Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1855-06-29
J. N. JoHNsToN--A Sketch,

]. n. J0HNsT0N--A Sketch.
sLlves Of great men all remind us.
That ws may make our lives sublime.
And. departing, leave behind Us,
Footprints on The sands OF umos
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing DER LIES solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwreeked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again"
The lawyers Of the present day who
coin money by remaining at home,
know but little Of the labors Of their
predecessors. To be lawyer, third
Of q century ago, was to possess more
than good moral character, and to
practice lao in those days, was more
than to sit with feet higher than the
head and with cigar in the mouth.
wait for a "case." When M'Kin-
ney and Noble and Rariden aud Test
were in their prime, they travel
ed q circuit that extended from
Madison, north. all the way up,
as far "as human feet had trod the
SOIL" or ut least so far that it was
quit task to 60 around it. These
were then greater in extent than the
circuits of the Methodist preachers of
those days, but differed in having to be
travelled only twice a year instead
Of once q month.
Many are the incidents Of travel these
men have related TO their youthful
associates; and the lover Of romance
could hardly be better entertained
than. to get the survivors in a sso-
ry telling humor, and get them out
on one Of their rides to court. We
have he ard Judge Test at il occasion
ally. We wish we could provoke him
towrite out some Of his adventures Of
those days, for publication. Nothing
but his well known veracity could
make some Of them credible.
In one Of the visits to a northern
court. at New Castle, probably,
then n nsp castle. truly, if there
was anything there that would answer
to that name.-Gen. Noble, fell in
with Chas. II. Test, who had but re-
Gently ventured to leave Brookville,
the head quarters Of great men, for a
location at Nashville: and with James
Rariden, who had emigrated from the
same point to Centreville. In their
return they stopped for the night at
the cabin Of q hunter from Kentucky,
by the name Of Johnston, who had
been expelled from the land Of Boone.
by the ruthless settlers who encroach-
ed upon his hunting ground. He had,
en- route for Henry County, tried our
Wolf Creek country, but it was too
thickly settled.
Those who remember Gen. Noble
remember that he always had kind
word for boys, and that aboy Of prom
Use seldom escaped his notice. That
evening he noticed n ilaxen headed
lad, some IS years old. trying to read,
by FIRE light. borrowed volume Of
Goldsmith's Rome. II was, to his
practical eye. a mark Of worth. Be-
ing then Senator in Congress, and
wishing to educate his own sons with
out having to engage in any manual
labor. he proposed to Milton to 60
homo with him and go to school, wa
tering horses. cutting WOOD, and doing
chores in general, night and morn
ing. The matter. was duly laid before
the parents. and the pros and cons
discussed. and it was finally concluded
that the young man should follow on,
in few weeks, and try his luck at
school in Brookville. then the empori-
um Of talent and learning for Indiana.
Asst Is some time till the election.
We need not hurry through our
sketch. but we may tarry by the way
occasionally. to moralize. and refresh
the memory Of some Of our older in
habitants on events long gone. and to
teach the rising generation how some
Of US older folks had to struggle with
difficulties.
As nigh. he expected. son that
was to leave the cabin of q hunter to
be one of the family Of a Senator and
. General. would be fixed up. in the
best style that the means Of the family
could afford. 1t was thus with our
hero. The two weeks that had elaps-
ed since the visit Of General Noble had
been spent mostly in preparing his
outfit. But when prepared. though
it was the offering Of parental aiIec.
ton. and not inferior to the best Of the
neighborhood. it would contrast oddly
with the outfit that boys now claim
when starting from home. 1t was, we
presume, from what we have heard.
mostly Of fabrics made at home. neat
and clean. but not expensive. There
are those who remember the rustic ap.
pearance Of the Student" as he made
his first entrance into the ACADEMY
A true picture Of him at that time
would not be materially different from
the picture of the young Horace Gree
ly as given in his life. We need moi
attempt to describe it. The curious