Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1870-08-20
NEW PROVIDENCE.

Our country's hope are dead.
NEW PROVIDENCE.
Mr.. CHRONICLE:-Some days since,
In company with Watts, Davie, How
ell, Anderson, Parker, Barbee, Ira
hern, Mcdaniel, Osburn, Morrison,
and Others, we, the undersigned, de-
termined upon visiting the classic
shader of Dunbar's Cave, to discover
and explore the pit into which Syl-
vester threw Claiborne. After pre-
pairing ourselves with the essentials
that prevent accidents-ice, sugar,
mint, &C., &c.-we started for the
scene of active operations, and to do
or die was our motto. On the way
the buggy that held the diminutive,
but elegant, figure of Graham, and
the mastodonical and corpulent pro
portions of Barbee, became demoral.
lied, and the horse could not induce
it to keep up with us; In consequence
we were compelled to wait In the
bridge across Red river the 6uggy's
pleasure. After while they hove In
sight, we then counted noses, and we
then went on our way rejoicing that
the lost were found. The Cave, in all
its natural sublimity, was soon before
us. At the entrance some of the
lovers of Terpsichoie's art had level
ed the ground and plentifully be-
sprinkled 1t with saw-dust, where, II
we were young again, we would like
to trip our small No. ii to the stirring
strains of fiddle. Here we fortified
the inner man against contingent
dampness by drinking plentifully of
the pure pellucid water that bursts
from twenty bubbling mouths below
the cave; and, my dear Chronicle,
we did not adulterate that water but
a "rery leetle." We then elected
Osburn Captain. He marshalled his
valiant host to make an onslaught
on the darkness, and as you know
discretion is the better part of valor,
I determined to take the place next
to the rear, as there possibly might
be lurking about some recess or corn
er in that cavernous depth the unsat-
isfied spirit of Claiborne himself l
am, and was always strictly In favor
ofhygeian principles, to guard against
congestion of the stomach by the
foulness Of the air within, had man
aged to slip in my breast pocket a
pint of Bourbon carminitive. The
crowd afterwards said stole it, but l
repelled their inuendoes with virtu-
Gus indignation. In this battle ar
ray we charged that Erebus-like dark
ness as gallantly as ever any drilled
troops did an organized field of null
len stalks. We passed with perfect
impunity and safety, what Is known
as the wheel-barrow track-that Is,
all got through safe but me. There
one, especially II he be long, has to
do an abundance ofstooping, and as !
felt little feverish about my diges-
ton, touched my flask to my lips
and Mcdaniel, who was behind me,
and can see I'm the dark as well rs In
the light, caught me by the foot, and
bawled like young calf: "What is
that you have there? Boys he Is
playing off on us;" and before I
could slip the thing in my pocket tho
last sinner of 'em had turned around,
saw 1t and took it from me, abused
me, called me pet names, and don't
you think they drank itup. grunt-
ed, said l was sick, and that 1t was
medicine to no purpose. When
they had squeezed the last drop out,
Watts handed me the bottle and
told me to rub my pain with 1t. /
was so overcome with their ingrati-
tude that / threw the thing in the
dark as far as could, and wished that
l was as big as Sylvester / would
Claiborne McD. Or-or try. Osburn
said as we We're green recruits, he
would lead us over beaten paths
carried us into what is called a ball
room, where IL was SO black that
neither gal nor boy could have seen
a ball In there had there been any, but
there had been some fun in there in
times past, judging from the signs
around. We were all commanded
forward again. We had to lie down
and make our way through very
low passage, just to show our strategy.
BY dint Of hard kicking and scratch
ing, we succeeded in getting through,
and found ourselves in place where
some fellow had written, in great big
letters, Independence Hall. I'll tell
you, Mr.. Editor, IL that is Independ-
ence Hall, Mr.. Grant ought TO hold
his Council Of State. propose that
Montgomery offer II TO him that he
may go in there and he left to his
own "sublime reticence" and his
cigar. there broke my hurt below