Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-11-14

was universally popular in the city of
Memphis. He was actually quite un.
popular with q large portion of the
community, who feared and disliked
him about evenly. BY the old sol.
diers and Confederate officers he wat
fairly worshipped, and these conduct
cd all the arrangements for the grea,
funeral, and requested the merchants
to close their business houses. Many
did close them; others did not
Perhaps they remembered that some
of the Generals business transaction
since the war would scarcely beal
impartial scrutiny. For instance, h,
had borrowed heavily two weeks be
fore his failure with disastrous conse
quences to one of his creditors
There can be little doubt that, hat
the General lived, he would have en-
deavored to meet all obligations, ever
those of honor; but people are SLOW
to forgive or forget such things.
TERROR.
His business faults could only
however, have rendered him unpopn
lar with certain class; his ferocit,
and reckless temper-faults incom
patible with fine qualities as sol
dier-made him far more enemies
Old citizens of Memphis mildly de
scribed him to me as "a terror" IL
would knock o man down on tn
least provocation, and, whether will
or without weapons, there were few
people in the city whom he could no
worst in . fight. Imagine q maj
about six feet three inches in height
very sinewy and active, with vigor
GUS, rugged face, bright gray eye
that always look fierce, eyebrows tina
always seem on the verge of frown
and dark brown hair and chin-beArd
with strong inclination to curl, an,
you have some idea of Forests ap
pearance before his last illness. II,
was, further, one of the most arbitra
ry, imperious, and determined mel
that it is possible to conceive of q
holding high position in civilized
community. Rough, rugged, desper
ate, uncultured, his character fitted
him rather for the life of borderel
than the planter. He seemed BY
nature typical pioneer, one of those
fierce and terrible men, who form
in themselves q kind of protecting
fringe ON the borders Of white civili.
zation. In fact, he came of gooi
old pioneer family, who settled il
and gave their name to Bedford
county, Tennessee, and their children
inherited the characteristics of thu
American settlers through many gen
crations.
AN INTERESTING FAMILY.
TWAS terrible family, this For
rest family. There were seven boy.
and three girls; the eldest of tn.
sons being Nathan Bedford. All tn,
sons grew up to be fighting men
and several were killed in the rank
of the Confederacy. There was onl,
one out Of the seven, however, VIII,
turned ont to be what we might real
ly term q desperate, and that wa
Bill Forrest the only man Gen. For
rest used to say that he ever fel
afraid of. "No one living" said tn
General, "can tell when Bills goin,
to get mad" And whenever Bill go
mad he shot, and he never missed hi
man. "He used to carry navy
about this long," said my informant
putting his hands three feet apart
"and wore q long coat to hide it.
Bill killed men at almost regular in
tervals, both before and after tn,
war. ! am told he killed many dur
ing the war, but that, I suppose, wa
Legitimate. Since the war he slew
men in Mississippi, and Alabama, IAN,
Georgia, and had to leave variou
cities in those various states becaus'
of these things. Where known h
was feared. as a western chronicles
said of border desperate, "mucl
more than the Almighty" Yet b,
had many warm friends, and Nigh
have settled down into man of peac.
had he not finally killed himself by
dissipation.
NOT A DEsPERADO.
Nathan Bedford Forrest could no
have been justly termed desperate
at any period Of his remarkable ca.
reer, although he was always des.
perate man. He killed q number Of
people in personal difficulties, but
do not believe ever wantonly. Ht
was simply one OF those men who
consider themselves bound to avengt
an insult on the instant it was given
and a man so arbitrary and determin'
cd as Gen. Forrest was certain to pre-
woke insults, oftentimes unintention
ally. Generally, however, Forces
had no occasion to use weapons, fol
few men could match him in physi
cal strength, or in what the Englisl
term bottom. He was one Of thos,
men who never acquire any adipos,
tissue, and form as hard as wood
he had performed all sorts of manua
labor until he became as tough a.
hickory, and his vitality was of tina
kind which never requires the slim
ulus Of alcohol. They say that h,
could not possibly sit quiet in chat
or on carriage seat.
i His father had moved to Miss:ssip
pi while the rest of the children wer,
all quite young, and died not long af
terward, leaving Nathan with tn
whole family to support. Conse
lqnently the boy had no opportunit,
for study, and was unable to obtaii
schooling until many years afterwarl
He worked as common laborer q
first, and ultimately secured mean
enough to embark in the livery stabl
business, at fernando, Miss. Their
he first acquired celebrity as q fight
er, by killing or wounding nearly al
of q gang who attacked him in tn
public square. His uncle was kille,
by his side. Forrest was unarme,
when the attack was made, but hi
uncle handed him pistol and SOM
bYstanders also gave him weapons,
am told.
FORREST BECOMES A NIGGER-TRADER
i This gave him reputation and h
was treated with considerable respec
when he removed his business t,
Memphis. He gave up the 'occupa
ton OF livery stable Keeper soon ii
terward to follow that of q slave-deal
er, or "nigger-trader," as the folk
here call it. And Forrest became on
Of the greatest slave-dealers in tn
whole south.
On Adams street, near Main, Their
il q square, old-fashiOned four-stor
building, with brick piazza of fou
arches, painted yellow. This Is nov
called the Central hotel. 1t used t.
be Forests slave market, or "nigge
mar" as you please. Here were soil
thousands upon thousands of slaves
1t is said Forrest was kind to his ne
groes; that he never separated mem
bers of family, and that he Away
told his slaves to 60 out In the CITY
and choose their own masters. There
10 no instance Of any slave taking ad
vantage Of the permission to rue
away. Forrest taught them that il
was to their interest not to abuse the
privilege; and, as he also taught then
to fear, him exceedingly, can believe
the storyA There were some men IN
town to whom he would never sell q
slave, because they had the reputation