The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-08-26

equal credit tc their patriotism and
appreciation Of the heroism of those
who made the State out cf TIC former
: republic Of Texas by their genius and
dsuntless courage, when me- like
Houston furnished her chief magis-
crates and Gen. Albert Sidney John.
500 led her gallant soldiers to victory.
s0ae hundred thousand dollars have
&ecn subscribed for the erection of e
e2onument to the men who fought and
died at the Alamo-men like Crock
cit, Harding and Bowie. These are
among the names that will be inscrib-
ed on this granite monument, and Of
those who won at Alamo immortal
fame none is more deserving than Jas.
'.eSowie. There at ,he Alamo, sick and
alone, he died at the end of such q
Berserk rage, and deed that has
handed his famous knife down to i'm
mortal fame, for on that day Bowie
9performed feat fit to rark with the
ss,roudest deeds Of the doad days of
.snoEance and beauty.
Qt-has often been asked what man
cs>ey.cf man was James Bowie. The
Only man the writer ever knew wbo
bad an intimate personal acquaintance
withsh him was exGov. James Madison
Wells Of the parish Of Rapides, in
9Louisiana, whose house was Bowie S
.4aome when the latter was in Louisi-
.-fans.
'Asenaes Bowie" he said, whose
.ssaadisg was just such one as he would
fsFE,,,., chosen-for there we're seven
-ue.l Mexicans lying around him, each
rof whom had died from one stroke Of
2Bowie's awful knife-was born in
-M7s0, either in Maryland or Tennes-
rsee. he was never quite sure which
sSf thsse States was his birthplace.
1.-THE papers and family Bible,
which would have settled this ques.
.saion for good, was burned in 1910 when
sahe residence Of the Bowie's was
1urned, either by the Cherokees or
-:Shawnees, who were fighting for their
sancient homes and hunting grounds in
llKentucky and Tennessee from 1890 to
.A816. James Bowie's father was a
Enan very like his son. OF an ancient
Maryland family he came, and no
-sowned fine homestead in his native
sState. But Stephen Bowie came Of
shat Wild turkey breed OF tameless
%wanderers-men who were ever 'mov-
ing farther South or West. So when
Shis three sons were we'll grown and
handsome lads, each able amply TO
atake care Of himself and his own any.
svhere, Stephen Bowie sold his
Maryland estate and taking sAip at
Baltimore he and his three seas sailed
vSor Louisiana, the land Of pgamise.
Rezin found en- estate 10 Askaasas af
4 200 acres that pleased him sad sAsFs
ssae and his 2s negro slaves s@s''
SseVn and opened up aae ssssssss. d., !.
@exir Bowie soon became fAisss-
@seathy man and was regarded "a .
4sraodei citizen. If he achieved 40
agreat.fame hc did no harm. but sived
SEnder his own vine and tig tree she
&ise IN the old time. patriarcha' sain,,
GgS1g ct I;pe old age.
Stephen Bowie selected his estate
>Eo the parish OF Lafouudre, and on the
'sasyan of THAT namo il Louisiana, aud
&aeycmH sugar and rice planter Of
Ssrrift. He died in the SOS, just be-
fare the war.
But James! There seemed to be
Hre in his blood, fever in his veins
sasat would DOT allow him to be still, -
ssaid Gov. Wells, his lifelong friend ,
:Sames Bowie never weighed more
s tshan 100 pounds in his life and was
only about Eve feos seven and a half
.saches IL height. But nc was like
!'stelnperedHsteeI, He never drank Ii.
tauor and only at dinner most sparing-
~ OF red wine. His eyes, in rcpose,
were large, fine, well-opened and Of a
.
adark, steely blue-grey. But in anger!
: lshen his eyes would glow and burn as
& does the eyes Of the hunted panther
a,r!teppara. Then he was the most
Z dangerous looking man have ever
! seen. have never seen the man who
/. ssould gaze into the eyes CT James
asowie in anger and not have sense
of personal fear. #
He was in Louisiana from about
-aS20 .to183O, trading in lands and i'm
porting Negroes frora the West Indies
,sand sometilnea he would buy ON en-
ssGire oapgvof negroes just run ia by
Y saeae Spanish SLAYER from the wsat
aaast country oe Africa. A cargo in