The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1905-04-28
later years he used to be likened to a
Hebrew prophet. Once suggested that

later years he used to be likened to a
Hebrew prophet. Once suggested that
thought was never forgotten as one
looked at him. There was rugged
strength in the sharp,cut features,
strong and individual as though
chiseled in hard gray stone, an austeri-
ty in the moulding of the mouth, in the
outline of the jaw beneath the short
gray beard, in the whole pose of the
mamie must have stood six feet two
inches tall-that stamped him ruler.
He was slender and graceful, too, in his
carriage, despite the slight bend that
came with the years, and his head was
ever erect. His attitude as he addressed
the Senate was always the Same-with
one foot slightly advanced and with
one hand pressed on the desk beside
him so that he leaned slightly from
the shoulders, he would stand with his
head thrown back and speak slowly
and briefly, entirely without gesture,
looking upward rather than at his
listeners, and weighing each word as
he uttered IT, as il he had fused all the
factors of the problem in the crucible
of his mind and were but reporting in
the minimum of words the cOnscien-
tious result. There was no borrowed ef-
feet of mpressiveness; he was naturally
impressive or austere in the severe
simplicity of his manner. He often or
with slow cit seems to me- that
added rather than subtracted weight.
Beneath the outward austerity of the
man there was kindly warmth on
| which those who learned it's existence
could always count. AS source of in
| formation for newspaper men, he was
one of the best in the capitol: not be-
| cause he would talk freely but because
| whatever he said could be absolutely
| depended upon as fact and not as belief
or hope. What he forecasted when he
did forecast which was seldom, and he
never allowed his name to be used, was
sometimes it seemed improbable.
Events turned out invariably as he had
predicted. But while he did not like
''those modern things called inter-
| views" did not care for publicity, he
would willingly talk at length, explain
| ing knotty points of constitutional law
or other problems, when he had con-
| fidence in the man who questioned
him. Even during the Swayne trial
! he would further tax his strength in
this way, and one found it harder to
leave his committeeman than to get
in. When asked one day what position
he had taken on an issue soon to come
to decision, he answered characteristic
ally that he never took position until
the time came to vote. A moment
later he began an calculation of the
points under question that few men in
the Senate could have approached for
comprehenSiveness or clarity. A
younger man was sitting in his room
one day when deputation of Congress
men called on Senator Platt to learn
how he stood on an important issue.
He questioned them quite as much as
they questioned him, and they went
suppose they re hot against me-" said
Senator Platt, turning to the younger
man who had witnessed the proceed
ings, "because they think I'm against
them. Well, the fact is, I'm witt
them, but I've got to make sure about
this thing" The incident illustrates
why Senator Platts word stood fol
what it did in big things and little
[Springf1eld, (Mass.) Republican.