Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-01-09
Bob Taylor, Of Tennessee.
How He Won a Wife and the Hon
Ors of a Congressman--A Short
Romance of the MOuntains-Tlic
BeardlcsS Boy and His Fiddle.

Wednesday, 18th ult., at Ash
vile, N. G., Congfesslnan-elect
Robert Taylor, of Tennessee, was
united in marriage with Miss
Sallie Baird, a niece Of Govern
or Vance, Of North Carolina.
The marriage is the conclusion
Of a somewhat romantic story.
When Taylor was nominated by
the Democrats as their candidate
for Congress-, Miss Baird prom
Used that if elected she would
marry him; if defeated it would
be an indefinite time before their
union could be consummated.
The district contains some of the
strongest Republican counties in
the State, and has always given
a Republican majority Ct TWEEN
ty-two CT twenty-three hundred.
The prospects Of Taylor attain
ing his desires were, therefore,
not at all promising. Besides,
he had as an opponent Pettibone,
one Of the Republican chieftains
Of the State, an emi9rant from
Michigan, possessed Of unusual
shrewdness. In the Presiden-
itial contest, as one Ct the Re-
publican Electors, he bore the
banner Of his party as CALAMITY
as possible, worrying the Demo
Gratis considerably. For Taylor
he entertained seemingly nothing
! but contempt.
Taylor's nomination was SIM
ply a lucky stroke OF fortune.
IN the Republican Convention
Taylor's brother, a very pro-
nouneed Republican, was the
principal candidate for the nom
Iinaticn against Pettibone; but
the latter after bitter fight, Sc
cured the honor. Republican
Taylor's friends were all angry,
and the Democrats conceived
that it would be a good thing to
nominate his Democratic broth
er, who would probably draw
votes from the Republican ranks.
! The. plan was carried out. Tay-
lor was only twenty-eight years
old, ard in that region had made
considerable reputation and pop
ulal'ity as a fiddler. At the fire.
quent gatherings for dancing he
was a welcome guest. His NOM
ination seemed to fire the young
men with enthusiasm. y umbers
Of Republicans and two or three
| Republican journals left the par
ty ranks and went over to Tay-
| lcr's side. Pettibone was ac-
cused Of being in with the Rev
enue and Custom-house Rings,
which had controlled politics in
that section. 1t was an under
stood fact that Federal money
was to be showcred on the dis
trict. Taylor, as he afterward
told his friends, had only So to
commence the canvass with, but
once out, money and assistance
Of every kind poured in on him,
so that after the campaign was
over very little Of the So was
spent. Pettibone looked down
on him with contempt, and in
the opening speech merely re-
ferred to him as the "beardless
boy who fiddles."
When it came Taylor's reioin-
der, he approached the table with
a carpet-bag in one hand and a
fiddle in the other. lie COM
menced his rejoinder with the
statement that the serious charge
had been made against him that
he fiddles. Then laying the fid-
de and carpet-bag side by side
on the table, he asked the crowd
to choose between them. The
point was taken UP and carried
from one end Of the district to
the ether, producing any amount
Of merriment at Petitioners ex-
pense. Pettibone, afterward,
never alluded to Taylor's fiddle
more than cnce or twice. Tay-
lor tainted Pettfbone with the
fact that his regiment, at the
close of the war, had more men
than it started with. The young
Democrat was ready, eloquent.
speaker, and never failed to "a
waken enthusiasm. Frequently
when the speaking was over, lie
would entertain the crowd with
his violin. The district had its
share of moonshiners, and they,