The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1853-11-26
4 Hard Yam.

Hard Yam.
In the neghborhood Of a small town situate,
In-----county, Kentucky, and right at the june
ton Of a cross road which boastcd of grocery
blacksmith shop, and very" small store, ther
lives q character whom we recently met anC
whose greatest boast was, that he was one of thu
rire hundred men who killed Packenham at Or
leans"
His person war decidedly unique" entertain
ing as bc compressed 1t, IAN honest passion f
fighting In the course of his knock downs al
the fingers OF his left hani had been either bit
cut or"clawed' oH, with the exception Of the for
one, which was long, lauk member with u BIZ
nail on the end Of it.
Although deprived Of the use Of one fist, TIN
"hnger served him very useful purpose.
1t may be proper to state that in this sectior
of the country lighting is regarded as a mere mat
tor OF amusement especially when red eye is
about, and neIgbbors knock down aud 'gouge'
each Other in friendly way. The subject oi
our story had peculiar fashion for fighting be
ing rather short and not very heavy he had tc
take, a. he sad. all the little advantages to keep
even. Ills grand point was 10 walk up to his man
and by sudden thrust which long practice had
rendered him perfect in poke his long bony fin
ger With unerrIng precision III his opponents eye
and hit hun at the same time under the belt" -
1t was at one Of those domestic watering places
where families congregate to pass few weeks
during the summer season. that we first met him
lie was dressed 10 the most approved hunting
fashion, having on buck skin pantaloons and a
coon SKIN cap, with ioxs tail in it, His face va.
particularly striking, from the fact. probably, o
its having been repeatedly STRUCK" Is it was
covered with scars
To complete his description lie had only one
eye, and that lonely orb" when We saw hin
gave evidence of {. recent muss.
A crowd Of some fou! OF five visitors had Assem-
blcd at the spring which gushed out of the side
Of bill, and were sitting on some wide benches
listening to bis marvellous adventures "by food
and field" and the innumerablc men he had "fout'
and licked
One Of the party present, q, the risk Of being
considered mperllnent, ventured to ash hun how
he had lost bis eye"
The old fellow Immediately frightened up, and
sitting down on an empty keg, drew huge twist
of the native lc0f froE his buck skin aud sad
Gentlemen, You won't hardly believe this sto
ry- some folks dontt-but It's fact aud 10 mis,
take.
"Somc forty years ago things wasn't as they
ATE now-raIroads and turnpkes warnt invent.
ed TO skeer game and let foreigners in.
well, about that time hoop polel my cab
in on the side of one of the Licking hills previous
to my going to agricultur Thar was powerful
lot of s,me then, and fellow could pick and
choose.
"One day started on a stii hunt, to drop bucks
and admire natur. ] went about three miles with.
ont seeing deer fat enough 10 waste powder on
when came to prcclpice on the Brushey Fork
Of Liking, | stopped, and commenced thinking
about Pilgrims Progress and Robinson Crusoe,
when presently see a big buck laying at the,
he foot Of precipice, which waT about four ram.
troGs deep. tell you, rellgen and literature fit
ted immediately and ist concluded to harness
that specimen in natural history, and take him
alive.
i latl down Sweet Batsey'-that's what call
my rilc-0ud shed my flannel for a regular tbs.
Sic. lie war laying III the sun at the bottom,
and never knowd the danger be was in. made
Cne jump and lit right across his back and grab.
bad his horns-tley war horns and no mistake,
and looked like young black jacks spouting out
Of the side of his head Tho deer was a leetle
surprised, and run like hi up the heller through
the ihlCkest sort Of woods hung on to the hons,
fur rcll you, if had let loose, the way he war
running, Id lit on the other side Of Licking, and
no mistake.
Il knowed WAS in for the race, and were ma.
king 1t a heap under two forty On we went like
the devil beating tan bark through the thick-ts
II commenced to git tired by and bye, and
thought | would case myself Off 10y grabbing a
supIing. seed a small black jack tree, and
snached it with my left baud, holding on with
the other to the horn Of the crittcr.
"Somc.hiug cracked. 1t warn't the tree, but
by gum the horn Of the buck had slipped, and
| thought was goner Hi. head must have
aclei oiiul, tor he run n heap faster, and them
blg antlcts of hls'n as he rushed through the
bushes, ratified agin his skull like sheed corn
in gonrd,
"All at wunst something keen hit me in the
left eye, but it got mighty dark Of sudden on
that side of my head.
81 s'pose he run about four miles when he fain.
ted, and go, off and after rested, tied all four
of his legs together before the influence ef, him
The blood was running down the left side Of my
face, and shut my other eye, and d--n me =!
didn't see nothn. went back to the trail we
had run, when seed bush move, stopped
stock still and went the other eye on it,
Here he paused. and took another quid.
"Gcnilemcn,' he resumed, its fact and no
mistake if 1t warn't my left eye, hanging on u
bush and winklng at me-
Everybody was sent-surprisc was too deep
for Instrumentation one Of the party, drawing
n flask from his pocket, handed it 10 the old man,
with the request that he would wash that story
down"
lie smclt it to be sure that it was whisky, and
looking round at the party, said
Gentlemen, here's to hbolitionsts and Tenn
pernnce Lecturers may they Lave nn cvcras,in
iichh without the privilege of Scrdtchin." And
calling lis dog, bnde Us good b, G. and left,
Vkn "A, 4. L Al.