Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1843-01-28
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The ..Experience'' of the Blacksmith of the
Mountain Pass.
CHATTER /.


n hiaLcsmith had erected his forge IN The early
se,,lemen, Of that region by the America race
and drove a thrifty trade IN the way OF facing
axes; and pointing pioughs tor the sett'ers, enc
shoei horses for ~ayfaring people IN their tran
81, through the country 10 examine gold mnes
and land
As he was no ordinary parsonage IN tho affairs
Of his neighborhood and will make a conspicuous
Grure IN this narrative, soma account OF bis Pc
culiarities will not be uninieresting
Having acted through life on homeIy maxim
Of his own-"pay up you go up''-he had &C
ouirad some money and out of debt, and
consequently enjoyed the glorious privilege q!
being independent IN degree tina, IS unknown
20 many who occupy a larger portion OF the
worlds attention than himself, He was a buFiy,
well looking man Of 30, just young enough To
feel that all his faculties, moral and physical, had
reached their greatest development, to have
amassed sufficient experience OF men and things
10 make the past finger post 10 his 'u~
ture Journey through life. With a shrewd, but
OPEN bold and honest look, there waa grace iui
expression IN the corners OF his eyes, that spoke
of fun The laughing devil IN his eve was not
n malicious spirit, however. His physical con
formation was that which combines great strength
and agility aud ne had been ia ted to have been
a contemporary of his great prototype Vulcan,
there can be no doubt but the Lehman black
smith wonid have allotted 10 him Il front forge IN
his establishment, act kind Of pattern card.
and 10 divert the public gaze from his own game
leg 10 the fair proportions of his foreman
Now, although NED FoRGERoN, for such was
tho name he had inherited from his ancestors,
was good ratured man, yet the possession Of
great muscular strength and courage, and the
administration of a successful exercise Of those
uowers had some hat spoiled him. Without mea-
mag to injura any mortal, ho had managed, uev'
s,theless, TO try his powers on sundry OF his
neghbors, and from the success VIII ch always
crowned hts honest efforts ~ that way, he had,
10 IoH
bully.
With very few earlY advantages Of elementa
educa tion lac had ar different periods, collected
mass of heterogeneous information, which he was
very fonG of displaying on all occasions. lie was
sort Of political antiquary. and could tell the opn
IONS of Mr.. Jefferson Mr. Madison any sab
iect and was referred to ali disputed points Of
theory and history Of the government that arose
among the candidates for the legislature, and
country pOiitcians--this he studied account Of
,he importance il invested him with. But why
ne had treasured up an old and welt thumbed
py OF Payne's age OF Reason" and affected
skepticsm TO the veracity Of the story of Jonah
and the whale, SC, would be hard accounting for,
unless it pro ,eeded from the desire OF character
for srngulartly and erudition.
When vanity once gets the mastery Of mans
reason, there is telling the absurdIios il will
lead him into. He fond Of speaking Of Vol
ney, and being found with a copy of Taylor's
'Diogesis in his hand, although few of his neigh
hors had heard OF ths author oil tho 'RuIns.
knew what 'Diegesis' meant
This peculiarly, together with the pertinsci'y
of the missionaries, Worcester and Butler, which
carried them to the pententIary, may account
for the grea, aversion Of Mr. Edward Forgeron
10 all preachers of the Gospel. His dislike tor
them was so excessive, that he could scarcely
sneak of the hypocriiical scoundreIs, he called
then,. withou, flying into passion, and using in.
cecorous language
But circumstance occurred which gave his
zeal distnc, and sec,arian direction Meth
od,st preacher, over in Tennessee, who was fond
Of spic,nr his discourses with anecdotes, once
made the blacksmith the principal character in
long sermon His pecuitarites were di!ated, and
his hercsies dealt with in becoming severity. lie
was rdiculed by tho preacher. All this came to
the of Forgeron, with such additions and en-
bellIshmsnis stories usually receive an passing
10 n third person II would be as useless to at
tempt 10 describe mountain storm "a 10 picture
the wrath Of this mountaIaeer. But If We cannot
portray the storm, the consequence may be easily
told. The blacksmith in his 'rraia. he Ironld
srhip erery Methodist preacher that passed the gap,
in rer6nge of has insult.
ForCeron was a man of bis word. MANY Of
the bruised features of John Wesley's disciples
could testify. His character went abroad
and the good old matrons OF the surrounding coun
ties each side of the mountain, trembled at
his In short, the mountain pass, which
was really romantic place landscape
painter would seek Tor picture and was just the
spot TO remind a youth fresh from his classic
dies, of the place where Leonidas and his three
hundred Spartans fell. in attempting defend
Greece against the army Of Nerves.: but in spite
OF me grandeur Of lis beetling cliffs and the beau
" OF IT'S Nerdure, 1t associated in the minds
OF many pIoas persons, with the broad gate that
leads 10 destruction. And Ned Forgeron, the
handsome blacksmith. invested with the at
tributes and hideous sspec, OF his Satanic males
", by many mountain girl, who would doubtless
have fallen in "'ove a, fret sight, with him. IN.
der any other name
The preacher whose circuit Law on either sid 2
OF the mountain al the time Ned's direful edlc,
was prnmulg gated to the world, meek and
lowly man. who approached nearly in his natural
disposition, to willing obedience to the mandate
relative TO turning the cheek to The smiter. The