He would turn and talk, as
it were, to all about him, and seemingly incongruously. It was as if he
was slinging and whirling his chain-shot about his head, and circling
it more and more rapidly, to collect all his strength for the fatal
blow. All knew it would fall, but none knew where, until he had
collected his utmost strength, and then, with the electrical flash of
his eye, he would mark the victim, and the thundering crash of his
vengeance, in words of vehemence, charged with the most caustic satire,
would fall upon, and crush the devoted head of his scarce suspecting
foe. I remember, upon one occasion, pending the debate upon the
Missouri question, and when Mr. Randolph was in the habit of almost
daily addressing the house, that a Mr. Beecher, of Ohio, who was very
impatient with Randolph's tirades, would, in the lengthy pauses made by
him, rise from his place, and move the previous question. The Speaker
would reply: "The member from Virginia has the floor." The first and
second interruption was not noticed by Randolph, but upon the
repetition a third time, he slowly lifted his head from contemplating
his notes, and said: "Mr.
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