Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-10-04
GsNERAL ALBERT PIKE.
a Few Points Relating 20 His
Past History.

American, 3d.
A representative Of the American
was very pleasantly entertained by
General Albert Pike, at his from in
the Maxwell House, yesterday after
noon. General Pike is a fine CONVEX
sationalist, and does not lack for sub
jects to talk about, being familiar with
the history of the great men of the
past and with that of the country at
large.
General Pike was born in one of
the New England States in 1919, and
went West fifty years ago, when the
country west of independence, Mis-
souri,, was unknown and unexplored,
save by adventurous trappers. Inthose
days, he said, he used to roam on
horseback through the wildernesses of
Arkansas and Missouri. He delighted
in hunting and fishing, and the only
regret was that he had not kept up
that kind of life, because he loved the
woods, the streams and the lakes. He
believes that his experience in this
respect had been the means Of pro-
longing his life and Of giving him a
constitution to endure all sorts Of
fatigue. Frontier life has always been
hazardous, but there was an excite
ment about it hal one, when used to
lit, could not help but appreciate. He
had been familiar with General Houss
ton. with Webster, Calhoun and
nearly all the galaxy Of statesmen OF
their day. He regretted that it had
never been his good fortune to meet
General Andrew Jackson.
General Pike said that Houston
and Rusk were the greatest Senators
that Texas had ever sent to Washing
ton.
He served through the Mexican wal
aud had taken great pleasure in meet
ing the veterans in hat war; during
the past three years many familiar
scenes of hal day had been called Il
mind and many interesting incident
had been recounted. lie was a genera
in the Confederate army, serving j
, the Trans Mississippi Departmef.
He said he bad told President DIS
he thought it was a field in whif a
man could not win distinction ga ne
had regretted since that ng noe
thrown up his commisTten b; %S
Davis, however, hadTho eonId ena'
he was the very>H that denartm"n
troll the IndiantrOl them. Sni;ae.,
[ II l. l;lfas :, IL - Chli6tlng
their sgd keeping peace with LIS
t feder~St venture in -ySsna tite J
c Gne purchase of tbe PanSas
4ette, TOR S250O. Havins dlted 1t
50. so apout a year, he sold OUT Tor
slZo0, He found COLLIE accounts
i ieS sg ai% 70 ,E be an u%pbar Tin,90s an and 5ii !
,oo I0s' II ! mem and never t b5p I,f I,
my more orr Of st9qNi. In 1868 he teoI a
of emphis paper, for which q
Ie was work a year for a fourth
ntere 1t turned out that his in
ere was a debt of $4,000. which he y
:. not get rid OF until after ~seversI
OF litigation. His newsnonsr +
reer, In q financial way, had not been
successful as he could have wished
d ne thought that the practice OF =
y was much more congenial tban
lrnalism, although he had not lost
! love for the art preseryative, NJ
General Pike said he had written n
od deal OF poetry. It would have
2 book, but he had never thongbt
publishing such a collection. He
= now got over his days of poetry p.
belonged to a more voutb6I Soo :
a long time. poetry F.
General Pike saii he had not been
y much pleased with his visit here p,
would go to Columbia Tuesday.
i on his return, he would remain 8.