The Portland daily press., 1870-06-04

The Tennessee's Partner.
A CALIFORNIA STORY.

rave us ANY SOCldl Inconvenience, lOi az A'aih
DIV Bar in 1854 most men were christened
anew. Sometimes these appeatives were de-
rived from some dstinctiveness in dress, as in
the case of "Dunaoree jack" or from some
peculiarity of habit, as shown in .'Saeratus
Bill" so called from an undue proportion of
that chemical in his daily bread; or from some
inieiicilous slip, as exhibited in "The Iron
Pirate" mild, inofensiye man, who earned
that baletul title by his INSTRUMENTATION of
the term iron pyrites." Perhaps this may
nave been the beginning of rude heraldiy;
put am constrained to think that it was DC
cause man S real name, in that day, Iesteu
solely upon his own unsupported sIaIeilien'
," Call Yourself Clifford, do you?" saio Doslon'
addrS ssing a tImid newcomer VIII i -.
scorn: Hell is full of such Cllnofds. ne
then introduced the unfortunate man, whose
name happene to be really CnDord' as Jay
bird Charey,"-an unhalowed inspiration OF
the moment that chung to him ever after.
Bur TO return to The Tennessee's Partner
whom we never knew by any other than this
relative title; that be had ever existed as
separate and distinct individuality we only
learned later: 1t seems that in 1853 he left
Poker Flat to go to San Francisco, ostensibly
to procure wife. He never got any farther
than Stockton. At that place he was attl ac,-
ed by young person who waited upon the
table at the hotel where he took his meals.
One morning he said something to her which
caused her to smile not unkndIy to somewhat
coquettishly break a plate of toast over his up
turned, serious, simple face, and to retreat to
the kitchen. He followed her, and emerged
few minutes later, covered with more toast
and victory. That day week they were mar
Iied by justice of the peace, and returned to
Poker Flat. l am aware that something more
might be made oil this episode, but prefer to
tell it as it was current at Sandy BARN the
gulches and bar-rooms,-where all sentiment
was modified by strong sense of 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 bis own ac-
count, at which, it is said, she smiled not IN
kindly and chastely relreated,- time as
tar as Marysville, where Tennessee followed
her, and where they went to housekeeping
without the aid of justice Of the peace. Ten
nessee's Partner took the loss of his vile SIM
ply and seriously, as was his fashion. But to
everybody's surprise, when Tennessee one day
returned from Marysvllle, without his Part
ner's wife-she having smiled and retreaed
with SOMEBODY else-Tennessees Partner was
the fin st man to shake his hand and greet him
with affection. The boys, who had gathered in
the canyon to see the shooting were naturally
indignant. Their indignation may have found
vent in sarcasm, but for certain look in Ten
nessee's Partners eye that indicated lack of
humorous appreciation. In fact, he was grave
man, with steady application to practical
detail which was unpleasant in difficulty.
Meanwhile popular feeling against Ten
nessee had grown up on the Bar. He was
known to be gambler-He was suspected to
be thief. In these suspicious Iennessee's
Partner was equally compromised; his cor tin
ued intimacy with Tennessee after the affair
above quoted could only be accounted for on
the hypothesis OF copartnership of crime At
last rennessees guilt became fragrant One
day he overlook stranger on his way TO Red
Dog. The stranger afterWard related that Ten
nessee beguiled the time with interesting an
ccdoie and "reminiscences, but illogically con
cluded the interview in the following words 4:
And now, young man, LII trouble YOU for
your knife, your pistols, and your money You
see your weppngs might get you into trouble
in Red Dog, and your moneys a temptation to
the evilly disposed. | think you said your adj
dress was San Francisco. shall endeavor to
CALL" 1t may be stated here that Tennessee
had fine flow OF humor, which no business
precaution could wholly subdue.
This exploit was his last. Red DOG and
Sandy Bar made common cause against the
highwayman. Tennessee was hunted i'm very
much the same fashion as his prototype-tbe
grizzly. As the tolls closed round him. he
made desperate dash through the bar, emp
tying his revolver at the crowd before the Are
tic saloon, and so on up Grizzly canyon; but
at its further extremity be was stopped by a
small man on a gray horse. The men looked
at each other moment in silence. Both were
fearless; both self possess ed and independ-
ent; and both types of civilization that in
the seventeenth century would have been
called heroic, in the nineteenth, simply ''reck-
less" What have you GOT there CALI
said Tennessee, quietly. 1.-Two bowers and
an ace" said the stranger, as quietly showing
two revolvers and bowie knife. "That takes
me-" returned Tennessee; and, with this
gamblers epiSram, he threw away his useless
pistol, and rode back with his captor.
1t was warm night. The cool breeze
which usually sprung up with the going down
OF the sun behind the chapparral- crested
mountain was that evening withheld from
Sandy Bar. The little CANYON was sitting
with heated, resinous odors, and the decay
ing driIt-wood on the Bar sent forth faint,
sickeninS exhalations. The feverishness OF
day and its fierce passions, still filled the camp.
Lights moved restiessly along the bank OF
the river, striking no answering reflection
from its tawny current. Against the black
ness OF the pines the windows of the old loft
above the express office, stood out glarineIy
bright; and through the curtainless panes the
lounSers below could see the forms of those
who were even then deciding the fate of Ten
nessee. And above all this, etched on the
dark armament, rose the Sierra, remote and
passioness, crowned with remoter, passionless
stars.
The trial Of Tennessee was conducted as
lily as was consistent with a judge and jury
wno ielt themselves TO some extent obliged TO
justify, in their verdict, the previous irregu-
lariies of arrest and indictment. The law of
Sandy Bar was implacabe, but not yeneetul.
The excitement and personal feeling of the
chase were over; with Tennessee safe in
their hands, they were ready to listen patient
ly to any defence which they were already
satisfied was insufficient. There being no
doubt in their own minds. they were willing
to give the prisoner the benefit of any that
might exist. Secure in the hypothesis that
he ought. to be hanged, on general principles.
they INDUCED him with more latitude OF de-
fence than his reckless hardihood seemed to
ask. The judge seemed to be more anxious
than his prisoner, who, otherwise unconcern-
ed, evidently took grim pleasure in the re-
sponsibility he had created. 81 don't take
any hand in this yere game" had been his in
variable, but good-humOred reply to all ques-
tions. The judge, who was also his captor,
for moment vaguely regretted that he mad
not shot him ION sight" that morniaS, b 1t
presently dismissed this human weakness as
unworthy the judicial mind. Nevertheless
when there n top ct the do-f, and 1t was
saIu tnat Tennessees partner was there on
behalf OF the prisoner, he was admitted at
once without question. Perhaps the Younger
members of the jury, to whom the proceed
lngs were becoming irlsomely thoughtful,
hailed him as a relief
For he was not, certainly, an imposing fic-
ure. Short and stout, with a square face. sen-
burned into preternatural redness, clad in a
loose duck ''iumper' and trowsers streaked
and splashed with red soil, his aspect under
any circumstances would have been quaint
and was now even ridiculous. As he stopped
to deposit at his feet a heavy carpet-bag he
was carrying, it became obvious, from par
italy developed legends and inscriptions, that
the material with which his trOwsers had
been patched had been originally intended for
a less ambitious covering. Yet he advanced
with great gravity and, after having shaken
the hand of each person in the room with ia
bored cordially, he wiped his serious, per-
picked face on a red bandana handkerchief, a
shade lighter than ba complexion, Land his
Dora,G.ii.auu on The table to steady himself.
and thus addressed the judge:
-, -. was passln' by," he began, by way of
s apoi h an thought I'd just step in and
see INV tnllss Was gettin' on with Tennes-
Sco euar-my Partner. lisa hot Dioht. 7
dlsfemember any SIGH weather before On tbo
bar" '0'''e on inc
He paused moment, but nobody volno
teering any other METEOROLOGICAL redac,; Iu,I Io
again had recourse to his pocket bandsa
and for some moments mopped his f,cn dill
gently. N'''
Have you anything TO say in behalf of The
prsoner?" said the judge, finally.
That's it" said Tennessee's Partner, in
tone of relief. II come yer as Tennessee's
Notwithstanding him on four wear off and