Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-01-07
"OLp HICKORY" AT HOME.
en,inisecnces or the old Hero of New
Orleans.
Lippincotts Magazine,

new interest in the old hero of New
Orleans, Here he still seems almost Il
living presence among the people
They love 10 talk efhim to strangers
Now and then u note Of diSeord breaks
through the strain Of eulogy, one
evening, in charming household, Gen
jackson WAS fora time "thc thought al
the hour as they say in Boston,
suddenly u quaint old maiden lady in
a gray gown and white kerchie( clcctri-
fled us by the exclamation Gen.
jackson was \ scoundrel,"
The chorus from guest and kinsmen;
Cousin Nancy Aut Nancy, Miss
Nancy
Pooh" she said, undauntcd: didn't
| know himg used to feed his game
chickens, lie always brought them
over to our place to be raised We
hNN only four miles away, Nobody
had such luck with game chickens rs
my mother He WAS only u bully"
But wasn't he u brave mane"
oh, he would fight il he had TO.
But he always kept lot of bullets
around him to do his fighting"
Miss Nancy had evidently tired of
hero worship, and she waS not to he
diverted from her text.
He was very religious he had his
chapel on his estatc--and he dcarh
loved mce-horSc, and had his own
private ncc-track, All strangers are
taken to see Cloverbottom track; and
fortunate are they il they 10 with some
old veteran stuffed with rcminisccucc,
which he rours forth with Il fire and
spirit that bring wildly before you all
he relates. One of these 10 whom il
is n fascination to listen has reccntlV
given us u book full of memories,
which he calls "0ld Times in Ten
nessee. hut 4 greater treat than
reading II is 10 hear the author tell
how he saw Gen. Jackson scare and
put TO flight twenty thousand men, il
WAS ON Clover bottom race course. The
narrator, then Il small boy was station
Cd ON cedar fence. The betting was
very fierce, Horses and negroes as
well rs money were put up n large
pound being filled with the live stock.
Murmurs arose thnt it was to he n
Jockey race; TINT Greyhound, ono of
the famous racers, had been seen the
night hefoeina whcat-icld, and his
rider was % receive 300 10 throw him
oil, In the height Of excitement Gen,
Jackson appeared riding II gray
horse and carrying u long pistol in caeh
hand. think they were ~ long as my
arm, with mu22lc' thata groundsuuir-
rel could enter. He sworc 'hy tho
Eternal he would shoot tho first man
who brought his horse on the track
that the peoples money should not be
stolen III that manner. He talked in.
ccSsantly while the spittle rolled from
his mouth and fire flashed from his
eyes. have seen bears and wolves ut
hny, but he was the most fcrocious-
looking animal have ever seen. His
appearance and manner struck terror
into the hearts oftwcnty thousand pco-
pie. they nil felt MS did, every one
expected TO ho slain
The end Of II was that there was n
great rush 10 tho pound to get bnck
the money staked, and the boy ON the
fence was overturned and nearly
tramped to death. But he still lives
possibly the only survivor of TINT grcnt
crowd. He gives the most vivid iden
Of odd Hickory's" personality When
Lafayette visited Nashville, in 1926,
and Jackson greeted him in the public
square, approaching the carriage with
peacock stride" the eyes of all were
attracted to their own hero rather than
To their distinguished guest. A hun
drcd voices exclaimed, 'i,lust look nj
Old Jackson There was something
in his face, his martial presence, that
cnchained the public gaze when
ever he appeared
OF course, amid 80 much talk of Gen.
jackson the lady to whom he gave the
protection Of his name and honor
comes in for her share. Many II sly
little anccdote about her has been
preserved One lady tells that the
last time her mother saw Mrs. Jackson
the latter remarked, by way ofaccount.
ing for cold under which the suffer.
ed, "The Gineral kicked the kiycr or
last nightW
One Of her negro women came to
her III good deal Of trouble because
she had just been told thnt the world
was round and she had always thought
il Hat. "Nevcr mind aunty," said
kind "Mis' Rachel" don't you be dis.
turbed. think il is fiat myself, and
honey she often called the Gen
honey thinks SO, too"
But her veriest detractors find moth.
ing to say against her looks or charaet-
or. She was bcastly ignorant" said
one fine old gentleman, "and Jackson
married her not from love, but from
an impulse Of chiyalry, 10 fling his pro
lection around her but she was per
fcctly beautiful, and ny fine and good
woman ~ ever lived
But hc did not love her. They tell
that the Hermitage which stands
rather oddly just back of an elevation
Of the ground, instead Of on its brow,
was 80 placed because Mrs. jackson,
walking one afternoon with the general,
stopped there and said IL would be the
right place FOR the new house, as il Was
only q short distance from thu spring
where they went for water. The gen
eral struck the ground with his stan,
and said there should the foundations
be laid. And there they were laid in
spite Of expoatulation.
The inscription on Mrs. Jackson's
tombstone was written by Il kinsman
Of the general, whom he had befriend-