Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-12-29

duke, OF Missouri, and Gen. Marsh
Walker, of Tennessee, in which the
latter was killed. Col. Crockett, l
believe, was the friend OF Walker in
that unfortunate affair, but, as / have
always heard, did all he honorably
could to bring about an amicable ad-
iustment of the unfortunate quarrel
between Confederate officers of high
rank.
AREMINIsCENcE OF OLD DAvY HIM
SELF
So much for the son and grandson of
the old bear hunter and hero of the
Alamo. | remember also when a
small boy to have seen old Davy him
self at a camp meeting in Hardeman
county, Tennessee, the last time he ran
for congress. In fact, being put up te
it by some mischievous full-grown
boys, | interviewed" the great man
of the occasion while he stood in The
rear of the preachers stand, about
dinner time, surrounded by a large
crowd OF admirers. A full reyort Of
that interview" is not now in exis-
tence, but this much | remember as
vividedly as if it had happened but
yesterday. Advancing boldly within
the circle. the small boy" chirped:
Colonel Crockett, did you ever kill
a bear, sure enough2"
/ The big man, with long black hair,
bright eyes and kindly smiling face,
stopped down, and, selling the Inter
viewer by the shoulders, threw him
up in the air, and catching him as he
came down placed him on a high
stump, so as to bring him on a level
with himself and the crowd, and then
responded:
Eyes, my little nan I've killed
many a bar and lots Of other wild var
mints besides
After saying this he went on to re-
late some of his adventures as a bear,
wolf and panther hunter, in his most
humorous style, and, among other
things, wanting to know who he and
his people were for Congressman ~
This was a question small boy could
not answer, of course; but some one
in the crowd spoke up and answered
for him
Colonel Crockett, that boys folks,
and a good many more Of us here
abouts, all voted for and stood by you
every time until you came out against
General jackson. That we couldn't
stand, and now we're against you, and
are going to vote for Conlonel Alex
ander."
This brought on a discussion. or
rather a short speech, or explanation,
from Colonel Crockett, which gave the
juvenile interviewer a chance to jump
down from the stump and run away.
A day or two later the famous back
woodsman filled one Of his regular
speaking appointments in the neigh
borhood and drew an immense crowd
for those days. But when the election
came on he was beaten, and soon after
ward emigrated to Texas, then in the
thrOes Of revolution and wal with
Mexico. Almost Immediately on his
arrival in that country he enlisted
with Travis and Dickinson and be-
came one of the leaders Of that band
OF l4O immortals, who, in defending
the citadel of San Antonio-the
Alamo-against the combined forces
of Ampudia and Santa Anna, amount
ing to over 5000 men, enacted as sub
lime a feat of heroism as is recorded
in the worlds history. As proud a
monument as the sun shall kiss in his
course round the world should be
erected on the spot where those heroes
fought and fell, each with a pile of
Mexican slain around him. And that
monument should have upon it an in
scription taken from
TRAvIs'LAsT DISPATCH,
appealing for help to Gen. Houston
and the people Of Texas, and which,
quoted from memory, is about as fol-
lows
I'VE bad defended this citadel for
many days against Ampudia with
1900 men until this morning, when
Santa Anna, with the main body of
5000 men and all of his artillery,
arrived, and, promptly throwing his
lines around the fort, sent us a sum
mons to surrender at discretion, at the
same time declaring that if compelled
to storm the citadel every man of us
should be put to the sword. We
answered his demand with a cannon
shot, and our flag still waves proudly
from the walls. We shall never sur
render or retreat"
As illustrated by the event. where
will you find anything grander or more
sublime in all the records Of the
worlds bravery and chiyalry than
that? When the carnage was over
and the citadel had fallen into the
hands Of overwhelming but more than
decimated numbers, not a single Texan
soldier Of the garrison was found alive:
all had persisted on the altar Of Texan
liberty and independence, every one Of
them having fallen at his post, after
selling lis life as dearly as was human
ly possible for his country. One sick
soldier, it is said, was slaughtered in
his bed by the brutal foe, but before
his life-blood ebbed away he drew a
pistol from under his pillow and shot
his murderer dead. The gallant Travis,
though enfeebled by i'll. health. en-,
couraged his men and fought like a
common soldier 10 the very last. So,
too, did Crockett, whose stalwart body
was found with a heap Of
SEVENTEEN MEXICAN coRPsEs
around him and with his dubbed rife
still clutched in his iron grasp.
"Thermopyl@ had It's messenger Of
defeat, but the Alamo had none"
But, thank heaven, these heroes did
not die In vain Tho nnwq of thair