Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1873-01-18

rife in one hand and tomahawk
in the other, and ball from Cart
wright's rifle in his brain. Few
slept in the camp that night, and
soon after dawn the company were
glad to leave Camp Defeat behind
them.
AS they advanced farther into
the bloody land, dangers thickened
around them. Peter remembered
one startling incident. A man came
into camp with his mouth bleeding
and his jaw broken, the sole survi-
yer of a party of seven. These
seven white men had been waylaid
by seven Indians, and in tho fight
which ensued, all of the Indians
were killed but two, and all the
white ones but this one, who escap,
cd by flight and stratagem, and
made his way to the camp, the hap
piest man in tho world. All of
Cartwright's company reached Ken
lucky in safety except seven fami-
lies, who, when they were within
seven miles of the first kentucky
settlement, being tired out with the
march, stayed behind and encamp.
ed by themselves. In the course
of tho night, the Indians killed and
scalped all of them but ono man,
who brought in the news.
How strange that there should
be many persons still livir 6 in the
Western country who took part in
such scenes as these How rapid
has been the transformation
Despite the dangers of the jour
ney, the fertile lands of Kentucky
abounding in game lured thousands
of adventurous people and, after
many a bloody fight, tho Indians
were subdued. Then it seemed as
if the conquerors had caught from
the slaughtered red man something
of his own lawless habits and saw
age disposition; and besides this,
there were so many murderers and
thieves from the Eastern settle
ments as to form, in some counties,
a majority of the people, who com
bined and bade defiance to all law
and decency. This was the case in
Logan county, where the Cart
wrights lived. Tho honest people
there also combined, and there were
such fierce contests between the
Rogues and "Regulators' as almost
amounted to civil war. On one
court day, while Peter was still a
boy, there was desperate battle
between the two bodies, with dirlis,
pistols, rifles and clubs, in which
many on both sides were killed and
wounded. The Regulators were at
length defeated and driven into the
woods; but they rallied again, ro-
turned to the charge, and won such
a victory over the ruffians that they
were never formidable again.
Life, however, was still wild and
rough; mo mill short of forty miles,
as Peter records, and no schools
worth tho name. All the meat they
had was killed in the woods, and
they used to grind their corn in a
pestle and mortar. At a very ear
ly age the elder Cartwright gave
his son two presents, which as Pc
ter remarks, "well-nigh proved his
everlasting ruin" namely, a race
horse and a pack of cards. Ho
soon became q very successful gam
bier, and won a good deal ofmoney,
to the sore grief of his excellent
mother. His race-horso too, did
not conduce to the sobriety of his
life. But about this time tho Meth
odist preachers began to roam thro
this Western wilderness, hurting
denunciations at the riOtous dissi-
patton of frontier life, and urging
such wild fellows as young Cart.
wright to repent of their evil ways.
Peter attended their meetings, but
long held out against their exhor-
tations. At last his conscience was
stricken, and his fears aroused ; not
at q meeting, but just after return
ing from q scene of revelry.
HIn 1901" he relates, "when L
was in my sixteenth year, my ia.
ther, my eldest haffbrother and
myself attended a wedding about
five miles from homo, where there
was a good deal of drinking and
dancing, which was very common
at dances in those days. | drank
little or nothing I; my delight was
dancing. After a late hour in the
night, we mounted our horses and
started for home. l was riding my
race. horse. A few minutes after
we had put up the horses, and were
sitting by the fire, l began to re.
feet on the manner in which l had
spent the day and evening. l felt
guilty and condemned. l rose and
Walked the floor. My mother was
in bed. 1t seemed to me, all of a
sudden, my blood rushed to my
head, my herrt palpitated in a few
minutes 1 turned blind ; an awful
impression rested on my mind that
death had come, and l was unpre'
pared to die"
The next morning he gave up his
race horse to his father, and asked
him to sell it, and brought
out his pack of cards from their
hiding-place and gave them tc
his mother, who joyfully threw
them into the fire. Two years at
ter, when he was eighteen years Of
age. he was Methodist preacher
travelling an extensive circuit. Will
scarcely any education, his bearc
ungrown, and SO young looking
that he was called "the boy preach
er," he yet had the qualities de
manded by the time and scene
namely, clear, ringing voice, pcr