The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-11-19
TENNESSEE'S PARTNER.
4 Story of California Life.

4 Story of California Life.
| do not think that we ever kney
his real name. Our ignorance of
never gave US any social inconveni
ence, for at Sandy Bar in 1854 mos
nien were christened anew. Some
times these appellatives were derived
from some distinctiveness of dress
as in the case of "Dungaree Jack,
from some popularity of habit, a.
shown in "Saleratus BilI,' so called
from an undue proportion of tha
chemical in his daily bread; or from
some infellcitous slip, as exhibited
in ''IrOn Pirate,' q mild, inoffensivs
man, who earned that baleful title by
his unfortunate mispronunciation oi
the term "iron pyrites." Perhaps
this may have been the beginning OF
a rude heraldry; but l am constrain
ed to think that ii was because 9
mans real name, in that day, rested
solely upon his own unsupported
statement.
But to return to Tennessee's Part
ner, whom we never knew by any
other name than this relative title
That he had ever existed as a sepa.
rate and distinct individuality we
only learned later. 1t seems that in
1858 he left Poker Flat to go to San
Francisco, ostensibly to procure a
wife. He never got any further than
Stockton. At that place he was at
tracted by young person who wait
ed upon The table. One morning he
said something to her which caused
her to smile not unkindly, and to
coquettishly break plate
of toast over his upturaed, serious,
simple face, and to retreat to the
kitchen. He followed her, and
emerged "a few moments later,
cred with more toast than victory
That day week they were married
by Justice of the Peace, and re-
turned to Poker Flat. am aware
that something more might be made
of this episode, but l prefer to tell it
as it was current at Sandy BARN
the gulches and bar-rooms-where
all sentiment was modified by a strong
sense CT humor.
OF their married felicity but little
is known, perhaps for the reason that
Tennessee. then living with his
Partner, one day took occasion to
say something to the bride on his
own account, at which, it is said, she
smiled not unkindly and chastely
retreated-this time as far as Marys
vile, where Tennessee followed her,
and where they went to housekeeping
without the aid of a Justice of the
Peace. Tennessee's Partner took the
loss of his wife simply and seriously,
as was his custom. But to every
body's surprise, when Tennessee one
day returned from Marysville, with
out his Partners wife-she having
smiled and retreated with somebody
else-Tennesee's Partner was the
first man to shake his haud and greet
him with affection. The boys, who
had gathered in the canon to see the
shooting, were naturally indignant.
Their indignation might have found
vent in sarcasm, but for certain
look IN Tennessee's Partners eye
that indicated lack of humorous
appreciation. In fact, he was grave
man, with a steady application to
practical detail which was unpleasant
in a difficulty.
Meanwhile popular feeling
against Tennessee had grown up on
the Bar. He was known TO be q
gambler-he was suspected to be a
thief. In these suspicious Tennes-
sees Partner was equally compro-
missed his continued intimacy with
Tennessee after the affair above
quoted could only be accounted for
on the hypothesis OF copartnership
of crime. At last Tennessee's guilt
become fragrant. One day he over
took q stranger on his way to Red
Dog. The stranger afterwards re-
lated that Tennessee beguiled the
time with interesting anecdote and
reminiscence, but illogically conclud-
ed the interview IN the following
words: "And now, young man, I'll
trouble you for your knife, your pis-
tolls, and your money. You see
your weapons might get you into
trouble in Red Dog, and your mon
ey's temptation to the evilly dis
posed. Think you said your address
was San Francisco. shall endeavor
to call.' 1t may be stated here that
Tennessee hid a fine flow of humor,
which no business preoccupation
could wholly subdue.
This exploit was his last. Red
Dog and Sandy Bar made common
cause against the highwayman. Ten
nessee was hunted in very much the
same fashion as his prototype-the
grizzly. AS the tolls closed around
him, he made q desperate dash thro'
the Bar, emptying his revolver at the
crowd before the Arcade Saloon, and
so on up Grizzly Canon but at its
further extremity he was stopped by
a small man, on gray horse. The
men looked at each other in silence.
Both were fearless both self-pos
sessed and independent; and both
types of civilization which in the
seventeenth century would have been
called heroic, but in the nineteenth,
simply RECKLESS" "What have you
got there ?-I CALL" said Tennessee,
quietly. "Two bowers and an ace,'
said the stranger, as quietly, showing
two revolvers and q boWie-knife.-