He had a splendid sense of humor. This, as might be

expected, was often rough, noisy, and boisterous, and did him damage; but it had its charm, nevertheless. He enjoyed practical jokes, Hke a great boy, as when, at Taylor's suggestion, he switched ofl in the dark a train- load of Governor Brown's pet state troops for a fight in South Carolina. 23 He used a shrewd and savage wit in assailing his political adversaries. " You have heard what the gentleman says about my coming home to practice law. He promises, if elected to Congress, he will not leave his seat. I leave you to judge, fellow-citizens, whether your interests in Washington will be best pro- tected by his continued presence or his occasional ab- sence." 24 Some one urged that an antagonist had made at least one good appointment. "That may be," an- swered Toombs, '* but that was not the reason it was made. Bacon was not accused of selling injustice. He was eternally damned for selling justice." ^s

The same shining vivacity of repartee seems to have been always ready, in private society as in public gather- ings. That keen and passionate tongue must indeed have been somewhat dreaded. How bitter is the story of the red-headed man ! Toombs was dining with Scott and told of a woman who rushed about in a steamer explosion, crying, *' Save the red-headed man, save the red-headed man." The red-headed man was saved, but the woman appeared quite indifTerent. " He owes me ten thousand dollars," she explained. General," said

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