New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-08-24
DAILY CRESCENT.
OFFICIAL JOURNAL
oF THE CONSOLIDATED CITY OF NEW ORLEANS.

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oF THE CONSOLIDATED CITY OF NEW ORLEANS.
From the New York Daehn,an,
NOT A BIT OF DANGER;
Or, a Strong Game Of Euere a
Courage, moral or physical, is q great gift,
but presence Of mind, in moments Of peril, is, in
some cases. a superior merit; in nine cases out
of ten discretion is better than valor. A man
may guard against, by presence of mind, that
which the most obdurate courage cannot sue
cessfully combat; but coolness or self possession
have their drawbacks, as our story indicates.
We have heard Of very eccentric and singu-
lar man, who carried on business in Bayou
Sara, down in the Mississippi country, some
years ago; Tufts was his name, to which the
liberal hearted Mississippians had gratuitously
added Captain-Capt. Tufts.
Captain Tufts was born on the frontier dur
ing the days of Indian fights and border war
fare, and lived years amid danger and death in
the South. To look at the old man, one need
hardly be told that he had had some pretty hard
knocks, and no doubt INDUCED in as many
scrimmages" as most folks could boast of out
there; as his head, hands, etc., exhibited as
| many cuts and thrusts, bumps and bruises, dots
and diseolorations, as the hero of hundred
Prairie fights, or a score of Peninsular cam
| paigns, could well exhibit And yet, no man
wore more peaceful--barrin the warlike sears
we mentioned-mild and benevolent aspect, than
that Captain Tufts, and indeed his disposition
| and general manner was we'll daguerreotyped
in his plain, unvarnished, though engraven
countenance. To fully illustrate the character
and manners of the old Captain, we will relate
a few of his adventures, which impart the causes
and effects of the &c outward signs" of the Cap
tain's well tattooed complexion
| During the &C Creek War; as it was called,
Tufts was volunteer, serving under the COM
mand of Gen jackson; and it SO CHANGED that
Tufts and small party of his &c fellow sogers "
got astray from the main body, and went blum
| dering and bogtrotting through a swamp in
which some four or FIVE hundred of the enemy
were encamped, and though it soon became evil
dent that Indians were not far off, and the com
panions of Tufts were suspiciously uneasy, he
pushed forward with long rife over his shoul-
der, calling out to his tardy companions, who
Jagged behind
''Come along, come along, boys, there Amino
danger!"
Thus seduced, much againt their will, the four
companions of the self-satisfed Tufts, came
along, and, all of sudden, just as Tufts had
uttered for the fftieth time-s' come along boys,
there aint no danger "a shower Of arrows
and bullets drove half of the sentence down
poor Tufts throat-knockedh him head over heels
among the brush, and killed three Of his four
companions.
picked up the next day, by some friends, quite
bewildered with wounds, but still insisting
&C there amt no danger!''
The next exploit of considerable note, was ths
finale of bear hunt, in which Bruin, having
killed two dogs belonging to Tufts, and fellow
hunter, he crawled into dense chaparel and
disappeared; and though Tufts was told by his
companion that wounded bears in a dark jungle
were better let alone, he insisted that there was
no danger, and went poking around the retrea
of the bear until the wrathful animal, gather.
ing himself up for one grand, desperate charge
rushed upon Tufts-Tufts iredinto the monster'
teeth, and received blow from Bruin tina
broke poor Tufts arm and tore his scalp half off
1t was in vain that Tufts yelled to his flying
, comrade that there was not symtom of danger
the comrade cleared himself and reported Tuft
3 torn to shreds; but next morning, Tufts wa
), found by party of hunters, in a miserable con
: dition, laying near his dead adversary, and q
d his friends stood off few yards and hailed hin
true to his instincts, Tufts, in the best tone
+ voice he could raise, said
"Come up, boys, don't be afraid-there al,
a spec of danger %
Every body, near about, may have heard of
certain desperate character whom sheriff al
tempted to arrest in the court yard at Nash
: vile, during the sitting of court over whic
Judge Andrew jackson presided. The despe1
ado, holding himself upon his reserved right
l ii. e. bowie and pistoD held the Sheriff and hi
posse at bay.
: Cuffs said Judge Jackson, recognizing hi
old acquaintance in the court, Tufts, 20 ou
and arrest that man you can do it, by til
> Eternal! %
"Judge,' said Tufts, sit kin be done, 70
: there amt no kind of danger in it,
> But the moment Tufts advanced upon the rui
fan, followed by the iron -nerved Judge, til
villain fred-a bullet went through the cheek q
0V,,ft To-, l. uox II.
: moment. Every body thought he was killed, bu
in a jiffy up jumps Tufts, shouting
"We've got him, | told you there weren't nj
danger p jackson had advanced, fixed hi
f eagle eye and the muzzle of pistol upon tn
ruffian, and arrested him.
Firing salute, on the Sth of January, a
Memphis, that old cannon rebounded and actet
50 unruly that Tufts proposed lashing the piec
nrnly to a platform somebody ventured to in
qmre II ths riece mightn'f bust
- bustF saia thfts, who was swinging til
match ready to touch on tle eannon---st bust
no, there amt oay dangers'
r Tufts touched off the piece, and his fr;and
found him doubled up, with a half dozen com
- pound fractures of limb and body, some eigll
good rods from the muzzle of the bursted cannon
Tufts voice was near gone-he essayed to sa
:" something's bystander put his ear to the poe
fellows lips, and heard in q very faint tone
d 81 say-Itold EN- there acasn't mach dan
gern'
- When the gamblers were routed at Natchei
IS Tufts was resident of the city, kept stol
and done some trading on the river. Tt
: gamblers having fortified themselves in one
lie their principal dens, they defed the citizens
= oust them. Tufts lived close by, and was OF
,r of committee appointed by the citizens, to G
: to the gamblers and to notify them to leave. 4
,e they approached tile gamblers ordered them Of
and at once fired upon the committee, who, beir
= missed, lost no time in getting away, needless
r, Tufts rallying cry
ssCome back, men, stand your ground-Me'
:. y, amt any danger"
Only just then, one of the gamblers threw
.0' rock, which, hitting poor Tufts between tt
0 eyes, rendered his vision ever after, very o.
o. lique. Tufts recovered and made his appearan,
on board the Ben Sherod; it was her last al
-, fatal trip
y The boat was very crowded. She was ne7
:, elegant, fast and popular. With a party of co
lie vivialists, our eccentric FRIEND Capt. Tufts, W
= seated in The social hall, straining bis ey
e, through n pair of green spectacles, at. an el
CANT hand he held in game of Eucre.
= 81 pass" said Tufts, smile playing over
corrugated countenance, as he gazed upon
J. bo,yers in his hand
n. 'sCan't be did no possible danger" s1
for Tufts, &C Hello what's that'" he added, as
;. alarming noise started every body but Tufts a
or his opponent to their feet.
. "Play away!" said Capt. Tufts, as anotl
H. explosion and uproar took place Oh the deck