Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-06-14
A ROUGH-HEwN HERO.

A ROUGH-HEWN HERO.
David Crockett; His Life and Adventures Bv
John s. c. Abbott, Illustrated. New York:
DOdd & Mead, 762 Broadway. The book Is
Tor sale at A Setliff's, No. los Church street.
This neatly embellished duodecimo
OF $50 pages is one Of a series of biogra-
phles by the same author, of American
Pioneers and Patriots. Among all the
noble band there is not one whose life
embraced more quaintness and variety
OF romantic incident. The soberest
record of Davy Crockett reads ike a
cunningly devised fiction. All the
dramatlsts of all the ages have failed
to create one character SO entirely
original His career was a rounded
epic, steady in its progress, trimming
over with the comic at every step. to
eliminate in a death as heroic as poet
ever dared TO dream. The genius Of
romance lowered above him in the
cOmmonest incidents Of life.
Born on the Nolachucky river, in
Limestone county, of this State, Aug.
IL, l166, he grewup amid surroundings
which contributed to bring out his in
dlviduahsm more strongly and make
him the typical Tennesseean of his day
and generation, without obscuring an
originality al his own. At the age of
twelve, he ran away from school and
home TO escape a double whipping,
roaming no one knows where till the
age Of seventeen, when he returned,
and at eighteen settled down by mar
riage, so far as marriage could settle
such a character. In 1913 he distin-
guiShed himself In Gen. Jackson's ex-
terminating campaign against the
Greek Indians. Again he responded to
Jackson's cali in the Florida war, ex.
planning, Il wanted a small taste of
British fighting, and I supposed they
would be there" Returning to the |
ways of peace, his pioneer neighbors
made him a sort of justice Of the peace.
Subsequently the territory was placed |
under the dominion of organized law,
and Crockett comments on the change
this made in his magistracy.
i was made a squire, according to
law; though now the honor rested |
more heavily upon me than before For,
at first, whenever l told my constable,
says l, Catch that fellow and bring
him up for trial. away he went and the
fellow must come, dead or alive. For
we considered this a good warrant
though it was only in rerbdl lCritiBg.
But after was appointed by the
Assembly, they told me that my war
rants must be in real writing and sign
ed; and that l must keep a book and
write my proceedings in it. This was
a hard business on me, for / could Just
barely write my own name. But to do
this and write the warrants too,
was at least a huckleberry
over my persimmon. l had a pretty
well informed constable however. = =
Ny judgments were never appealed
from; and if they had been they would
have stuck like wax, as / gave my de-
cisions on the principles of common
justice and honesty between man and
man, and relied on natural born sense,
and not on law learning"
In his first race for the Legislature
be was bothered no little, and relates
his experience:
g.T. - d. L., G. ,,o-,- 1,,.r;,,.r - | ,
ne. It now became necessary that l
should tell the people something about
he government, and an eternal sight
IF other things that l knOw'd nothing
more about than did about Latin and
aw. In Hickman county they told me .
hey wanted to move their town nearer
o the centre of the county, and l must
,ome out in favor of it. There's no {
levil if | know'd what this meant, or I
low the town was to be moved. And :
70 I kept dark, going on the identical :
same plan that | now find is called non
After his election he met Col. Polk,
afterwards President of the United {
States. who in a large company re- f
marked to Davy: well, Colonel, 1 t
impose we shall have radical change !.
f the judiciary at the next. session of {
he Legislature" Crockett promptly t
eplied, very likely, SIR" and ex- a
,lains that be ''put in" quick for fear
ome one would ask him what the judi +
larry was. The two things that both a
red him on his way to the Legislature t
we're the meaning of the words govern
nent and Judiciary. After taking his )
eat. his first news from home was that I
lis mills were all swept to smash by t
/. large fresbet. His straightforward G
lonest course under this misfortune he :
elates thus: a
Il had of course to stop distilling as S
nv grinding was broken up. ] had e
.ome likely negroes and a good stock of o
Ilmost everything about me and best of t
e all. I had an honest wife. She didn't t
,dvise me, as is too fashionable, to 7
up this and that, and 10th t
n To 90 on at home. But she told me,
avs She Just pay up as long as C
-ou have a bits worth in the /
world and then every body will be salts S
led. and we will scuffle for more "
A burlesque announcementof his can G
lidacy, without his knowledge or con- '
ent. s'riled'' him into running for the I
second time. His style f
f electioneering was described byhlm- i
elf on the stump during this canvass. {
When You see me electioneering L I
,oes fixed for the purpose. I've got a
NIT of deer-leather clothes, with two v
10 pockets. So l puts bottle of C
,bislyv in one and twist of to- a