The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-02-28

There was a fellow here once by the
name of Jim Smiley, IN the winter of
'49-or may be it was the spring of SO
I don't recollect exactly, somehow,
though, what makes me think it was
one or the other is because I remember
the big fiume wasn't finished when he
first came to the camp; but anyway, he
was the curiousest man about betting
on anything that turned up you ever
see, if he could get anybody to bet on
the other side !; and if he couldn't, he'd
change sides. Any way that suited the
other man would suit him-any way,
just so he's got bet, he was satisfied.
But still he was lucky, uncommon
lucky; he almost always came out win
ner. He was always ready and laying
for chance; there couldn't be no sol
itary thing mentioned but that feller'd
offer to bet on it, and take any side you
please, as I was just telling you. If
these was horse race you'd find him
flush or you'd find him busted at the
end of it; if there was dog fight he'd
bet on it if there was cat fight he'd
bet on it if there was chicken fight
he'd bet on it; why, if there was two
birds setting on fence, he'd bet you
which one would fly first; or if there
was oamp-meeting, he would be there
reglar, to bet on Parson Walker, which
he judged to be the best exhorter about
here-and so he was too, and a good
man. IF he even saw a straddie bug
start to go anywhere, he would bet you
how long it would take him to get where
ever he was going to, and if you took
him up he would follow that strabdIe-
| bug to Mexico but what he found out
where he was bound for and how long
he was on the road Lots of the boys
here has seen that Smiley, and can tell
you about him. Why, it never made
no difference to him-he would bet on
anything dangdest feller. Parson
Walkers wife laid very sick once, for a
| good while, and it seemed as if they
warn't a going to save her. But one
morning he came in, and Smiley asked
how she was, and he said she was con-
siderably better-thank the Lord for
his infinite mercy-and coming on SO
i smart that, with the blessing of Provi-
dence, she'd get well yet; and Smiley,
before he thought, says, Well, I'll
risk two and half that she don't any
way.
This yer Smiley had a mare-the
boys called her the fifteen minute nag
but that was only in fun, You know, be-
cause of course she was faster than that
and he used to win money on that
/ horse for all she was so slow, and al
ways had the the asthma, or the dis
temper, or the consumption, or some
thing of that kind. They used to give
her two or three hundred yards start,
and then pass her under way; but al
ways at the fag end of the race she'd
get excited and desperate like, and come
cavorting and straddling up, and scat
tering her legs around timber, some
times in the air, and sometimes out to
| one side among the fences, and kicking
up more dust and raising more
racket with her coughing and sneezing
and blowing hor nose-and always fetch
up at the stand just about a neck ahead,
as near as you could cipher it down.
And he had little small bull pup,
that to look at him you'd think he want
worth a cent but to set around and look
ornery, and lay for chance to steal
something. But as soon as the money
VS. put up on him he was a different
dog; his under jaw'd begin to stick ont
| like the fo'castIe of a steamboat, and
his teeth would uncover, and shine
savage like the furnaces. And a dog
might tackle him, and bully-rag him,
and bite him, and throw him over his
| shoulder two or three timee, and An
! drew Jackson-which was the name OF
/ the pup-Audrew Jackson would never
! let on but what he was satisfied, and
hadn't expected nothing else-and the
bets being doubled and doubled on the
! other side all the time, till the money
was all up and then all of sudden he
would grab the other deg Jest by the
lint of the hi I'd leg and freeze to it, not
chaw, you understand, but only jest
grip and hang on till they throwed up
the sponge, if it was a year. Smiley
always came out winner on that pup,
till he harnessed dog once that didn't
have no hind legs, because they'd been
sawed off by a circular saw, and wher
the thing had gone along far enough,
and the money was all up, and he came
to make a snatch for his pet holt, he
saw in a minute how hid been imposed
on, and how the ot-er dog had him il
the door, so to speak, and he 'peared
surprised, and then he looked sOrtel
discouraged like, and didn't try to wiz
the fight, and so he got shucked Out
bad. He gave Smiley q look, as mucf
as to say his heart was broke, and il
| was his fault, putting up a dog that
hadn't no hind legs for him to take
hold of. which was his main dependence
in a feht, and then he hmped of
niece. and laid down and died. It wa
a good pup, was that Andrew Jackson
and would have made name for him
self if he'd lived, for the stuff was II
him, and he had genius; I know it, be
cause he hadn't had any opportunities
TO speak Of, and it don't stand to rea
son that dog could make such a fgh
as he could under the circumstances
he hadn't no talent. It always make
me feel sorry when think of that las
fight Of his'n, and the way it turne,
out.
Well. this yer Smiley had rat tar