The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1878-03-27
ONCE MORE OF THE TRAMP.
REVIVED RECOLLECTTONS OF HIS
NOTES.


To the Editor Of the Morristown Gazette:
1 have been connected with newspa-
pers considerably over forty years, and
have observed closely the tastes OF the
masses ofpeople and endeavored to cater
for those tastes, within proper limits.
Many subjects which some people think
of very little Importance are greatly
priced by the vast majority. L have
sometimes been criticised because l
notice very little things, but close OBJ
servation has taught me that my Judg-
ment was nearer correct than my
critieisers'. My rule is, when I can find
an item Of news that will interest thirty
people it viii do to print it, for most
surely those thirty have at least, each,
ten friends who are pleased to learn
what the thirty have been doing. Hence,
my apology for mentioning an item
which may be called by some very I'M
| important-even nsignifcant-one. My
present subject is FROGS. On taking up
The Country Gentleman lately, l find a
/ letter in it from Johnson Town, Vir-
/ ginia, of March 6, in which the writer
says: white hyacinths in bloom on
on the nth february, and dalfOdils on
the pod; first frogs croahing on the Sh. "
| AS you will remember, was in the town
of Greeneville on the nth to the 18th Of
| February Ut was on the 18Th that that
dog bit me at 63 mile post.) heard the
croaking Of the frogs on the 18th, and
the thought struck me that, in all hu-
man probability, had been on the rail
road instead of in Greeneville on the
14th, (St. Valentines day., 1 would have
heard their croaking. | intended to
have made an item of it then but over
looked it.
My next subject is little one, name
ly: SPIDERS. We all know that spiders
are little insects, yet we somehow fear
them. And we have reason to. Hear
my story, and see if it is not so. met
a friend on the street, when 1 first went
to Greenevillc, who asked me where /
was stopping. L answered him.-no-
where. He recommended me to go to
f. WillhOit's, who would serve me we II
and charge me only reasonable rates. L
went. My friend told the truth. found
Mr. Without 10 be the Mayor Of the
town, a Democrat. and very accom-
mOdating gentleman. But he could not
| do as we'll by his customers as he desir-
ed to, because, on the Sd dav of Janu-
airy previous, a spider-a little spider
bit him OF the thumb, and poisoned
him. The thumb swelled; SO did his
arm. He became alarmed. The doctor
was called in, who succeeded in allay-
| ing the disease, and, after weeks, got it
under control. Mr.. Without could not
use his hand while l was with him, nor
did he expect to be able to till some
time along in April. Hope he will be
finally restored, for he is too good a
man to be spared at 50 years of age.
When mp in Hawkins county 1 called
upon a real earDest-looking man, who
seemed to be alive TO the good name of
his own and neighboring counties. He
deprecated the notOriety Hancock coun-
ty was then laboring under on account
of the numerous fights and homicides
just previously committed there. He
said that he had been reading my
notes attentively, and thought I was
lust the man to make known to the
readers Of the GAZETTE and the great
public the fact that those sad occur
rences were closely allied to partisan in
terestS He said that the influential men
of both parties catered to those lawless,
disreputablc people who had been COM
hitting deeds of violence, and that if
the politicians and office-holders would
not screen them by going on their bonds
and urging the Attorney General to noHe
the indictments against them, but, on
the other hand, enforce the law on them,
that Hancock would be as civil a county
as there is in the State of Tennessee. 1
told him l suspected that he was about
right.
Coming down one morning off very
high mountain, fouHd a neat log resi-
dence, and called in to make some in
quiries as to my course. found n neat,
nice appearing old lady, who gave me
all tie information desired, and seem
ed TO be pleased TO do so. The yard
was ornamented with shrubbery, and
Easter fiOwers-hyacinths and tulips
were peeping up through the ground to
bloom and please the eyesight of behold
ers. Rose bushes were scattered about
and the house was situated hear-indeed
surrounded by-forests. 1t was love-
Iy place to live, and had been made
more lovely by the care and good taste
of the old lady. The old gentleman was
not at home l asked the old lady to
subscribe for the GAZETTE. No, she
did not want to subscribe for any paper;
her husband could not read and she had
read to him till she had lost her eye
sight. But they had a niece; she was an
excelle mt reader; her husband was go
ing to subscribe for some paper, what
ever the niece choose. l asked the
niece what paper she wanted, and she
told me that it was one of those cheap,
storytelling papers, printed way up in
Augusta, Maine, of which thousands
and tens of thousands are scattered
broadcast over the land. We have all
had our sentimental period-we who
have passed beyond the adolescent state
and we well know that that sort OF
reading is not the best for young peo-
pie. Indeed, if young people would on
ly take the good advise of their elders,
how much better off they would be-
But We did not, and they will not-al-
ways. How much better for the old
gentleman to take his home paper, and
then, if that does not suffice, subscribe
for some agricultural paper, which, if
needed, will instruct and help him q