Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-11-21
CONFER TARDY HONOR
ON. IMMORTAL ORATOR

ON. IMMORTAL ORATOR
Continued From Frs; page)
monwcalth. who were IN convention
In Louisia County and who had been
| somewhat oppressed by the Es,ab-
lished Church OF England. Ills
household by now numbered many
children and grandchildren. and WAS.
indeed a most patriarchai one. Later
being left a widowcr. he married
Miss cambridge.
itettrcs From Politics.
Then in i1sG Patrick Henry. who's"
health was exceedingly poor AMI had
never been good. retired from pub
lie life and took up the practice Of
law In Prince Edward County. where
he lived for nine years, Because he
had given 70 much time 10 his coun-
try, he was poor ana In deb, and
had To set himself 10 repairing HIS
bank account. ON telling his t-ou-
bles 10 Il relative tn" advice given
was: 60 back to tho bar: your
tongue wiil soon pay your debts"
which is exactly what happened.
! Then came tho days when the
/ British debt case WAS tried and Henry
was recalled from retirement. John
| Randolph of Roanoke, who was a
youth Of 20 at the time. says he was
old. rer3 muohs wrapped up and
rested hin head on the bar When
| he was pointed oursto Judge lrcdcll
as the greatest OF orators the jus
tice doubted II. but when the mag
| n.ncenI old statesman concluded
what was practically his last speech
| the judge exclaimed. Gracious God.
| he is an orator indeed"
/ Aftor being in public liz. afty-
eight years tho valiant Henry. now
| old and in!irm. having accumulated
| Il good deal OF this worlds goods.
went into permanent retirement and
moved from Prince Edward County
20 Red I'm. Charlotte County. after
/ living q short time NJ Long Island,
! Campbell County. and there, az
| every school chi!d knows. he re-
| maIned FOR thc few years spared 70
him. There, too. he enjoyed the out
o!-doors as IN the days Of his boy
+ hood. hu, morc than AL. he found
/ pleasure IN hia family ana friends.
and there his body Hes.
! Relatives and neighbors used 10
{ gather on MS front porch. where the
great Patrick Henry sat like patri-
arch. although free from ceremony
and from care. Sonnet lines these
visitors would come unannounced and
/ find him lying on the floor fairly
buried under a swarm of grandchii-
I dEen. the youngsters climbing over
him and dancing around their ccie.
| brated playmate. Then again. for
their amusement. he would pick up
7 - to IN n xt..n
even II NOT always on pitch.
Introduced Nenr-Dcer.
Ono achievement or IIcnry's. OF
which Few people know. is that he
was tin. frs: person 10 Introduce
ncar-beer. After the Revolution he
became alarmed at the increase oil
drunkenness in the State and or
dcrch from his merchant IN Scotland
a consignment Of barley. 'and q Scotch
brewer and his vito 10 cultivate the
grain and make small beer as Il
substitute. We arc not told that /:
did much good q temperance
/ measure.
So steadily did his infrmity in
crease that June G, 1899. Or. Cabcll
| his physician proceeded Ia admins
ter dose OF liquid mercury. After
| taking IL in his hand the old man
said, Il suppose, doctor. this Is your
las; resort" TO which Cabeil re-
+, piled, ~ am sorry to say. Governor.
| II !s Acute Inflammation OF the in
testine has set in. and unless IL Is
| removed modification will follow.
Learning that the medicine either
would give relief or kill him immc-
! iliateiy. Henry swallowed the dose
and then watched the blood CONCEAL
beneath his finger nails. Then, while
expressing his deathless faith in the
religion Of Christ. he ceased to
| breathe.
| Patrick Henry was not universally
| beloved, for that could not be with
so constructive and progressive n
spirit. There were enemies who
prevented him from serving in the
| war and there were those who char
acterized him as a dictator, while
! many continued to frown on him
for his extreme simplicity of dress
and manner, lie became cstrangcd.
We are told. from certain of his col :
leagues, notably Jefferson, but Wash
. ington was n firm friend to the last.
That the republic which he did SO
much to found, has. after all these
years. decided to honor his namc by
placing II among It's inmortals is
, proof that the golden words spoken
by this greatest o. all American ora
tors have not been forgotten, but
are yet ringing down the ages.
They seem to echo today AS n chnl-
lenge to this mighty Anglo Saxon
nation-"Givc me liberty or give me
DEATH"