The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-10
GALAXY OF YANKEE APoLLos.
Men Whose Charms Haunt Memory of
Major Truman.

Major Truman.
| The memory of Maj. Ben c. Truman OF
Los Angeles, Cal, is a gallery of Adon-
ises In the Graphic of that town he
| paints with beauteous parts OF speech-to
use his own language-the portraits of the
handsomest men he has known.
The first really handsome vision that
comes to my mind" says the Major, rs
that of Col. John w. Forney, editor and
proprietor of the Philadelphia Press, and
| a conspicuous parsonage from 1874 until
1884. Colonel Forney was tall and
straight and handsome of face and fig
\ ure
| He was nearly a blonde, and most fas-
chatting in voice and manner. As an en-
| ployer more lovable or affectionate
man ever lived in America.
"A very handsome and irresistibly
charming man was Col. Thomas A. Scott,
for many years president Of the Pennsyl-
vana railroad. l first met him in Louis
Vile, just after the fall of Donelson in
| February. 1862, while he was assistant sec
rotary of war under Simon Cameron. Not
many more affable men have ever lived
| than that same Tom Scott.
lone of the most strikngly handsome
men l have ever met was Governor
| Yarmouth of Louisiana. l spent
hour or more with him at the Ebbitt
house In Washington one evening in 1880,
and | thought him one of the most en-
rapturing persons / had ever come across.
His voice and manner held me spell
bound. He was tall and commanding, and
his parts of speech fell like rosaries OF
gems from his lips. His hair was dark
and luXuriant and his eyes flashed like
stars. I could at once see why he was
a compeller of men In louisiana either
as a republican or democrat.
zone of the most superbly handsome
men | have ever known was Fighting Joe
Hooker. He a perfect blonde, with
the most beautiful skin l have even seen
on human being He was a living APP
! polio Belverdere, and every feature and
lineament was perfect. He was one of
the most gallant soldiers on any modern
field and one of the most brilliant corps
commanders Of the civil war
"Of magnificent ruggedness and tre-
mendously fine proportions, with so
! beautiful a face and graciousness of man.
ner as never to pass from my mind, is
my picture of Gen. George Fl. Thomas,
the Rock of Chickamauga,' the only
commander who never lost battle dur
ing the civil war and the only one who
destroyed an army which he did in 1854,
in front of Nashville.
In my album of very handsome men
| shall place Charles Sumner, who was
quite 6 feet and perfect of form and
feature. Sumner had great fine eyes,
ambrosial locks a splendid voice and SUI
perb delivery. But he was the hautiest
man In the Senate, and his conceited way
of addressing the occupants of the Ia
dies gallery instead of the vice-president
took away from him much admiration.
Andy Johnson of Tennessee had q
splendid face with sparkling little black
eyes, and from his lips sometimes spite
| full words dropped like pearls. William
NJ Gwln of California was massive but
eourtly. and had complexion like a
peach.
lin the House before the war there
were some remarkably handsome men,
among whom was Dan Daniel e. Sickles,
for whom ] cast my first vote in the
Fifth ward Of New York in 1856. He was
the finest looking man in Congress at that
time. The next handsimest congressman
was Henry Winter Davis of Maryland,
who was one of the most brilliant ora
| tors In Congress.
But Blaine, who came later, was the
handsomest and most magnetic of all.
Gonkling also was exceedingly handsome
and even majeetic Gf | may employ such
term0 but was the most conceited man
who ever strutted through either the Sen
ate or House premises.
"ColfaX was good looking, meek ap-
pearing member and was always groomed
as II coming out of the veritabe band
box; he was severely good until Cakes
Ames, the tempter, came along with some
Union Pacific stoek-he actually died from
grief a short time after the Credit Mo-
| hllier investigation, and so did Congress-
man James Brooks of New York. the only
| democrat bewtched
! lone of the handsomest men | ever
have known was Governor Andy Curtin
| of Pennsylvania Everybody called him
! handsome. He was a perfect blonde
without single strawberry mark. He
| was fond of a punch or julep, and could
get away with three fingers of old Mo
nongahela when occasion required.
! Il remember Philip Barton Key as a re-
! markably handsome man, who was shot
! dead In Washington in 1857 by Dan
Siekles; and also | remember Sam But
terworth, the big fine looking person who
| urged on the shooting
Sunset Samuel b Cox was a hand
! some little fellow, and as charming as
he was otherwise personally attractive
lie was a congressman from New York
many terms and during the hot days of
reconstruction he was The leader of the
attenuated forces. He was one of the
rosiest persons I have ever known
Another mighty handsome. rosy fellow
was Col. Horace Porter of Grants staff;
he was brilliantly educated and could
sing q song, tell a good story and stay
| with the stirrup cup as long as ony one
Some remarkably handsome men whom
| I have known quite well or intimately
were Gen. Edward McCook Surgeon
| General Barnes, Generals Fremont and
/ Oglesby, Osterhaus and Logan; General
Custer and Merritt Handbook and Baird;
Arson Burlingame, Professor Lowe.
George Francis Train. Maj. Ben Perley
Poore, Harry Howard, for many years
| chief Of the volunteer fire department of
New York: Major Burke of the New Or
| leans exposition, and Col. William Cody
Buffalo Bid"