The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1889-08-03
LONG AGO In TENNESSEE.
INTERESTING INCIDENTS IN THE
CAREER OF "oLp HlckoRY."

CAREER OF "OGD HlCkORY."
Tho Court Thanks Andrew jackson for
His Brave Conduct"-His Duel with
Sewer Rccalled-Though lsackwoods-
man He Was Always n Gentleman.
On tho records of the court of Sumner
county, Tenn, for the year 1895 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. "Old
Joe Guild" a prominent lawyer and state
character who died few years ago, re-
moved from that county to Nashville. He
used to relate that when ho grew up and be-
came n jackson man there were still n,agis-
trates living of the 1895 period. OF them he
inquired of this entry
WHY THE ENTRY WAS MADE.
1t seems that tho county court had the trial
of risdemeanors. A gang of bullics defied
the court, juries and sheriff, and persisted in
terrifying the surrounding country. They
wease i:sdicted by the grand jury, but came
int" court and declared that they would not
he tried, that it was against the laws of na.
t,ire which governed the conduct of gentle
men and protected from such undignified
prosecution BY tho next term Of court
Jackson had been chosen district attorney
On his arrival he hitched his horse, carried
his s;l,idlebaSs into court and placed them
beside him while he perused the docket The
first thing he did, to the amazemcnt of every
one, was to call the cases of the bullies. The
emf ira pnup cnma infO co,rf op6 dncliunl tc
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 obcyed, no mat
ter whom it hurt, that it was no respecter of
persons. The bullies became boisterous and
threatening Instantly jackson pulled his
pistols from his saddlebags and 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
bullics, took them into court, where they
were tried, convicted and sentenced to the
full penalty prescribed by statute. That was
the last of the bullies and the occasion of the
unexplained entry on the records of the court
of Sumner county for 1905.
Samuel B. Morgan, who built the state
capitol of Tennessee, died some ten years ago,
had in his possession merchants book of ac-
counts In these were tho purchases of An
drew jackson for five years after 1880 An
examination Of tho 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 a 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 tho chicken after
the most approved fashion Then he returned
to the saddle and witnessed tho fight
AN OFF HAND DUEL.
jackson was originally backwoods speci-
men of the rarest type, but he nt once evolved
into perhaps the grandest man that ever
lived, having no equal in 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
JacEsons letters which remain are in many
respects more interesting than Washington's
They exhibit a man absolutely devoted to his
family, from whom not the smallest thing
concerning them escaped and whose every in
tcrcst was his No man ever wrote in the
same spirit and his social letters are models
from which Chesterfield might have learned
much in politcness. Nothing escaped him.
To show how the men of his time worshipcd
i'm ba taJ I,,N ILL.,,
ians "Old Man Willoughby," of years ago
will suffice When Lafayette visited Jack
SOIL in 1928 he rode in carriage with Gen.
Hall while jackson was on horseback. Great
man as Lafayette was, the people all looked
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 soldier, and
during his Indian fights of over quarter
century he never lost battle, because he al
ways charged into tho natives when in
body. and the Indian could fight with a tree
in front of him. In 1886 Sewer was the first
governor of Tennessee, and for twelve years.
During the first term jackson was on the su
prenie bench of the state The two men had
difficulty about a military election, both
being candidates On the day when Jackson
arrived at Knoxville to hold court Sewer
came also, mounted block in the square and
denounced Jackson in unmeasured terms,
calling him all the names in the early vocab-
ulary There could be but one result, and
that evening Jackson challenged him.
Sewer accepted, and then came question
as to where the fight should take place Jack
son wanted to fight on the Cherokee rcserva.
tion and Sewer in Virginia. AS result let
ters passed between them in which the word
coward had the most frequent use Finally
Jackson started for Virginia and notified Sc
vier He reached Virginia first and remained
several days awaiting the arrival of his oppo-
nent, Sewer not appearing he started for
home, meeting his rival on the way They
met in the road, exchanged several shots,
neither one being hurt, when friends inter-
fered They never forgave each other, and
there is still tradition that this was the
most disgraceful episode in the history OF the
ate.-Sashville American.
Cooperation In India.
One Of the greatest roads in India Is the