The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1850-10-21
PORTSMOUTH, o., MONDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 81 1850,
A Kentuckian's account Of how He go
$3.50 N~ the Mitten. s& 70


$3.50 @ the Mitten. gl
( The following account Of codrtship in
Kentucky, and the causes and manner .ol
the emigration is amusing, and will serve
as good specimen ofthe western nara.
tive: ~ e ia2.'e fla 'e'a f-k'
Had just returned from the Seminole
war, and was eighteen years old, when
become acquainted with Peggy,a darling
little thing, as delicate as fresh butter ana
sweet as money. II was corn husking
fine, and Itold her abont the Indian war
and how we had bivoacked and the rest Of
IT, and sho listeD,d 10 il all, and in less
than a fortnight was in love over head
and ears. Was, as said, just eighteen
she sixteen. For her sake could have
wIiippeda whole wigwan full Of Seminoles,
that could !, by jingo! Several months
passed, and | thought | was getting on
well with her, and kept sneakin' about her,
like a wolfround a flock Of sheep Or SEN
try.round the watch.6re when we were
out against the Indians, but she said neither
no nor yes. One evening. however, she
said to me-
Ralph says she, you are really deal
too Wild sa.i
Whatl' cried |, Peggy, l TOO wild J.
You should see o.d Hickory that's the man
you may call wild.' -I.
''Ralph,' said she, indeed you are toe
wild, rough as bear, and you drink toe
much whiskyl'
'Monongahela, Peggy--genuine Mo,
nongaheIa and why should / not drink il
since God lets it grow? Peggy says |,
genuine Monongahela, and paid for, owe
no man cent; have got six as stout ne.
groes as you'll find in old Kentuck, and a
thousand dollars cash besides, that my
father left me and tr1e over; and If
you'll say the word we will. be man and
wife, ..,,...
'Ralph,' says she, you are quite too
wild, drink too much will see about il in
eight days, will think about il, and you
may come and ask me in eight days, and
no sooner eq
i was obliged 10 do her will and waii
the eight days, as restless as il had Span
ish pepper rubbed into me and when The,
were past ! went down to Peggy's house
and whom do You think found there T.
Asa Dumbling, sitting nrm.in-nrm witt
Peggy before the kitchen fire; and wher
he saw me he laughed in my face, anc
Peggy laughed too. | had half a min.
to leather him by way of a wedding pres
ent. ! couldn't get her out Of my heat
for ever SO long, but ut last my brothe
said 10 me:
Let the girl be, Ralph said he; 'if sh'
meant to have you, she wouldn't let Asi
come sparkling ebout her; she's only max
ing a fool of you.
| 'And | thought to myself, Joe's righ
about that. And so says joe
Ralph says he, 'you'd be doing a bet
ter thing if you make your niggers knocl
upa fat boat; you've couple ol'hundrel
casks Of meal and Indian corn, and hons
and cider, and applies; the articles vii
fetch good prices in Louisiana
| Halo, Joe,' says /, reckon that's
good notion; the Cumberland's rising, an,
III be off, old Kentuck is reg'lar spoilt 70
me; will down the Mississippi, and Sc,
what the folks do in louisiana
mo sooner said than done. OF board
and beams, had plenty, in three weeks
had knocked up q fiat boat, as solid as owe
doated. Loaded my two hundred casks o
-four, few hundred hams, maize, cider
and the rest Of it; took my half a dozel
niggers and couple Of horses, which mi
neighbor Snapper lei me have on commits
sion, and down the Cumberland into tn,
Ohio and the Shiny Mississippi, u thousan,
miles or more. Fine frees, beautiful bot
toms, capital soil, thought l, but too mucl
waterloo low for you, Doughty; yol
like dry land. But when got down 4
Natchez and the Walnut hills, and agaiI
saw something like mountains, it please
me better. AT NatchezI l got rid Of
hundred casks, and as many hams, and n
Woodville Of the rest Of my cargo and tn
beat in The bargain; Looked about tn,
neighborhood and found q bit Of land tha
| just suited two thousand acres, FIVE dol
lars an acre, five years term. Halle
Ralph, thought /, that's the thing for yoc
j Two thousand dollars year to pay l.th
| devils in it it you can't manage that. So
struck the bargain, gave a Thousand dollar
down, and went bach to Cumberland rive
with the Louisville steamer; built anothe
tlat boat, and put on the rest Of my plur
der and as much meal ps I could get, On
dozen horses, which afterwards sold ,
famous prices, and went down again
1 Woodville, and built, and cleared, and 500
forgot the POllys and Peggys, and all, u
rest Of them, and now there | am, and we
established -
And we'll established he wSs, as On
man on the Mississippi, and the eight yea
/ he had spent there. did, himhoDor.g His s
: degrees had increased 10 more than fort
3 his. wilderness had become q respectful
: plantation, his cotton was sought after, II
i only was his land free Of debt but he Ii
) already a handsome sum in the Planter
/ Bank, and sent off every year his hundr
. and fifty bales ''prime cotton"
= Al tba ,IVa.tho.,,,.h +. IMN NA