Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-01-09
About 40 Follow His Father.
BOB TAYLOR, OF TENNESSEE.
How Hs Won Wife and tao Hono.s of a
Congressman - A Short Romancs Of the
Mountain - The Bsardless Boy and His
Fiddle.

Especial 10 the Cincinnati Enquiror.l
NASHVILLE, Tenn, Dec. 22d.-
Last Wednesday, at Ashville, n.
c., Congressman-clect Robert Tay-
lor was united in marriage with
Miss Sallie Baird, n niece of Gov.
Vance, of North Carolina. The
marriage is the conclusion of a
somewhat romantic story. When
Taylor was nominated by the DEM
ocrats as their candidate for Con-
gress, Miss Baird promised him
that il elected she would marry
him; if defeated, it would be an in
definite time before their union
ceulJ be consummated. The dis
trict contains some of tho strongest
Republican counties in the State
and has always given Republican
majority of twenty-five hundred or
twenty-three hundred. The pros
pect for Taylor attaining his de.
sires were, therefore, not at all
promising. Besides, he had as an
opponent, Pettibono, one of the
Republican chieftains of the State,
an emigrant from Michigan, poss-
essed Of UNUSUAL shrewdness. In
tho Presidential contest, as one of
the Republican Electors, he bore
the banner of his party as gallautly
as was possible, worrying the DEM
ocrats considerably. For Taylor he
entertained seemingly nothing but
contempt.
Taylor's nomination was simply
a lucky stroke cf fortune. In the
Republican Convention, Taylor's
brother, O very pronounced Repub-
lican, was the principal candidate
for the nomination against Petit
bone; but the latter, after bitter
fight, secured the honor. Republi-
can Taylor's friends were all angry,
and the Democrats conceived that
it would be good idea to nominate
his Democratic brother, who would
probably draw votes from the Re-
publican ranks. The plan was car
ried out. Taylor was only twenty
eightyears old, and in that region
had made considerable reputation
and popularity es fiddler. at the
frequent gatherings for dancing he
was q most welcome guest. His
nomination seemed to fire the
young men with enthusiasm.
Numbers Of Republicans and two
or three Republican Journals left he
ranks and went over to Taylor's
side. Pettibone was accused of
being in with the Revenue and
Custom House rings, which had
controlled politics ia that section.
1t was an understood fact that Fed
eral money mas to be showered ON
the District. Taylor, as he after
wards told friends, had only SIS to
commence the canvass with, but
once out, money and assistance of
every kind poured In upon him, 30
that when the campaign was over,
very little of the S. wes spent. Pet
tibone looked down on him with
contempt, and in the opening
speech merely alluded to hint as
the "beardless boy who fiddles.n
When it came to Taylor's ro.
joinder, he approached the table
with fiddle in one hand and q car
pet-bag in tho other. He COM
menced with the statement that
the serious charge had been made
against him that he was a
fiddler. Then, laying the
fiddle and the 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
other, producing any amount of
merriment at Pettibone's expense.
afterward, never alluded
to Taylor's fiddle more than once or
twice. Taylor always tainted Pet
tibone with the fact that his regi-
ment, at the close of the war, dis
banded with more men than il
started with. The young Democrat
was ready, eloquent speaker, and
never failed to awaken enthusiasm.
Frequently when the speaking was
over, he would entertain the crowd
with music from his violin. The
District has its share of moon
sinners, and they, with all their
friends, were for Taylor, as Petit
bone was in with and supported by
the revenue men, the enemies oftbe
moonshiners. Taylor's majority
was nearly fifteen hundred. making
q gain of one Congressman from
Tennessee. His father represented
the State in Congress just after the
war. When nominated, Taylor
was advised to take very conserv.
ative course, but he answered firmly
that he proposed to make the fight
on straight.out Democratic princi-
nlps He did sn and won