Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-02-22
TENNESSER,S PARTNER.
BY BRET HARTE.

/ do not think that we ever knew
[ his real name. Our Ignorance OF II
/ certainly never gave us any social in
/ covenience, for a Sandy Bar in 1854,
most men were christened anew
/ Sometimes these appellatives were de-
/ rived from some distinctiyeness OF
dress, as in the case of "Dungaree
I jack" or from some peculiarity of
I habit, as shown in "Salaratus Bill ~
/ so called from an undue proportion OF
[ that chemical in his daily bread /; or
from some unlucky slip, as exhibited
I in "The Iron Pirate, a mild, ihOffen-
sive man, who earned that baleful title
/ by his unfortunate misprOnunciation
of the term Iron pyrites." Pernapss
I this NAV have been the beginning OF
a rude heraldry; but am cohstIaIii- y, :
I ee to think that it was because Iilil :
real name in that day resVeu soleis
upon his own unsupported stltS S,, tL, =
! Rostuf addressing a timid newcomer
with infinite scOrn neil Is l1l OF
such CliffordsI' He then introduced
the unfortunate man, whose name
happened to be really Clifford, as Jay
bird Charley"-an unhallowed lnspl-
ration of the moment that cluhg 10
l him ever after.
Put 10 return to Tennessee's Part
uer. whom we never knew BY any
other than his relative title; that he
uad ever existed as a separate and dis.
tiuct individuality we only learned
Z later. 1t seems that in 1853 he left Po-
ker Flat to go tOSan francisco, osten-
siblv to procure a wife. He never got
any farther than Stockton. At that
place he was attracted by q young
l person who waited upon the table at
l the hotel where he took his meals
I One morning he said something to her
which caused her to smile not un-
kindly, to somewhat cOquettlshly
I break a plate of toast over his upturn-
1 ed, serious, simple face, and to retreat
/ to the kitchen. He followed her, and
| emergeda a few moments later, covered
with more toast and victory. That
day week they were married by a
/ Justice Of the Peace, and returned to
( Poker Flat. 1 am aware that some
thing more might be made OF this
/ episode, but 1 prefer to tell 1t as II was
/ current at Sandy BARN the gulehes
and bar-roOms, where all sentiment
was modified by a strong sense ol
humor. ~
/ OF their married felicity but little IS
known, perhaps for the reason that
| Tennessee, then living with his part
! ner, one day took occasion to say
something to the bride on his own ac.
count, at which, it is said, she smiled
not unkindly and chastely retreated;
this time as far as Marysville, where
I Tennessee followed her, and where
/ they went to housekeeping without
7 the aid of a Justice Of Peace. Ten
/ nessee's Partner took the loss of his
wife simply and seriously, as was his
Z fashion. But to everybOdy's surprise
when Tennessee one day returned
| from Marysville, without his partner
wife, she having smiled and retreated
with somebody else, Tennessee's Part
ner was the first man to shake his
hand and greet him with Affection
The boys who had gathered in the
canon to see the shooting were uatu'
rally indignant. Their indignation
might have found vent in sarcasm but
for a certain look in Tennessee's Part
ner's eve, that indicated lack of hu
morous appreciation. In fact, he wa'
a grave man, with a steady applica
ton to practical detail which was un
pleasant in a difficulty.
Meanwhilea a popular feeling agains
/ Tennessee had grown UP on the Bar
I He was known to be q gambler; hC
was suspected of beiHg thief II
these suspicious Tennessee's Partnel
was equally compromised his con
tinued intimacy with Tennessee aftel
the affair above quoted could only bt
accounted for on the hypothesis of s
copartnership of crime. At last Ten
nessee's guilt became hagTant. Ont
day he overlook q stranger on his way
to Red Dog. The stranger afterware
related that Tennessee beguiled the
time with interesting anecdotes enc
"reminiscences, but illOgically cOnclud
ed the interview in the following
words: "And now, young man, III
trouble YOU for q knife, your pistols
and your money. You see your wep
pings might get you into trouble a
| Red Dog, and your moneys tempta
ton to the evilly disposed. l thinl
YOU said your address was San Fran
cisco. I shall endeavor to call" 1
NAV be stated here that Tennesse
had a fine flow of humOr, which N
business preoccupatiOn could who'll.
subdue.
Il This exploit was his last. Red Do
and Sandy Bar made common caus
against the highwayman. Tennesse
. was hunted in the same fashion as hi
prototype, the grizzly. AS the toll
closed around him, he made desper
ate dash through the Bar, emptyinl
his revolver at the crowd before tn
Arcade Saloon, and on up GriZZl,
Canon; but at its farther eXtremit,
he was stopped by a small man on
gray horse. The men looked at eacl
other a moment in silence. Both wer
, fearless, both self-pOssessed and inde
, pendent and both types of a civiliZa
ton that in the seventeenth centur
, would have been called heroic, but
: in the nineteenth, simply reckless.
"What have you got there? call,
said Tennessee, quietly. Two bow
| ers and an ace, said the stranger, q
, quietly, showing two revolvers AMI
bowie-knife. "That takes me" II
turned Tennessee; and with thi
/ gamblers epigram, he threw ava
his useless pistol, and rode back wit
/ his eaptor.
r 1t was a warm night. The Coz
: breeze which usually sprang up wit
/ the going down of the sun behiEd th
r cHaperraI-crested mountain was thi
evening withheld from Sandy Bar
) The little canon was sitting wit
5 heated resinOus OdOrs, and decayin
: I a.sre ,,-ooN ~, tho Rar sent forth faiu
sickening eXhalatiOns. The feverisi
e | ness Of day, and its fierce passion
} still filled the camp. Lights move
2 restlessly along the bank OF the rive
striking no answering reflection frOl
4 its tawny current. Against the blacl
? | ness of the pines the windows OF Il
: old loft above the eXpress-Oftice stoO
= OUT staringly bright; and throug
z their curtainless panes the lounge
= below could see the forms of thoi
4 who were even then deciding the IA
= OF Tennessee. And above all thi
? etched on the dark armament, TO
|, the Sierra, remote and passiOnles
;. crowned with remOter passiOnle
o stars.
I. The trial of Tennesseewas eonduC
e ed as fairly as was consistent with
n Judge and jury who felt themselv
70 some extent obliged to justify,
10 their verdict, the previous irregular
l. ties of arrest and Indictment. ~
is law Of Sandy Bar was implacable, b
not venCeful. The excitement al
personal feeling of the chase we
over; with Tennessee safe in th'
hands they were ready to listen