Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-26

magistracy of the nation. Never before
had he been in a large city. The Wilder
ness had been his world, and he knew
the bear. the panther, the wildcat and the
deer better than he knew men. Ihree
times he had served as member or Con-
gress and twice he had been member OF
the legislature of Tennessee. He was
thirty-five years old before he could read
or write and he never got on familiar
terms with pen or pencil, but, aside from
his vanity, he was a magnificent type OF
the pioneer American. valiant, hardy ana
indomnitable. In Congress he had been
a bizarre figure. No one went to the
Capitol without seeing him, for the moe
casin suited his feet better than the
tight boots of the day, and he could not
wear the stiff clothes and the starched
linens of his fellows after knowing the
hunting shirt and deerskin trousers from
his boyhood
He had a little of that homely philos-
ophy and that aptness in story teillhs
that later won for Abraham Lincoln
place unique among great Americans: anu
he had all the rugged honesty of the
child Of nature, but applause turned ms
head and he loved fattery so much that
he never questioned the sincerity OF the
fatterer. Throughout the United states
u
veIous stories were told of his deeds III
the wilderness With the rife he was Pc
Ieved to be the greatest shot the nat ~!
ever had produced. His watchWord. be
sure Won are right, then go ahead, nao
caught the fancy Of the multitude, ana
in a day of hero worship he was gooo
deal Of hero Such was DaVy SIochG.s
when he started on the tour that ne
fondly hoped would pave the way 10 d
nomination to the presidency to succeed
Andrew Jackson.
At philadelphia a monster crowd turned
mt 70 greet him upon his arrival In the
CITY As Crockett describes it. 1.-The whole
COCO n, the earth was covered with peo-
pie" Hundreds Of persons pressed 1or-
ward to shake his hand and to gaze upon
him. 1t was with difficulty that ne was
escorted to a barouche drawn by 1our
horses and driven through the man street rec.
The sidewalks were crowded and the win,
dovs were filled with sightseers. ana
crockett, bowling to right and Ieft, 1en
like a conquering hero. In washington
he had opposed President Jackson as NO
other member of Congress did. 'Ihey were
from the same state and had been enc
mics for many years. In the Creek war
Crockett had served under jackson, ana
he ridiculed Jackson as a soldier anu
statesman. Clay and Webster were the
men with whom Crockett trained In Con-
press II was time of rabid partisan
Ship and bitter personalities. and as much
attention probably was given to crockett
ON account Of his political attitude as
on account of his fame as a mighty
hunter. But Crockett took 1t all as a
personal tribute.
He made speeches to thousands of per-
sons-crude speeches they were. full of
nIatitudes. and having none of his sim
Pile homely language in them-and he
was cheered and felt delighted. but he
did not seem to appreciate that he was
looked upon more as sort Of wild man
from the west than a person to be con-
sdered for high office. In New York he
was the guest of the mayor for a day,
and Philip Hone entertained him SO hand
somely that Crockett publicly declared
Hone to be the highest type of gentle
man he ever had met, but it was in Bos-'
ton that Crockett received the most con-
Sideration. For week or more he prac-
tically was the guest of the city The
great industries of the neighborhood were
shown TO him, and every night he was
at a banquet. In an india rubber fac
tory a hunting coat was made for him
while he looked on amazed. In shoe
factory he saw thousands of shoes made
by machinery. In a carpet factory car
pets for his forest home were woven
before his eyes. and in cotton mills he
saw enough cotton goods made In day
to supply all Tennessee for year. But
the most surprising thing of all, ac-
cording to his own statement, was what
happened to him the last day of his stay
in the city. There came to his hotel
blind boy, bearing an invitation from the
superintendent of blind asylum, asking
Col Crockett to VISIT the institution
How do 1 get there?" asked Crockett.
I'll take you.' replied the boy.
Crockett hardly could believe it when
he was told the boy could pilot him
throughout the city. And when at the
Institution he saw a blind girl take up
Bible and read chapter after chapter
the tears came to his eyes. He examined
the raised letters of the book with the
deepest interest, and when IL was ex-
planned to him that the blind, through