Plymouth banner. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1852-1855, 1854-03-23
THE "EXPERIENCE" OF THE BLACKSMITH OF
THE MOUNTAIN PASS.

At the entrance OF one of those gorges
or gaps in the great Appalachian chain Of
mountains in the passage across the north
ern portion of Georgia. a blacksmith had
erected his forge, in the early settlement
OF that region by the American ruce. and
drove a thrifty trade in the way of facing
axes. and pointing plows for the settlers,
and shooting horses for the wayfaring peo-
pie in their transit through the country
TO examine gold mines and lund.
AS he was no ordinary parsonage in the
affairs of his neighborhoOd. and will make
a conspicuous figure in this narrative.
some account of his peculiarities will no.
be undressing. Having acted all his
life en- a homcly maxim Of his own
pay up as you 60 up"-he had acquired
some money and was out OF debt. and
consequently enjoyed the glorious privi-
lege of being indie pendent. in a degree
that is unknown to many who occupy a
larger portion of the worlds attention
than himself. He was burly. a well Hook
ing man Of thirty-tive, just young enough
to feel that all his faculties. mental and
physical. had reached their greatest de-
vslopment.j just old enough to have amass-
ed sufficient experience of men and
things, to make the past serve os a fin
ger-post to his future journey through
life.
Ned Forgeron. for such was the name
he had inherited from some Gallo ances-
tors, was a good-natured man. yet the
possessor of great muscular strength and
courage, and the admiration which a sue
c~essful exercise Of this power never fails
TO command. had somewhat spoiled him.
With very few early advantages of ed
ucation. he had. nevertheless, at differ
ent periods. collected a mass of hetero-
geneous information. which he was very
fond Of displaying on occasions. He was
q sort of political antiquary. and could
tell the opinion of Mr.. Jefferson or Mr..
Madison, on any subject, and was refer
red to on all disputed points of the the
DRY and history OF the government, that
arose among the candidates for the legis-
lature and country politicians. But why
he had treasured up an old we'll thumbed
copy of Paine's Age Of Reason. and af-
fected scepticism as to the veIacity Of the
story of Jonah and the whale. and Ba-
laam and his ass. would be hard account
ing for. unless it proceeded from a desire
of character for singula.ity and crudi-
ton.
But a circumstance occurred which
gave his zeal a distinct and sectarian HI
r~ection. A Methodist preacher in Ten.
nessee. who was fond of splicing his dis
courses with anecdotes. once made the
blacksmith the principal character in a
long His peculiarities were di-
lated on. and his heresies dealt with in
becoming severity. He was ridiculed by
the preacher. All this came to the ear
of Forgeron. with such additions and
embellishments as stories generally re-
ceive in passing to q third person. Ii
would be as useless to attempt TO describe
a mountain storm. as to picture the wrath
of this mountsineer But If we canno
portray the storm. the consequences may
be easily told. The blacksmith swore.
in his wrath, he would whip every Meth
odist preacher that passed his up. il re-
venge for his insult.