Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1850-05-22
MISCE l. A N Y.
FROM NoAH's WEEKLY MESSENGER
JAMES BOWIE.

Four wears aro when Theodore Parker the eminent
sheo panlopc preacher Of Boston visited Europe having
letter of introduction for that purpose, he called on Ihos
CARLYLE The English solitaire piled the American with
innumerabe questions relating customs and habits OF
social existence on this sdo of the great water but mani
tested the keenest curiosity concerning the people OF the
backwoods Parker drew for the others amusement VI
yid sketch Of the achievements of Bowie the famous arch
duest of Texas Carlyle listened with sparkling eyes
ill the close of the narrative aud then burst into excama-
tions of involuntary enthusiasm:
"By Hercules the man greater than Cesar or
Cromwel-uay, nearly equal to OGln or Thor The lex
ans ought to build him an altar"
The burning sympathser with the heroic in all its pha-
ses rubbed his hands gerher chuckng in an ecsacy OF
savsge gee and made Parker repeat his story o oood an
ecdotes. Finally he put the question
"But BY what miracle could it happen that the brave
fellow escaped the capital penalty Of the law after such
countless violations 2"
To this nterrogatory Parker as he himself confessed
could return no satisfactory answers and as ten thousand
readers have perhaps poudered the same problem without
conceivng rational solution, may not be unnteesllng
to explain it briefly especially clear eucdaOn can be
detailed in few words
Let be remembered then that although the great system
of common law that "perectOn ofhuman reason Tor the
Anglo Saxon race prevails throughout all the States oil
:he West wholly as to itsdefnition ofcrimes, and partially
as to the mode and measure Of punishment annexed 'c
each nevertheless in its practical application to given cases
it is controlled by the power Of far mghter law-the ON
npotent law of public opinion because in most western
courts uries are absolute Judges of both the law and the
fact and their interpretations often eynce direct anagons
with the dca Of my Lord Coke and the classic comments
Of Blackstone.
On the subject of homicide in particular, pnSc opinion
has passed the bounds of all books ouprudence and set
tied immutabe statute this extraordinary axiom
''I is ustifabe to kill in fair combat everybody and
anybody who ought to be klled''
10 Bowe's numerous rencouters he always kept within
the prescribed limits Of histtudinaran rule and hence he
was always acquitted by frontier ures, and frequently
with oddcnda to their verdics highly complimentary to
his character chiyarous gentleman In truth, must
of his desperate engagements grew out Of his innate and
invncbe disposition to espouse The cause of the weak
against the mighty. One incident BY Illustration will pre-
sent this popularity in the strongest light and besides
reveal thorough know ledge heart and soul of the
On the evening of the fourth Of June, 1885, the steam
boat Rob Boy" started from ST. Louis to New Orleans
with full crowd of passengers immediately after getting
under GOOD beadyay TO adopt ayore bacwoods phrase
one person attracted universal attention by the annoying
with which be endeavored to make up party
at cards Indeed his ofrepeaed and perseverng efforts
10 that end soon became insulting and uhenduraOe an(
vet his appearancs was such as to deter the bavest
board from administering the chastisement which he 81
richly deserved He was huge ofmghty bone an'
muscles,wih swahy features bearing the impress OF many
scar piercing dark eyes, that seemed to possess the pow
sr Of blasting the behOlder-cold cleaning eyes, such
haunt the memory painfully rank luxuriance OF coal
black hair immense whskers and mOuslache. This saw
age looking figure was habed in lhe costlest clothing