodford county. after
defeating Gov Porter for the Demo
cratic nomination. lie went to Frank
fort talking and none of his colleagues
ever knew him TO lie silent during the
session.
lie was the best presiding officer IN the
House though he knew little about
parliamentary law. When the sessions Of
better part of the night al NE hotel.
where. he was always surrounded by adj
mlrers lie was The last man 90 bed and
the nrst 20 rise. AN the time his tongue
was agoing and DE never heard anybody
else The following anecd0te illustrates
she man throughly;
No CHANCE TO TALK.
one day ne attented a burgoo on the
ianEs OF The Elkhorn that beautiful
tributary Of the Kentucky River. rip
,ling through the heart Of the blue grass
region. There were j. Stoddard Johnston,
Henry T. stanton William Jett. George
Harper. Attna Cox. sam Gaines. sam
IeaVy Price McGrath. Henry Martin
Jack Chinn. Charlton Morgan. John Sand
fore Gov Robinson. Hun Davidson.
Mot Simpson. Jim Jewell. Tom Bush.
Bil Crabb. and perhaps half dozen more
These were the men who made Black
burn a Congressman In 1874 and these
the men who promoted him to the sen
ate in 1854. The hurg0O was concocted by
Grs Jarbert who could have taught
De'monico many trick Of the art
culinary The food was ~ for the gods
ard u9on e. Lucullus could have supped
with Luculus for whole season. As
Tor the liquid rcfrcshmeDts % sufiices
20 say there was mint on the banks of the
Ilkhom there was Ice an Lexington
and Bourbon county IS just over the
wsy
BLACKBURN was the bne guest who
seemed depressed. lie. the soul az every
such SYN ,osium. on this occasion SAT
apart IN moody silence ID was generally
remarked ard sam Gaines asked MIN
what he was moping around in that
style for
Il don't like this crowd" said Joe
why Joe. there is not a man here
who would not die FOR you. You
ast0nish me-" exclaimed Gaines.
"Ch the boys are all right enough re.
turned Joe. 'but the damned crowd IS
too big for an anecdote and not big
enough Tor a speech"
10 was spontaneoes outburst OF
naivete. although unaffected He had no
thought Of humor. lie only gave vent 10
his feeling OF disgust when he saw that
he could not do all the talking.
OPPOSED TO GREELEY.
Much OF stalwart. and always an
irroconcilab.e he opposed the nomination
tho .eJayo.rpaaf Of II..r.,.