Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1893-05-11
For the Herald and Tribune.
LETTER FROM COLORADO.
DENVER, COL, April s5, 1893

|
me of long years ago and brings to my
mind many little jokes on some good
men of your. country; for instance
Jesse Bacon, I persume brother of
Mark, at one time there, while Mark
was Sheriff of your county one Bark
ley Boyd who lived just at the crossing
OF the creek as you go from Payne
Town to Jonesboro. Barkley married
a widow by the name of Woods, who
had two sons-Richard, John, one
da lighter Lizzie-Bets, as they called.
her. Just below old Stephen Brown had
a saw mill and his son Alfred .wassboss {;
Barkley and the two Woods boys were
working for Brown and Barkley and
ALI fell out over something when Bark
ley picked up hand spike and knock
ed Alf off the logway. Of course
Brown had them all arrested. Mark
Bacon had the papers in little or no
time, and that very night went home,
but left me and Ase Bayless and Tom
Ellis to guard the prisoners at old Bark
leys house. About the middle of the
night we got pretty dry ard passed
round the hat and soon had money
enough to buy a gallon of whiskey.
Now the question was who would go
after it; John woods said he would 90
If he had horse. says John, take
my horse" So he got an old sack,
put rock in one end and the Jug in
, the other and started. He was gone
some two hours and back he came
with the whisky, from Clyode's still
house. So we had jolly time from
that until morning.
Mark came riding up: '"well boys you
are all here" "Yes all right side up"
Pretty soon Tom Ellis walked out and
of course Tom told Mark SO in come
Mark and looked at me pretty straight
and says: ''you let one of the prison
ers have your horse to go after whis-
ky, did your" ''yes, Mark, we got
dry" He says; II wish he had run
off with your horse. ~ "Well if he had
itwould not cost!you anything. ""I am
not so shure it would not" l say
"boys is there any whisky leftY ?" yes,
lots of it," ''COme, Mark, take
drink, and he took pretty big drink,
and that settledit.
Weall started for Esq. Mathes, below
Washington College, had the Woods
girl ride behind me. We got there
and went up to McAlisters School
House, and found the Browns were
there. Esq. soon had ALI on the wit
ness stand, old Barley sitting off in
one corner.
Well Mr.. Brown, tell as how hard
Mr.. Boyd hit you" "Well he hit me
hard enough to knock me down and off
the logway."
"Did he hurt you much" "Well l
guess he did"
did he knock the sense out of you ?"
then Barkley put in and says: no, that
was not the intention; l hit him to
knock sense in him no man can
knock sense out of Bacon. In the
first place, there is no sense in Bacon
to knock out. hit him to knock sense
in him not out ''Barkley says: Esq.
l will have to fine you So for contempt
of court" "All right, Esq. I will pay
you next week, have no money with
me-" So the Esq. cleared the. Boyd and
Woods outfit and we all left and proud
of our trip. .,
Mark Bacon was an all round good
| fellow. He and his brother Jesse were
great men to git up in their sleep, and
at one time, many long. years ago,
they took boat load of, -four, bacon,
lard etc., down the Chuckey and while
they were gone Mrs. Bacon, their
mother, filled up barrel of lard and
left ii in their room where they slept.
When they came home the first night
Mrs. Bacon heard big noise in the
room-the boys saying: 'clear the way, e.,
here she comes.'' She took light,
opened the door and saw they had the
lard barrel down rolling it around
lard all over the floor and on their feet
and hands. The old lady give Mark a
lick on the head with broom stick,
then Jesse the same, and made them
wash the floor and themselves and go
to another room to bed. '
Soon after this Mr.. Bacon lost his
gun, thought some one had stolen it. 1t
was gone a month or more, Mark said
he thought he took the the gun and
hid it to keep Jesse from going out
hunting thought he could recolect of
climbing up on top of the barn but
when he took look at the barn he
thought it could not be possible; it
it was very large and high hewed
log barn covered with boards and
weight poles, but finally he made a
long ladder and went up and found
the gun under the top weight pole. He
said he knew we'll he put it there when
asleepfan said he would not under
take to climb up there when awake for
FIVE hundred dollars. Many more
walks in his sleep he told me of that
can 7 recolect. -. -
Unjust tell you of one Samuel Beard Z
experience with the Washington Col
lege boys. About 50 years ago Sam
uel lived in one mile of the College,
on what was known as as the old Mel.