The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-04-14
Tie Refugee XIBert pike.

ioStcr Nou hTksHsaS gives tue ioiioW
ing interesting sketch Of one OF the most re-
markable men who have lived in the South
west: He is now refugee in the noun
tains Of Southern Arkansas, and is said I,
be occupying his leisure time in the com
position. Of two works one on the "A,t o
War" and another on "Civil Government, y
which, it Is said, he proposes to publish
| Soldiers who saw him in the battle o.
Pea Ridge, where he led the Cherokee In.
dians. whom he had seduced from their al
legiance to the Government Of the United
States, describe him as q noble looking
white haired man, Of very imposing ap-
pearance. Citizens here tell me that he
proved an utter failure as . military leader,
and his friends here did not deny that be
ran like coward before the veterans oi
Curtis and Sigel on that bloody day.
General CAN'T said that Pike was a man
Of extraordinary genius-that lie had seen
him, during . term Of Court, meet his broth.
er lawyers for an evening carousal, drink
witt, them until the stoutest was s'laid out"
under the table. and then seat himself, and,
in the midst Of their singing and roaring,
draw up most intricate bill in chancery
without an erasure or iuterineation. He
would do the same thing in Court, appar.
emily undisturbed by the noise of trial in
progress; but, With all his genius and Won.
derful versatility of talent, he was utterly
wayward and dissolute in his habits, and
had spent half . dozen fortunes in reckless
and prodigal excesses. I was told by citi
zens that General Pike had pocketed hun.
dred thousand dollars, the fees Of single
law suit. His wife, who is now here, occu.
pying part of their old residence, has long
since retired from society and Is. as have
been told by a lady who resides in the city,
tale insane-a mild maniac who "wanders
in her talk whenever the conversation trrns
upon "Albert," as she still fondly calls him.
To friend Of her husband, who called
upon her few days since, anxious to aid
her, she insisted that General Steele had
promised the day before to send her to her
husband. "No," said the gentleman. "Gen-
eral Steele will permit you to 90 to your
husband, but he has not the transportation
that he can spare to send you" "But the
General promised to send me-" she insist
ed, and could not seem to understand the
distinction. "Oh! WE'LL" she finally SAID,
"Albert will come back if they let him pub.
lish his book, which abuses both sides,
but sides with neither" All this interes-
ted me deeply, and my imagination ran
backward over the path Of life whose
heart SORROWS made up one of those tragic
histories which God alone has read. re.
call my school-boy enthusiasts for the
poet who wrote the "Hymns to the Gods"
while student at college, and which had
been pronounced by an eminent scholar to
be one of the most remarkable literary Gre
ations, considering the age of the writer,
this country has produced. a
Once young, highly educated, graced with
personal accomplishments which entitled
him to be called the ''handsonest man in
the Southwest" his magic touch had swept
the Tyre Of the Gods, compelling busy,
dim resounding nation to stop and listen in
enraptured silence. Now, an exile from
his home, traitor to his country, the pusl.
aninious leader of red. handed savages
lagainst the valent defenders of the Union
and the old flag, and, to cap the climax Of
his infinite disgrace, deserting the savage
victims Of his own s,lvertongued, satanic
eloquence, and running like coward in
the day Of battle! 7 H 80
a 30 failenl 20 lost the light withdraw
/, Which once he wore;
The glory from his gray hairs gone
Torsvermore!"