Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-09-02
Petrlfled Too.

| When Governor Scott, OF Virginia,
returned from his first visit to the
then part of Virginia known as Ken
lucky, he declared that the soil OF
Kentucky was SO fertile, that if ten
penny nail was l,nted in 1t, it would
grow up into crowbar. He was
eloquent III his description OF the size
of the trees and the density of the
forests and cane brakes. He ayerred
that he saw herds of elk there, and
that the horns Of the bucks were ten
feet wide from point to point. When
asked how those elks could get through
the forests and cane brakes he described,
he replied that that was their business,
not his. While in Kentucky he gath
cred q leaf of Buffalo clover which was
larger than silver dollar, and was
accustomed to wind up his amplltica-
lions in regard to Kentucky, by assert
ing that the soil was so very fertile
there that q clover leaf grew to be
larger than q dollar and would then pull
out his pocketbook, produce a dollar
and then take out dried clover leaf and
put it upon the dollar, thus demonstra-
ting that it more than covered 1t. He,
on another occasion, boasted that on
the strength OF that single leaf of
clover he had palmed off some of the
biggest lies that human credulity over
swallowed. Governor Scott, it must be
admitted. was quite a proficient II, the
art of lying.
But the liars of Texas, in holiness
and originality, have far surpassed Gov.
Scott Take, for instance. Jack W,
well known along the Rio Grande. The
readiness, ease and grace of his extem-
poraIeous lying commanded respectful
attention wherever he went. No local
/ ity could be mentioned in casual con-
versatlon but he would show himself to
be familiar with it, and that III soms
way it was connected with his family.
When an allusion was made to the su-
perIority of Goshen butter, he merely
observed that old Goshen, who first iG-
troduced II into general use, was his
uncle. When on another occasion an
allusion was made to the Natural
B.idge of Virginia, he remarked with
an air of modesty that he knew all
about it, aud could give its dimensions
with precision if desired, as his father
was one of the constructors that built
it. He was quite an artist in his way
But the most brilliant, original and
ready of all liars, was an old army scout
that settled in Western Texas. He had
won such reputation that General n
the army in passing his cabin on his
way to a military post, halted and
called upon him, informing him that he
had heard of him SO often all along the
frontier, that he desired to make his
acquaintance, and hear him tell of the
strange sights he had seen in the far
West.
The old scout theleupon proceeded
to say that he had indeed seen strange
sights out West. That on one scout
ing trip he had come upon a high
mountain that consisted Of a single
crystal of diamond, so very clear that
he could see through it herds Of deer
and elk on the other side; and that
when he was going around it to get at
them, he came upon'a buffalo that was
in a standing position, and was entirely
petritied, even the end of the animals
tail, which was in an erect position
over his back, as he was about to charge
when petrifaction set in, was also pet
rified.
Stop" said the General, "Now I've
got you. The attraction of gravitation
would have caused the end OF the tail
to drop down"
NO." replied the scout, "that was
petrified, too"