Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-10-06
The TRANCE stock sale at Guthrie

| pected, on account of the train being
behind its time. On our arrival we
found Col. Young dialating elo
quently and feelingly upon the
charms of a beautiful heifer, but his
elOquence was wasted upon a crowd
who seemed to be there bent on
everything else except bidding.
This lot, as well as nearly every
thing else that was put up during
the mornings sale, was withdrawn
by its owner on account of the bid
ding falling far short of the price at
which the stock was estimated, and
at first we derived the impression
that no business at all resulted from
the meeting; we were, however,
corrected on this head and informed
that much of the stock which failed
to go off by auction, was, or would
be, disposed of by private sale. The
truth seems to be that our Todd
county farmers have their own way
of making sales and don't take very
readily to any other. They like to
talk their bargains over with one
another in liesurely way, and the
transaction usually includes a swap,
and a good deal of whiting, and a
frequent changing of the subject,
the final trade coming in, as it were,
Unexpectedly and as if it were Incl
dental to other matters. Col. YOung's
method, with all his eloquence and
persuasiveness, is a little too fast for
them; they will not hear the voice
of the charmer, charm he never so
wisely-and the Col. does charm
very wisely-but prefer to do their
own talking in their own way, the
forms of the auction being simply a
method of showing their stock.
Among the lots which were not sold
we noticed lOrdly bull of the short
horn persuasion, the property of
Preston Johnson Esq, which might
have done battle with Hercules in
Crete, or tempted Europa to her
voyage across the BosphOrous, for if
ever the taurine form was WORTHY
to disguise the king of gods and
men, here was the animal. He
showed unequivOcally his disdain
for the inadequate bids offered for
acquisition, and there was an ex-
preston in his eye which showed
very plainlyth that, but for the ring in
hisn and the staIwar Ethiopian
who manipulated it, hewOuldquick-
ly disperse the ring of Changers who
surrounded him. Pres. JOhnson's
white Pekin ducks were also objects
of wonder and admiration.
Dinner was the next topic an
nOunced for discussion. Here we
were altogether at home, for, in
matters gastronOmic, we are
Granger of the straitest sect, and are
ready to do battle with any gainsay-
er who disputes the orthodoxy of
the barbecue and pickles and pies
and cakes which appealed to our in
ward lOngings. After dinner we pro-
ceeded to the amphitheatre to listen
to a Grange address from Prof.
Aaron Williams, of ElktOn. Our
readers are, many of them, acquaint-
ed with the merits of Mr.. Williams
OratOry and it does not need our
commentator. We enjoyed it in
company with a most attractive
young lady, who had hOnOred us
with her cOmpaniOnshfp at the
dinner table. In her pleasantly
she insinuated that the Profess
sOr's oratOry, together with the BAN
quet, eXerted a sOpOrific influence on
our physical system-Of course it
was only pleasantry-and what she
was pleased to set down as sOmnO-
Iency was profound meditation upon
the Obstruse themes discussed by the
Professor. No indeed, we are will
ing prove our wakefulness by sub
hitting to a stringent eXamina-
ton upon the heads ofthe discourse.
Not guilty, young lady; not guilty,
upon our honor.
The auction commenced again,
and the Colonel did succeed in sell
ing some very handsome pigs Ofthe
most aristocratic families, some of
the best of which were purchased
by our fellow-citizen, Mr.. S. KEEL
logg.
The rest of the afternoon we spent
in conversation with some of our
Granger friends, from whose re-
marks we inferred that Grangership
has within the last three years been
purging itself of some of its less prac-
ticable tenets, ana holds on to what
is really valuable in the movement,
among which the most valuable is
the habit established among farmers
of frequent Capitalization with one
another, such as to establish a mu-
tual understanding on matters gen
orally affecting the general interest.
Another practice which is infiuen-
tial in holding them together is that
of frequently eating good dinners
together; a most laudable custom
which, we hope, will survive when
all things else have passed away.
THE Quarterly Court on last Mon
day, at the request of the County
Judge, appointed three of the most
prominent citizens of the county to
examine into settlements with the
Trustee, County Clerk and all other
collecting officers of the county.
The failure on the part of former
collectors to make reports and settle
mants i'm the manner and ut the time
required by law has been the main
cause of trouble, and has brought
suffering not only upon the people
hut unOn the collectors themselves.