energy and boldness made a demand for the "Ledger," at once, and out of
the profits of the story for which he had paid such an unheard-of price
Mr. Bonner purchased a handsome residence in New York City.

There was as much originality as boldness in the peculiar style in which
Mr. Bonner advertised his paper. As before stated, nothing of the kind
had ever been seen before, and the novelty of the announcements at once
attracted attention. It was seen that they were expensive also, and
people naturally felt some curiosity to see for themselves the paper for
which a man was willing to assume such risk and expense. These
announcements sometimes covered a whole page of a daily paper; sometimes
the page would be almost entirely blank, with only a few lines in each
column containing the announcement. Again the advertisement would be the
opening chapters of a story, which would be sure to excite the curiosity
of the reader, and induce him to purchase the remaining chapters in the
"Ledger" itself. It is to the credit of the "Ledger" that it rarely
loses a subscriber. It has become a family paper.

A recent writer thus refers to Mr. Bonner's early experience
advertising:--


"His mode of advertising was new, and it excited both astonishment and
ridicule. His ruin was predicted over and over again. But as he paid as
he went along, he alone would be the sufferer. He was assailed in
various ways. Men sneered at his writers, as well as at the method in
which he made them known. He had no competition. Just then it was
announced that the Harpers were to put a first-class weekly into the
field. The announcement was hailed with delight by many classes. Men who
had been predicting Bonner's ruin from the start were anxious to see it
accomplished. He had agents in all the leading cities in the land. These
held a monopoly of the 'Ledger.' The book men and newspaper men, who
were left out, were quite willing to have the 'Ledger' go under. The
respectability and wealth of the house, its enterprise, with the class
of writers it could secure, made the new paper a dangerous rival. Mr.
Bonner concluded to make the first issue serviceable to himself. His
paragraph advertising was considered sensational, and smacking of the
charlatan. He resolved to make it respectable. He wrote half a column in
sensational style: 'Buy Harper's Weekly!'--'Buy Harper's Weekly!'--'Buy
Harper's Weekly!'--'Buy Harper's Weekly!'--and so on through the half
column. Through his advertising agent he sent this advertisement to the
'Herald,' 'Tribune,' and 'Times,' and paid for its insertion. Among the
astonished readers of this 'Ledger' style of advertising were the quiet
gentlemen who do business on Franklin Square. The community were
astonished. 'The Harpers are waking up!' 'This is the Bonner style!'
'This is the way the Ledger man does it!' were heard on all sides. The
young Harpers were congratulated by the book men every-where on the
enterprise with which they were pushing the new publication. They said
nothing, and took the joke in good part. But it settled the
respectability of the 'Ledger' style of advertising. It is now imitated
by the leading publishers, insurance men, and most eminent dry goods
men in the country. The sums spent by Mr. Bonner in advertising are
perfectly marvelous. He never advertises unless he has something new to
present to the public. He pays from five to twenty-five thousand dollars
a week when he advertises."

Mr. Bonner well knew that all his advertising would be worth nothing in
the end unless he made the "Ledger" worthy of the public patronage, and
he exerted himself from the first to secure the services of a corps of
able and popular writers. In his arrangements with his contributors, he
inaugurated a system of liberality and _justness_ which might well put
his rivals to shame.

When Mr. Everett was engaged in his noble effort to assist the ladies of
the Mount Vernon Association in purchasing the home and tomb of
Washington, Mr. Bonner proposed to him to write a series of papers for
the "Ledger," for which he offered him ten thousand dollars, the money
to be appropriated to the purchase of Mount Vernon. Mr. Everett accepted
the offer, and the celebrated Mount Vernon Papers were the result. This
was a far-sighted move on the part of Robert Bonner. Under ordinary
circumstances Mr. Everett would probably have declined to "write for the
'Ledger;'" but in a cause so worthy he could not refuse. The association
of his name with the journal was of incalculable service to it, and the
Mount Vernon Papers were to its proprietor his very best advertisement.
(We are viewing the matter commercially.) The sale of the paper was
wonderfully increased, and a golden harvest was reaped.

This connection of Mr. Everett with the "Ledger" led to a warm personal
friendship between himself and its proprietor, which was broken only by
the statesman's death--a circumstance which speaks volumes for the
private worth of the younger man. Mr. Everett continued to write for
the paper after his Mount Vernon articles were finished, and is said to
have earned over fifty thousand dollars by his able contributions to it.

Soon after the completion of the Mount Vernon Papers, Mr. Bonner secured
the services of George Bancroft, the historian, who contributed a series
of admirable articles. Mr. Everett's connection with the "Ledger" had
settled the question that it was not beneath the dignity of the most
eminent literateur in the land to write for it. Fanny Fern's husband,
Mr. James Parton, Alice and Phoebe Carey, Mrs. Southworth, and a host of
others have helped, and still help, to fill its columns.

But perhaps its most profitable contributor, next to Mr. Everett, is
Henry Ward Beecher. That wonderful gift of the great preacher which
enables him to touch so constantly upon subjects nearest to the hearts
of most men, would make him invaluable to any paper. Mr. Bonner was
struck with this after hearing him preach several times, and resolved to
secure his services for the "Ledger." He proposed, to the parson's utter
astonishment, that Mr. Beecher should write a story for the paper, and
coupled it with the offer of a sum which many persons would consider a
fortune. The field was utterly new to Mr. Beecher. Novel-writing was
something he had never even thought of; but after some hesitation he
accepted the offer. Soon after this, the publication of "Norwood" was
begun in the columns of the "Ledger." The story was longer than was at
first agreed upon, and Mr. Bonner paid its author a handsome sum in
addition to the amount originally offered. The reward was princely, but
not out of proportion to the service rendered by Mr. Beecher, who has
won thousands of readers for the paper. Mr. Beecher still writes for the
"Ledger," and there is no present prospect of his genial and useful
contributions coming to a close.

Mr. Bonner has made his paper useful to young people as well as those of
maturer years. Each number contains articles, briefly and pointedly
written, upon some popular and useful topic, so that thousands find not
only amusement, but valuable hints and profitable instruction in the
"Ledger."

It was for a long time the custom of the newspaper press to indulge in
sneers at the "Ledger," and, at the least, to treat it with a species of
mild contempt. In order to stop this, its proprietor secured and
published a series of articles from James Gordon Bennett of "The
Herald," Henry J. Raymond of "The Times," and Horace Greeley of "The
Tribune." By thus identifying the leading journalists of the country
with his enterprise, he effectually silenced the scoffers, and with them
the "lesser lights" of the press.

It was said by some over-careful persons that the "Ledger" was not a
proper paper for young persons to read. Mr. Bonner at once secured the
services of the Presidents of the twelve principal colleges of the
Union, and articles from each of these gentlemen appeared in his paper.
After this it was not to be presumed that a journal which had among its
contributors twelve such distinguished guides of youth could be unfit
for any one to read.

In order to make still less room for doubt on this subject, a series of
articles by twelve distinguished clergymen soon after appeared in the
"Ledger."

Indeed, the greatest care is exercised to exclude from the columns of
the paper any thing savoring in the least of impurity. It is the
proprietor's aim to make it a help as well as an amusement to its
readers, and his object is to elevate, not to degrade them.

The "Ledger" now circulates over three hundred thousand copies per
week, and is growing in the public favor. From the profits of his
business Mr. Bonner has built a splendid marble publishing-house at the
corner of William and Spruce Streets, in New York, from which the
"Ledger" is now issued. It is one of the most complete establishments in
the world, and is fitted up with every convenience necessary to the
performance of the work upon the paper in the most perfect and
expeditious manner. Mr. Bonner has created all this by his own energy
and business talent, and richly deserves the success he enjoys. He
resides in an elegant mansion in New York, and has also a handsome
country seat at Morrisania, in Westchester County. He is married, and
has a family.

Mr. Bonner's great wealth has enabled him to achieve a distinction of
another kind. He is famous as the owner of the finest horses in America.
His stables are located in Twenty-seventh Street, and are the most
perfect of their kind in this country. They contain every thing needed
for the comfort and care of the horses, and the men employed in them are
thoroughly skilled in their business. The horses are seven in number.
First on the list is "Dexter," who has made his mile in the
unprecedented time of 2:17-1/4 in harness, and 2:18 under the saddle. He
is the fastest horse in the world. "Lantern," a splendid bay, fifteen
and a half hands high, has made his mile in 2:20. "Pocahontas," the most
perfectly formed horse in existence, has made her mile in 2:23; while
"Peerless," a fine gray mare, has followed close on to her in 2:23-1/4.
"Lady Palmer" has made two miles with a three hundred and fifty pound
wagon and driver in 4:59, while her companion, "Flatbush Mare," has made
a two-mile heat to a road wagon in 5:01-1/4. The "Auburn Horse," a large
sorrel, sixteen and a half hands high, with four white feet and a white
face, was declared by Hiram Woodruff to be the fastest horse he ever
drove. These horses cost their owner over two hundred thousand dollars,
and he would not part with them for double that sum. He does not race
them for money, but drives them for his own use, and holds the reins
himself.




VI.

LAWYERS.




CHAPTER XXV.

JOHN MARSHALL.


To the writer's mind the most perfect specimen of the American lawyer
known to our history was JOHN MARSHALL, of Virginia, Chief Justice of
the United States. Profoundly learned in the law, irresistible in
argument, and possessed of an eloquence which drew men in throngs to
listen to him, he was also the soul of honor. Neither in his private nor
professional life could the most malicious find an action open to
reproach. Simple and earnest as a child, he was yet a tower of strength
to the cause of justice. Occupying the highest place in our judiciary
system, he was never unduly elated by his honors, and while gaining and
awarding fortunes in the discharge of his professional duties, he was
himself so true a man that the most brazen suitor would not have dared
to offer him a bribe. He was in all things the simple, honest gentleman,
the fearless advocate, the just judge, and the meek and earnest follower
of his Saviour. Although belonging to a past generation, his story is
presented here because I wish to offer to those who seek to follow him
in his noble calling the purest and highest model our history affords.

John Marshall was born in Fauquier County, Virginia, on the 24th of
September, 1755. He was the oldest of a family of fifteen children, and
was the son of Colonel Thomas Marshall, a planter of moderate fortune.
During the Revolution, Colonel Marshall commanded a regiment of Virginia
troops, and won considerable distinction at the battles of the Great
Bridge, Germantown, Brandywine, and Monmouth. At the Brandywine the
regiment bore the brunt of the attack of the British army, led by
Cornwallis in person.

John Marshall was born in a region so thinly settled as to be almost cut
off from civilization. The people were plain and even rough in their
habits, and the mode of life which prevailed in his native county
doubtless did much to lay the foundation of those habits of simplicity
for which he was noted in after life. Schools were almost unknown in
this region, and such as were in operation were so rude in character
that Colonel Marshall, who was a man of education and culture, decided
not to attempt to train his children in them. Being unable to raise the
means of sending them to better schools in other parts of the Colony, he
determined to become their teacher himself, and applied himself to his
task with a devotion which was signally rewarded by the brilliant career
of his eldest son. He laid especial weight upon their acquiring a
thorough knowledge of the English language and of history, and sought to
cultivate in them a love for the poetry of their native tongue.
Referring in after life to his father's devoted labors, Judge Marshall
once said, with great feeling, "To him I owe the solid foundation of all
my success in life." John Marshall did ample justice to his father's
labors, and when only fourteen years old was thoroughly familiar with
the writings of Shakespeare, Dryden, Milton, and Pope, and could repeat
by heart nearly the whole of the "Essay on Man." These poets were always
his favorites, and in mature life he would quote them with readiness and
the keenest relish.

He showed such marked talent that his father determined to make an
effort to secure him a better education than his private labors could
impart to him, and accordingly sent him for a year to the school of the
Rev. Mr. Campbell, in Westmoreland County, where he received a good
drilling in English and Latin. At this school began his acquaintance
with James Monroe, who was then one of Mr. Campbell's pupils. Returning
home at the end of the year, he continued his studies under the Rev. Mr.
Thompson.

He studied hard and was an industrious reader. Poetry and romance were
his favorites, but he read history with the deepest interest. He was
quiet and thoughtful in manner, and full of a dreamy, poetic enthusiasm.
He loved to wander in the thick woods, and would pass many of his
leisure hours in gazing at the beauties of nature. His constitution was
a sound and vigorous one, and he was not only fond of manly and athletic
sports, but excelled in them. He had no inclination toward dissipation,
and the simple, healthful life of his home was calculated to develop his
physical powers to the utmost. Colonel Marshall did not neglect the
moral training of his children, but always impressed upon them the
importance of Christianity as the basis of their characters, rearing
them in that simple code of true gentility which was so dear to our
fathers, but of which we of to-day are fast losing sight.

Being destined for the bar, young Marshall began his legal studies at
the age of eighteen, but in two years they were interrupted by the
troubles with Great Britain, which terminated in open hostilities. A
volunteer company was raised in the neighborhood, and John Marshall
promptly attached himself to it. He took a prominent part in the
questions of the day, and expressed himself boldly in favor of
resistance. In 1775 Patrick Henry made his memorable appeal for
volunteers to drive the Loyalist Governor, Lord Dunmore, out of
Virginia. Three companies were immediately organized in Marshall's
neighborhood. Among these were the famous "Culpepper Minute Men."
Marshall's father was elected major of the regiment, and he himself was
chosen a lieutenant in the Minute Men. The force at once hastened to the
lower counties, and bore a conspicuous part in the battle of Great
Bridge. In July, 1776, Marshall's company was assigned to the Eleventh
Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army, and sent North. In May, 1777,
he was made captain of his company. He participated in the fight at Iron
Hill, and in the battles of Germantown, Brandywine, and Monmouth, and
shared the sufferings of the army at the memorable encampment of Valley
Forge. Until the close of 1779 he was constantly in active service. He
was always patient, cheerful, and hopeful. In the severest hardships to
which the army was exposed his spirits never sank. One of his comrades
said that he did more than any other man to keep alive the hopes of the
army during the terrible winter at Valley Forge, and another has
declared that "the officers of the Virginia line appeared to idolize
him." His conduct attracted the attention of Washington, who conceived a
warm friendship for him, and Marshall, on his part, returned the
friendship of his chief with a feeling almost of worship. Washington
frequently appointed him deputy judge advocate during the winter.

At the close of 1779 he went to Virginia to take command of a new corps
which the Legislature was about to raise. The project remaining under
discussion for some months, he passed the time in attendance upon a
course of lectures on law, delivered by George Wythe, and a course of
lectures on natural philosophy, delivered by the Rev. Dr. Madison,
afterward Bishop of Virginia, at William and Mary College, in
Williamsburg. The next summer he received his license to practice law.
Meanwhile, the project for raising troops had taken the shape of a
definite failure, and he now set out to rejoin the army. Too poor to pay
his passage to the North, he walked the entire distance from
Williamsburg, Virginia, to Philadelphia, upon reaching which city he was
so travel-worn and shabby in appearance, that the landlord of the hotel
at which he wished to stop refused him admittance. He joined the army in
due time, and remained with it until the spring of 1781, when he
resigned his commission, a few months before the close of the war.

With the return of peace the courts were again thrown open, and Marshall
began that brilliant legal career which has made him one of the most
famous men in our history. His success was marked from the first, as his
professional talents were such as to make themselves felt anywhere, and
his personal popularity aided him greatly in overcoming the difficulties
which lie in the path of a young aspirant to legal honors. In 1782, the
people of Fauquier elected him to the House of Delegates in the General
Assembly of the Commonwealth, and in the fall of that year he was
appointed one of the Council of State. In January, 1783, he was married
to Miss Mary Willis Ambler, with whom he lived in the most perfect
happiness for over fifty years. His bride was a woman of great personal
beauty, and in every respect a fitting helpmate for such a man--than
which no higher tribute could be paid her. About this time, Mr. Marshall
decided not to return to Fauquier, but to locate himself permanently in
Richmond, where he could enjoy many more professional advantages. In
spite of this, however, his old friends in Fauquier re-elected him to
the Legislature, and in 1787 he sat in that body as representative from
the county of Henrico.

He was very plain and even careless in his personal attire, and this
often led to amusing occurrences. Soon after he began the practice of
his profession in Richmond, he was strolling through the streets one
morning, dressed in a plain linen suit and a straw hat. The hat was held
under his arm, and was filled with cherries, of which he ate as he
walked. In passing the Eagle Hotel, he stopped to exchange salutations
with the landlord, and then continued his walk. Sitting near the
landlord, on the hotel porch, was a Mr. P----, an elderly gentleman from
the country, who had come to the city to engage counsel in an important
case which was to be tried in a day or two. The landlord referred him to
Marshall as the best lawyer in the city; but the old gentleman was so
much prejudiced against the young advocate, by his careless appearance,
that he refused to engage him. On entering court, Mr. P---- was a second
time referred to Marshall by the clerk of the court, and a second time
he refused to employ him. At this moment entered Mr. V----, a
venerable-looking legal gentleman, in a powdered wig and black coat,
whose dignified appearance produced such an impression on Mr. P---- that
he engaged him at once. In the first case which came on, Marshall and
Mr. V---- each addressed the court. "The vast inferiority of his
advocate was so apparent that at the close of the case Mr. P----
introduced himself to young Marshall, frankly stated the prejudice which
had caused him, in opposition to advice, to employ Mr. V----; that he
extremely regretted the error, but knew not how to remedy it. He had
come to the city with one hundred dollars as his lawyer's fee, which he
had paid, and had but five left, which, if Marshall chose, he would
cheerfully give him for assisting in the case. Marshall, pleased with
the incident, accepted the offer, not, however, without passing a sly
joke at the _omnipotence_ of a powdered wig and black coat."

In 1788, Mr. Marshall was elected to the Virginia Convention which met
in June of that year for the purpose of considering the question of the
adoption or rejection of the Federal Constitution. The debates in this
body were among the most brilliant in history. Marshall took a decided
stand in favor of the Constitution, and is believed to have done more
than any other man, save Mr. Madison, to secure its adoption. He added
greatly to his reputation by his labors in this body, and the close of
the session found his practice very much enlarged. He was anxious to
devote himself entirely to his professional duties; but he was urged so
vehemently to accept a seat in the Legislature from the city of
Richmond, that he was forced to consent. He sat in that body from 1789
to 1791, and in those sessions which were marked by the brilliant
contests between the Federalists and Republicans took a decided stand
with the former, and sustained his position by an array of arguments
against which his opponents were powerless. The struggle was one of
great bitterness, but Marshall, although victorious in it, made no
enemies among his antagonists.

For the next three years he devoted himself industriously to his
profession, appearing in public only to defend with masterly eloquence
the course of President Washington with reference to the insolent
conduct of Citizen Genet, the French Agent. In 1795, he was again
elected to the Legislature, "not only without his approbation, but
against his known wishes;" but yielding to the desires of his friends he
took his seat in that body. The great question of the day was the
adoption of "Jay's Treaty" with Great Britain. In Virginia, a bitter
opposition assailed the treaty, and the entire State rang with
denunciations of it. Even the influence of Washington was powerless to
stay the tide of popular passion excited against the treaty and those
who upheld it. Meetings were held in Richmond, and the treaty was
fiercely denounced. Marshall now came to the rescue, and before a
meeting of the citizens of that place made such an unanswerable argument
in favor of the treaty, that the men who had been foremost in assailing
it now united in the adoption of resolutions indorsing the policy of the
Administration. In the Legislature his efforts were equally successful,
and the opponents of the Administration were forced to abandon their
constitutional objections to the treaty, and to content themselves with
a simple denial of the expediency of the measure at that time. President
Washington attached so much importance to these services that he offered
to his old friend and comrade the position of Attorney-General of the
United States, but Marshall declined the offer, as he wished to devote
himself to his practice, which had now become very lucrative. He
continued to sit in the Legislature, which did not interfere with his
private business, and remained the constant and vigilant friend of
Washington's Administration. In 1796, he was offered the post of
Minister to France, as Mr. Monroe's successor, but he declined it for
the same reason which had made him refuse the Attorney-Generalship. In
1797, when the offer was repeated, this time by President Adams,
Marshall yielded to the entreaties of Washington, and went to France
with Pinckney and Gerry, as Envoy Extraordinary. The object of the
mission was to remove the obstructions placed by France in the way of
American commerce. The Envoys were unsuccessful, but a correspondence
took place between Marshall and Talleyrand, which was a source of great
satisfaction to American publicists, and raised Marshall still higher
in their esteem and confidence. Upon his return home in 1798, he was
given a public reception in New York by the citizens, and a public
dinner by the two Houses of Congress, "as an evidence of affection for
his person, and of their grateful approbation of the patriotic firmness
with which he had sustained the dignity of his country during his
important mission." He subsequently took a prominent part in support of
the measures of retaliation directed against France by the
Administration, which were sharply assailed by the opposition. He
resumed his practice in Richmond, but was again drawn from it by a
message from Washington, who requested him to visit him at Mt. Vernon.
He did so, and the result was that he yielded to the solicitations of
his old chieftain, and consented to accept a seat in Congress. He was
elected to the Lower House of that body in 1799. During the canvass,
President Adams offered him a seat in the Supreme Court of the United
States, but he declined it.

His career in Congress was brief, but brilliant. The Federalist party
was hard pressed by the Republicans, and he promptly arrayed himself on
the side of the former, as the champion of the Administration of John
Adams. The excitement over the "Alien and Sedition Laws" was intense,
but he boldly and triumphantly defended the course of the
Administration. Mr. Binney says of him that, in the debates on the great
constitutional questions, "he was confessedly the first man in the
House. When he discussed them, he exhausted them; nothing more remained
to be said; and the impression of his argument effaced that of every one
else."

His great triumph was his speech in the Jonathan Robbins affair. Robbins
had committed a murder on board an English ship-of-war, and had sought
refuge from punishment in the United States. In accordance with one of
the provisions of Jay's Treaty, his surrender had been demanded by the
British Minister, on the ground that he was a British subject, and he
had been surrendered by President Adams. The opposition in Congress made
this act a pretext for a famous assault upon the Administration, and a
resolution was introduced into the House of Representatives by Mr.
Livingston, censuring the President for his course in the matter. This
resolution produced an extended debate in the House, in the course of
which Marshall defended the President in a speech of great force and
eloquence. Judge Story has said of this speech, that "it was _rêponse
sans réplique_--an answer so irresistible that it admitted of no reply.
It silenced opposition, and settled then and forever the points of
national law upon which the controversy hinged."

In May, 1800, Mr. Adams offered Marshall a seat in his Cabinet as
Secretary of War, but before he could enter upon the duties of that
office he was made Secretary of State, in which capacity he acted for a
short while, conducting several important negotiations during that time,
and leaving behind him several of the most magnificent state papers to
be found in our archives. During his occupancy of this position, it
became necessary to appoint a Chief Justice of the United States, and
Marshall took advantage of the occasion to urge upon the President the
propriety of tendering the place to a distinguished gentleman who had
been a faithful friend to the Administration; but Mr. Adams quietly
informed him that he had made up his mind to confer the honor upon the
man best suited to it, and that he had sent to the Senate the name of
John Marshall, of Virginia. This appointment, which came to him entirely
unsolicited, was made on the 31st of January, 1801, and was unanimously
confirmed by the Senate.

He held the position of Chief Justice for more than thirty-four years,
and this period is justly regarded as the most brilliant portion of the
history of our highest court, a court of which a famous judge has said:

"The decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States have raised the
renown of the country not less than they have confirmed the
Constitution. In all parts of the world its judgments are spoken of with
respect. Its adjudications of prize law are a code for all future time.
Upon commercial law it has brought us nearly to one system, befitting
the probity of a great commercial nation. Over its whole path, learning
and intelligence and integrity have shed their combined luster."

Although holding so high a post in the General Government, he continued
to take a warm interest in the affairs of his native State, and in 1828
was a delegate to the Charlottesville Convention, which met for the
purpose of recommending to the Legislature a system of internal
improvements best suited to the needs of the State. In 1829, he was a
member of the Convention which met in Richmond for the purpose of
revising the Constitution of the State. Though now quite old and feeble,
he took an active part in the debates of the Convention, and was mainly
instrumental in effecting the settlement of the disputes between the
eastern and western sections of the State.

In 1805, Judge Marshall published, in five volumes, his "Life of
Washington." The first volume was devoted to the history of the
Colonies, from their settlement to the commencement of the Revolution.
This work has always held the first position in our Revolutionary
annals, and won for its author a place in the front rank of American
writers. It is, all in all, the best biography of Washington in
existence.

Sterling honesty was exemplified in Judge Marshall's whole career. His
word was indeed as good as his bond. He would never argue in behalf of a
cause which he had reason to think unjust, and he scorned to take a
legal advantage at the expense of moral honesty. He once indorsed a
bond to the amount of several thousand dollars. The drawer failed, and
Marshall paid it, although he knew he could avoid it, as the holder had
forfeited his claim in law by requiring more than legal interest.

He was generous to a fault. Once, as he passed through Culpepper County,
he met with Captain S----, one of his old comrades in the Revolution. In
the course of the conversation which ensued, S---- told him that his
estate was burdened with a mortgage for $3,000, which was about to fall
due, and that, as he was unable to pay it, he saw nothing but ruin in
store for him. At his departure, Marshall handed a note to the servant
who brought his horse to the door, and told him to give it to his
master. This was done as Marshall was riding away, and upon opening the
note Mr. S--- found that it contained a check for the amount of the
mortgage. Mounting his horse, he soon overtook Marshall, and, though he
thanked him warmly for his generosity, refused to accept it. Marshall
strenuously urged its acceptance, but the other persistently refused.
Finally, the former suggested a compromise. Marshall took up the
mortgage, and thus satisfied the first claim, but as his friend was
never prosperous, he never asked for the payment of the debt.

William Wirt has left us the following description of his personal
appearance: "He is tall, meager, emaciated; his muscles relaxed, and his
joints so loosely connected as not only to disqualify him apparently for
any vigorous exertion of body, but to destroy every thing like harmony
in his air or movements. Indeed, in his whole appearance and
demeanor,--dress, attitudes, gesture, sitting, standing, or walking,--he
is as far removed from the idolized graces of Lord Chesterfield as any
other gentleman on earth."

"In spite, however, of this ungainly person," says a writer, "no one
was a greater social favorite than the Chief Justice. The people of
Richmond regarded his eccentric figure with strong personal affection as
well as respect. The black eyes, under their bushy gray brows, beamed
with good nature, and the lips were habitually smiling. The courtesy of
the Judge was one of his most beautiful traits. It was the spontaneous
exhibition of the simple and kindly emotions of his heart. Pure
benevolence and philanthropy displayed itself in every word which he
uttered. He gave his hand to the plain yeoman clad in homespun as
courteously and sincerely as to the greatest personage in the country.
He had the same simple smile and good-humored jest for both, and seemed
to recognize no difference between them. It was instructive to estimate
in the good Chief Justice the basis and character of true politeness.
John Randolph, one of the most fastidious and aristocratic of men, left
his opinion that Marshall's manner was perfect good breeding. In dress
and bearing, it would be difficult to imagine any one more simple than
Judge Marshall. He presented the appearance of a plain countryman,
rather than a Chief Justice of the United States. He had a farm in
Fauquier County, and another near Richmond, and he would often return
from the latter to take his seat on the bench with burrs sticking to his
clothes. His great passion was the game of quoits, and he was a member
of the club which met, as it still meets, at Buchanan's Spring, near the
city, to play at this game. Here the Governor of Virginia, the Chief
Justice, and the most eminent lawyers of the Court of Appeals, were
found by a French gentleman, Baron Quinet, with their coats off, gayly
pitching quoits, with the ardor of a party of urchins. In these simple
amusements passed the hours of leisure which Judge Marshall could steal
from his exhausting judicial toil. At such times he seemed to become a
boy again, and to forget the ermine. His fondness for other social
enjoyments was great. He was the center of a brilliant circle of men,
many of whom were famous, and the tradition of their dinner parties, and
the jests which they circulated, is still preserved."

It was his custom always to provide for his table himself when at home,
and he might be seen every morning at the Shockoe Hill Market, with his
basket on his arm, engaged in making his purchases. Upon one of these
occasions he noticed a fashionably-dressed young man, swearing violently
because he could not find any one willing to carry home for him a turkey
which he had just purchased, and which his foolish pride would not
permit him to carry himself. Approaching him quietly, the Judge asked
where he lived, and upon being told, said, "I am going that way, and
will carry it for you." Taking the turkey, he set out and soon reached
the young man's door. Upon receiving his turkey, the young man thanked
him for his trouble, and asked, "How much shall I pay you?" "Oh,
nothing," replied the Judge, smiling, "you are welcome. It was on my
way, and no trouble." So saying, the Judge departed, and the young man,
with a faint suspicion of the truth, turned to a bystander, and asked,
in some confusion, "Who is that polite old gentleman who brought home my
turkey for me?" "That is John Marshall, the Chief Justice of the United
States," was the reply. "Why, then, did _he_ bring home my turkey?"
stammered the fop. "To give you a deserved rebuke," said the gentleman,
"and to teach you to conquer your silly pride."

Reference has been made to his carelessness in regard to his personal
appearance. A wager was once laid among his friends in Richmond that he
could not dress himself without leaving about his clothing some mark of
his carelessness. The Judge good-humoredly accepted the wager. A supper
was to be given to him upon these conditions. If his dress was found
faultless upon that occasion, the other parties were to pay for the
entertainment; but if any carelessness could be detected about his dress
or in his appearance, the expense was to fall upon him. Upon the
appointed evening the gentlemen and the Judge met at the place agreed
upon, and to the surprise of all, the Judge's dress seemed faultless. He
appeared the very perfection of neatness and taste. The supper followed,
the Judge being in high glee over his victory. Near the close of the
repast, however, one of the guests, who sat next to Judge Marshall,
chanced to drop his napkin, and stooping down to pick it up, discovered
that the Judge had put on one of his stockings with the wrong side out.
Of course the condition of affairs was immediately reversed, and, amid
roars of laughter, the Chief Justice acknowledged his defeat.

The means of locomotion in the Southern States being limited in the days
of Judge Marshall, it was his custom to travel about the country, when
holding his circuit courts, in an old-fashioned and very much
dilapidated gig. His plain and even rusty appearance often led him into
ludicrous adventures, which he related to his friends with keen
enjoyment. At other times people to whom he was personally unknown were
astonished to find that this shabbily-dressed old man was the famous
Chief-Justice Marshall. One of his adventures is thus related by an
eye-witness:

"It is not long since a gentleman was traveling in one of the counties
of Virginia, and about the close of the day stopped at a public-house to
obtain refreshment and spend the night. He had been there but a short
time when an old man alighted from his gig, with the apparent intention
of becoming his fellow-guest at the same house. As the old man drove up,
he observed that both the shafts of his gig were broken, and that they
were held together by withes formed from the bark of a hickory sapling.
Our traveler observed, further, that he was plainly clad, that his
knee-buckles were loosened, and that something like negligence pervaded
his dress. Conceiving him to be one of the honest yeomanry of our land,
the courtesies of strangers passed between them, and they entered the
tavern. It was about the same time that an addition of three or four
young gentlemen was made to their number--most of them, if not all, of
the legal profession. As soon as they became conveniently accommodated,
the conversation was turned by the latter upon an eloquent harangue
which had that day been delivered at the bar. The other replied that he
had witnessed the same day a degree of eloquence no doubt equal, but
that it was from the pulpit. Something like a sarcastic rejoinder was
made to the eloquence of the pulpit, and a warm and able altercation
ensued, in which the merits of the Christian religion became the subject
of discussion. From six o'clock until eleven the young champions wielded
the sword of argument, adducing with ingenuity and ability every thing
that could be said pro and con. During this protracted period, the old
gentleman listened with all the meekness and modesty of a child, as if
he was adding new information to the stores of his own mind; or perhaps
he was observing, with philosophic eye, the faculties of the youthful
mind, and how new energies are evolved by repeated action; or, perhaps,
with patriotic emotion, he was reflecting upon the future destinies of
his country, and on the rising generation upon whom these future
destinies must devolve; or, most probably, with a sentiment of moral and
religious feeling, he was collecting an argument which--characteristic
of himself--no art would be 'able to elude and no force resist.' Our
traveler remained a spectator, and took no part in what was said."

[Illustration: MARSHALL'S DEFENCE OF CHRISTIANITY]

"At last one of the young men, remarking that it was impossible to
combat with long-established prejudices, wheeled around, and, with some
familiarity, exclaimed, 'Well, my old gentleman, what think you of these
things?' If, said the traveler, a streak of vivid lightning had at that
moment crossed the room, their amazement could not have been greater
than it was with what followed. The most eloquent and unanswerable
appeal was made, for nearly an hour, by the old gentleman, that he ever
heard or read. So perfect was his recollection, that every argument used
against the Christian religion was met in the order in which it was
advanced. Hume's sophistry on the subject of miracles was, if possible,
more perfectly answered than it had already been done by Campbell. And
in the whole lecture there was so much simplicity and energy, pathos and
sublimity, that not another word was uttered. An attempt to describe it,
said the traveler, would be an attempt to paint the sunbeams. It was now
a matter of curiosity and inquiry who the old gentleman was. The
traveler concluded it was the preacher from whom the pulpit eloquence
was heard; but no--it was the Chief Justice of the United States."

Judge Marshall was a simple and earnest Christian, and held in the
deepest abhorrence the fashionable skepticism of his day. His conduct
was consistent with his profession, and to the last this good and great
man repeated night and morning the simple prayer he had learned at his
mother's knee.

For many years he suffered from an affection of the bladder, and was at
length compelled to resort to a surgical operation for relief. This had
the desired effect, but he was soon after taken with an attack of "liver
complaint." He repaired to Philadelphia for medical treatment, but
failed to derive any benefit from it, and died in that city on the 6th
of July, 1835.

His body was conveyed to Richmond for interment, and he now sleeps by
the side of his wife in the Shockoe Hill Cemetery in that city. The spot
is marked by a plain slab of marble, over which the weeds and the rank
grass are growing, and on which may be read the following inscription,
dictated (saving the last date) by himself:

"John Marshall, son of Thomas and Mary Marshall, was born 24th of
September, 1755; intermarried with Mary Willis Ambler, the 3d of
January, 1783; departed this life the 6th day of July, 1835."



[Illustration: JAMES T. BRADY.]




CHAPTER XXVI.

JAMES T. BRADY.


The father of James T. Brady was born in Ireland, and came to this
country during the second war with England, and just after his marriage.
Mr. Brady opened a school for boys, in New York, soon after his arrival,
and it was in that city, on the 9th of April, 1815, that his eldest son,
JAMES TOPHAM BRADY, was born. Other children followed, there being seven
in all, two boys (James T., and Judge John R. Brady) and five girls. Mr.
Brady, senior, was a man of rare abilities, and his wife was a woman of
great personal beauty and high character, "one of those mothers," says a
distinguished gentleman, who knew her, "whose quiet virtues shed their
blessed influence over families, and are felt so long in their durable
effect upon children."

James T. Brady grew up with a sound, vigorous constitution, and at an
early age was put at his studies in his father's school. He was only
seven years old when he began, and though so young, he worked hard,
storing his "big head"--which seemed too big for the little feet below
it--with knowledge. He endeared himself very greatly to his
school-fellows, and formed with several of them friendships which
continued through life. "He was so noted," says one of his former
school-fellows, "for his loving kindliness as a boy, that it almost
obliterates every other recollection." His amiable traits developed with
his years. He always delighted in acts of kindness, and could never bear
to give pain, even to the most insignificant animal or insect. He
detested hunting and fishing, which he regarded as a needless sacrifice
of life. Yet while so tender and gentle in his disposition, he was brave