Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1861-09-06
misfortune to tt be an unwilling eyewitness


The Legislature of Arkansas held ses-
sion shortly after the organization of the
State Government. Everything, of course,
was in condition of half-chaotic trans
ton. The "loaves and fishes" of office
had not yet been fully divided, and mono
, poly was knocking noisily at the door Ct
the "public crib" clamorous to be admit
ted. Intense was the fury of partizans
within the House, and as fierce the excite
ment raging in the community without
The members mostly went to their places
, armed to the teeth, and, besides the choice
weapons, worn in their bosoms, or protru-
ding from their pockets, each kept an am
1ple supply of revolving pistols in his wri-
ting desk before him
Every evening after adjournment, there
was a general firing off aud reloadlng, in
order to have their stools" of death in
prime condition for the emergencies of the
morrow l was frequently startled from
sleep at the hour of midnight, by the roar
of incessant explosions heard at different
points in the city. Many legislators also
during the day would be out practicing to
learn the difficult art of cutting tape
string at ten PAGES, or driving the centre
out of silver quarter, at twelve. They
used as their pistol gallery little grove of
pine trees, Immediately on she south bank
of the Arkansas river, and not more than
fifty yards from the State House, where ev-
cry report was fearfully audible, and ad-
monished certain Independent members of
the doom they might expect, provided their
votes were not cast In favor of the banks! !!
The Deringer pissol and bowie knife gov
erned. Power resided in gunpowder, and
popularity hovered around the naked points
Of daggers.
Among the most agitating measures,
calling into exercise the wisdom of the
) Western sdges, was the institution of the
Real Estate Bank. Its establishment was
strongly and and steadily, but Intellectual
tly opposed by a slender minority. All the
wealthiest men in the State, all the leading
; Legislators took shares of its capital stock
and John Wilson, Speaker of the lower
: House, was elected President AS this
! person was one of the chief actors in the
l tragedy soon to be recorded, brief desig.
: nation of his appearance and character be-
comes necessary.
D Every public man in the backwoods has
J a sobriguet, bestowed on account of some
r real or fancied popularity, by the whimsi-
d cal humors of his constituents, Speaker
S Wilton was called "Horse Ears" from his
. possessing an accident never before heard
5 of in the natural history of the Species
3 When excited by any violent emotion, his
= ears worked up and down fexibly, like
those of horse. A man of ordinary looks,
= nothing in his features or countenance de-
noted the desperate, save strange, wild,
twinkling expressisn of his infantile grey
5 eyes, always in motion, with cold, keen
: glances, as if watching out for some secret
y enemy. He had fought half-a-dozen duels
/ with uniform success, and had been enga-
e ged in several more of. hand affrays, in none
Y of which he had received even the honor
= of scar Hence, as may we'll be suppos-
d ed, his prowess inspired almost universal
: fear; and few were the dead shots to be
e found in Arkansas who would voluntarily
seek quarrel with ''old Horse Ears. y
n As to the rest, he was the owner of large
e cotton farm, rich and influential, honest,
= liberal, and courteous in his manners ex-
= ceedingly amiable in his domestic relations,
d beloved by his family and adored by his
e slaves. Such are often the Inconsistencies
o of human nature, which seems utterly in
j. capable of producing unalloyed types OF
# either good or evil--angels or devils
II During the session, previously specified,
- there was member of the lower House
by the name of Abel Anthony, in no way
a remarkable except for his opposition to the
e banks and his sly, quiet wit, addicted tc
1t practical jokes. In the parlance of from.
st tier technics, he belonged to the category
IF of "peaceable men," having never in al
d his life before had a mortal rencounter,-
J. He was even deemed coward, for he haC
h been known to pocket open insults with
5, out SO much as showing sign of resent
l. ment.
es (ne day the bill to provide for the mor'
n, effectual rewarding of wolfe-slayers demo
n, minated, in short, "the wolf-scalp bill,
" came up for discussion. This had been
- standing reform measure from the earlies
r settlement of Arkansas, and will probabl,
he continue to be so long as the Ozark noun
nc tains shall rear their black, bristling crest
hit in the western division of the State, or tn
y, Mississippi swamps shall occupy so large al
ne area in the east Accordingly, wheneye
d, the wof-scalp bill is taken up, a tremend
he Gus debate ensues. The contest then i
he no longer between the ans and outs of pow
err er. Wings and Democrats alike overlea
,s, the iron lines of party demarkation, an
he begin general massacre of chance medley
IS 1t is battle-war to the knife, and tn
of knife to the handle-of every member a
he against every other tho object being, a
en- to who shall wage the most annihlatin
statutes against their common foes, tn
e- wolves, because that is the great pivot
Its question on which hinges the populart
lr- of each and all.
NJ The present occasion was the more {
n rousing, as there had happened lately
ke laughable, but most annoying instance
lie, fraud of the previous territorial law.
re- seems that cunning Yankee, fresh fro,
ale the land growing ''wooden nutmegs, ha
IA conceived a notable scheme of rearin