The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-02-21
OUT OF A SNOWY DUSK INTO
THE WARM NOON OF LIFE
A Ramble of Memory Wherein Figure Beautiful
Matron, Pretty Maid and a Roman
tic WidOWer.

1.-THE big snow of 1857" was in Febru-
ary. and fell on Saturday and Sunday
Monday was a fair day, but the wind
blew perfect gale, driving the snow in
all directions with such fierceness as to
make it almost impossible for one to
travel The average depth of the snow
was about IS inches when it quit falling
Sunday night, but when the wind drifted
it on Monday it was in many places trop
five to ten feet deep, while in other places
where the wind had full sweep the ground
was hare.
/ was i'm Raleigh when the snow tell,
and remained until Tuesday. At about
noon / hitched up and started nome,
twelve miles in the country, not dreaming
of the difficulties that / would have In
some places, along the road my horse
could travel very we'll, but they were the
exceptions. Wherever the roadbed was
lower than the land on the sides. the
snow in the road was on level with 1t,
so that in many places l had to drive
through drifts so deep as to fill my bug
gy And in two places, where there were
deep cuts in the road, found the snow
so deep as to almost cover my horse, am
I began to fear he could not beat his
come to halt, being almost buried, and
would not move until I went ahead and
as best could, opened narrow passage
for him. Tt must be remembered that
there had been no freeze, and that the
snow was just as it had drifted, therefore
very light, or it would have been impos-
sible for me to have plowed through it.
1t was getting dark when I arrived at
home, having made the IL miles in five
hours.
The snow of 1898 also fell in February,
commencing Saturday morning and con-
tinuing until Monday evening. The 1857
snow had always been called the big
snow but my impression is that the
snow of 1898 was quite as big. 1t did not
drift as the 1857 snow did, but the aver
age depth vas about the same.
It seems to me that we had more snow
when / was boy than we do now, for
as 1 remember, We had sleighing almost
every winter. One winter, perhaps il
was 1867, we had good sleighing for
several weeks. / remember / came on
my sleigh to Raleigh, twelve miles, sew
eral times during the snow period. In
1857, about the time of Governor
Vance's Inauguration, there was a very
heavy fall of snow which remained long
time on the ground, and SO, too, in 1893
Farmers like to see a good snow or
two, in the winter; they say crops are
generally better after snowy winter. l
don't know about that, therefore will
only give what the farmers say, without
comment. One thing more I have to say
Of the matter. / used to like snow a
great deal better than I do now, though,
/ must confess that I like to see 1T fall
ing just as well as 1 ever did, if it would
leave. But when one snow lies on the
ground a week, and another falls on that,
and a third falls on that, 1 get disgusted,,
and think as old Mrs. Smith said about
the boys kissing her girls, out ON the
piazza in the dark: Enough of thing is
enough!" And guess I've said enough
about SHOWS.
In 1860, as I have already written,
General Joseph Lane, Democratic nomi-
nee for Vice-President on the ticket with
Hon. John c. Breckenridge for President,
paid visit to Raleigh, and was quite
lion among his many kindred and party
friends. Correspondents of the big
Northern dailies followed him. and took
notes of all that was said and done by
him and about him, and to him, while he
sojourned with us. The big occasion was
a banquet at Mr.. Henry Mordecai's, just
north of the city, of which a vast crowd
of kinsfolks, friends and Democrats par
took. General Lane was a relative of
the Mordecais; 1 mean of Messrs. Henry
and Jacob Mordecai; and it was their
pleasure to give their distinguished kins-
man and political friend the biggest, old
fashioned banquet that could be gotten
up, and they did it. "Jake" Mordecai,
as he was Familiarity called, was an old
bachelor, living at that time about four
miles north of Raleigh, and had little
else to do but to enjoy himself, and so
the banqueting of General Lane was ex-
actly in his line, and he said he and Her
nv were going to open the big blade an
cut big Slices and they did. AS 1 neve
expected to write up the matter, l tool
no notes, and cannot, therefore, give tn
reader any particulars, nor say more thai
that 1t was a very small affair, yet,
informal as a country dinner. Genera
Lane was, of course, the toast of the oc
casion, and being among his kindred b.
acted and no doubt felt, very much like
member of the family long time gone from
home, but at last returned to find every
hody glad to see him.
He distinguished himself in the marcl
from Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico il
1S4S, and received wound which lance
one arm so that he had but little use O
It, He was a man of most popular man
ners, and could not have been better liked
here had he been to the manor born.
Col. Edward Cantwell, lawyer of dis
tinction, living in this city at the time of
which / am writing, served in the Next
can war, and knowing General Lane in
the army and hearing often OF his gal
lantry on the battle field, in one or more
engagements, was well prepared to make
one of the best speeches, at the Nor
decai dinner. Jake Mordecai made the
speech, however, Of the day. l won't UNI
dertake to report it, for that would be
impossible No man could report HIM.
He was all animation; his words fieW
like sky,rockets, and went in so many
directions it was impossible to keep up
with them, or to guess which way they
were going the next time. On that oc-
casion he felt unusually patriotic and he
spread himself, and the applause he re-
ceived kept him going until mems SIDES
fairly ached from laughing. / heard him