Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1891-03-06
Mossbaok Retrospective.

tiSyDScl w tSt iiiC Wv i'N "'''e ="
the way of exposure. Very good
but ! would remind them that tho
wisest men are sometimes astcn-
ished. 1t is hardly necessary to
say the mirror viii not be held up
in manuer to tlatter trickery. L
mean to deal in unvarnished facts.
This the Democrat who waits and
hopes for Office may not do; but |
am out on the "pitted south hull OF
Hinnom,' whence my voice may
never again penetrate to the teln-
pie, My political identity has
to such an extent, that
Hatch no longer rememb rs me
with papers OF tobacco seed aud
Ia like, hence have little 70 fear.
| was born about sixty years
ago, in a locality in Kentucky
which has not produced many ce-
lebrities. Obscuritv and poverty
came to me as my interest Ia the
Mossback possessions. | was the
eldest of family Of twelve chill
dren and from six to ten dogs.
Ny father WAS pl9in o)d-fashion-
ed Democrat, who would rather
kill deer, whip. niger or vote
for Andrew jackson, than 60 to
the Legislature. His admiration
for jackson was boundless. | be-
lieve he thought by a singla wave
of the hand Jackson could have
made the Ohio river flow up chan
nel and discharge its waters into
Lake Erie, Il lucational facilities
were lacking in the neighborhood
where my youth WIS passed.
Schools we're practically unknown.
| believe Yankee once did un-
der take Term on the subscrlp-
ton plan, but. disappeared at the
end of the first week, and was new
er heard of again. We did not
lionize Yankees in Kentucky. An
article or two belonging to this
one came into Bill Bitfem's hands
somehow, put no BODY cared to
question Bill about i. BIZ was
overseer of the biggest plantation
in the county, known as Bnzzard
Bottom. He could Hay recalci-
trant niger more beautifully than
any one else | ever saw. When
he finally died OF snakes IN his
boots, / succeeded him as supcrin-
tendent, hut / never could get
Bills art into my regular hoggins
exercises. Ny position at buz
zard Bottom was not altogether 8
sinecure, butt did better there for
few years than hove been able
to do since. The proprietor, Hi
ram Bunker, was i typical planter
of the good old times. But poker,
horse races and runaways reduced
him to rags and wretchedness, and
not long before the war | found
myself adrift in the world. Thong
nearly thirty years old, | could
hardly read in lnonosyllables, and
positively could not have exchang-
ed my autograph for hotel. Then
as now, / had a leaning to politics
but my ideas were rather crude
and inaccurate. 10 my thinking
John Calhoun, Andrew Jackson
and Jefferson Davis constituted al
least three -fourths of the western
hemisphere, while III the vague
and misty future Solomon Moss.
back might rise to the dimensions
i. of the other fourth. | confess ]
was mover so modest as some men
No danger of my committing fol,
Ely like Diocletian, who abdicateC
u throne for the sake of raising
cabbage.
From Kentucky [ drifted tc
Missouri. a greater mistake
could not nave made. But convic
ton often comes too late. | came
| saw, was conquered. a nader
with eyes blue enough to Kill ant
lips red enough to kiss. to life, be
guiled me into making an appoint
ment with minister one day
Mrs. Mossback grew up i'll Elm
Narrows; in Elm Narrows she
would stay, whether her dean Sol
onion rose to distinction or did
not. Hardly was the honeymoon
over when the war came. [ sym
pathized with the South, bat wish
ed to avoid bloodshed-at least o.
. personal nature. However, tn
pressure became so strong | yield
ed, and joined a company of Con
federates mainly recruited from
the Narrows. Before enlisting
the leaders about town promised
me q captaincy or something bet
ter within two months. This was
of piece with later tricks prac.
| ticed upon me. / was in but one
engagement-the famous BATTLE oI
Athens, in Clark county. in which
We lost presence Of mind, hayer,
sacks, coats and most everything
else that was loose. Early in the
fight [ left to bring the glad It'd
ings of victory, never once doubt
ing the issue. l imagined myself
a swift courier, bat on arriving al
Lancaster, found all my comrades
had beaten me. To make the af-
fair more shameful, the leaders
declared me Il deserter, and said
they came back to look for me