Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1860-04-19
Bunaora(us Aeabntg.
From the New Orleans Delta
COL. HAWKINS AND THEcoURP.

From the New Orleans Delta
COL. HAWKINS AND THEcoURP.
BIZ THE AUTHOR OF 'sIMoN suGGs.'
Some years ago I knew an individual
osesobriquetw was Col. Hawkins, who was
the most perfect specimen of the daredevil,
frontier man shat ever saw, at least in
Alabama. His real name was Jim Fielder
4-to which bis neighbors frequently. added
stheAexpressiye prefix Devil And he
was Devil, fearing neither God, man nor
beast, and if not invulnerable, possessing at
least q tenacity for life that was most aston
ishing. He had been once struck down
with a broad.axe and his brain absolutely
cloyen 10 a considerable depth; and for sew
:eral inches in length J; yet he made no par
ssicular difficulty of surviving, and that, too,
with all his faculties uninjured. - ;
The Colonel being what, in bis region
and times, was called a cow-driver, had
cultivated the art Of equitation, until he
and his fayorite bay-whom he named
sHeR--became perfect centaur. No feat
was difficult for them. I have myself
seenthem do things which would make the
gallant Col, Nays blood run cold. He'll
was the most perfectly trained animal
ever saw followed his master like dog,
and when the Colonel got drunk and lay
in the. road, .Ronld stand by him and guard
him for hours. 80
tCol. Hawkins used to be very fond OF
attending the Circuit Court of his county,
atwhich, after a time, he became an in
nuisance. The Sherifs were al
ways afraid Of him; the tavern keepers
dreaded him; and the Judges never could
get hold of him. i'm one of his mad freaks,
Il have seen himshile court was in session,
mounted on sHell,' charge up the steps and
into, one door of the Court House, dash
sfuriously along the aisle, and with tre-
amendous leap, clear the steps, out of the
other. -. w. =
- T. remember we'll the first session at
which lever saw him. Court was held,
temporarily, in two.story wooden building;
=. one snd of which rested on the ground, the
7othe; (the front,) being on brick work, or
blocks, two or three feet high. A Judge
was presiding whose distinguishing trait
vas 3 tyrannical petulance-a judicial wasp
whose sting Basever protrudiug. His Hon
sor, however, met his match in Col. Haw-
'kins,' and, no doubt thinks of him to this
day with emotions of horror.
s7e For the first day or two of the court week,
our hero being rather sober, behaved re.
ssmarkably well, but about the middle of the
week he got on regular frolc, and i'm
mediately turned his attention to the dis
Eturbance Of the court. For this purpose,
he had prepared a number of loaves of
bread, and collecting all the scraps Of the
kitchen of his tavern, be proceeded to fort
himselfNnder the court house. His citadel
was impregnable on one side, by reason of
the house having one end on the ground !;
and all the other approaches the Colonel
,Sindustriously fortified by building walls Of
large loose rocks, leaving only a single en-
trance and few PORTFOLIOS through which
ahe might cast his missiles at any adventur-
sous beseiger. 7aH' ~
Here it must be remarked, that the town
was particularly populous in the dog aoay-
if that be not solecism-and Jim being
awa,e of the fact, had provided himself
with a hunting horn, an instrument on
which he was a most capital Performer
There were in the village, at the time, |
think three full packs Of hounds; and as
: tothe ours, though never took their CEN
sus, certify they were multitudinous.
Prepared now, at all points, the Colonel
took his place within the fort and waited
until sound Of busting from above indi-
Gated that the court was transacting bust
ness, sThen, toot; toot, too-toot, toot
toot! went his horn.
Three several and distinct simultaneous
howls, from different quarters of the town,
responded to the blast!
Toot! toot ! to too ! toot ! too toott
= Again three dire howls responded; but
this time they seemed converging to COM
mon, centre-Jim's subterranean fortifca-
ton. So.
my God, Mr.. Sheriff, said the little tt
ger on the bench, swhat is all that blowing
and bowling about
r Il s'pose, replied the Sheriff, with a wild
look, for he knew the Tartar he had to deal
with, Il s'pose it's company of hunters
going out after deer
.sWap-the Judge invariably sounded
the in peU short-sWal, my God do
the hunters of this country hunt on the pub
hcsquaree'.
Toot! toot! toot to hoo to.to-to.to-hoot
: went Jim's horn again; and the hounds,
:: with a multitude of their half-brethren sof
low degree having by this time assembled
under the house, sent up long, loud, and
most deafening reponse. Jim then gave
them all some bread and meatscraps in,
token of his approval. He then blew San
other blast and again fifty or sixty canine
throats belched forth the most hideous
sounds s.
my God! Mr. Sheriff, fine you ten
dollars, said the irritated Judge-'Go and
stop that noise.
The Sheriff went down and having ascer-
tanned the strength of the ColonePs posi-
ton, endeavored to coax him out
sCome out, Jim, old fellow, and I'll
stand treat; 1 will by George!
'Toot! 8otv was the reply; and then
the howl from the dogs who began to 'let
themselves out