Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-06-08
Crockett's Coon-Skin.
"REMINISCENCES OF AN OLD-TIME CON.
GREssIONAL CAMPAIGN.

A "REMINISCENCES OF AN OLD-TIME CON-
GREssIoNAL CAMPAIGN.
[From Forest and Stream
In 1927 Davy Crockett was elected to
Congress from Tennessee and during the
canvass played the famous Coon skin
trick, which he related as follows:
II started off to the Cross Roads.
dressed in my hunting shirt, and my riffs
on my shoulder. Many of our constitu-
ents had assembled there to get a taste of
the quality of the candidates at Grating.
Job Smelling, gander-shanked Yankee,
who had been caught somewhere about
Plymouth Ray, and been shipped to the
West with cargo of Goldfish and rum,
erected large shanty and set up shop for
the occasion. A large posse of the voters
had assembled before arrived. and my
opponent had already made considera BILE
Roadway with his speechifying and his
treating, when they spied me about rife
shot from the camp, sauntering along as
if was not a party in business. There
comes Crockett, cried one. Let's hear
the colonel cried another, and so I
mounted the stump and began to bush.
whack in the most approved style. had
not been up long before there was such an
uproar in the crowd that could not hear
my own voice, and some of my constitu-
ents let me know that they could not lis
ten to me en- such dry subject as the
welfare of the nation until they had some
thing to drink, and that must treat 'em.
Accordingly jumped down from the ros-
trum and let the way to the shanty, fol-
lowed by my constituents shouting
'HuZza for Crockett and Crockett for
ever
"When we entered the shanty, Job was
busy dealing out his rum in style that
showed be was making good days work
Of it, and called for quart of the best,
but the crooked crittur returned no other
answer than by pc hitting at board over
the bar, on which he had chalKed in large
letters, "Pay to-day and trust tomorrow. ?"
Now that idea brought me all up stand
ing; it was sort of cornering in which
there was no back out. for ready money
IN the West IN those times was the shyest
thing in all natur', and it was most par
ticularly shy with me on that occasion.
The voters, seeing my predicament, fell
off to the other side, and I was left deser-
ted and alone, as the Government will be
when it no longer has any offices to be
stow. I saw. plain as day, that the tide
of popular opinion was against me. and
unless got some rum speedily, I should
snakes in Virginny-and it must be done
soon, or even burned brandy wouldn't
save me.
"Well knowing that crisis was at
hand, l struck into the woods with my
rifle OF my shoulder, my best friend In
time of need, and, as good fortune would
have it, had not been out more than a
quarter of on hour before I freed fat
coon, and IN the pulling of a trigger he
lay dead at the root of a tree. l soon
whipped his hairy jacket off his back, and
again bent my way toward the shanty,
and walked up to the bar, but not alone,
for this time had half dozen constit-
uents at my heels. I threw down the
coon skin upon the counter and called
for quart of rum. and Job, though busy
in dealing out rum. forgot to point to his
chalked rules and regulations. for he
knew that a coon was good legal tender
York shilling any dfy in the year. My
constituents now flocked about me, and
cried 'HnZza for Crockett Crockett for
ever and finding the tide had taken a
turn, told them several yarns to get
them in good humor, and having soon
dispatched the value of the coon, went
cut and mounted the stump without op-
position, and clear majority of the
voters followed me to see what had to
offer for the good of the nation.
before was through one of my con-
stituents moved that they would hear the
balance OF my speech after they had wash
GU uuWu Gilc uISu pdIU Will SOuG uUIo vi
JOB Snelling's extract of cornstalk and
molasses; and the question being put up
it was carried unanimously. 1t wasn't
necessary to tell the yeas and
nays, 50 we adjourned to the shanly, and
on the way 1 began to reckon that the
fate of the nation pretty much depended
upon my shooting another coon. While
standing at the bar, feeling sort of bash
full while Jobs rules and regulations star
I'd me in the face, cast my eyes and dis
covered one end of the coon skin sticking
between the logs that supported the bar
job had slung it there in the hurry of
business. gave it 'rt of quick jerk,
and it followed my hand as natural as If
had been the rightful owner. Islapped it
On the counter. and Job, little dreaming
that he was barking up the wrong tree,
showed along another bottle, which my
quickly disp sed of, for some
Of them saw the trick. and then we with
lrew to discuss the affairs of the nation.
II don't know how it was, but they soon
become dry again, and nothing would do