Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-07-04
1.-THE OLDEN TIME.
The Men and Customs Of Former
Generation.

re ces-YOung Lawyers ina Luck.
To the Union and American
Fifty years ago atrip to New Orleans aud
back as performed in broad horns floating
the produce of the country to market, as
cending the river in keel boats bearing the
sugar, coffee, salt and other supplies in re-
turn, and took four months to make the
trjp. The merchant reached Baltimore
and Philadelphia on horseback, carrying his
silver by pack horses, and received his goods,
transferring them across thu Alleghanies in
wagons drawn by the big Esix horse teams
of that day.
MANY came from the old world to the new
in sailing ships, which required voyage of
from three to six months. Scarcely any
ever returned from the. new to the
old country. The amusemeDts Of the
day were mainly athletic sports, the
country frolics, the log rollings, the house
raisings, the meetings in the harvest fields
with the reap hooks, the guilt making in
the day and the dance and cotton picking
at night, then the country weddings with
the large infairs, interspersed with the best
of fighting and fine horse racing, and une-
qualed shooting matches and squirrel hunts
and fish fries. We then had bold peasan
try, happy and united people, the men
who bore the flag under Jackson through
the Indian wars and gave an undying lus-
tire to our country in the decisive and glo
rious battle Of New Orleans. Now how
changed the times. The commercial world
is reVolutiop;zed by the American discovery
of applying the irresistible power of
steam to machinery, giving
propelling q power u that stems the
Mississippi river and within six days brings
the Southern products from the Crescent
City to Nashville, and returns with Tenoes-
see products in less than that time. We
now mount the IRON horse whose muscles
never tire, and traverse the continent at the
rate of 40 miles an hour, faster tins than
Lexington ever made ina four mile race.
We land in New Orleans or New FORK
in 40 or so hours, We can battle upon the
shores Of the distant Pacific in less than six
avs.
By means of t telegraph we hold COM
munications with distant friends and rela-
tons, Thousand Of miles apart. We can
! speak to them across the great deep, and
within few hours receive q response.
We now have our rings, monied rings,
| bank and bond rings, credit mobilier rings,
Congressional grab rings, and corporation
rings, railroad rings, and every kind Of
rings that dispense with labor and place
the yoke upon the toiliDg millions.
These reflections upon old times have in
duced me to give short sketch of two races
| Of the Old King, saddle horse with which
! JuGge Guild rode the circuit when young
lawyer in 1926 and 1926. These
races were made and run by the
| Hon. Bailie Peyton and Judge Guild in
the fall of 1926. These young men hsd
been schoolmates, read law togethe,, and
commenced the practice in the upper coun-
ii at the same time. In those times any
young lawyer who had expectations to,k q
| circuit, frst-rate horse, Blackstone, and
the Statutes, with an old pair Of saddle
bags containing his wardrobe as bis outfit,
relying much upon his vim and natural g9-
MUS, and these young men had full por-
ton of each, with high resolution and I'M
! tameable will. They were courageous and
spirited, AID a fine match, hard to
handle in any thing they undertook. They
| have heen thrown together for more than
! fifty years, and during that time they have
been inseparable friends. They met in the
! Circuit, the gifted Burton and Csruthers of
Lebanon, and Rucks and OVerton of Car.
thace, and for many years broke lance
| with these able men. Thy met on the
Circuit Felix Grundy, then in his glory as
| an advocate, with the rising Saml Houston
/ and the great land lawyers, jenkins
Whitesides an Patrick Darby.
IA FELIX GRUNDY.
1t was great intellectual feast 70 hear
| Booth in his Richard the Third, Forrest in
his Macbeth or King Lear, Miss Cushman
in Lady Macbeth, or 10. Jefferson in his
| Rip Vsn Wrinkle, but 10 hear Felix Grundy
in closely contested case of homicide,
when all bis fires were burning, his passions
aroused, to see his actions, the flash OF his
gray eyes, the vivid food Of lightning burst
| ing from his lips, at times 10 witness his
| scathing sarca II, and then his sparkling
wit, take it all in all, it was the grandesJ
| exhibition that any Tennesseean ever wit
messed. lie found himself carried away by
storm Of elOquence that was
irresistible. He felt that he was aroused
by the same feeling and passion that moved
the Godlike advocate / have heard Felix
| Grundy speak hundred times. Ii he was
alive, would 90 3 thousand miles to hear
him again. Under the influence Of his
voice have seen greet assemblies tremble
and shudder. | have seen the judge on bis
bench forget his position, lol out his
tongue and clap his hands for joy,
and refined and enlightened galleries
have wept and tainted in the ex-
cess of feeling. l have heard mos!
of the American orators, read the speeches
of the ancients as well IS the great orators
of France, England and Ireland, and my
opinion is that Felix Gruldy was the
greatest advocate the world has produced
He died in 1910. What calamity that SO
much intellect persisted with him, and that
eloquent tongue is forever silenced, alG
wi never again stir the American heart.
4 America has produced two great natural
ora ors, Patrick Henry and Felix Grundy.
The r speeches were never written out like
those of Cicero or Den ostheues. TheiI
genius could not be chained down to paper
or fairy represented by the copyist. 1t il
| wasteful and ridiculous excess
'sTo gild refined gold, to paint the lily;
| To throw a perfume on the violet,
/ To smooth theiCe, or add another hue
4 Unto the rainbow, or with taper light,
To seek the beautiOus eye OF heaven to garnish.'
The fame of Patrick Henry aud Felix
Grundy rests in tradition, and will be
handed down from sire to son for many
generations yet to come.
MRS. FELICIA GRUNDY PORTER,
his youngest daughter, yet lives-a woman
of talents and fine accomplishing 1ts-the
same general contour of feature and per
7 son-a woman devoted to charity and care
for the Confederate dead If her lot haC
been cast with the sterner sex, and hat
been brought to the bar, she would have
| teen fit representative Of her gifted faith
err. She would have been the younger Pit
of the family.
THE RACE OF THE OLD KING.
Now as to the first race of the Old King
Young Guild and Peyton were on tht
circuit at Carthage, got a few fve-dolla
fees, and left for their residence at GGllstin
taking he races at Huntsville in their route
They rode very fast, eighteen miles thai
morning, to get to the races. The Old Kin:
. was a fine large sorrel, finely formed, 0
immense stride anu powerful action. Ri
was fatigued ny the rapid ride, they no
expecting to run him, bat so soon as the,
arrived they were bantered for mile rae
with Cook Lewis horse, who had been il
regular training, for 500 side, to carr.
100 pounds. The young lawyers accepte'
the proposition, and the race came offin on'
hour. They had no time to plate the Ole
King, 80 they remove his shoes and cup
ped him. He made splendid run ant
won the match in gallant style. Tit
young lawyers remained in Huntsville tina
night to enjoy their victory, and the mex
MI af1