REMINISCENCES OF A GRADUATE OF 1812
Directly after my graduation in 1874, I returned to my boyhood home in New Hampshire and there sojourned during the: month of July. There was visiting one of the families in our neighborhood, Hon. Isaac Patterson, a lawyer, a graduate of Dartmouth of the class of 1812. Up to this time I had had no personal acquaintance with Mr. Patterson. His home was at Bath, N. H. However, I had frequently seen him in attendance at Court in Haverhill, N. H., the county seat of Grafton County. Ido not recall any active participancy on his part in any trial, but do remember his regular attendance, and manifest interest in every session of the Court. His loyal colleagues at this time were the foremost men of the Bar in that part of the state.
In personal appearance Mr. Patterson was of slight build, active for a person of his years. His traveling dress was after the style of the old school gentleman of those days, stove-pipe hat, long surtout, fine boots, and he usually carried to and fro from the Courthouse to his lodgings a large portmanteau, alias "suitcase," contrary to the practice of his brother lawyers.
In some way, Mr. Patterson learned that I was a recent graduate of his almamater, so, one fine afternoon in the month mentioned, he called at our house, introduced himself in a very courtly manner, and we spent a very pleasant hour together. Of course, our chief topic was Dartmouth College. He led in conversation and manifested all the college spirit which possesses the Dartmouth men of these days. His remarks so interested me at the time that, after his departure, I wrote them out as I could recall them in pleasant memory of the old gentleman, who at that time was more than eighty years of age. A tew days ago, while examining a Dartmouth College Catalogue of the earlier vintage, I came across my notes of Mr. Patterson's conversation, which I have decided to submit in his own language as nearly as possible, for their preservation and for the perusal of any interested reader:
"In my time, there was the College Church and Dartmouth Hall just as at present. There were no Greek letter societies; the Socials and Fraters were in existence and continually wrangling about one thing after another. The College Library consisted of a lot of old books obtained from England; they were secured by begging and were chiefly works on theology, and that sort of literature.
"In June, 1808, I was examined in the classics for admission to the college, by Professor John Smith, an author of several grammars. He had the habit of running out his tongue as far as possible when anything pleased him and when at the close of my examination, I saw him do that trick, I was confident that I had passed. In my time, the curriculum was quite limited, — no geology; a little chemistry was taught us by Doctor Graves of Windsor, Vermont; eclipses were calculated, and that was all the astronomy we had. The boys chiefly boarded in commons. For some offense Professor Shurtleff fastened the college boys out of Dartmouth Hall, one morning, and in the evening the boys obtained an old cannon, loaded it heavily with powder, applied a slow match and blew down the obstructions. I was inside and the building rocked like a wagon. The students were assessed over four hundred dollars for damages to the college building and rules.
"One of my classmates was the son of a good old deacon and the lad was suspected of being a card player, a cardinal sin in those days. He had an examination before a board of deacons and when he was asked the names of the various cards, to every question his answer was, 'Don't know.' The unanimous verdict was, 'Depart, innocent boy,' the fact was, he played every night.
"President John Wheelock was not noted for many personal graces. He used to sit on the college stage with one leg wound around the other and listen to the boys' declamations, making few or no remarks
"The oil painting of Choate at Dartmouth is a very poor likeness, and looks more like a maniac than like him. I heard Choate deliver his eulogy of Daniel Webster. I knew Choate well and met him often at Joe Betts'. He was a man of great sociability and bis conversation abounded in big words. A story is told of him that, when pleading before a jury in the Tirrell case, he stood on his toes for fifteen minutes, and the jury said they gave him the verdict in order to bring him back upon his feet.
"Choate was, like all, a great admirer of Webster. I have frequently been in Court when Webster was trying a case. I heard him in the case of Tuttle Hubbard vs Peter C. Brooks in Boston. His argument occupied three days. When he began his plea, he showed all the anxiety and trepidation of a young advocate pleading his first case,' but in fifteen minutes nothing could disturb him. His client was at his elbow. W7illiam West was the opposing counsel, a man of commanding and courteous presence, who sat and took notes during all of Webster's speech.
Webster was a man of intimacy with his personal friends but retiring among strangers. Professor Haddock once told me that Webster was a hard man to rouse and that he had seen him sit in his office chair a whole day and hardly stir. When you met Mr. Webster on the street, you were obliged to look at him a second time, his greatness would so impress you.
After my graduation, I went to New York City with the intention of studying law in the office of Aaron Burr. When I went to Mr. Burr's office he was absent, but I found there a little, keen-eyed, old Frenchman, giving advice to some students about making out their nisi prius rolls. I failed to secure a place with Mr. Burr, so I went to see if I could study with Mr. Emmet, a brother of Robert Emmet the Irish patriot. He demanded a tuition fee of two hundred dollars per annum in trade. His terms did not please me so I went to Troy, New York, and read law with Mr. Russell the chief of thirty lawyers then in Troy.
"I never saw Aaron Burr but once, but that occasion remains distinct with me still. One afternoon while sitting in the Court room at Albany, New York, somebody touched me on the shoulder. As I looked up I met the eyes of Mr. Burr. He begged my pardon very courteously, and passed on, but I have never forgotten the look from those bright eyes, and I never shall.
