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

their keenneSS of touch, were taught to
read the stamped type, he declared it
human mind. for it brought light into
darkness and lifted the burdens of the
most sorely afflicted of all Gods
creatures.
stopped again in Philadelphia, and there
was presented to him the finest rife
made up to that time. With this rifle.
which he christened Betsey. he gave an
exhibition of shooting that was wit
messed by an immense gathering.
From Philadelphia he proceeded to
Pittsburg. where he boarded steamboat
which took. him to point in Tennessee
within a few days journey of his home.
So much attention had been shown to him,
through which he travelled. that even a
more sophisticated man than Davy
Crockett might Nave been misled into
believing these were evidences of
popularity instead of curiosity.
Home in, Tennessee, he started in at
once preparing for the election. His re-
turn to Congress was looked upon as a
foregone conclusion. His opponent,
Adam Huntsman, old follower of
Jackson and veteran of the Creek way,
was a poor campaigner. The crowds
turned out to hear Crockett and to cheer
the man who had made the triumphal
trip through the far east. Every one
wanted to hear from his lips the stories
of the wonders he had semitic trains
of stage coaches that were drawn at
the lightning speed of fifteen miles an
hour by a steam kettle on wheels; the
monsters of the deep, nearly 200 feet
long, that had sails to use when the wind
was favorable and steam when the wind
failed; the gigantic tavern to be called
the Aston House. that John Jacob Astor
was building in Broadway. n. Y, on
the block adjoining ST. Pauls Church.
that would house a tremendous number
of people. and that had a barroom near
ly half an acre in extent.
Never had Davy Crockett been more
popular. Throughout his district he was
acclaimed. To add to the discontinue
of Adam Huntsman, Crockett played a
joke on one of Huntsman's followers. the
telling of which never failed to raise
a laugh at the campaign meetings. When
the campaign closed. the only question
was in regard to the size Of Crockett's
majority.
But to the CONSERVATION Of Davy
Crockett he had no majority. His oppo-
nent beat him by go votes. How it hap
rened he could not imagine at first. All
that he could realize was that he had
been deceived by many persons. Later
he came to a better review of the situa-
ton. He saw that in his vanity he had
been offensive that a backwoodsman
hardly was the man for the presidency;
that his people appreciated this fully, and
while listening to his stories with open
delight felt contempt for him in his pre-
sumption. and determined on a rebuke
that would be salutary and complete.
1t was a rude awakening for Crockett.
All his castles had come tumbling down.
E,roy hat had considered greatness
he had been transformed in a day into
mediocrity. A few years before he had
been sent to Congress with majority
Of more than 5000. which was a tremen-
dous majority in those days. Now, talk
ing of himself as a possibility IL not
probability for the presidency, and only
seeking reelection to Congress as mat
ter of form. he had been cast aside.
To Crockett only one course seemed
open. To 60 into a new country and re-
habilitate himself: to turn his back on
the past and begin over again. And this
he did. Many other men have done the
same, but to few have come as much
renown and such lasting fame as Crock
EFT won in short time.
To Crockett the door of opportunity was
in Texas. There the struggle for indie
pendence was under way. An empire was
Of dash and men of daring might rise
to surprising heights. The spirit of adj
venture still was strong in the heart Of
Davy Crockett. Forty-nine years Of strug-
gle had not chilled the fires of his ardent
nature. There was something almost
blithesome in the way he turned his back
on the United States and set out to blaze
new life for himself.
While he was closing out his affairs
preparatory to starting on his trip he did
two surprising things. He began to write
a history of his life. and he blossomed
out as poet. His history and his poetry
each required editing, but each had merit.
Queer that a man who had difficulty in
spelling simple words should do SO well.
But. aside from any merit there is in the
plain story Of Davy Crocketts life
written by himself. it has one great value
1T contains his account Of the siege OF
the Alamo up to the time he ceased writ
ing, the day before the end
From this story of Davy Crockett's life
comes tale of boyhood hardship such
as was familiar probably TO the border
land Of a century ago. He was born in
eastern Tennessee August II, 1876. His
father was born in Ireland or on a ship
en- route from Ireland to America. Davy
did not know which. Davy was the fifth
son of a family of six sons and three
daughters. The family was extremely
poor. the poorest of improvident white
trash" Davy's father had fought in the
revolutionary war and fought for the rest