Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1843-11-18
From the N. Y. Spirit Of the Times.
Col. Dick Joaesj riahts

Jul OACk 1O0eV EAe09s
| COL DICK Jones &as decidedly N
great thSh Of the liuls Village OF Sun,
mersllle. He was Colonel Of ihS tesi
mens-had represented his district /,
Congress-had been spoken OF al can
didatc for Governor-1aS 1T The head o
the bar in Hawkins county, kentucky
HE legal opinion and advice were hiehl,
valued BY the scnict population hi,
dress and taste vas law u the juniors-hi.
easy, sffable, and attentive mannsr charm
ed vi the matrons--his dikni6ed polite
ness cap,ivated oil the toung ladies'
and his suavisy INA cdndsscension de-
lighted all ,hs little boarding school mis-
ses-he pbsaessed = universal smatterins
lof Internationally manners were ,hs
most popular--extrenely friendly ant
obliging, lively and witty, and, in shor.
he was very agreeable companion.
YET truth reqhites II 10 be admitted
hat Col. Dick Jones was professionally
more specibus than deep, and that his nd
vanccment was owing TO personal par
l,slisy more than superior snerit--thal
his taste and dress we're Of questionable
prspriety; for instance. lie occasionally
wore hunting shirt white fringed, or a
red waistcoat, or a fawn skin one, or a
calico morning gown Of small pattern,
and he INDUCED ia other similar vagsries
IN clothing And in manners and deport-
! mpni, there was an air Of harmless (true
Virginia bred and kentucky raised) self
conceit and swagger, which though not to
DO admired yet it gave piquancy and in.
diviiusli,y TO his character.
Ii further particulars are required, l
can only state tina, The Colonel boarded
at the Eagle No,el-his Office, ia the
square fronted the Court house -he xas
a manager Of oil the balls-he was Vice
President Of the Summerville Jockey
Club--he was Trustee OF the Female
Acsdemy-hc gallsh,si the old ladies 10
church, holding, his umbrella over ,hsm
in the sun, and escorted the young ladies'
At nigh, to the dances or parties; always
bringing ont the smallest ones He rode
a high headed, proud looking sorrsl
horse, with streak down his face; and
he was general referee aud umpire,
whether it was horse swsna race, a
rife match, ora cock fight
II SO CHANGED on q time, though Col
Jones' was one Of the best na,arei ui'
men, the, he took umbregs at some re,
port circulated abou, him il an adlnining
county, and one &c his districts, &c the Ell,
.ect that he had been a federalist daring
tho last War, and Instead Of relying on
The fact Of his being schoolboy on Mill
Creek At tia, time, he proclaimed al the
tavern table tina, the next time he went
over the mountain TO Court, Bill Pst,es.
s 500 the rspa.sd author Of The Islander,
This became narrated through tho
cause and Argument OF tho
difference was discussed among The pa
triarchs cf the place, who generally
came TO the conclusion that the Colonel
had good cause Of quarrel, ~ more had
been said Of him than any honorable
man could stand. The young store bevs
Of the village became greatly interested,
conjec,ured how the fight would 90, and
gave their opinions, what they would do
under sim lar circumstances. The young
LAWYERS and NJ. D.s 40 often ~ they
were in the Colonel's company, intro
duced he subject Of the expected fight.
On such occasions, the Colone! spoke
carclsssly and ban,eringly. Some coed
old ladies spoke deprecatingly in the gen.
er2l and in the particular, that - good,
clever . young man ~ Col. Dick should
Sc, % bad an example--and the young la
dies, and l,,tls misses, bless their dear
little innocent souls, they only cons0lte'd
their own hear,s, and were satisfied that
he must b wicked and bad man that
Colonel Jones would fight.
Spring term Of the courts came on,
and The lawyers all started on ,heir CIR
cult, and, with them, Colonel Jones went
over The mountain. The whole town
was Give 10 the consequences Of this trip,
and, without much communion or under
standing with each other on the subject,
most Of the population either gathered At
the tavern al his departure, or noticed It
from a distance, and he rode Oft saluting
his acquaih'ances and raising his ha, TO
tho ladies' on both sides Of the street, as
he passed on, Of town.
+. From Tia, ,itiic, only one subject en-
gagged the thoughts Of the good people Of
Slmmerville, and on tho third day the
common saluta,ion was. sAny news over
the mountain" ALIAS any one come
down the road7" The fourth, fifth and
sixth came, and still the public anxiety
was unappeased; i had, with the delay,
become insuflersble, quite agonizing;
business aud occupation was at a stand
sill; doctor or constable would not
ride to the country lest news Of the fight
might arrive in their absence. People
in crossing the square or entering or
coming on, Of the houses, all had their
heads turned up tina, road. And many,
thoiigh d shaned 10 confess IL, sat up an
hohr or two past thoir ustial bed time
Looping some one would return from court.
Still all was doubt and uncertainty -
There is an understandable peryersity in
these things that bo,hers conjecture.
once watched the road from Louisville
Two days, 10 hear Of Grey Eagle beating
Wagner, on which had 500 staked. OF
borrowed money. No one came, though
beiprc that, sone one passed every hour.
On the seventh morning, the uneasy
public were consoled with the certainty
that the lawyers must b. home tha. day,
as Court seldom held week, and the
universal resolve seemed 10 be that moth