Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1851-05-23
From the Portland Transcript
LETTER FROM ETHAN SPIKE.
HoRKBY, April 10, 1851
To. Mr.. GoULD.-likeWise TO Nh EI1wr11

10
TO say I'm pretty WE'LL thank you-all but q
bad cold, great boil on my neck, and some
corns on my toes-and hope these few lines will
| find You enJoyin the sam9 great blessin.
| seed that the old-uns got scarf abaout my
beein away SO long, and went an put piece in
tew the Transcrip t-sort of advertiser Of me-
like. I'm proper sorry that they did it, cos YOU
see they haint got no eddication to speak on
for though they's as clever, we'll meanin people
as you can sheer up still not havin got much
skuein, they're what you might call inveterate
an onsofsty cuffed, so far as larnin is consumed
Perhaps yon noticed tina, good many of the
words was sPelt rong. | did, as soon DIS l sot
eyes on the peace. I'm proper quick tew see
anything aout OF the way in spellin, an oilers
was, its kinder natural gift, an when was a
boy, oilers stood at ONE end of the spelin class
Naow as to whar I've bn-I hant told one Twin
sole yet-but Iii tell you, COS know you wont
say nothin abaout it TO nobody; for | didn't
! egsacty get what went arter-I should hate to
! be larfed at.
Wall, you know, father an I, actin in the spirit
| of konstitooshunal compremise-kitched nig-
| ger and you know, furder that the ongrateful
crtter cut .the luther hinges Off the door of
the tater-arch an streaked, like a black, woIly
headed cuss, as he was. 1t nearly upset father
at the time, the loss Of that are niggar did, He
sot right daown in the chmbly corner, right in
! the way-an there he sot an sot from mornin I'll
night-sometmes moanin and sometimes swear
in. 1t was pttylis tell YOU to hear the old crit
ter go on. Sometimes he'd cry and roar, so't
you could heer him clean aout in the street. then
he'd kinder talk tew himself-like "Onlv to
think he'd mutter, Five know'd that ere mig
ger morn thirty years, an he's knowed me an
naow, to think, that arter all, he, serve me this
way? 2" Then he'd jump and ask, as laoud as
he could yell, whether there was or wasn't "sta-
toote law in the land ~ That ere nicrer has
robbed me-" says he, "robbed me of 40 dollars,
jest as much"-says he, as eff he'd sole nv
pocket-book i! says he, (this here was true, for
fathers pocketbook's luther puss-an never
has morn 40 cents at time intew IT'D Then
agin he'd change, and drink syder and groan for
hours together, an the amount of the tobacker
he'd chawed was enough TO Dyson drummer
derry, Mother got kinder skeery abaout him,
said she'd no daout he meant TO commit will
ful sewyside, or mortally waound hisself in some
vital part. Fact, seed him make one tempt my
self. He was 4 settin by the fire, kinder new
sin, not sayin nothin when all at once, he took
aout his Jacknite and opened it, He felt of the
edge and sfarpened it on bis shoe 1t was an
orfu mint for me- Thinks I, he is coin to dew
it, shure enuff,, an | says to vself-'Ethan.'
says l. eff you don't want to be poor fartherless
ortin, ondlin, says 'narve yourself to stop this
here business, AN was jist goin to light on the
old-un, when he slowly cut off--not his jugar
but abaout the all-consarndis cud of tobacker,
| ever seed gwin side of one mans face!
But as he kept on geftin no better an as we
didn't hear nothin from Dan abaout maxim up
aour loss on the niger, made up my mind, and
started rite off to Boston, thinkin, eff could see
Danl face to face, somethin might be done. AS
| worked my passage-that is, went foot, it
took me four days to 60 to Bosten, besides bring
in out them coras spoke on 1t was after dark
when sot foot for the fuSt time--(an eff | haint
darned fool, it'll be the last)--on the hollered
pre-snks of the birthplace of liberty cradles,
perlaydiums and what nots. Ny feet was paower-
full sore, an was hungry as bare in Jinaowry;
but when seed Bunkerhill MONUMENT and fun
mel hail. | ceuldn't help singin aout Murray for
jackson! tew or three mes as hard as | could
put in.
"What ar yer maxim that ere noise abaout ?"
sung aout pelce chap, catchin me by the chol-
err with an iron hook, an jerkin me backards in
tew the mud.
"You make that ere noise agin," says he, ian
I'll carry you to the watch-us," says he.
"Well," says I, gettin up, "this is queer"
says l. as it agin the law to hooary for Jack
son ~ saysI.
ats agn the law to boiler in the street," says
"Wall, but" said |, "the sight of these ere
MONUMENT of departed greatness an 50 or, has
so ris--or riled up--so to speak--my ginera
seuscs of ass-soshyashan OF the onmitygated en-
dewtance of perpytooity, that eff hadn't gin my
feelens ventillashun, should have split, should,
| swaow,'
81 don't know nothin abaout yer MONUMENTS
or perpy;ooities," says the chap, says he but
clear aout, an 60 abaout yer bissiness," says
! he.
"Wall, but Cap'n," says I, 81 must dew some
thin Naow | suppose there's nothin in the
compromises of the constitooshun, agin mans
whistlin yankee-doodle, is thar?
go TO the D." says he, and off he went
! l jist stuck my hands in my trowsis pocket, an
put aout for the state haouse, whistIin the nash
unal anthemy as went. | went rite up the
stair an gin a good hearty knock at the door Of
state haouse. AFTER waitin spell, and not hear
ing any body comein inside, ! knocked again
harder thon before. Then I sot down on the
steps, and waited good long spell, but still no.
body come Darn it," SAYS |, these ere big
bugs 90 to bed proper airly, scenes TO me, says
/ |; but I'll wake EN- up anyhow" So up |
rets. and knocked as hard as | could for abaout
three quarters of a spell without stopn and then
my knuckes gettin sore, kicked agin the door
Ill everything ratified agin, screamin aout, as
laOud as could holer hulloln thar! wake up !.
But in the midst ont few or three of them ere
cussed perlise chaps grabbed me all at once, an
AFTER a hard tustIe, for fit like . snappin turtle,
they got me daown, tied me, toatcd me otto
the watch-us.
| Next mornin, they took me into court an ar
ter few minits, up gifts Teller with paper
in his hands and sings aout Ethan Spike
Here - says |.
"Stand up, says he 81 will" says l.
Then he went on to read the dokymint, set
tin aout that Id got drunk and hollered in the
street and tried to smash the state-haouse door.
And finally that I'd sailed and beaten the watch
men with sticks, stones, guns an clubs, wind
in up by sayin that all was agin the peace of
the Commonwealth, an contrary TO the sta
foote's.
Wal, Tn bowed, eff them ere pelise didn't
come forred an swar twas all trew, blast EN-.
Then the Judge said eff wanted to say any
thing might.
Says I, Il have, an good deal, tew," says l.
'Fust an foremost, says |, it haint trew, an then
agn IFS all cussed lie - says |. "As to hol-
lerin in the street, ony hoorayed for Jackson,
an when that sneakn lookin Teller there said
tho CpnStitaoshuo 7 Stonf yirhf of