University of Virginia Library

ANECDOTES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF JOHN RANDOLPH.

PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF RANDOLPH.

The moment one laid eyes on Mr. Randolph he felt conscious
of seeing a great man. Under great mental excitement
his appearance was unusually striking. On one occasion,
when he was about to make a speech at Charlotte
Court-House, a gentleman said of him:

"As he saw the people gather around the stand, his eye
began to kindle, his color to rise; and as he became more
and more animated, his eyes sparkled brighter and brighter,
and his cheeks grew rosy, the wrinkles on his face
seemed to disappear with the sallowness and languor, and
he became almost transfigured."

This was the case with Patrick Henry on great occasions;
but the appearance of Mr. Randolph was remarkable
on all occasions. "Patrick Henry's countenance,
which," Mr. Baldwin in his Party Leaders remarks, "under
the excitement of speech was almost articulate with
the emotions that thrilled his soul, was almost dull in repose;
and Mr. Clay had nothing but a lofty brow and
bright eye to redeem his face from uncommon plainness."

There was nothing plain or common about the features
of Mr. Randolph. When he made his appearance he not
only caused the schoolboy to drop his paddle, while the
ball passed unheeded by, but the pious member of the
church forgot to say his prayers, and the grave senator
turned his eyes from the affairs of state and fixed them on
him.

RANDOLPH AND HIS OPPONENT.

About this time our difficulties with England had greatly
increased—war became probable; the administration
resorted to measures of restriction upon commerce, such
as embargo and non-intercourse laws. On these measures
Mr. Randolph took strong grounds against the administration.
The consequence was, that at the next congressional
election he was opposed by John W. Eppes, who
was the son-in-law of Thomas Jefferson.

In due time the election came on. Mr. Eppes brought
with him from Washington what was called a cart-load of
authorities, laid the books on the stile in front of the
court-house—large tomes of documents, such as had never
been seen by the natives. There was an immense
crowd present. Natives and foreigners from all the surrounding
and adjoining counties came to hear Mr. Randolph
speak and to see the son-in-law of Thomas Jefferson.

Eppes led off from the stile, knee-deep in books and
documents. He was rather a dull speaker—read too
much, and fatigued the people. Mr. Randolph in reply
remarked that "the gentleman is a very good reader."
His wit and humor soon caused interruption by some of

the injudicious and impulsive friends of Mr. Eppes: Colonel
Gideon Spencer was the first who interrupted him.
High words ensued; the excitement was beyond anything
I ever witnessed; the crowd seemed to apprehend
a collision of parties. Some friend of Mr. Randolph hallooed
out, "Stand firm and keep cool," or something to
that effect. Then we have the reply of Mr. Randolph
which has been so often repeated that it has become stale,
"I am as cool as the centre seed of the cucumber."

Mr. Randolph remained on the court-yard for some
time after the speaking was over. The excitement was
even greater than before. Mr. Randolph at that time
had an overseer by the name of P., a large, rough, rawboned
man, head and shoulders above the crowd.

This man P., with a large horseman's whip in his
hand, held in a threatening attitude, followed Mr. Randolgh
through the crowd, which was waving to and fro,
insisting that Mr. Randolph would be attacked and that
he should be protected; while Randolph, on his part, directed
P. to keep quiet. The day, however, passed without
disturbance.—W. B. Green.

RANDOLPH AS AN ELECTIONEER.

Mr. Randolph once remarked, that "if electioneering
were allowed in heaven, it would corrupt the angels."
If forcing a little civility towards the common people, for
whom he really had scarcely any sympathy, be corruption,
why then it must be admitted that he was slightly
corrupted. He was never so civil as on the eve of election.
It was the Saturday before the Charlotte election,

as we shall learn from the "Recollections" of Hon. James
W. Bouldin, that he conversed freely and familiarly with
the people on various subjects, and evinced a great desire
to make himself agreeable and acceptable.

But, judging from one little circumstance, which was
related to us by a reverend gentleman, whose mind was
stored with some lively recollections of his peculiar countryman,
we should say he had no civility to waste upon
those who were of no use to him.

Riding from Prince Edward court he overtook a gentleman
on horseback.

"How do you do Mr. L?" said Mr. Randolph, in the
politest manner imaginable.

Having exchanged salutations, he informed the gentleman
that he was a candidate again for Congress, and
asked him outright for his vote.

Mr. L. regretted that by the laws of the land he was
not entitled to vote.

"Good morning, Mr. L.," replied Mr. Randolph abruptly,
and rode off.

RANDOLPH'S UNFITNESS FOR HIGH OFFICE.

We have a county pride (the writer was born and raised
in Charlotte), a State pride, and a national pride in Mr.
Randolph, but we do not regret that he was not made
President of the United States. If, by nothing else, he
was disqualified for that office by his misanthropy.

Whatever pearls there may be in the head, if poison be
in the heart, the man is unfit. One of his biographers
might say he ought never to have occupied the presidential

chair, "because he wanted the profound views of a
great statesman." His views, we submit, were profound
upon every subject he touched. That is not what was
the matter. His affections were too contracted. His
views were indeed profound, but he wished to turn them

Old Court-House at Williamsburg, Va., where Randolph attended
William and Mary College.

to the advantage of his own State only. His mind was
expanded, but he never could expand his soul, so as to
include the entire nation.

It is natural and well for one to desire the prosperity
and glory of his own State; but if his feelings be as intensely
Virginian, as Mr. Randolph's, his ambition should

be limited to the highest position which that State can
confer. And here we take occasion to remark, that the
only act which mars the beauty of Mr. Randolph's political
life was his acceptance of a foreign mission.

We repeat he was not qualified for a high executive
office, nor do we imagine that he was much disappointed
at not being made President of the United States.

RANDOLPH DYING AND YET LIVING.

For the following curious incident we are indebted to
Colonel Thomas S. Flournoy, who, though a lad at the
time, has a vivid recollection of the scene he describes.

He says that, in the year of 1829, he and his father
were on their way to Halifax Court-House; about sunset
they stopped at Roanoke; Johnny, Mr. Randolph's body
servant, met them, and informed his master of their arrival.
They were invited into Mr. Randolph's bed-room,
and what followed we will give as nearly as possible in
the language of our witness.

Colonel Flournoy is a man of national reputation, and
we are glad to have such undoubted authority for the
strange statement which he makes. He says: "My father
inquired after Mr. Randolph's health. His reply was:
`John, I am dying: I shall not live through the night.'

"My father informed him that we were on our way to
Halifax court. He requested us to say to the people on
Monday, court day, that he was no longer a candidate for
the convention; that he did not expect to live through
the night, certainly not till the meeting of the convention.

"He soon began to discuss the questions of reform and
the proposed changes in the constitution. Becoming excited,
he seemed to forget that he was a `dying' man. In
a short time we were invited to tea, and when we returned
to his room we found him again in a `dying' condition,
but, as before, he soon began to discuss the subject
of the convention; and becoming more and more animated,
he rose up in bed—my father and myself being
the only auditors—and delivered one of the most interesting
speeches, in conversational style, that it was ever
my good fortune to hear, occupying the time, from half
past eight till midnight.

"The next morning, immediately after breakfast, Mr.
Randolph sent for us again. We found him again in a
`dying' condition. He stated to us that he was satisfied
that he would not live through the day, and repeated his
request that my father would have it announced to the
people of Halifax that he declined being a candidate for
the convention. Once more he became animated while
discussing the convention, and kept us till 10 o'clock at
his house. When we were about to start he took solemn
leave of us, saying: `In all probability you will never see
us again.'

"Before we reached Clarke's Ferry, five miles distant,
I heard some one coming on horseback, pushing to overtake
us, which proved to be Mr. Randolph, with Johnny
in a sulky following.

"We travelled on together until we came to the road
leading to Judge Leigh's. Mr. Randolph then left us,
to spend the night with Judge Leigh. The next morning,

Monday, he rode nine miles to court, where an immense
crowd of people had assembled to hear him. He
addressed them in the open air on the subject of the convention
in a strain of argument and sarcastic eloquence
rarely equalled by any one."

RANDOLPH AND VEGETABLE LIFE.

Mr. William H. Elliott relates the following story:

"I sometimes on Friday evening accompanied my schoolfellow,
Tudor Randolph, who was an amiable youth, to
Roanoke, to hunt and fish and swim.

"The house was so completely and closely environed
by trees and underwood of original growth, that it seemed
to have been taken by the top and let down into the
bosom of a dense virgin forest. Mr. Randolph would
never permit even a switch to be cut anywhere near the
house. Without being aware of such an interdiction I
one day committed a serious trespass.

"Tudor and I were one day roving in the woods near
the house, when I observed a neat hickory plant, about
an inch thick, which I felled. Tudor expressed his regret
after seeing what I had done, saying he was afraid
his uncle would be angry. I went immediately to Mr.
Randolph and informed him of what I had ignorantly
done, and expressed regret for it.

"He took the stick, looked pensively at it for some seconds,
as if commiserating its fate. Then looking at me
more in sorrow than in anger, he said:

"`Sir, I would not have had it done for fifty Spanish
milled dollars!'

"I had seventy-five cents in my pocket, at that time
called four-and-sixpence, and had some idea of offering it
to the owner of the premises as an equivalent for the
damage I had done, but when I heard about the fifty
Spanish milled dollars, I was afraid of insulting him by
offering the meagre atonement of seventy-five cents. I
wished very much to get away from him, but thought it
rude to withdraw abruptly without knowing whether he
was done with me.

Peyton Randolph, President
First Continental Congress
Relative to John Randolph

"`Did you want this for a cane?'

"No, sir.

"`No, you are not old enough
to need a cane.'

"`Did you want it for any particular
purpose?'

"No, sir, I only saw it was a
pretty stick, and thought I'd cut
it.

"He said, we can be justified
in taking animal life, only to furnish
us food, or to remove some hurtful object out of
the way. We cannot be justified in taking even vegetable
life without having some useful object in view.

"He then quoted the following lines from Cowper.

"`Now," he continued, `God Almighty planted this
thing, and you have killed it without any adequate object.

It would have grown to a large nut-tree, in whose
boughs numerous squirrels would have gamboled and
feasted on its fruit. Those squirrels in their turn might
have furnished food for some human beings.'

"Here he made a pause, but looked as if he had something
more to say, yet only added.

` "I hope and believe, sir, you will never do the like
again.' "Never, sir never!"

"He got up and put the stick in a corner, and I made
my escape to Tudor in an adjacent room, where he had
remained an invisible but sympathizing auditor of this
protacted rebuke.

"It was some time before I could cut a switch or a fishing
rod without feeling that I was doing some sort of violence
to the economy of the vegetable kingdom.

"When reflecting on this passage of my boyish history,
I have thought that Mr. Randolph's tenderness for vegetable
life, as evinced on this occasion, was strangely contrasted
with the terrific onslaughts he sometimes perpetrated
on human feelings. But Mr. Randolph was not
a subject for ordinary speculation. He would sometimes
surprise his enemy by unexpected civility, and anon,
mortify his friend by undeserved abruptness.

"He was an edition of Man, of which there was but one
copy, and he was that copy. Sometimes he would take
the whole world in the arms of his affection. When in
a different mood, he seemed ready to hurl the offending
planet into the furnace of the sun."