Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-06-18
COLONEL HAWKINS.
A Famous bohemian on n Famous
~ Kentuckfan.


The following highly seasoned sketch,
written by George Alfred Townsend, ap-
pears in the Chicago Tribune OF the llth:
did you ever hear of Tom HawkinsY
said a man of politics to me yesterday.
Tom Hawkins is the greatest duelist in
Kentucky. He is now Governor Steven
sons tobacco inspector at Louisville-a
handsome man, with black mustache
and large, glaring black eyes, which sell
dom or never wink, but look out like a
tigers, with silent ferocity. He is, per
haps, fifty years of age now, but still one
of the best shots in Kentucky, and he
has fixed up more quarrels, and been a
second on more fields, than any man
alive. Personally he is gentle, truthful,
faithful fellow, but'he is deadly when he
has made up his mind to eat somebody.
Tom is one of the best of his class, the
finished duelist of the South, always nice
upon points of honor and prompt to ad-
wise anybody to fight whom he thinks has
been injured. His last appearance in
proximity to the field of honor was oc-
casioned by mooted duel between two
Cincinnati editors, which never came to
a shot. People who know him, send for
Tom in case ofa duel, just as you send
for the physician and the preacher when
you are sick. He was wounded at Buena
Vista, and he was with Henderson, Crit
tenden, Lopez, and the rest when they
invaded Cuba. During the war he. was
on Breckinridges staff, and the affairs
of private blood in which he has been
engaged are innumerable. Forinstance,
he was Ben Johnsons second when he
killed Tom White. Did you ever hear
of that?"
tNor'
"Ohl Tom Hawkins had to leave the
State for some years after that duel. Old
man White was there when Ben shot his
son, and he went on awiully. The papers
raised bowling row about that duel
Tom White and Ben johnson had a fuss
over cards, both pretty full and a chal-
lenge passed The women and families
on both sides took q big interest in it,
and Ben mother nodded the balls with
her own hands. She was all up and
alive about it. / reckon She d shot Ben
herself if he hadn't gone to the field.
Ben was all crippled up with the rheu-
matism, and they had to set him up and
hand him his gun. They fought with
shot-guns loaded with ball. There was
old gentleman White, haggling in the
field about points of honor, the terms of
apology, etceteree etceteri, when pop
went the guns, and his son laid dead at
the old mans feet, with q hole right
through his forehead They say it was
dreadful to hear him go on. | don t
know what became of Ben Johnson.
"Oh yes, bless your soul Tom Haw-
kins scared John Pope most to death
once. They were at old General Wool S
table, when Pope impugned the courage
of General -, and Tom Hawkins just
glanced at him and opened out John
Pope had to take water.
"Tom was Breckenridge second when
the challenge passed between John and
Cutting. There Tom showed the gener-
alship of Alexander the Great Cuttings
second was old President Monroe's son,
of the regular army, and Tom turned
him inside out. He put him on the de-
fensive, thundered at him, and got John
Breckenridge off with all the honors
atom Hawkins is a terrible fellow.
If he looks at you with his wide-open
eye, full of ferocity, you are half gone
up already. When they tried Hender-
son in New Orleans, and Judah Benja-
min was employed by the Spanish gov
ernment to assist in the prosecution,
Tom, whose trial was to follow, saw what
terrible tongue Benjamin had, and he
followed him out of the courtroom and
said
"'Look here, Mr.. jew / want to tell
you something. If, when my trial comes
off, you say one word against my charac-
ter, I'll kill you in your tracks.
BENJAMIN saw these big eyes ready
to Jump out of Toms head, and he said:
az Mr.. Hawkins, shall not want to
have any difficulty with you, sir
"They did not convict Henderson, and
Tom never came to trial.
IL reckon you never heard OF Tom
Henderson's connection with the Fitch
and Stephen A. Douglas trial, did you?
That has never been published to my
knowledge; but it was a remarkable cpl
sode in the preface to the rebellion. You
see. il was coming on to the political
conventions Of 1859, and Douglas had all
the strength, SO it was hard on to a GER
tainty that he would be nominated and
crowd out the Buchanan party. got
sure information of the nightly caucuses
of Shdell, Jesse u. Bright, Howell Cobb,
BENJAMIN, and that faction in Washing
ton-for they met at Cobbs house
chiefly; and one day il came to me
straight as wire that they had deter
mined 10 force Douglas into a fight. and
that It had been proposed that Slidell
should insult Douglas in the drinking
saloon of the Senate. aud, if he resented
ii. shoot him down. | wrote to Douglas
at once, but knowing his habit so well
of leaving his letters unopened for days
and weeks together, / sent it to a friend,
and commanded him 70 make Douglas
open it and peruse il, that he might be /
prepared. Aud in that letter | said: +
fIf YOU are pushed % the wall, telegraph
for Tom Hawkins of louisville,
well, came on frsm the south sopn .
after that, and went up with George .
Pugh to see Douglas. There we found