Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-10-10

| me. Intense alarm prevailed. No one
ileamed that it was only nm owl hootng
Then an old alligator beloved. That S
roaring lionn some one else declared
hen came II volev ofqrick, sharp sounds
| rhim's muskits, byes." said little Irish
ergeant, springing up, The Indians is
i4htjn' through the woods, and they'll be
| It us in a twinklin' y
Bu it was only II party of COW BOYS
erding up their cattle. and the fame OF
| ne nights terrors went abroad and might
y amused the crackers.
81 Ike" who could rido a horse and
rack a whip when he was seven years
Id, when he was n young man could
Yield IA whip lS feet long. only Is inches
il in the bandle. His father ave him
ONE calves when he was "A lad, and
Jake" proSpered Thousands of cattle
'elonged to hun aS he grew older, ano
ear hy year he sold thousands in Cub I,
nd m de great profits on every shpload
! e Spaninrds regar ded him with wonder
u MN who couldn't be cheated who
'oudnt gamble and who never drank
le bought lands and built wharvrs, b.
tine to own houses and lakes, and grove,
f orange and lemon trees. Stories OF
us riches began to be repeated and h,
'alne to be called the "Klng of the Crack
rs'-a name which nightly pleHs"s him
For he is proud of his early hardshps and
hangers; he dresses, lives. talks am
ratirs as II poor man might, but he gives
o the poor and defends the cause Of th
'atherless against the land shark as only
a rich man can.
q fol Of nd of
other rich tie dea crs in South Florida.
Credible witnesses state that in the rude
og cabins of these men unccunted wealth
lies unconcealed. Many have seen the
king of the Crackers" in his blue shirt
md rough trousers, paying out money
from peck of gold pieces heaped on IA
rude pine table Fat yellow Spanish
Ioubloons, each gold piece worth more
han Sl5, are huddled into Il corn sack
and lett 10 lie in Il corner, or are stuffed
into the sle We of an old checked home
spun shirt, or given by the tncupful TO
child TO play with. Old cigar b. xes. tir
meat cans. old wooden sacks. are favoril,
holders of money for the Florida cattI,
men. Thee ar ic'es will very probtbh
he set on raflcr or poked into chnk
behind IL doorframe. None seem to tax
much care of mere money. They know
some men are mean enough to steal calves
and put on others the wrong brand, but
who would be mean enough to steal
dollars and cents?
Prouder OF his name-or title-than of
his money, the king of the Crackers
who hoes his own garden and waters his
pet mule with perhaps an ostentatious
humility, makes his boast of lack OF al
pretenses. "lm nothin' but cracker,
don't v,u see?' he will say pausing as h,
eads along be old white mule. 81 don
ry 10 ape the qualify. | amt worn a
coat ip 20 year. | amt setun' up for I;
line gentleman. My old blue trousers
md my check shirt suits me-and a good
pair of stout ghllowses, Rim nor shlu,,
| don want any more. My boys ca
dIess up in store clothes, if it suits EN-
90 college-talk big; I'm goin' on jes
tnis way till drop in my tracks. In
guin' TO work when please and play
when | please, and be what | please
nothn' under the sun but native born.
sun baked old Florida cracker!'-Horidn
Correspondence Of The NeO York Tribune