The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1870-07-05
COLONEL HAWKINS.
A Famous Ohemian Oh n Famous
KentUckian.

"Did YOU ever hear of Tom Hawkins 2
said man of politics to me yesterday;
"Tom Hawkins is the greatest duelist in
Kentucky. He is now Governor Steven.
sons tobacco inspector at Louisyille-a
handsome man, with black moustache,
and large, glaring black eyes, which eel
dom or never wink, but look out like a
tigers, with silent ferocity. He is, per
haps, fifty years of age now, hut still
one of the hest shots in Kentucky, and
+he has fixed up more quarrels, and been
a second on more fields, than any man
alive.
"psrsonally, lie is gentle, truthful,
faithful fellow, but he is deadly when he
has made up his mind to cat 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
advise anybody to fight whom he thinks
has been injured. His last appearance
in proximity to the field of HONOR was
occasioned by a mootod duel between
two Cincinnati editors, which never came
to shot. People who know him, send
for Tom in case of a duel, just as you
send for physician and the preacher
when you are sick: He was wounded at
Buena Vista, aud was with Henderson,
Crittenden, Lopez and the rest when they
invaded Cuba. During the war he was
on Breckinridgc's staff, and the affairs of
private blood in which he has been en-
gagged are innumerable. For instance,
he was Ben Johnson's second when he
killed Tom White. Did you ever hear
of that?
"No! Oh! 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 aw
fully. The papers raised bowling row
about that duel. Tom White and Ben
johnson had fuss over cards, both
pretty full, and a challenge passed. The
women and families on both sides took
a big interest in it, and Ben's mother
nodded the balls with her 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 rheumatism, and they had to set
him up and hand him his gun. They
fought with shot guns loaded with ball.
There was old man White, haggling in
the field about points of order, the terms
of apology, ct ceteree, ct ceteri, when
pop went the guns, and his son laid
dead at the old mans feet, with hole
right through his forehead. They say
it was dreadful to hear him 90 on.
don't know what became of Ben John
SOP.
"Oh! yes, bless your soul! Tom
Hawkins scared John Pope most deed
once. They were at old Gen. Woors
table, when Pope impugned the courage
i;of Gen. -, 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 gene
ralship of Alexander the Great. Cut
ting's second was old President Mon
roe's son, of the regular army, and Tom
turned him inside out. He put him or
the defensive, thundered at him, and go'
John Breckenridge off with the honors.
"Tom Hawkins is a terrible fellow. i
he looks at you with his wide open eye
full of ferocity, you are half gone NJ
Ealready. When they tried Henderson
1 in New Orleans, and Judah Benjamin
was employed by the Spanish Govern
ment to assist in the prosecution, Tom
whose trial was to follow, saw what &
terrible tongue Benjamin had, and he
followed him out of the court room anG
said:
"Look here, Mr. Jew, want 10 tel
|you something. If,when my. trial comes
off, you say one word against my char
acter, I'll kill you in your tracks
"Benjamin saw those big eyes ready
to jump out of Toms head, and he
said:
i "'Mr. Hawkins, / shall not want te
have any difficulty with you, SIR
"They did not convict Henderson ,and
Tom never came to trial.
II reckon you never heard of Ton
Hawkins connection with the Fitch ant
Stephen A. Douglas trial, did you
That has never been published, to my
knowledge, but it was a remarkable epi
sode in the preface to the rebellion. Yor
see it was coming on toward the politica
convention of 1860, and Douglas had al
the strength, so that it was hard on to ;
certainty thai he would be nominated
and crowdsout the Buchanan party.
j 81 got sure information of the nightly
caucuses of Slidcll, Jesse d. Bright
Howell Cobb, Benjamin, and that factor
in Washington-for they met Cobb's
house chiefly; and one day it came tc
me straight as a wire that they had de
termincd to force Douglas into fight
and that it had been proposed that Sli
dell should insult Douglas in the drink
ling saloon of the Senate, and, if he re
sented to shoot him down. wrote t(
Douglas at once, but knowing his habit:
so well, of leaving letters unopened fol
days and weeks together, / sent the let
ter to friend, and commanded HIM tt
make Douglas open it, and peruse it,tha
he might be prepared. And in that let
ter l said. If you are pushed to the
wall, telegraph for Tom Hawkins, o
Louisville
! "Well, l came on from the South sOol
after that, and went up with Georg
Pugh to see Douglas. There We foun(
nobody to pay much attention to US
Douglas seemed absorbed with some
thing else,and looking out of his library
across the.hall, i saw Roger A Pryor ant
Albert G. Brown, of Mississippi, steI
into another room.s l asked no ques
tions, but came away, and soon after
ward started for New York. When
got to the Relay House there was abou
three minutes delay, ,as the Western trai
had just come in, and saw get out OF !
and step toward the Washington train
who but Tom Hawkins 2
"'Tom! cried, what are you dom
here?'
"'What are you doing away lrol
! Washington said Tom.
| "'Going to New York
j asNcw York. what? Do YOU get n