Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-01-09
GEN. JACKsON's NERVE.
The Extraordinary Manner in Which He Put a
Veto o. swindling on a Tennessee
Pace Course.
Correspondence New York Herald.


world has produced since the days
of Washington and Napoleon. /
believe him equal to either. He
takes his rank with such men as
Cesar, Charles v, the duke o.
Marlborough, Cromwell, the duke
of Wellington, Bonaperte and our
own Washington, Robt. E. Lee
and Stonewall jackson. Such
men are the product of centuries.
They are bright and brilliant stars
that take their place in history at
long periods of time, and as time
rolls on and the distant ages come
their brightnessi increases and THEN
glory is not diminished.
Many are the interesting scenes
in Jackson's life, which his
bi0grapher, Parton, has omitted
and not brought to light. When
d boy | saw him scare and put to
flight 10000 men. The occasion
was this: Greyhound, a Kentucky
horse, had beaten Double Head. a
tennessee horse, and they were
afterward matched for 5000 a
side, to be run on the Glover
Bottom course. My uncle, j. III.
Conn, carried me on horseback
behind him to see the race. He
set me on the cedar fence and tolU
me to remaia until he returned.
In those days not only counties
out states, in full feather, attended
the race ourse as a great national
amusement, and the same is still
Kept up in France and England
under the fostering care Of each
government. There must have
10000 persons present. /
never witnessed such fierce betting
between the states. Horses ana
negroes were put up. a large
ponnd was nlled with horses aId
negroes bet on the result of this
race. The time had now arrived
Tor the competitors to appear Oh
the track. 1 heard some loud
talking and, looking down the
track, saw, for the hrst time Gen.
jackson, riding slowly on "a gray
morse, with long pistols held Ill
each hand. l think they were as
long as my arm and had a mouth
tnat a ground squirrel could enter.
In ais wake followed my uncle
Conn, Stokeiey, D%OnelsOn, Patton,
Anderson and several others as
ierce as bulldogs. AS General
jackson led the van and
approached the judges stand he
was talking and gesticulating
rapidly. AS he came by me ne
SAID that he had IRE ragaole proof
mat this was to be a Jockey race,
that Greyhound was seen in the
wheat field the night before, which
disqualified him for the race, and
mat his rider WAS to receive 5000
10 throw it OH, and 'by the eternal
UOdn he would shoot the first man
who brought his horse upon the
track, that the peoples money
should not be stolen from them in
this manner. Hetalked necessarily,
and the spittei rolled from his
mouth and the fire nom his eyes.
/ have seen bears and wolves put
at bay. but he was certainly the
most IerociOuS looking animal that
/ had ever seen. His appearance
and manner struck terror into the
hearts of 10000 people. IL they
cit as L did every one expected
to Ue slain. lie announced to the
parties ii they wanted some lead
III their hides to first bring their
horses on the track, tor SPY the
eternap he would Kill the hrst
man that attempted to do So.
There was no response to his
challenge, and, after waiting some
tirle and they failing to appear,
Gen. jackson said ii vas a great
mistake in the opinion of some,
that he had acted hastily, without
consideration. He would give
the scoundrels a fair trial, and to
that end he would constitute a
court to investigate this matter,
who could hear the proof and do
justice to all parties. Therenpon
ne appointed a sheriff to keep
order, and five judges to hear the
case. Proclamation was made
that the court was op9n and was
ready to proceed to business, and
for the parties to appear and defend
themselves. No one appearing
Gen. jackson introduced the
witnesses, proving the bribery Of
Greyhound's rider, who was to
receive $500 to throw off the race,
having received $50 in advance,
and that Greyhound had been
turned into the Wheatheld the
night before. He again called ON
the parties to appearand contradict
the proof and vindicate their
innocence. They falling to appear
Gen. jackson told the court that
the proof was closed, aldfor them
to render their judgment i'll the
premises, which in a lew moments
was done in accordance with the
| facts proved. / was still on the
fence forming one line of the large
pound containing the property bet
on the race. Each man was
anxious to get back his own
property, Gen. Jackson waved
mis- hand and announced the
decision and said: "Now gentlemen
go calmly and in order and each
man take his own property"
When the word was given the
people came with a rush. 1t was
more terrible than an army with
banners. They came bulging
against the fence, and in the
struggle to get over they knocked
it down for hundreds or yards.
was overturned and nearly
trampled to death. Each mstl
got his property, and thus the
fraudulent race was broken up by
an exhibition of. the most
extraordinary courage. He did
that day what it would have
required $500 armed men to have
effected. All this was effected by
the presence and action of one
tHa&EN 49, - - 81 a z 4