San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-08-14
LONG AGO In TENNESSEE.
INTERESTING INCIDENTS IN THE
CAREER OF "OLD HICKORY"


His Grave Conduct'-His Duel with
Sewer RecaIled-Though Backwoods-
man He Was Always a Gentleman.
On the records Of the court of Sumner
county. Tenn, for the year 1893 there is this
entry:
"The court thanks Andrew jackson for his
brave conduct"
There is no information concerning what
Mr.. jackson did to deserve thanks in this
form, at least at the court in question. odd
Joe Guild" prominent lawyer and state
character, who died few years ago. re-
moved from that county to Nashville. He
used to relate that when he grew up and be
came jackson man there were still magis
trates living of the 1895 period. Of them he
inquired of this entry
WHY THE ENTRY WAS MADE
1t seems that the county court had the trial
of misdemeanOrs A gang of DULLES defied
the court, juries and sheriff, and persisted in
terrifying the surrounding country They
were indicted 10y the grand jury hut came
into court and declared that they would not
be tried, that it was against the laws of ma
ture which governed the conduct of gentle
men and protected from such undignifed
prosecution. By the next term of court
jackson had been chosen district attorney
On his arrival he hitched his horse, carried
his saddebags into court and placed them
beside him while he peruSed the docket The
first thing he did, to the amazement OF every
one, was to cali the cases of the DULLES The
entire gang came into court and declined to
be tried, repeating their accustomed argu
ment. Mr. jackson demonstrated and as
sured them that there was no way to avoid
trial, that the law must be obeyed, no mat
ter whom it hurt, that it was no respecter OF
persons. The DULLES became boiSterous and
threatening Instantly jackson pulled his
pistols from his Saddebags and a free fight
began in the court room
The leadership of the young lawyer inspir
ed the people present who were in favor OF
the enforcement of the law, and they Joined
with jackson, whipped the entire crowd of
DULLES, took them into court, where they
were tried, convicted and sentenced to the
full penalty prescribed by statute. That wa.
the last of the DULLES and the occasion Of the
unexplained entry on the records of the court
of Sumner county for 1895
Samuel B. Morgan, who built the state
capitol of Tennessee, died some ten years ago
had in his possession a merchants book of &C
counts. In these were the purchases of An
drew jackson for five years after 1880 An
examination of the books shows that the
only purchases made by Old Hickory Of this
merchant were powder, lead and whisky.
MIR Morgan used to relate that he once
witnessed COCK fight shortly after the battle
Of New Orleans jackson was present sit
ting on his horse, while some fellow down in
the pit awkwardly tried TO heel the chicken
jackson became first uneasy, then mad He
leaped from his horse into the pit, brushed
the fellow aside and heeled the chicken after
the most approved fashion. Then he returned
to the saddle and witnessed the fight.
AN OFF HAND DUEL
jackson was originally a backwoods spec
men of the rarest type, but he at once evolved
INTO perhaps the grandest man that ever
lived, having no equal III the ballroom, no
peer IN politeneSS, courtesy and admiration
for women. The same is largely true of the
Tennessean Of today. Take him from the
farm, array him in fashionable clothes, put
him in the ballroom or in society and his
thoroughbred blood instantly manifests it
self, exhibiting in him only the refined man
of the world
Jacksons letters which remain are in many
respects more interesting than Washington's.
They exhibit man absolutely devoted to his
family, from whom not the smallest thing
concerning them escaped and whose every in
teroSt was his. No man ever wrote in the
same spirit and his social letters are models
from which Chesterfield might have learned
much in pOliteness. Nothing escaped him.
10 show how the men of his time w9rshiped
him the incident related by Willoughby Will
Jams, "Old Man WilIoughby" of years ago.
will suffice. When Lafayette visited Jack
son In 1920 he rode in a carriage with Gen
Hall while Jackson was on horseback. Great
man as Lafayette was, the people all hooked
at jackson and confined their expressions of
admiration to him
The duel between jackson and Sewer
seems to have escaped history and biography
Sewer was Jackson's equal as q soldier, and
during his Indian fights of over a Quarter
century he never lost battle, because he al
ways charged into the natives when in a
body and the Indian could fight with a tree
In front of hnn. lin 1896 Sewer was the first
governor Of Tennessee, and for twelve years
During the first term jackson was on the SUI,
preme bench of the state. The two men had
a difficulty about a military election. both
being candidates. On the day when JACKSON |
arrived at Knoxville to hold court Sewer |
came also, mounted a block III the square and |
denounced jackson in HnmeaSured terms, |
calling him all the names in the eark vocab- |
ulary There could be but one result, and !
that evening jackson challenged him.
Sewer accepted, and then came a question |
rs to where the fight should take place Jack