The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1844-08-29
From the LouisviIie journal.
JAMES X. POLK,S GRANDFATHER

The Lnco.oco ppefs charge the Wligsl
with m.lignIng the character ofihe ~lllns,t;-
Gus lie d." ia charging toEyism Oh Ezekiel
Polk. the grandfather of their ciniidlie. If
il is SANDER 10 call Benedict Atnolda traitor,
hen ifis SANDER 10 assert that Ezekiel Polk
was a tory. The one cIlrge is as suscepi-
Die OF paoof as The otheE; and, since the Lo-
~cofocoS VIII sillify the Ways Tor their course
in his matter, we will snow some of the
grounds ON which the charge agains, old Eze-
KEEL Polk's rests.
The VII gs charge that Ezekiel Polk WAS
u tony during i!e American Revolution, and
that, in 1855, when Cornwliiis oyerrau the
C4Iolinas, ne went iR;o The British camp for
pro f%ec;ion,' and, while there, adop cd the
B ism red coat.
Before We proceed 10 prove this charge,
we viii look al The manner in which it his
been met by Ite Locofocos. T6ey said thlt
Ezekiel Poi&'s name was attached To the fa-
m0us Mecklenburg Declaratioa of Indepcn-
| dence, aad that. therefore. he WIS not a tory.
fhe .Mecklenburg q. c. Jetiersonian," a
vile Locotoco paper, said that II had a copy
%si-tllal Declaration in lis possession and that
lis name was on il. The Rtleiga ~. c.
Register denied the fact and challenged the
proof, adding ihit The Legislature of North
Cafolinl m.ie a Publication on the su!Jcci
Of the MeckIeuburg Declaration in 1884, md
hat Ezekiel Folks name is not to be found
On the lis of delegates. To satisfy the Lo-
~coiocos that old Ezekiel had nothing 10 do
with that immortal declitaiion, we will here
give whai the w ishingion Globe says:
.sUpon reference 10 he Meeklenburg Dec
I"laration of independence, contained in the
lAmerican archives, We find that the impress
sion which has generally obtained thli Eze-
kiel Polk, Col. Folks grandfather, was a
I%s:gner of that celebrated instrument is erro-
neous. The name attached TO that declara
non, which has led TO this impression, is that
OF Thomas Polk, who was the grand uncle OF
Col. Polk"
the Locofocos call a witness 10 The sand
by the name ofCaplain james jack of Geor-
GA, who i~es!ifies to the TACT that Ezekiel
Polk attended many meetings of the Neck
tenburg Wigs in ITS. Well, we adm
he did attend these NEE lays; why did he
ilgl place bis name 10 the declaration along.
Issle of thai Of his brother Thomas and those
Inf his Whig neighboFs? Was he fearful OF
the consequences, or did his zeal in the wh;a
~cause sudlenly abaie? He was a man o
property, and the reason why he did not sign
that immortal document is thai he was not
like those good and great men who signed
the American Declaration of Independence
willing TO risk life and fortune i'll the goos
tcause.
The Washington Globe says that Ezek;r
Polk received an officers commission in
Icompany of volunteers, in the commence
iment OF our revolutionary struggle, but il ha
not been able TO point TO any battlefield O
which he signallzed his devotion to the A
ijneriean interest.
Now, We have no objection TO admit al
ttha the Locofocos attempt 10 establish b
Witnesses and documentary evidence; ant
The sum and substance of il is, that Ezekie
Polk, in ITS, co-ofperated with his viii
neighbors aud received a captains commits
Isioa for a company of volunteers.
But however warm old Ezekiel was at III
commencement: of hosIilities, his s'loye 500
5ieW cold" We have no evidence that h
: Tough, OF the American side. Here we wi
" give his memory :he benefit of the Locoft
!! CO witness George Alexander, who states a
follows:
e Pamela County, Mss, March 25, ls4t
-. WIS acquainted with Col. Ezekiel Pol
iron the time he c4lne 10 Mecklemburg coui
= y -four South Carolina. | always unlc
- $ GOD that he was an officer in the Sout
Carolina Ringers, together witt, Col. WI
liam Polk, WHO was an officer under his ul
- cie Ezekiel Polk. TINS regiment OF RAJ
: ge.s performed . campaign and disperse
= tie tor es al Rayben's creek, where Co
" Wsn. Polk was wounded. Tais was Gale
} ne snow campaign. After this Willial
- Polk as soon as he could be brought wit
safety, not having recovered fom h
r. xound>l removed 10 Meckleuburg coun
IL North Carolina, | think about the year III
= where nay personal acquaintance conna,en
d" cd with han; IL Icing all inllmaie one. Flo
y my knowledge, he stood high among the CT
AZ zens of Mechienbuig county. lie the
u tlsrned iii MecklenbuTg county, and accum
i4ied properly there.
When Coinw4lis overran the country
1850, and came 10 Charlotte, after Gale>
AS defeat, there were no regulu organ ze
troops in tue field, aud ihe couairy Was owe
IN, it WIS my undo standing that then,
order 10 Siye mis- properly from Distribute
he HE, together with Others, took po.ecih
he fom CmuwalEs. Wien CORVALLIS le
o. Charlotte for the Sollh, lie, Ezekiel Pol
oil removed bis property ftom, Cornwallis,s pi
Ca lection, a part of watch W is taken by Co.
The wallis troops, when he, Ezsaiel Po.x, W
il crossing the Yadkin, He went fon the
he 10 Pennsylvania, and returned The SUNNI
ali of 1881. That he was a tory, or acted d
ey wise for, or with the British, consider a sla
the der against him, and 10 be false. He sto