The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-03
A PENNSYLVANIA ORATOR.
The Late ". L. Hcnsel Was n CAM
paigner Of Remarkable GIFTS.

TO THE EDITOR or THE SuN-Sir. The
death of william l.. Hensel OF Lam
caster. Pa. at Savannah on Saturday
while on his way south for his health,
removes one Of the most illustrious Law
yers the state has ever produced. He
was one Of the survivors of that old
fashioned school Of Jeffersonian Demo
cratic lawyers of "A generation or more
ago in pennsylvania. rugged. massive,
indom table. such MS Jeremiah $. Black,
Charles X. Buckalew, Samuel J. Randall,
William A. Wallace, Chauncey +. Black
and Colonel Levi y. Maith.
w. u. Hensel was one Of the most
magnetic stump speakers ! have ever
heard. In the campaign OF 1890. when
senator quay forced the nomination for
Governor of poor George Wallace Della
mater. who some years afterward com
United suicide IN Plttsburg. the Demos
cratic party believed It could repeat It's
success of 1882. and again 1t nominated
Robert r.. Pattison. Naturally Mr..
1Iensel took the stump In behalf OF
the Democratic nominee. During the
curse OF the campaign ] heard him
speak one night In tho court house at
YORK. | never saw an audience 80 spell
bound under tho influence of human ora
tory. The court room was packed with
humanity. Not only was every avail
able seat occupied but people stood in
tho sisles and along the walls and were
jlmmed within the enclosure Of the bar
and even sat Upon the window stills. II
was a balmy night IN the early autumn.
and many who could not gain admit
lance looked In at the windows.
Mr.. Henscl spoke for about an hour
and a half. He had very effective cam
paign material, and as the leading ora
tor OF his party In the state he knew
how to blaze the way. The issues were
sharply defined Senator QUAY dill not
seem TO have r-ot'cd by the defeat Of
his machine IN 1852. and had nominated
Delamdter against the protests OF the
very element In his party which had
made the election OF Pattison poss. BILE
eight years before. The corruption OF
The Quay machine. with all It's scandals,
naturally provided a very effective
weapon for such an orator as W. l..
lleuscl That night at York II seemed
az II during the time he spoke not a
man IN that vast audience had the
courage TO move, or else he WAS SO
transhxcd by the eloquence OF the
speaker that he was totally oblivlous 10
anything but tire magic drawing power
and p~crsonalitv " that wonderful
speaker. In sarcasm and lnvective and
in the magnificent flow Of pouderous.
well -oundad sentences ". 4. Henscl
iefflAtutfl nc OF senator IIlEtAlN NnSIl
he was in the Senate from Kansas.
Many a time when I was a newspaper
reporter In Washington back in 1890 |
sat N the Senate gallery under the spell
Of Senator lngalls's oratory when he
rose IN hts place simply In the midst
OF 4 passing debate. probably on some
custom ~ grave constitutional law,
and 7 never heard except In tn" case OF
Nj. Henscl such ponderous. voluminous
"a lea aARs HANf ~
rapidly from human lips.
W. L. Iienscl differed. however. from
Senator Ingalls, as an orator I'm this re-
spegt. that he had = very deep and de-
: Chtful sense OF humor. which he often
made use OF. even on the spur OF the
momen during the course of his re-
marks. In the G~ubernatorlal cam.
paiGn OF 1924 IN Pennsylvania the late
william VI. SinFerly. who was hen
tho Democratic nominee. General
Daniel H.. Hastings was his opponent
General IItsttng. had never seen any
active military service. hut he derived
HE military tito from the fact tina a
few years before as Acknowledgement
Of the state he had gone 10 Johnstown
with troops Immediately after the great
food and restored order. | accom-
panied M. Singerly In his campaign
'HfN NV RAhA'. NV SO q ~
Ceptiou ~ tho Duqucsne club IN Pitts
burg We boar ded our spe Hal train for
B~elletonts, General Hastings's home.
where we intended TO beard the lion"
In his den. We arrived AZ Bellefontc
a. y o'clock in the morning and pro
cceded directly 20 the ~ou house 10
hold a meeting before breakfast. After
Mr. Singerly rad spoken the local cha r.
man arose 70 MS feet and said ladies
and gentlemen, Il now gives me great
pleasure to introduce to you colonel
W. L. Hensel" Mr.. Hersel got ny with
iust the suggestion OF a smile IN his
eyes. and said, without the slightest
Hesitation Ladies and gentlemen, your
chairman IL somewhat in error, | am
not entitled to any military appellation,
I neither fought "a Gettysburg nor at
Jo~hnstown.' II Is unnecessary 10 say
here the audience was convulsed.
The death Of W. L. Hensel Will be
sincerely mournel by the people OF the
whol state, but more especially by the
bar. which he SO greatly honored and
adorned l.. @ VAN ANA
NEW YORK. March >,