Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-03-11
Audubon County
Early History
HON. II. f. ANDREWS

a rude way, his utterances often as
sumed remarkable, poetic charm and
force.
His hospitality was of the peculiar
old fashioned Kentucky style, always
with an open welcome: and to offer
recompense for entertainment, even
| 10y a stranger was almost equal to an
insult, never desired and almost stern
ly refused if offered.
His book learning was deficient and
he was evidently reared i'm the stern
Surroundings of pioneer life: better
acquainted with acquiring the neces-
saries of life than the accomplishment
of social enjoyments.
| In his younger days it was conSi-
| dered honorable for men to engage in
contests for physical superiority with
only such powers and advantages las
nature provided, for the mere gratif-
cation of deciding, who was the best
man in hand to hand fight.
| have heard him relate being en-
gagged in such contests. His friends
| and admirers desired to match him
with noted champion, on a public
occasion, for a fight. He was then re-
covering from a spell of sickness and
did not consider himself in condition,
but was purSuaded against his Judge
ment and made the fight and was de-
feated. 1t wounded his pride and re-
! putaton and he decided to fit himself
ranged another meeting at general
muster of the militia and made a
long, savage fight, in which they used
every effort known to such encounters,
striking. wrestling, graphing, choak
ING, gouging, etc and i'm the end Nh
! Jenkins won the victory and COM
pletely vanquished his antagonist.
| He used to relate after telling the
story: But, my God sir, how he
gouged me, And my eyes have never
been right since.n And this fact was
always noticeable that his eyes had
been injured. Gouging, which was
employed in such encounters consist
ed in one fighter forcing his thumbs
into the eyes of the other until some
times the eyes We're forced from their
sockets. BarbarouS and inlluman as
this practice now seems, such events
were common in old times in Ken
lucky. A champion in such encoun-
terS was considered a popular and
prominent citizen and excited admira-
ton. This remarkable custom leads
us to remark the extent to which hab
its, customs and environments lead
people for good on ILL.,
An old Kentucky gentleman told
me years ago that in his youth every
man was expected to be ready for a
fight if offered, and that unless a man
was fighter ''the girls wouldn't have
any thing to do with him. That he
was looked upon as a coward. What
a marked change in public opinion on
this subject exists today.
After Bradshaw attempted to jump
Mr.. jenkins claim his party made
claims to some Of DR.. Ballard'S claim
and the settlers collected and called
on them. They had a meeting in the
timber discussed the matter and
were informed of Dr.. Billiards. selec-
tion and that the other settlers had
approved of his claim and had pro-
missed to support him. The doctor
was present, addressed the meeting,
explained what he had done and said
he proposed to become an actual set
tier and desired a large estate, which
he had selected, and asked for protec-
ton, etc.
Bradshaw and his party urged that
the doctors action was unfair, that
he was asking too much and added
that they had as much right to the
land as the doctor had and that they
intended to hold and settle on some
of the lands chosen by the doctor
This brought the matter to an is.
sue. Mr.. jenkins, who was Captain
of the Settlers club briefly addressed
the meeting and delivered an ultima
tum. Said he: "Men we think we
understand you. Now if you are fol
peace, we are for peace; but if you
are for war we are for war by =, sirs
Now you get off from this land
1t had the desired effect None of
the Bradshaw party settled on the
lands claimed by Dr. Ballard.
Our early settlers endured many
hardships. There was hardly such a
thing as sawed lumber i'm the settle
ment unless it was a wagon bed OF
some article of household furniture
which had been brought here by the
settlers. Nearly every such thing re
quired for use had to be hewed out OF
the forest trees by hand work with
axes, saws, etc. There were neither
saw-nills or grst-millS here then MOI