The Opelousas courier., 1882-06-10
a veteran Story.

by tile last Overflow, anu III was oA'
good luck to interview him the very
day he died. In fact. we witnessed bis
heroic death, and elected from him the
following facts and strange story:
Tom Brown was born on the LIST of
April, l770. in South Carolina, of a
poor, but rascalIy family.
In his youth he was a very wild ne
gro, indeed !; and at the age of fifteen,
had already fallen twice from the light
ming rod of the plantation. three times
in a boiling syrup kettle, and four times
in the muddy waters of the Great Pee
dee; then he. ran away from his kind
masters
He came to New Orleans, where, in a,
bar fight, he had n ~ gouged
out. He said then that it vas a very
lucky thing, as lie had been very cross
eyed ever since his birth.
On the 9Th of January, 1915, he was
with Gen. Jackson behind a cotton
bale, at the memorable siege of New
Orleans, selling ice-lemonade at 5 cts
a glass to the thirsty heroes.
His right arm was then and there
shot away by an English cannon ball,
but he didn't mind it much, for he was
left handed and had had a bad touch
of the rheumatism in that right arm.
What upset him at the time was a
deep sabre cut that he received from
Gen. Packenham. while that English
officer led his troops to storm Jackson's
intrenchments that slash took away
his chin, lips, nose, aud generally all
the trent part of his phiz. But he re
taliated by throwing his empty lemon
ade bucket at the head of Gen. Pack
enham, and his aim was so true that
the bucket went over the head of
Packenham that it covered, and a
Kentucky ri1eman had time to shoot
his bowie knife in the back of the En-
glish hero, and thus killed him.
For his g~allantry, and to repay him
for his lemonade, the brave soldier
whe stands now on horseback in front
of the old Cathedral in New Orleans,
jackson himself took up a collection
for r. Brown, in the same Identical
hat that stands in his hand, and with
the nice little SUM of 1924 IS thatthat
collection produced. he had a vulcan
ICED India-rubber face made for T. B,
with an iren jaw, hippopotamus teeth,
shining enameled eyes, and on top OF
the head, q wig of the finest merino
the country could afford.
Tom Brown was just one month in
Charity hospital, en- account of his arm
The very day he was coming out to
show his friends his bran new face, not
being used to his glass eyes, and hav-
ing forgotten to take eyeglasses, as
the surgeon had told him, he fell from
the horse-car and locomotive 80 Of the
Mobile r. r. passed v e him, cutting
both legs off.
T. Brown, who was a very ingenious
man, made himself, while laying in bed,
two peg legs over seventy feet long,
and offered his services to the fire or
~ganization of these days as watch tow
er, but they didn't take him, SO he cut
down some of his wooden legs and
bought himself q pony.
He took contract to carry the mail
three times q week to an-Antonio,
Texas, which service he faithfully per-
formed until 1916, except during a
short space of time in 1882, when the
yellow fever broke out, and though no
negro ever gotit, Tom Tie caught it, and
took quarters again in Charity hospi-
tai.
The old surgeon who knew him vel
since is, seeing that nothing could
save him from the vomito negro, and
already believing in the germ theory,
performed on him a most delicate and
desperate operation.
He cut his stomach open, took out
all the diseased organs, and replaced
them by rubber pipes, lining the ABIDE.
men and stomach with a strong buck.
skin.
Strange to relate, Tenn Brown recov.
cred, and more than once owed his life
to his leather stomach when he was
time and again stabbed by the Mexican
mail carrier who ran an opposition
line.
On the 18th of January, '46, Genera
Taylor received the mail bag FROM the
hands of Il. Brown. and opening it
found Presidential orders enjoining him
to advance with his forces 60 the Rio
Grande. Accordingly, he proceeded
and in March, stationed himself on thu
North bank of that river, within can.
non slot of the Mexican town of Malta,
moras.
He hastily erected a fortress which
he named, after eur hero, Fort Brown
Poor Tom received, there, the frs
shot from the Mexican batteries !; {
ahsll lodged itself ia the small Of his
back.
It could not be extracted, but thanks
TO his iron constitution, be recovered
again.
But new he conld not ride on horse.
back, fer the ahell might explode, aud
/ Nfn~a - a - = 49, A. - - - ~I~-> H.