But  I  cheered  him  up  and  told  him  not  to  think  of  his  weakness,
to  think  of  his  health  and  the  good  old  Dutch  adage:  "  Gesundheit
ubcr  alles."  "  Well,"  he  said,  "  get  me  excused  from  this  evening's
session."  I  said:  "Certainly."  There  was  an  evening  session,  in
which  he  felt  interested.  After  a  little  refreshment  he  considered
that  he  was  well  enough  to  come  up  here,  and  he  came  to  the  even-
ing session,  a  week  ago  to-night.
He  was  a  most  extraordinary  man.  He  came  up  by  himself,
he  educated  himself,  and  his  thoughts  were  pure  and  good  and
noble,  and  he  could  not  be  convinced  that  anything  was  wrong  or
improper.  He  would  stand  for  the  right  to  his  death.  In  his  busi-
ness he  was  a  forwarder.  Into  his  life  came  an  old  friend  of  mine
and  of  the  President's,  Henry  Smith,  whom  Mr.  Depew  christened
"  The  poor  boy  of  the  Mohawk."  All  that  there  was  of  Henry
Smith  was  gotten  out  of  him  by  Walter  L.  Van  Denbergh.  He
took  him  from  the  tow-path  of  the  canal,  he  made  him  a  steersman,
he  made  him  a  captain,  and  he  made  him  their  agent,  Gordonier  &
Van  Denbergh's  agent,  in  the  city  of  New  York.  From  there  he
went  to  the  Assembly,  and  then  became  police  commissioner;  and,
as  my  good  friend.  Mr.  Tucker,  said,  when  he  died  half  the  streets
of  New  York  were  swept  by  the  procession  which  followed  him  to
his  grave.  There  were  a  great  many  others  who  received  Mr.  Van
Denbergh's  kindness.  Hundreds  of  others  that  I  can  name
received  assistance  from  our  colleague.  He  did  it  ungrudgingly.
