Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-08-04
From Fliu,'s Western Review. Tor J"Ir
MIKE FINK, THE LAST OF TIE noATmnN

uhucserVedIy brushed, like a summer buffer
| NY, rom Its more fortunate sister butt critics
INTO The pool of oblivion, will remember the
viva anu admirable portrait of Mike Fink
the last OF the boatmen. People are accus.
toned. lii reading such tales, to think Them
all The mere fairy web fabric of fiction. thai
probably, not one III hundred of the reod
dcrS o! that story, imagined for moment.
that IT give, as lar Us II went, a most exact
ana faithful likeness OF an actual personaoe
OF flesh and blood, once well known on fine
waters, and now no more. We are obIioad
to omit some strange curses, and circnm--
stances oil profanity and atrocitv, thouob
they seemed necessary 10 Il full deyclona-
ment OF character, which il cannot be SIM.
posed Tor moment we exhibit with any 9th
er view than TO show the monstrous anomo--
lies OF the human character under nar,;cn-
lar circumstances, as DR.. Mitchell vo,,,d
SHOW horned frog, or Il prarie dog. in rein
ton to the lower animals. The most eccen.
lFic and original trait in his whole character
was the manner in which he subjected his
chere anne, when he doubted her Gdclitv tn
rltie shot test, similar To those hereafter
described. We arc compelled to omit the
anccdoic altogether. The following qddeu.
q" 10 the sketch, given iii the Western Sou
Nenir, are furnished Us by IA valued cores
Pondcnt at st. Louis. He has them. a2 he
informs US, from an intelligent and respccta
n!e iur trader, who has frequently extended
MS Pere%rnations beyond the Rocky Noun
taihS' ana VINO was to start the day after
our correspondent wrote, for Santa Fe. in
NcW Mc"ico. Oar correspondent assures
us, that ne gives the account of this gentle.
man, touching the extraordinary Mike F;nI,
nearly IN his own words. We ONLY add. that
we nave followed his example, in the sub
joined, III relation TO the narratiye of our
correspondent.
Mike Fink was BON in Pitsburr. Pa.
where his brothers, &c. still reside. lie had
but little knowledge of letters, especially of
lhcr sounds and powers, as his orlho@raphy
was very bad, and he usually spelled his
name Mich Phlnck, whilst his father spelled
1t with an +. When he was Young. the
wItchcry, which is in the tone of awoodcn
trumpet, called river horn, formerly used
by keel and fiat boat naygators on the Yves
tern waters, entranccd the soul of Mike while
yet boy; and he longed TO become q boat
man. This soon became his ruling nassion.
and he served as Il boatnan on the Ohio
and Mississippi rivers, and tteir frilutarv
streams, which occupation he pursued IN
til this sort OF men were thrown out of en-
ployment by the general use of steam boats.
w IL
could mimic all the tones of Il trumpet, and
he Ionged to go to New Orleans, where he
heard the people spoke French, and wore
their Sunday clothes every day. He served
out his puplldge with credit. When the o.
ho was too low for navigation, Mike spent
most of hls time in the neighbourhood of
Pttsburg, killing squirrels with his rifle. and
shooting at target for beef at the frequent
Saturday shooting matches, and company
musters OF the militia. lie soon became
famous "as the best shot in the country
and was called bdng-aU, and on that account
was frequently excluded from participating
i'll matches for beef; for which exclusion nc
claimed, and obtained tho ffih q,turtey of
the beet, as it is called, (thc hide and tallow.A !
for his torbcarancc. His usual practice was
TO sell his fifth quarter TO tic tavern or
dram shop keeper for whiskev, with which
he treated every body present, partakinr
largely himself. He become fond of strong
drink, but was never oycrpowcred by lis in
ilucncc. He could drink IA gallon of if in
twenty-lour hours without the effects being
pcrcclyablc. His language was a perfect
sample of the half horse and half ALLIGATOR
dialect of the then race of boatmen. He
was, also, wit; and OH that account he
gained the admiration, and excited the fears
al all tllc fraternity OF boatIncn; for he usiI-
ally enforced his wit with sound drubbinu
1t any one dared to dissent, by neglccGnr. or
refusing TO laugh at his Jokes; for as he used
to say, he told his Jokes on purpose TO he
, laughed at i'll IL good humored wav. and
that no man should make light of them.
The consequence was, Nike always had a
chosen band of laughing philosophers about
him. An eye bunged up and diapidatcd
/ CY gn
thy and favor, for Mike made proclamation
- am salt river roarcr; and love the
winning, andos how I'm chock fall of fight, -
&C; so nc was IN truth, for he had chcrc
annie IN every port, which he visited, and had
circle OF worshppers around hun, who
would fight their deaths. (as tbev called !, y
tor him. Amongst these, were two mon.
C"Pentcr and Iatbot, Mikes fast friends
and particular conlidants. Each was .
match 70, the other, in proves, in fight. or
skill in shooting, Cor Mike had diligently
] A. 4 a II n.