Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-05-19
REMlNlscENcEsoF RANDOLPH
The Hip and It's Eminent Sons the
Theme Of George Partridge.

Y ~-N~f . =
The Orange County Eagle was published
I in this village some thirty years ago by K.
I Henry Wiley, who had his printing office
/ in Dubois & Gays block and went TO
/ press every Friday with an epitome of the
weeks important news. In the issue Of
! May 9, 1873, is to be found. under the
above caption, letter from George Part
ridge. Esq. then Of st. Louis but now Of
Z San Francisco, which tells some interest
I ing things concerning few Of the promi-
nent men Of the past, who claimed Ran
dolph Center as their birthplace. The
writer, who has himself achieved no small
4 measure OF success in life, is, also, native
/ OF "The Hill" where the Partridge home
stead is now known as the residence of n.
/ L. B0yden Mr.. Partridge says
.'The moral influence OF beautiful natu-
raj surroundings on the development Of
character is proverbal. Whether from
such influences, or some more foFtuitous
cause, few small villages have given TO the
world so many useful, and even eminent.
men as Randolph Center. Here Dudley
/ Chase, brother Of the late Bishop Chase
and uncle OF Chief Justice Chase, began
/ and ended his career as lawyer, Judge,
/ United States senator and chief justice OF
I the state. His digniied, senatorial bear
/ ing is well remem bered and, as we'll. GER
| tain prominent qualities which are stul
| the theme OF anecdotes. One may here be
/ told by way of advertisement. When on
I the bench an appeal case came up before
| him, involving the immense value of a
Y turkey, which the defendant had gobbled
l up for constant trespass on ais garden
1 premises. The plaintiffs attorney had
/ scarcely stated his case when the judge
broke out, MIR. Clark, strike that case
/ from the docket 2 Then turning to the
attorney he said, why do you come up
here with such paltry case; why don't
YOU leave il out TO some Of your neigh
I bors? please your honor, replied the
attorney, I'VE don't want honest men TO
have anything TO do with it, The judge
I bottled his wrath till it came his turn to
/ charge the jury, then such slasher as he
/ gave on small neighborhood litigations
and small lawyers who took them up was
never heard before in that court room.
s'The late Senator Collamer also began
] his professional career in this village, and
his first tIlts at the bar with Judge Chase
\ Here also William Nutting lived and died,
| less known abroad but one Of the most
profound lawyers of the state. Rev. Ben
jamin Griswold, among the first 10 yield
/ up his life to the cause OF African mis-
sions was raised here; also Rev. Cephas
Washburn and Rev. Mr.. Finney early mis-
sionaries among the Cherokees and well
known throughout Arkansas for their
distinguished usefulness in that state
while In its infancy. Rev. d. II. kldder,
/ ID. D., SO long continued with the Metho-
/ dist Book Concern in New York and one
OF the authors OF Brazil and Brazilians,
was once a boy at home on this hill. Rev.
/ Constantine Blodgett OF Rhode Island,
! Rev. Herman Blodgett OF South Carolina
and Rev Dan Blodgett were also natives
/ In this Blodgett family there were nine
children, three OF whom, as above, became
| clergvmen, and one a physician, Dr.
] n lrranErvrt FrnfpggfnnullU
and as a member OF the legislature.
'sTo the navy THE Hill gave Capt. ALVIN
| Edison, one OF its brightest ornaments,
TO use the words Of the commodore's order
promulgated upon his death, which oc-
| CURED soon after the siege OF Vera Cruz
Next to cen. Scott he was the largest man
in both the army and navy, and the most
splendid specimen OF the genus homo to
/ be found in either Thrice he made the
circuit of the world, participating In many
! naval encounters. He visited every court
in Europe and to splendid person added
a polished manner. Never forgetting his
native hill, he often came here TO spend
the summer months and would regale the
villagers at store and tavern with has eX-
periences ON land and sea, which to them
were better than 'Rollo in Europe Gov.
Edgerton, once prominent in the politics
of the state, lived and died here; also
/ Judge Tarbox, a gentleman OF the old
school, well known in the state. Chief
Justice /. +. Redtield, who was sent TO
Europe on a government agency, resided
here several years, succeeding to the Chase
estate: and one OF the most successful
LAWYERS OF Alabama, Jonathan Bliss, was
horn here A valuable church and Sunday
school library, gift to the Congl church,
testifies to an affectionate remem brance
OF the 'old square boxed meeting house oil
his day. This church has sent out 20 min
listers, all natives, three OF whom went
abroad as foreign missionaries.
"Two more natives, though the iuxta-
position be ludicrous, may be mentioned
on account of their singular notorlety.
Every house has its skeleton, and Ran
dolph astonshed the medical world with
two living skeletons in the brothers, Cal-
vim and Alexander Edson-the most re-
markable cases Of physical shrinkage on
I record sAleck' long survived his brother
i and is better remembered by the writer.
hen dressed up in has black silk tights,
he looked for all the world like some COB
lin damned from Nights Plutonian
shore He was ever present like some
/ spectre to the boys of the village, who de-
1 lighted to set him up occasionally as pres
ident OF the lyceum the better TO ENJOY
sepulchral dignity, SPECTRAL illusions and
/ spiritual manifestations. One OF these
Youthful orators conceived the idea OF
| immortalizing him still more by writing
and printing his biography. Aleck saw
his name on the pamphlet in big letters
but the inside, teemlng with strange ro-
mantle adventures, caused him to tail
into the biggest kind of a Wouter van
Twiller doubt about his personal identity.
But not being OF the earth feshy, he
finally concluded he must be spirit OF
some demon harmless, and took to eXhio-
iting himself about the country and tell
ing fortunes, in which business he died
, like his brother, Calvin, years before.
zone OF the institutions OF the old gram
mar school was the lyceum paper, read
every week. Ii would be grand to have II
, printed But who had ever seen PRINT
ING office Not one of the interested lads
There was. however, ,Rees' old encyclope-
dia with its pictures and descriptions
The way was clear for all but types,and an
account of stock showed dozen dollars
|. which bought small font OF seconu'