Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-09-30
Letter from an Old JacksOnian Democrat
Of Greenwood Township.
NEAR SEVEN STAR TAVERN, }
September %, 1874.

september 70, lSI4-
.Hy Dear Mr.. Eiitor - It's a long,
long time since | wrote the SENTINEL
a letter. 1t was before the devil kin
died the FIRE that burned you out. The
villain that started that fire will smell
birthstone. strong, some time, or there's
no -. 1t was penned on Saturday
night. That, you know, is my night,
as it is the peoples night above all
others. When Old Andy Jackson
lived aud worked the whole week
through, how he used to glory in Sat.
urday night. OF course it's Saturday
night now, but it seems quieter than it
generally does, since | Was up to River.
side Park Fair. You'd better believe it
seemed gay to me there. But wasn't it
queer that you aud l should meet down
at the end of the Grand Stand, and
know each other as if we haG often met
before. | can't forget you saying,
"Barton Speak met at last, aud at a
fair, too" and how we shook hands across
the rope with more heart than the rebels
do with Us "across the bloody chasm."
Do you mind how l said " Sentinel"
when l gave you Jacksonian grip 3
But amt agoiDg to write about what
We said people might laugh. You see
they don't know how writing people,
artists. and old soldiers feel when they
talk to each other. The feeling is near
akin TO that feeling that takes root
in a mans heart when he looks
into the eyes of the woman he loves.
Love, Hate, Jealousy, Lust, Coward
ice, Business, Honor, all, speak through
the eye; but it isn't given to every one
to read the peppers. Old Andy could
do it. 1 tell you he could read mans
eye and tell you just what was in blm.
Why, he even fought by looking into
mems eyes. Don't you mind he said,
SWAT, boys, till You see the white of
their eyes, before you fire - and that's
the way he whipped the British more
than once. 1t did my eyes good to
look at the "track" in the Park, and
then Row l felt when the horses ran
over it. 1t was the blood of the Speaks
that came tingling and thrilling every
fibre Of the body, when the black with
his jockey rider, and the gray and the
sorrel horses sped over the smooth,
broad course, and while the love of the
running race Of my fathers was fighting
its way up TO the surface, l was fight
ing it down. Generations of trans.
planting of Speaks in America among
PuritaDical notions has changed my no
tions as to the race. How Old Andy
loved running horse. That's the nat
ural way to speed horse, and when
ever nature shows herself there is
thrill about it that art can't touch.
The trotter Is a made animal; you
travel it into him till he works like
machine He must learn to trot but
it isn't so when il comes TO running;
that's nature. But running horses has
gone out of fashion in this country, and
| guess we'll have to wait some time
before it again comes into fashion. It's
American, too. You know they don't
trot horses much outside of this coun-
try. If Old Hickory lived. he'd be for
the trotter, just because the British go
for the runners.
The thing that got me most at the fair
was that / didn't see the fellows that
used to belong to Old ADdys party. ]
guess the crowd was too big. IteIl you
it's my honest belief that there we're be-
twixt 5 and 6 thousand people in the
Park on Thursday. 1t was the biggest
crowd that ever saw in ,Juniata, and
to look for . few men IN, it was like
looking for a needle in hay stack, as
they used to say. No wonder ceuld
end SO few Of my old friends. After