Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 18.pdf/692

 THADDEUS STEVENS

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caution; and it will never be forgotten with ency toward mere "sound and fury" or what vigor and venom the learned and ordi rhetorical waste of vigor — were other dis narily temperate Judge Grier, in his shrill, tinguishing marks of his style. His vernac piping voice, hurled his anathemas at the ular was not, however, entirely destitute of "male and female vagrant lecturers" of the picturesque forms of speech. On one occa abolition cause, "infuriated fanatics and sion in the Common Pleas, when he assailed unprincipled demagogues" who had coun one whom he conceived had acquired lands seled "bloody resistance to the laws of the by fraud, and the defendant was not of an land," the necessary development of whose altogether prepossessing countenance, Stev principles and the natural fruitage of whose ens turned to him savagely, in the sight and seed, he declared, was this murderous hearing of the jury, and said: "The Al mighty makes few mistakes. Look at that tragedy. None the less, his judicial temper was so face! What did He ever fashion it for, save far restored that he felt constrained to admit to be nailed at the masthead of a pirate ship the accused had not been shown to have to ride down unfortunate debtors sailing on been involved in a transaction which "rose the waves of commerce?" to the dignity of treason or a levying of war." If he was weakened by a lack of faith in others, he atoned for it, in part, by supreme The prisoners were acquitted. It is by no means certain, however, that confidence in himself; if he was naturally Mr. Stevens' regard was not such as to lead sympathetic, he did not permit this infirm him to deprecate lawlessness, even in ad ity to mislead him from a sternness which vancement of his pronounced abolition he could readily harden into cruelty. To a lawyer friend, from whom he had a right to ideas. No less accurate a chronicler than Judge expect something better, but who did him a Penrose relates that he was in Lancaster nasty trick, and not in a nice way, he once and in Stevens' office when the news said, "You must be a bastard, for I knew came of John Brown's raid and capture. your mother's husband, and he was a gentle Some one said, "Why, Mr. Stevens, they'll man and an honest man." To a constituent hang that man;" to which he replied, who listened with intense interest to Web "Damn him, he ought to be hung." It ster's great Seventh of March speech, a plea may be, however, that Mr. Stevens despised for the Union, with or without slavery, but always for the Union, and who spoke to Stev the blunder more than he hated the crime. For the purposes of this study or sketch, ens in admiration of the speech, came the Mr. Stevens must be regarded simply as a crushing reply, "As I heard it, I could have skillful, brilliant, and successful trial lawyer. cut his damned heart out." To this task he brought undoubtedly great And yet, he had a milder mood. When a natural qualities, a liberal education, and committee of somewhat perturbed preach arduous special preparation. These were ers called upon him for advice and expressed supplemented by a broad and intimate some apprehension lest they could not afford knowledge of men, gained in the varied to pay his fee, he cheerfully assured them fields of business, legal, and political activ that he often defended clergymen for all ity; by unbounded physical courage, and kinds of misdemeanors and never charged moral fearlessness to even do the wrong. them a cent. Neither in life nor in death A rare quality of wit and sarcasm, which he did he ever seem to be unmindful of the always knew how to use effectively and mother who bore him, or of the sacrifices she without abuse; perfect control of his tem made to equip him for life's battle; but if he per, joined with unusual power of invective; ever spoke other words of defense or exal readiness of expression, without any tend tation of womanhood, the whisper died in