USA > Tennessee > Old times in Tennessee, with historical, personal, and political scraps and sketches > Part 32
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whose name he refused to give. He denounced the charge in the most vehement terms. He would tell his fellow-citizens why he had voted for Mr. Adams in preference to Gen. Jackson, and they might decide whether he was right or whether he was wrong in the matter, and by their judgment he was willing to abide. He said in the fall of 1814, he was one of the commissioners from this country to assist in negotiating a treaty of peace with Great Britain ; he was in France when he learned that the British Gov- ernment had dispatched a powerful fleet and a large army, com- prising the veterans of Wellington, from the Peninsula, for the capture of New Orleans, and expected to have possession of that city before Christmas. Mr. Clay said, 'I told the French minis- ter that he was mistaken, that Gen. Jackson was in command of our forces, and he would protect New Orleans from capture; that he was a brave and gallant soldier, a most skillful commander, and I had full faith he would defend the city successfully. I was taunted by my associates for my faith in the American com- mander, but I boasted loud and clung to my faith in the skill of the General. And some time afterwards as I was walking leis- urely along the boulevards of Paris, a courier came galloping up the street, scattering his bulletins on every side, announcing a great victory at New Orleans for the Americans-the entire rout of the British army. I received one of the bulletins, and as I read the announcement of a glorious victory for my country my heart leaped for joy, but as I read on further the dispatch from the commanding General to the Secretary of War, that the Kentucky troops on the right bank of the river had ingloriously fled in the face of the enemy, my joy was turned to sorrow; then anger and indignation filled my soul, and I denounced the state- ment as false and a slander upon the bravery of Kentuckians, who had never ingloriously fled before the face of any foe. I denounced it then and there, and I denounce it here to-day, as a vile slander upon the fair fame of Kentucky. If any man here to-day will say that I ought, after that, to have voted for Gen. Jackson, let him stand up and speak. I will pause for that pur- pose.' He did pause, but no one arose to object to his vote. The audience was highly excited, and if any man had ventured to object to him, then he would have been mobbed. Mr. Clay had the rare gift of infusing all his own feelings, emotions, and pas-
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sions into his hearers; he swayed them at his will; a popular audience was absorbed by his magnetism, and borne along with him as if they had been a part of himself." Judge Guild said that " we Tennesseeans forgot all about Old Hickory whilst under the magic influence of Mr. Clay's speaking, and did not recover our judgment for some time after our return home."
Gen. S. R. Anderson and his lady, who was a Miss Trousdale, of the pioneer stock of Sumner county, graced the occasion with their presence. The General is known to the people of Tennes- see as a gallant soldier and a courteous gentleman, and has been a life-long friend of the venerable bride and groom. The General and his lady contributed greatly to the pleasure of the evening by their genial disposition and social bearing, awaking many bright and happy recollections of the past. The General was a resident of Sumner county at the time of the marriage of Judge Guild and lady ; although not present at the wedding, he recollects many pleasing incidents of those early times in that county. May he live long, and never again have occasion to draw his sword in defense of this country.
Joseph W. Allen came over rather late, bearing a magnificent present (a beautiful mirror set in burnished gold). He applied to Gov. N. S. Brown to present it in his name and that of his sister, Mrs. Rebecca Allison. Gov. Brown, taking the mirror in his hands and holding it aloft, made one of his happiest efforts, stating that the present was founded on an incident, which hap- pended a few days before the marriage of Judge Guild and Miss Blackmore. Mr. Allen and his sister were on their way from Carthage to Gallatin, and stayed all night at the house of Major Blackmore. His sister and aunt, who were traveling with him, were put in the bridal chamber for the night, and on the next morning, his sister accidently broke the looking-glass in the room. They were much disturbed by this accident at the time, though the family made light of it and told them it made no difference, that it was a mere accident and she was not to blame. Still, the recollection of the broken glass remained with them for half a century, and they took the occasion of their golden wedding to present to the bride and groom this beautiful mirror. I cannot give you the glowing and eloquent terms in which the presenta-
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tion was made by Gov. Brown, but it was done in his own pecu- liarly graceful style, well known to those who have heard him often and on different occasions, and always with pleasure. To this chaste and classic address, Judge Guild replied, accepting the present. He then traveled back for fifty years, giving a history of the Allen family. Robert W. Allen, the father of Joseph W. Allen, was a member of Congress from that district for several years. Old Billy Allen, who lived at the Bluff, was the fighting man of the family, and was known as the Knight of the Bloody Flag. He said that he and Joe staid all night at old uncle Billy's one Saturday night, and the next morning, it being Sunday, they went out into a lot to salt some mules, one of which was known as the kicking mule ; he kicked the other mules off from the salt, and would keep on kicking when there was not another mule in fifty yards of him. They were much amused at the kicking mule, and they salted them three or four times just to see the mule kick. The Judge told of a former bar dinner the lawyers had at the residence of Col. Archie Overton, at Carthage, and of a wedding dinner on the occasion of the marriage of his niece, when they had twenty pigs slain and twenty-five turkeys killed, and all dressed and cooked for the dinner, and everything else in the same grand style. Glorious times of peace and plenty ! I find it utterly impossible to follow the Judge, or to put on paper the tone and spirit of the speech ; words can give but an inadequate conception of the bubbling humor and sparkling wit that danced through his speech of more than an hour.
The Hon. Bailie Peyton, the Chevalier Bayard of the State,. graced the occasion with his presence. He was one of the waiters at the marriage of Judge Guild fifty years ago, and has lived a neighbor and a friend to the venerable couple ever since. He ยท was called upon for a speech on this occasion, and he commenced in a rather serious strain, referring to the fact of his attendance at the wedding, and his intimate acquaintance with the family : he referred in glowing terms to the womanly graces and Christian virtues of Mrs. Guild; he described her as entitled to all the praise and properties of a good wife, as set forth by Israel's wise king in the pages of Holy Writ, "She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness; her children rise up and call her blessed, and her husband also praiseth her."
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After this gallant and graceful allusion to Mrs. Guild, Col. Pey- ton turned back to the times of stirring events stored in his mem- ory over fifty years ago; he told how he happened to be a can- didate for Congress; he was not expecting such a thing; Dixon Allen was to be the Jackson candidate, but he had been serving in the Legislature at Nashville and had fallen in love with a fair daughter of Gen. Gibbs, and she requested him to remove to Nashville and settle there; he agreed to this arrangement and then told Col. Peyton that he must run for Congress; "and on the way from camp-meeting to Gallatin," said Col. Peyton, " I became a candidate for Congress, and Col. Overton was my op- ponent. Jackson county had lately been added to the district ; I canvassed this county closely, visited every man in the county and shook hands with every woman. On my way home I stayed all night at uncle Billy Allen's, at the Bluff; there was a lady there with a baby, a Mrs. Hogg, who was going on horseback to Hartsville; she had previously asked Col. Overton to accompany her on the journey with her baby, as her husband and family were all his political friends, but he declined, and proceeded to Hartsville, where he had an appointment to speak. I knew nothing of this circumstance, but I assisted the lady to mount her horse and then handed her the baby ; I then mounted my own horse, rode up to the lady, took the baby into my lap, and carried it all the way to Hartsville for the lady ; this gave me all the Hogg family and elected me to Congress." Col. Peyton also said
that he waited upon Judge R. L. Caruthers when he was married. He said that he went with the young folks from Gallatin and Carthage down to old Jimmy Dry's, on the river, where they had a rousing wedding : and the next day, the coldest he had ever felt, they started to Lebanon; it was so cold that they had to gallop from house to house and stop to warm, in order to keep from freezing. He had a fine horse, and he and Miss Sally Van Horn led the way. She had a fine well-trained pony, and during the ride her hair came down ; she dropped her reins, took off her bonnet, held the strings in her mouth, and with both hands twisted up her hair, replaced her bonnet, and tying the strings, she gathered up her bridle reins without even slacking the speed of her horse. The women were all in that day skillful riders. Col. Peyton told some agreeable reminiscences of his Congres-
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sional career. His manner is self-possessed, and his descriptions life-like and true to nature.
We noticed among the guests the following persons: Col. Pey- ton's daughter-in-law, Mrs. Fannie Trousdale Peyton, a daughter of Gov. Trousdale, an old friend of the family, and a pioneer set- tler in Sumner county. Mrs. M. A. Schell was another guest, and a friend of the family for half a century. This lady, we are informed, has often courted the muses, and her poems have graced the columns of the old Louisville Journal when controlled by the gifted Prentice. Mrs. Polly Lewis, one of the oldest residents of Gallatin, a life-long friend of the family, looked as sprightly and as young as she did forty years ago. Mrs. C. A. R. Thompson, the daughter of the late Judge White, of Gallatin, a contempo- rary of Judge Guild; she has known the family from her child- hood, and although she is now in the middle life, she looked as fair and beautiful as ever. Mrs. Mary Brown, with her husband, John Lucien Brown, an old friend of the family ; though not present at Judge Guild's wedding, she was at another on the same night in Gallatin; she was then the accomplished Miss Polly Barry.
One of the most pleasing incidents of the evening was the ap- pearance of the venerable uncle Dick White, who is over eighty years of age, but still sprightly and in full possession of all his faculties. He had an old-fashioned gourd, cut and trimmed with his own hands, which he brought and presented to Mrs. Guild, who received it kindly, saying that it reminded her of the days of her childhood, when the gourd was the primitive drinking cup.
Judge R. L. Caruthers was invited but could not be present ; he, however, sent a letter full of kind greetings and wishes for the continued happiness and prosperity of the venerable couple. It is not one of ten thousand married couples who continue the journey of life together for fifty years ; such occasions are rare indeed, and when they do occur, it is a just cause of gratitude and thanksgiving, and is worthy to be recorded as a remarkable event in the history of our times. A GUEST.
P. S .- The supper was sumptuous and as bountiful as the known liberality of its generous providers.
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The extempore speech I made in response to Gov. Brown, who presented myself and wife an elegant French toilet glass, inlaid with gold, in the name of Mr. Joseph W. Allen and his sister, Mrs. Rebecca Allison, to which Judge White refers, was substan- tially as follows:
We feel grateful for this renewed evidence of the feeling of friendship which has always existed through so long a time be- tween our families. We accept this beautiful and magnificent gift, not more on account of its value than the unalloyed friend- ship exhibited in its presentation. Upwards of fifty years since, I embraced the county of Smith in my circuit in the practice of law, when I became intimately acquainted with the father of the donors, Col. Robert Allen, and his interesting and talented fam- ily. At that time Col. Allen filled a large space in the public eye : he was the master spirit of the mountain district. He dis- tinguished himself at the head of his regiment, upholding the flag of his country, in the great battles and victories won by Gen. Jackson, and fought with unsurpassed bravery upon the immortal plains of Chalmette. He ably represented his people in Congress, and was an efficient member of the constitutional convention of 1834. His early and valuable friendship to me, a poor young lawyer, struggling through the rough paths and over the cliffs of professional life, was always gratefully remem- bered, and in all of his aspirations I was always his ardent and devoted friend, and thus I became endeared to his children, especially the talented Dixon Allen, a man of the finest address for his age I ever knew. He was the youngest man ever elected to our General Assembly ; was a rising, brilliant star when, at an early age, he died while attending court at Gallatin in 1835. I attended upon him as a brother while sick, and mourned for him as such when he died. I entertained a similar attachment for the Colonel's other sons, especially for my friend Joseph W. Allen, and more especially for the Colonel's pretty daughters. These recollections call up an incident which took place at "the Bluff," the residence of William Allen. He was a man of un- tarnished honor-a plain, common-sense man; and though a member of the church, he would fight at the drop of the hat ; no man ever insulted him without a flogging. We called him the "Knight of the Red Flag." While attending court, we
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spent our Sundays at Col. Robert Allen's and at the Bluff with the "Red Flag," and their interesting families. Billy Allen owned a fine stock farm, and raised some forty mules each year. He walked us out after breakfast to show Jo. W. Allen and my- self his stock, and especially to salt his mules, carrying the sait in a large gourd. He called them up from the clover-field, and put the salt down in small piles at convenient distances; they came running, and we soon noticed one large bay mule, which exhibited a spirit of aggression, and was so fierce that he kept every other mule at a respectful distance, and as a mule would come near him to partake of the salt, the fighter commenced backing, with his ears on his neck, and with a peculiar twist of the tail, and after elevating it three or four times with the pecu- liar twist, he would commence the battle by raising up before and then behind, making the most awful kicks ever seen ; and as that tail would twist he would kick, and although every mule was beyond his reach, like the rattlesnake, he gave the signal of battle by his continual raising up behind and with the twist of the tail would kick. This, of course, amused us greatly, while the Knight did not take it so well. He wanted to give us the opportunity to examine the qualities of the flock, but our atten- tion was entirely engaged with the kicking mule. The Knight, after repeated urging, brought us back to the house, but our mind still dwelt upon that kicking mule. An hour or two after- wards I said to Jo., " I think we had better go out and salt the mules, for only one got salt this morning." We invited the girls to accompany us; the Knight remained at the house. We marched out with the girls and gourd of salt, and called the mules; they came running, headed by the same kicking mule. We put the salt down, and soon discovered that his voice was still for war; his ears backed, and he commenced raising before and behind, that same twist in the tail was observed, and he would kick in this position for fifteen minutes at a time when ro mules were near. There never was a more amusing thing oc- eurred on the plantation. I think we went out four or five times that day with the girls to salt the mules, and to see the kicking of that mule. We laughed enough to do us a week. The fact is, a good laugh is the spice of life , it makes one good-natured and cheerful, and is an antidote to evil.
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This wedding occasion and the assemblage of our friends re- minds me of another incident that occurred at the marriage of the niece of Col. Archibald Overton, upwards of fifty years ago. It was in the days of that brilliant galaxy of talent of the moun- tain bar; among those attending the Smith Circuit Court was Jas. Rucks, Col. Arch. Overton, Col. Robert M. Burton, Gen. R. L. Caruthers, Abe Caruthers, Abe Looney, Wm. McClain, and others, all of whom were distinguished lawyers, and many of them orators, equal to any that Tennessee has produced. Col. Overton was a lawyer of great wealth, in full practice, a fine speaker, and possessed of one of the most musical voices I ever heard, but a man of peculiar eccentricities, common to the Overton family. The Colonel's piece was to be married at his residence on Thursday night during the court. We all expected to be invited to the wedding on Monday. Although we asso- ciated with Col. Overton on that day, not a hint was given by him of an invitation ; Tuesday came, but no invitation with it. We began to be alarmed, and the bar put me forward to draw the fire from the old Colonel. He was vain of his powers as an orator. I had been associated with him in many criminal cases, and recently in a most important and difficult one, in defending a young Anderson, in which I had highly praised his speech, and he was, besides, much attached to me. I told Judge Rucks, Burton, Caruthers, and others, that we could draw the fire from him, and my programme was this: I would invite Col. Overton to my office-a little "shanty " -- on Tuesday night, and after his arrival, for them to fall in as by chance, one at a time, for he was very suspicious and sensitive and the game might fly; that, when assembled, we would introduce the subject of reviving the custom of the English bar of having social gatherings, bar din- ners and parties, which would have a happy effect in breaking down the asperities of the bar likely to be engendered by their contests in the forum. My plan was pronounced good and was adopted. At an early hour I had Col. Overton at my office upon the pretext of consulting him about a lawsuit; we had some pleasant conversation, when in comes Judge R. L. Caruth- ers; after a little, Col. Burton, then Judge Rucks, and some others. I did not want the gathering to be too large for fear of arousing the Colonel's suspicions. After some general conversa-
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tion, Judge Caruthers remarked, that members of the bar fre- quently, in the heat of debate, said things that had a tendency to produce bad feeling, and he wished some plan could be adopted to foster and maintain the sociability of the bar. Judge Rucks replied that he thought the custom of the English bar ought to be adopted in this country-that was, that at every court some wealthy lawyer should give a bar dinner, and have all the mem- bers of the bar to partake of his hospitality. Every one con- curred in this sentiment, except Col. Overton; he was scrouched up in a corner, getting sullen like a 'possum. Col. Burton now took up the thread, and said he heartily concurred in these views; but these dinners should alone be given by the rich law- yers, for he never sat down to the table of a poor lawyer but he felt that every mouthful he took was taking so much bread and meat out of the mouths of his poor brother's wife and children. He referred to the wedding of his niece which had taken place but a few months before, when he had twenty turkeys slain and as many hogs, besides providing all the sweet things used on such occasions; that he invited the entire Lebanon bar to that wedding, and sent for Gen. Jackson, who was present, giving cheer and countenance to that great occasion. I then put in, and remarked to Col. Burton that that was the wedding of his niece, and on such an occasion it would be expected of him, and entirely inexcusable if he had not invited and had at his house the entire bar; that, on the marriage of a niece or daughter, of course he should have made the necessary preparation, and had the bar and his friends present by invitation But, we go farther than that : we think that some one at every court should give a bar dinner, or party, and have the bar present; it is well calcu- lated to break down the asperities likely to arise in the collisions of debate. We thus felt and speared the old Colonel. He was sharp enough to see that all these sallies were directed at him, and became completely sullen and took no part in the conversa- tion-but he had the "harpoon" in him, certain. No fire was drawn from him, and the members of the bar retired, thinking all was lost; but I did not give up the game. Col. Overton was sullen. I understood his character and knew how to arouse him, for I did not intend he should leave in this sullen mood. I wanted to renew the fight on the next morning, for the time was
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short-we had but one more day to go on. After all had de- parted, I undertook to revive him and put him again on his feet. I said, "Colonel, that was a great speech you made in the acquit - tal of Anderson." He began to unlimber-I had struck the right string. I continued, and said that I had heard the great criminal lawyers of the State frequently, especially the great ad- vocate, Felix Grundy, but that speech you made in the acquittal of young Anderson was the greatest I ever heard. He had a peculiar way of swinging his head from one side of his neck to the other when pleased; I saw this sign, and he said, "Col. Guild, you are right; that was the greatest speech of my life- the proudest feather in my cap. It was a glorious acquittal." He then branched off into a most interesting conversation-his conversational powers were very great-and left the office in the best humor with me. The next morning, early after court met, Col. Overton came to me and said, "My niece marries at my house to-morrow night, Col. Allen and others are invited, now I commission you to invite the bar, and especially Judge Caruth- ers, Col. Burton and Judge Rucks." We all went together to the wedding, and got there just before dark. Col. Overton met us at the gate, conducted us through his palatial residence, and introduced us to a large bevy of young girls all dressed in white. He was unusually attentive to us and to Col. Allen, who was there. After awhile supper was announced, and he conducted us to the large dining-room, where the most bountiful supply of meats and pie-fixings I had ever seen was spread. As the girls and matrons were being seated, we arrived at the head of the table with him. Addressing us, he said to Col. Allen : "Would you have suspected that these gentlemen attempted to lecture me the other night on what I should do on the marriage of my niece? How imploringly they recommended that at every court there should be a bar dinner, or party, given by the rich lawyer, to break down the asperities of the bar! Col. Burton informed us, when his niece married he had so many turkeys and hogs slain, and all the bar at Lebanon were invited, and even 'Old Hickory' was there. Now gentleme," he said, hitting us on the back, "you are more than welcome-behold these slaughtered sheep and turkeys! Now, Col. Burton, and the rest of you, be seated, and partake bountifully of this wedding supper, and do
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not let your pleasure be marred by the idea that every mouthful taken is so much taken from the mouths of the wife and little children. It is the bountiful repast of the rich lawyer." Under all the circumstances, with the Colonel's peculiar talent for wit, delivered in his style, it was the most lively and appropriate sally I have ever heard. It showed that he felt every thrust made at him the night before, and he took ample revenge. The shots were so well directed, amidst the hearty and continual laughter, that Col. Burton sank under his well-directed blows. The fact is, we were caught in our own net, and the door to an effectual reply was closed.
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