Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1878 — PERSONAL AND LITERARY. [ARTICLE]

PERSONAL AND LITERARY.

—Gen.’ Joe Johnston is a Congressional candidate from the Richmond (Ya.) District. —Whittier wrote to one friend protesting against being congratulated on attaining old age. which means attaining rheumatism. —Five feet one inch; 140 pounds; bright and sharp gray eyes; action quick and nervous; foot small. That is the Widow Oliver as seen by the Washington Post reporter. —Mark Twain has a new dog. which he has named “Joe Cook,” and thus explains the reason why: “ I call him Joe Cook because I can’t quite understand him. There are depths in that dog’s nature that I haven’t fathomed.” —The pugilistic John Morrissey’s wife found him about ready to throw up the sponge when she reached Florida, but went to work and backed him with an invigorating decoction of watermelon seeds, ana brought him up to the scratch and back to time again. —Faint heart ne’er won a fair lady. The Los Angeles (Cal.) Star relates that a couple of youthful swain in that locality, being under age, and consequently uuarne to obtain a license, hired a skiff, embarked a minister and putting out to sea were soon beyond the three-mile limit over which the United States has jurisdiction, and there the knot was tied. -Ex-Gov. Young, of Ohio, and Gov- . Dufferin, of Canada, happened to meet at a reception in the Whtte House the other evening. The ex-Governor was born on the estates of Earl Dufferin’s father in the north of Ireland. There is only a difference of two or three years between the ages of the Earl and Mr.. Young, and a pleasant hour was passed together by the two gentlemen in recalling reminiscences of their youthful days. -When Abraham Lincoln was a poor lawyer, he found himself one cold day at a village some distance from Springfield, 111., and with no means of conveyance. Seeing a gentleman driving along the Springfield road in a carwiU you have the goodness to take my overcoat to town for me?” “With pleasure,” answered the gentleman. ‘ 1 But how will you get it again ?’ ’ “ Oh, very easily,” said Mr. Lincoln, “as I intend to remain in it.” “Jump in,” said the gentleman, laughing, and the future President had a pleasant ride. , —Of the new Judge of the United States Supreme Court, Judge John M. Harlan, it is related that his success as a lawyer has been largely dne to his strength of constitution and powers of endurance. In the great Pullman palace car case he was employed on short notice as one of the counsel. He had but a day to inform himself and study up the authorities, but he undertook the task. Locking himself up in his office with Lochrane, of Georgia, and Mr. George M* Pullman, he examined them thoroughly, grasping all the points, and collecting and arranging his citations. For twentyfour hours, during which his companions alternated between sleeping and giving information, he studied the case, and at the end of that time he had every point at his fingers’ ends, and was seemingly as fresh and strong as when he began.