Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-09-04
p.vr csecKsrrs eess rrIcK.

Congress In this canvass he played
the famous coca skin trick, which he
relates as follows:
well, I stared of TO the Cross
Roads, dressed In my hunting shirt,
and my rife ou my shoulder Many
Of our constituents had Assem- bled
there 10 get taste Of the quail
iiy Of the candidates at orst-
ing. job Snelling, a gandershsnksd
Yankee, who had been caught s1me-
where about Plymouth Bay. and been
shipped 10 the West with 4 cargo OF
codf.h and rum. erected . large
shsnty and set up shop for the occa
sion. A large posse OF the voters had
assembled tefore | arrived, and nv
opponent had already made consider
able Roadway with his speechifyiDg
and treating, when they spied me
about a rife shot from the camp.
saunteripg along as If was not a par
" 10 business. There comes Crock
EFT cried one. LIT Us hear the Col
opel erie another. and so ! mount
ed the stump that bad been cut for
the occasion, and began 10 bushH hack
In the most approved style.
II 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 const tuents
let me know that they could not listen
to me on such a dry subject as the
welfare Of the nation until they had
something to drink, and that / must
treat EN-. Accordingly / jumped
down from the rostrum and led the
gay to the shantee. followed by my
constituents, shouting, 'HuZZa for
Crockett, and Crockett forever.
When we entered the shantee job
was busy dealing out his rum In
STYLE that showed that he was making
a coed days work OF IL, and ! called
for a quart Of the pest, but the crook
ed cirtter returned no other answer
than by pointing at board over the
bar. on which he had chalkei In large
letters, Pay today and trust tomor-
row. Now that idea brought Inc all
up standing; ii was sort of coroering
in where 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 particular shy
with me on that occasion.
THE voters, seeing my predica-
ment, fell OF on the other side, and l
was left deserted and alone, as the
government will be when he no long
er has any offices To- besto~. saw,
plain rs day, that the tide OF popular
opinion was against me, aud that IN
less got some rum speedily, should
lose my election AS sure rs there are
snakes In Virginy-and II must be
done soon, or even burned brandy
wouldn't save me. So walked away
from the shantee. hut in another di.
rection from which / had entered IL.
for on This occasion | had no train
after me and not voice shouted 'Huz-
zah for Crockett Popularity somt-
times depends on a very small matter,
indeed: 10 this particular Il was worth
quart of New England rum, and no
more.
"Well knowing that a crisis was at
hand. struck into the woods with
my rife on my shoulder. my best
friend in time of need. and, as good
fortune would have il. | had net been
out more than quarter OF an hour
before | freed lat coon, and Ia
the pulling Of trigger he lay
dead at the root OF tree. | soon
whipped his hairy jacket off his back
and again bent my way toward she
shantee, aud walked up To the bar,
but not alone, for this time had half
a dozen of my constituents ut my
heels. threw down the coon skin
upon the count,r, and called for a
quart of rum. and Job, though busy
In dealing out rum, forgot 10 poiut to
his chalked rules and regulations.
for he knew that coon skin was as
good lega tender for quart In the
West as New York smiling any day
in the year.
MY constituents now fiocked
about me aad cried 'Huzza for Crock
EFT, Crockett forever, ana finding
the tide had taken turn, told them
several yarns TO get them Ia good
humur, and having soon despatched
the value OF the coon, | went out
aud mounted the stump without OPP
position, and clear majority OF the
voters followed me To see what | had
To offer for the good Of the nation.
Before was half through one OF my
constituents moved that they would
hear the balance of my speech after
they had washed down the first part
with some more of job Snelling's ex-
tract Of cornstalk and molasses; and
the question being put up II was car
ried unanimously. Ii wasn't consid-
cred necessary To tell the yeas and
nays. ~ we adjourned to the shantee,
and on the way began to reckon
that the fate of the nation pretty
much depended upon my shooting
another coon.
while staading al the bar. feeling
sort Of bashful while Jobs rules and
regulations stared me In the face, i
cast down my eye and discovered one
end of the coon skin sticking be-
tween the logs that supported the bar.
job had slungit there In the hurry of
business. gave Il sort of quick
Jerk, aud II followed my hand AS nat
utaity as IL hau uCcu tue fikuIul
owner, | slapped IL on the counter,
aud Job, little dreaming that he was
barking up the wrong tree. showed
along another bottle. which my con
stitucnts quickly disposed of with
great good humor, for some of them
saw the trick, and then we withdrew
20 the rostrum 10 discuss the affairs
of the nation.
II don't know how Ii was, but the
voters soon became dry again. and
nothing would do but we must ad-
journ 10 the shantee, and as luck
would have II, the coon skin was still
sticking between the logs, as il Job
had flung il thereon purpose to tempt
me. was not slow In raising IL 10
the counter; the rum followed. of
course. and wish | may be shot II
didu't, before the day Was over, get
ten quarts for the same identical skin
and from fellow, too. who la those
parts Was considered as sharp as a
steel trap and as bright as pewter
button.
This joke secured my election. for
1t soon circulated like smoke among
my constituents. and they allowed