The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-07-02
I'll sfrIlan D. .
From Brcwcrton's Book on Kansas.
An Arkansas Incioent.


There is moral courage which ac.
knowledges no position. SO bad. that n
cool head and firm heart cannot fnd an
honorable road to an cxtrcaiion, or at
least. point out course which if porsis-
ted in will in nine cases out of ten, cove
the bully and enable its posessor to come
off couqueror
We shall begin therefore with an oc.
curcncc, the scene of Which, we are
pleased to say-for it gives us an i'm.
mense amount Of lattit udc in its nara.
tion-is laid in the once almost uncivii-
zed territory Of Arakansas, and when We
say Arkansas, VIC mean the Arkausas of
the lorg Tast, as it nsed to c III those
good old times Ito quote from thorough
bred frontier men) fpisto and bowie
knife sovereignty, when every man car.
ried his own life, and not unfrcquently
the lives of few of his neighbors. in
his coat back or breast booklet, and the
regulators had funny way of hanging
unpopular individual first, and then try.
ing them afterwards
1t was therefore during Tie existence
Of this highly commendable state of
things that a certain young officer Of the
army, who had recently joined his rcgi-
ment, and whom we shall, therefore. for
convenience sake call Lieutenant New.
come. arrived at the close of very fa-
tiguing days travel in the spring, when,
as the reader may know, an Arkansas
bottomed road is happy compound of
corduroy and hog wallow' at log cabin
hotel, or to call it by its more appro-
pirate appeation doggery,' in certain
little town which shall be namelcss
Now it so happened at the time Of our
young Lieuteuant's visit FOR the dog
gerry was, Hobson's choice there being
no other place within twelve or fifteen
miles, which could furnish horse feed aud
shelter that this tavern Of bad repute
was favored by the presence Of some half
dozen border men, who to do them JUS.
tice, could hardly have been improved
upon in their very peculiar way. And
as one at least Of these worthless will
play prominent part in the characters.
tic incident which we are about to re.
late, We may as well sketch him as o
Ialr sample OF the lou.
Mr.. Jake Chowler was an ACCOMPLISH
ed, but wilhal somewhat eccentric ras.
cal. He could cheat his companion at
friedly game Of poker and shoot him
afterwards, if he had tie audacity to OBJ.
ject to the procedure with as littlo re.
morse as he would have brought down
PAINTER or drawn head upon a bear
In person he was tall. lank, fover.and.
ague-shaken specimen Of humanity. with
uncombcd towy hair, and most prodgi-
Gus beard, which looked as if it might
have been permitted ogrow from the date
OF its first appearance; lie had, moreover,
keen eyes, deeply sunked, and as rest.
less as an Indians and sharply cut fea,
lures, low, receding forehead, aud
sensual mouth. and you will have a por.
trait of one Of tho worst men who ever
made laws to suit himself, upon the Ar
kansas frontier.
As for his dress, if you be curious in
externalS. imagine coon skin cap worn
nearly upon the back of the head, a leose
tobacco stained overcoat, much tho worse
for wear, in whose side pocket the butt
oi morse pistol was distinctly visible, q
pair of mud soiled pants with riding
feathers, and buffalo oyershoes and YOU
have completed an inventory of garments
which argued quite as unfavorably for
their wearer as did tho reckless dissipa-
ted expression of the man himself In
fact, to sum up Mr. Jake Chowlor, or as
he preferred calling himself, Pine Knot
Jake, in the fewest possible words, he
was the terror of the corniry round; for
him to jumpt man up with reason
or without reason, for it mattercd litio
as to the amount of provoca'ion with
Jake, was good sport, aud to him af.
terwards the oonsummation If rather
amusing affair.
With so peace breaking disposition
It is hardly to bo wondered at, that
Pine Knot Cbowl,y' should have made