Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1854-01-21
A Kentuckian's Story.

junction Of cross road which boasted of gro
cery and blacksmith shop, and ''every" small
store, there lives character whom we recently
met' and whose greatest boast was, that he was
one of the five hundred men who killed Packen.
ham, at Orleans"
His person was decidedly unique entertain.
ing, as he expressed it 'an honest passion for
hghtlng.' In the course of his knockdowns, all
the fingers OF his left hand had been either bit
cut, or chawed off, with the exception of his fore
one, which was long, lank member, with big
nail on the end of it.
Although deprived Of the use of one fist, this
finger served him very useful purpose.
1t may be proper to state, that in this section
OF the country, fighting is regarded as mere
matter of amusement, especially when red eve
is about, and neighbors knock down and eouee
each other in friendly manner The subject
OF our story had a peculiar passion for fighting:
being rather short, and not very heavy, he had
to take, as he said, all the little advantages To-
keep even. His grand point was to walk up to
his man, and by sudden thrust, which Iono
practice had rendered him perfect in, poke his
long bony finger with unerripg precision in his
opponents eye, and hit him at the same time
under the belt Itwas 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 in the most approved hunt
ing fashion, having on buckskin pantaloons,
and coon skin cap, with fox's taiiin it. His
face was particularly striking, from the fact pro.
badly, OF it having been repeatedly "struck, as
it was covered with scars.
10 complete his description, he had only one
eye, and that lonely orb, when we saw him,
gave evidence Of q recent muss.
A crowd of some four or five visitors had as
sembIed at the spring, which gushed out of the
side of hill, and were sitting on some wide
benches, listening to his marvellous adventures
"by flood and field" and the innumerable
men he "fout' and clicked"
One Of the party present, at the risk of being
consdered impertinent, ventured to ask him.
show he lost his eye"
The old fellow Immediately frightened up.
and sitting upon an empty keg, drew huge
twist Of the native leaf from bis buckskin, and
said: -
"Gentleman, you won't hardly believe this
story-some folks don't-but it's fact, and
no mistake"
"Some forty years ago, things warn't invented
to skeer game and let foreigners in.
"Well, about that time hoop. poled' my cab
in, on the side Of one Of the Licking hills, "pre-
vious" to my going to agriculture. There was
powerful lot Of game then, and feller could
pick and choose
"One day l started out on still hunt TO.
'drap bucks and admire natur. Invent about
three miles without seeing deer fat enough TO.
waste powder on. When came to precipice.
on the Brushy Fork Of Licking. stopped, and,
commenced thinking about 'PiIgrim's Progress
and Robinson Crusoe,' when presently i seed
a big buck laying at the foot of precipice,.
which were about four ramrods deep. l tell.
you, religion and literature fitted immediately.
and jest concluded 10 harness that specimen
in nat'ral history and take him alive,
laid down Sweet Betsy-that's what call
my rde-and shed my flannel for regular tus.
sci. He was laying in the sun at the bottom.
and never knowd the danger he war in.
made one jump and lit right across his back and
grabbed both his horns; they war horns, and no.
mistake, and looked like Young black.iacks
sprouting out of the side Of his head. Tho deer
was leetle surprised and run like h-ll straight
up the holer, through the thickest sort of woods.
| hung on to the horns, for tell you, i'll had
let loose the way he war running, I'd lit on
the other side of Licking and no mistake.
4 knowd war in for the race, and war ma.
king it heap under two forty. On we went,
like the devil beating tan bark, through the,
thickets.
Il commenced to get tired by and by and
thought would ease myself off by grabbing
some sapling. seed small blackjack tree.
and snatched it with my left hand, holding on,
with the other to the horn of the critter.
Something cracked It waru't The tree, but
by gum the horn of the buck had clipped, and
thought was goner. His head must have,
ached orful, for he run heap faster; and them
big antlers of his'n, as he rushed through the.
bushes, ratified agin bis skull like shelled corn.
n gourd.
"AlI at wuns' something keen hit me in the.
eft eye, but it got mighty dark Of a sudden on
hat side of my head.
u 'spose he run about four miles, when he
fainte d. and got of, and after rested, tied
ii four Of his legs together before the 'inf1u>
nee left him. The blood was running down
he left side of my face, snd shut my other,
ye, and d-n me if didn't zee nothing.
vent back to the trail we had run, when seed
bush move, stopped stock still-was'nt the
ther eye on it!
Here he paused and took smother Quid.
Gentlemen he resumed, its fact and no
Mistake, if it warn't my left eye hanging on
ush and winking at me-
Every body was silent -surprise was too
eep for utterance, when one of the party.
rawing flask from his pocket, haAded it 10
he man with request that he would wash the
tory down. fr ...
He smeltit to be sure that it was whisky, and
boxing round at the party, said, Gentlemen,
ere's to abolitionist and temperance lecturers
lay they have an everlasting .itchin' without
he privilege of 'scratchin.' And calling his dog
ade Us good BY and left.-M. Louis Rep