The Madison family visitor. (Madison, Ga.) 1847-1864, May 10, 1856, Image 1
VOLUME X.
(Original Poelnj.
For the Visitor.
WIIAT NAME SHALL I CALL
THEE?
To Miss Julia , after hearing her sing
“ Call mb Pkt Names, Dearest.’'
What mime shall I call thee? what word shall I
say ?
I could call thee a sunbeam and bless the glad
ray,
Which brightens my pathway and gladdens my
heart,
And bids the dark shadow of sorrow depart;
But brighter and warmer, more dear thau the
ray,
Is the light of thy smile in its magical play -
And I feel that thy presence forever must be
Far more than the light of the sunbeam to me.
But ask me not, dearest, to call thee mv star.
For its brightness beams down from the heavens
afar;
And though I might worship, l never could love
A gem fur away iu the regions above.
Be my bird , for believe me thy voice has the
power,
To gladden my soul in the gloomiest hour;
While I listen with joy to its musical flow—
I ask not the reason, I seek not to know.
Yet dearer, by far, than the voice is thy smile,
Though 1 look and I listen with rapture the while,
Thy spirit breathes out of each look and each
tone,
’Ti# for this that l love thee, my thirling, my men !
Alpha.
Madison, Geo.
For the Visitor.
LINES
On (he death of Edgar, youngent non of Mr. L. P.
and Mrs. Saraii B. Cook.
BV MISS C. W. BARBER.
There is a little narrow grave,
Seen on this fair May morn,
Iu which as sweet a prattler sleeps,
As e’er on earth was born.
Plant ye a rose-bush by his feet,
An urn close at his head,
And let him calmly, sweetly sleep,
Amid the unconscious dead.
In pastures green, aud broad, and fair,
Another lamb now feeds—
Safely along the heavenly heights,
That lamb the Saviour leads.
lie folds him in His gracious arms
Close to His loving breast;
A little oue so gently nursed
Must be extremely bless’d!
So we. will wipe away our tears,
And still each grief, and care!
On earth the earnest task is ours
To lire and meet him then .
[ Grteniboro', May \*t, 1856.
SMILE UPON ME.
Hrnile upon me—now the shadow
Stretches longer o’er life’s meadow,
While the ripple of time's river
Falleth faint and fainter ever.
Smile upon me.
We have lived and loved together,
Sharing fair and stormy weather;
All our griefs were shared save oue—
Thu> , that thou must hear alone.
Camt thou smile?
Will thy heart grow sad and weary
Looking on thy path so dreary ?
Would my smile had power tp throw
As bright a gilding o’er thy wo
As thine o’er mine.
Smile upon me—one by one
Break tbe links that hold me down,
And the grave awakes my fears,
Heaven, I cannot see for tears ;
Yet smiles upon me.
Yes, I know thy heart is breaking,
By my own’s sad heavy aching;
I dare not think how lone ’twill be
“When thou art bere yet wanting me.
Canst thou smile?
Now the shadows like a pall
Gather closer over all ;
Yet I pray thy smile may be
The last of earth, of love, I see.
Smile but once more.
/
I AM LOVED.
..
Jubilate! lam loved!
And his lips at length have said it—
Long since in bis eyes I read it,
But I thought it could not be—
Ah ! what happiness for me!
t Jubilate! lam loved!
Now am I like a little queen,
And very pleasant ’tis I ween;
Whatsoe’er I do or say
Seemeth good and right alway.
Jubilate! I am loved—
To see him kneeling at my feet,
Oh! *tis sweet—’tis very sweet!
Every day and every hour
Do I glory in my power!
Jubilate! lam loved!
So dearly loved, that till I prayed,
I was more than half afraid;
Lord! forgive my sins and make
Me pure and good for hid dear sake!
Jubilate! I am loved!
Lord! forgive my glorying!
To thy dear cross I meekly cling!
Let the love he beareth me
Lead him—lead us both—to Thee!
Cl Southern Width) CUrvnnj mu) Bcmvnal, for i\)t f )omt Circle*
Ijisloricnt Sion).
DEAF SMITH.
A TEXAN HERO.
About two veal's after tba revolution,
a difficulty occurred between the new
government and a portion of the people,
which threatened the most serious con
sequences—even the bloodshed and hor
rors of civil war. Briefly the case was
this:
The constitution had fixed the city of
Austin as the permanent capital where the
public archives were to ho kept, with
a reservation, however, of a power in
the President to order their temporary
removal in case of danger from the in
roads of a foreign enemy, or the force
of a sudden insurrection.
Conceiving that the exceptional emer
gency had arrived, as the Camanohes
frequently committed ravages within
sight of the capital itself, Houston, who
then resided at Washington, on the
Brazos, dispatched an order command
ing his subordinate functionaries to send
the Slate records to the latter place,
which he declared to he, pro tempore,
the seat of Government.
It is impossible to describe the stormy
excitement which the promulgation of
that fat raised in Austin. The keepers
of hotels, hoarding houses,groceries, and
faro-hanks, were thunderstruck, madden
ed to phrenzy ; for the measure would
he a death-blow to their business; and
accordingly they determined at once to
take the step to advert the danger by
opposing the execution of Houston’s
mandate. They called a mass meeting
of the citizens and farmers of the cir
cumjacent country, who were all more
or less interested in the question ; and
after many fiery speeches against the
asscited tyranny of the administration, it
was unanimously resolved to prevent
the removal of the archives by open and
armed resistance. To that end they
organized a company of four hundred
men, one moiety of whom, relieving the
other at regular periods of duty, should
keep constant guard around the state
house until the peril passed by. The
commander of this force was one Col
Morton, who had achieved considerable
renown in the war of independence,
and had still more recently displayed
desperate bravery in two desperate duels,
iu both of which ho had cut lilk anta
gonist nearly to pieces with a bowie
knife. Indeed, from the notoriety of
his character for revenge, as well as
courage, it was thought that President
Houston would renounce his purpose
touching the archives, as soon as he
should learn who was the leader of the
opposition.
Morton, on his part, whose vanity
equalled his personal prowess, encourag
ed and justified the prevailing opinion
by his boastful threats. He swore that
if the President did succeed in removing
the records by the march of an over
powering force, he would then hunt him
down like a wolf, and shoot him down
without ceremony, or stab him in his
bed, or waylay him in his walks of re
creation. He even wrote the hero of San
Jacinto to that effect. The latter replied
in a note of laconic brevity:
“If the people of Austin do not send
the archives, I will certainly come and
take them; and if Colonel Morton can
kill me, he is welcome to my ear-cap.”
On the reception of this answer, the
guard was doubled around the state
house. Chosen sentinels were stationed
along the road leading to the capital,
the military paraded the streets from
morning till night, and a select caucus
held permanent session in the city. In
short, everything betokened a coining
tempest.
One day, while matters were in this
precarious condition, the caucus at the
city hall were surprised by the sudden
appearance of a stranger, whose mode
of entering was as extraordinary as his
dress. He did not knock at the closed
door—he did not seek admission there
MADISON, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1856
at all; hut climbed unseen a small hu-.liy
topped live oak, which grew beside the
wall whence he leaped, without sound or
warning, through a lofty window, lie
was clothed altogether witn buckskin,
carried a long and very heavy rifle in
his hand, wore at the button of his sus
pender, a large bowie-knife, and in bis
leathern belt a pair of pistols, half tlic
length of his gun. lie was tall, straight
as an arrow, active as a panther in his
motion, with dark eotnplexiou, and luxu
riant hair, with a severe iron like coun
tenance, that seemed never to have
known a smile, and eyes of intense,
vivid black, wild and rolling, and piercing
as the point of a dagger. His strange
advent inspired a thrill of involuntary
fear, and many present unconsciously
grasped the handles of their side arms.
“Who are you, that thus presumes to
intrude among gentlemen, without invi
tation ? ” demanded Colonel Morton,
ferociously essaying to cow down the
stranger with his eye.
The latter returned his stare with
compound interest, and laid his long,
bony finger on his lip, as a sign—blit of
what, the spectators could not imagine.
‘‘ Who are you ? Speak! or 1 cut
an answer out of j our heart! ” shouted
Morton, almost distracted with rage by
the cool, sneering gaze of the otlieri
who now removed his finger from his
]ip, and laid it on the hilt of his mon
strous knife.
The fiery Colonel then drew his dag
ger, and was in the act of advancing
upon the stranger, when several caught
him and held him back remonstrating :
“ Let him alone, Morton, for God’s
sake. Ho you not perceive that ho is
crazy ?”
At that moment Judge Webb, a man
of shrewd intellect and courteous man
uers, stepped forward, and addressed the
intruder in a most respectful manner:
“My good friend, 1 presume you have
made a mistake in the house. This is a
private meeting, where none hut mem
bers are admitted.”
The stranger did not appear to com
prehend the words, hut he could not fail
to understand the mild and deprecatory
manner. His rigid feat ures relaxed,
and moving to a table in the centre of
the hall, where there were materials and
implements for writing, ho seized a pen
and traced one line : “lam deaf.” He
then held it up before the spectators, as
a sort of natural apology for his own
want of politeness.
Judge Webb took the paper, and wrote
a question: “Dear sir, will you he so
obliging as to inform us what is your
business with the present meeting ’ ”
The other responded by delivering a
letter inscribed on the hack. “To the
citizens of Austin.” They broke the
i seal and read it aloud. . It was from
i Houston, and showed the usual terse
[ brevity of his stylo :
“ Fellow Citizens'. —Though in error,
and deceived by the arts of traitors, I will
give you three days more to decide
whether you surrender the public ar
chives. At the end of that time you
will piease let me know your decision.
Sam Houston.”
After the reading, the deaf man wait
ed a few seconds, as if for a reply ; then
turned and was about to leave the hall;
when Colonel Morton interposed, and
sternly beckoned him hack to the table.
The stranger obeyed and Morton wrote:
“You were brave enough to insult me
by your threatening looks ten minutes
ago; arc you brave enough to give sat
isfaction ? ”
The stranger penned his reply, “ I am
at your service ! ”
Morton wrote again; “Who will be
vour second ? ”
“The stranger rejoined: “I am too
generous to seek an advantage, and too
brave to fear any on the part of others ;
therefore I never need the aid of a se
cond.”
Colonel Morton penned; “ Name your
terms.” The stranger traced without a
moment’s hesitation: “Time, sunset
this evening ; place, the left bank of the
Colorado, opposite Austin; weapons, ri
iles; and distance one hundred yards.
Do not fail to he in time ! ’’
lie then took three steps across the
floor, and disappeared through the win
dow as he had entered.
“Wlmt!” exclaimed Judge Webb,
“is it possible, Col. Morton, that you in
tend to tight that man ? Ho is a inute>
if not a positive mauiac. Such a meet
ing, I fear, will sadly tarnish the lustre
of your laurels.”
“You are mistaken,” replied Morton
with a smile; “that mute is a hero
whoso fame stands in the records of a
dozen battles, aud at least as many bloody
duels. Besides lie is the favorite emis
sary and bosom friend of Houston. If
I have the good fortune to kill him, I
think it will tempt the President to re
tract his vow.
“You kuow the man, then. Who is'
he ? ”
“ Deaf Smith,” answered Morton, cooly.
“Why no; that cannot he. Dial'
Smith was slain at Jacinto,” remarked
Judge Webb.
“There again your Honor is mistak
en,” said Morton. “The story of Smith’s
death was a mere fiction, got up by
Houston, to save his favorite from tl.o
vengeance of certain Texans in whose
conduct ho had acted as a spy. I fa
thomed the artifice twelve months since.”
“It what you say, ha true, you are a
madman yourself!” exclaimed Webb.
“Deaf Smith was never known to miss
his mark. lie lias often brought down
ravens in their rapid flight, and killed
Camnnehes and Mexicans at a distanco
of two hundred and fifty yards ! ”
“ Say no more,” answered Colonel
Morton, in tones of deep determination,
“the thing is already settled. 1 have
agreed to meet him. There can he no
disgrace in falling before such a shot
and if 1 succeed, uiy triumph will con
fer the greater glory.”
Such was the general habit of thought
and feeling prevalent throughout Texas
at that period.
Towards evening a vast crowd assem
bled at the place appointed to witness
the hostile meeting, and so great was
the popular recklessness as to aftairs of
the sort, that numerous and considera
ble sums were wagered on the result.
At length the red orb of the summer
touched the turbid rim of the western
horizon, covering it all over with crimson
and gold, filling the air with a flood of
burning glory ; and the two mortal an
tagonists, armed with long ponderous
rilies, took their station, back to back,
and at a preconcerted signal—the wav
ing of a handkerchief-—-walked slowly
and steadily in opposite directions count
ing their steps, until each had measured
fifty. They both completed the given
number about the same instant, then
they wheeled, each to aim and fire when
they chose. As the distance was
great, both paused for some seconds—
long enough for the beholders to flash
their eyes from one to the other, and
mark the striking difl'ureuco between
them. The face of Col. Morton was
calm and smiling, hut the smile it bore
had a most murderous meaning. On
the contrary, the countenance of Deaf
Smith was stern and passionate as ever.
A side view of his features might have
been mistaken for a profile done in cast
iron. The one, too, was dressed in the
richest cloth, the other in smoke tinted
leather. But that made no difference
iu Texas then; for the heirs of heroic
courage were all considered peers —the
class of inferiors etnbiaced none but
cowards.
Presently two rifles exploded with
simultaneous roars. Colonel Morton
gave a prodigious hound upwards, and
dropped to the earth a corpse. Deaf
Smith stood erect, and immediately be
gan to reload his rifle; and then having
finished his brief task, ho hastened away
into the adjacent forest.
Three days afterwards, Houston, ac
companied by Deaf Smith and ten more
men, appeared in Austin, and without
further opposition, removed the State
papers.
The history of the hero of the forego
ing anecdote was one of the most extra
ordinary ever known iu tho West. He
made his advent in Texas at ail early pe
riod, and continued to reside there until
his death, which happened about two
years ago; but although ho had many
warm personal friends, no one could over
ascertain either (lie land of his birth, or
a single gleam of his previous biography.
When he was questioned on the subject,
he laid his finger on his lip, and if press
ed more urgently, his brow writhed, and
his dark eye seemed to shoot sparks of
livid fire! lie could write with aston
ishing correctness aud facility, consider
ing his situation ; and although denied
the exquisite pleasure and priceless ad
vantage of the sense of hearing, nature
had given ample compensation, by an
eye quick and far seeing as an eagle’s,
and a smell keen and incredible as that
of a raven, lie could discover objects
miles away in the far oft’ prairie, when
ollicrs could perceive nothing but earth
and sky, and the rangers used to declare
that he could catch the scent of a Mexi
can or Indian at as great a distanco as a
buzzard could distinguish tho odor of a
dead carcass.
It was these qualities that fitted him
so well for a spy, in which capacity ho
rendered invaluable service to Houston’s
army during tho war of independence,
lie always went alone, and generally ob
tained tho information desired. His
habits in private life were equally singu
lar. lie never could bo persuaded to
sleep under the roof of a house or oven
to uso a tent cloth. Wrapped in his
blanket, he loved to lio out in the open
air, under the blue canopy of pure ether,
and count the stars, or gaze with a yearn
ing look at the melancholy moon.—
When not employed as a spy or guide,
i lie subsisted by hunting, boing often ab
| sent on solitary excursions, for weeks and
| even months together in the wilderness.
lie was a genuine son of nature, a grown
j up child of the woods and prairie, which
: iie worshipped with a sort of Pagan
! adoration. Excluded by his infirmities
from cordial fellowship with his kind,
lie made the inanimate things of tho
i earth his friends, and entered by bis
I heart’s own adoption into brotherhood
with the luminaries of heaven ! Wliero
ever there was laud or water, barren
! mountains or tangled brakes of wild,
waving cane, there was Deaf Smith’s
j homo, and there ho was happy; hut in
the streets of great cities, in all the great
! thoroughfares of men, wherever there
was flattery or fawning, base cunning or
; craven fear, there was Deaf Smith an
: alien and an exile.
Strange soul! lie hath departed on tho
long journejq away among those high
bright stars which were his night lamps ;
and he hath cither solved or ceased to
1 ponder the deep mystery of tho magic
word “ life.”
The Difference.
An exchange paper, the editor of
which no doubt, lately “sot up” with a
widow, goes off thus: “ For the other
half of a courting match there is noth
ing like an interesting widow. There is
as much difference between courting a
damsel and an attractive widow, as there
is betweeu ciphering in addition and
double rule of three. Courting a girl is
like eating fruit, all very nice as far as
it extends, hut doing the amiable to a
blue-eyed bereaved one in black crape,
comes under the head of preserves—
rich, pungent, syrupy. For delicious
courting, we repeat, give us a live “wid
dor.”
A True Mother. —A writer beauti
fully remarks that a man’s mother is
the representative of his maker. Mis
fortune and mere crime sot no barriers
between her and her son.
Whilst his mother lives, a man has
one friend on earth, who will not desert
him when lie is need)’. Her affection
flows from a pure fountain, and ceases
only at the ocean of eternity.
iVtiKellamons*
“ The Lord livoth.”
Generations of men rise, flourish and
decay, their labors crumble into dust, —
change passes over all material things,
even vast worlds liavo disappeared from
space, hut tho Lord liveth ! Before tho
birth of time, where thought hewildeied
can only wonder, ever aud always God
lived and shall live. The great truth
that we cannot fathom, we take to our
hearts with silent reverence which ele
vates and inspirits.
Wo look upon tho world in which wo
live, and tliero is nothing steadfast and
reliable. The finger of time is every
where busy, and the new becomes speed
ily old, and the old resolves itself into
its primal elements. Tho sun-bright
countenance of youth is hastily dimmed
by shadows and liued by care, and its
generous, joyous impulses are overlftid
by sordid calculation aud grasping ava
rice.
The homes of our childhood arc re
moved or so changed that they seem the
strangest of all unfamiliaF things. The
friends who were reposing from their la
bors in a golden fruition are awakened
from their pleasant dreams of security to
find their trust betrayed, their well
grounded confidence lying with the
wrecks of their fortuuo in helpless ruin
at their feet.
Saddest experience of all it is to see,
as wo advance in life, one after another,
whom we have loved, and with whom
we have held sweet converse, pass be
hind tho veil which conceals that other,
and, as we believe, higher state of exist
ence, prepared for tho soul God hath
made immortal. Faith soothes the sor
row it cannot erase from the Heart. The
vacant seat at tho fireside, the croiiiar-out
and the coming-in loneliness, the strug
gle to do without the accustomed sup
port, the wild longing for the hushed
accent of a love-attuned voice, the un
filled place within and without, all these
make up tho sorrow that cannot be al
layed.
There is no retreat for the care-bur
denod or sorrow laden heart, hut in
the truth eternal, unchangeable—the
Lord liveth ! If the soul bo not anchor
ed upon this assurance, it is the sport
and prey of every circumstance ; it must
bo whelmed by tho hitter waters of af
fliction, and despair must become its
portion
Reflect for a moment upon tho all
embracing fact, the Lord liveth ! Then
all that we are, all that we say aud do,
are known unto Ilim, more perfectly
than even unto ourselves, for sometimes
our motives are so mixed and blended
that wo can scarcely define them, hut lie
knows them, whether pure or vile, and
weighs them in his balance.
Tho changes of life that are so per
plexing, so trying to our patience, are
all passing beneath Ilis watchful eye,—
not one hidden from his sight, not one
valueless in Ilis great plan of govern
ment. Our friends, our nearest and
dearest, sicken and fail and perish, hut
lie liveth still, nor is unheedful of one
pang that silently lacerates tho heart.
We cannot fathom the mystery of Ilis
self existence or of Ilis eternity, because
human reason cannot stretch so far ; wc
can only believe aud trust, and draw
from theso conditions of the soul, tho
strength and comfort that wc need.
Pause then, yo who dare lightly to
call upon that hallowed name 1 Think
upon the time when thou wert not; pon
der on tho weak, frail, sinful thing thou
art, and look forward to the hour that
shall send thy dissolved spirit into the
awful presence which thou hast dared
invoke with unhallowed lips! Remem
ber, God livoth and hearoth thee, and
change thou thy curse into a prayer for
pardon.
When the soul droops overburdened
with the thought of God, and feels lost
in the sense of its own littleness, it turns
to that other name by which we are
permitted to call upon Him, “ Our
NUMBER 19
Father who art in Ileaveu.” That word,
Father, teems with the blessed assurance
of His pity, mercy and love, and draws
us to Him by the tonderest ties. His
majesty dawns upon us softened by His
love, and we can trust Him with confi
dence. Our lives on earth are but a
dream, tho reality is all with Him in'
Heaven ; and if wo cast ourselves from
Him, whero shall wo flee ? 0, doubting,
troubled, wayward heart, tempest-tossed'
and weary, take to thyself the truth
best worth possessing, God liveth, and 1
if this cannot comfort thee, thou art
indeed desolate.
Cut this Out-
A correspondent of tho London Lite
rary Gazette, alluding to the numerous
cases of deaths from accidental poison
ing, adds :
I venture to affirm there is scarce’
even a cottage in this country that does
not contain an ii. valuable, certain, im
mediate remedy for such an event—noth
ing more than a dessert spoonful of made
mustard, mixed in a tumbler of warm 1
water, and drank immediately. It acts
as an emetic, is always ready, and may
be used with safety in any- case where
one is required. By making this sim-'
pie antidote known, you may be the
means of saving many a fellow creature-'
from an untimely end.
“There ho goes again,” said Mrs.-
Partington in tho Legislature, as a mem
ber stood up for the fifth time to speak on
a question. “There he goes like a soda
fountain, and just ns fluidly as water.
Now, Isaac, mind him, and see if you
can’t become a speaker of the house of
repreheusibles sometimes. I declare!”
continued she as anew burst of elo
quence reached her ear, “it does seem
as if the mantlopieco of Daniel Webster
had fell onto him, he is so bright.”—
Boston Post.
Poor old Biggs, of Boston, labored
under two great natural defects, tho one
being an inability to pronounce the let
ter V, and tho other a “ pecuniary re
tentiveness,” vulgarly known as parsimo
ny. “ What a queer pronunciation your
uncle has,” observed some ono toa nephew
of Biggs. “Ah, yes,” replied the grace
less youth—“ It is impossible to get a
V out of him ! ”
Woman’s Laugh. —A woman has no
natural grace rnoro bewitching than a
sweet laugh. It is like the sound of
flutes on the water. It leaps from her
heart in a clear, sparkling rill, and tho
heart that hears it feels as if bathed in
tho cool exliilerating spring. Have you
ever pursued an unseen fugitive through
trees, led on by her fairy laugh, now
hero, now there, now lost, now found ?
We have. And wo are pursuing that
wandering voice to the present day. Some
times it conies to us in the midst of care,
or sorrow, or irksome business; and then
we turn away and listen, and hear it
ringing through the room like a silver
bell, with power to scare away the ill
spirits of tho mind. How much we owe
to that sweet laugh ! It turns the proso
of our life into poetry, it llings showers
of sunshine into the darksome wood in
which we are travelling, it touches with
light even our sleep, which is no more
the imago of death, but is consumed
with dreams that are shadows of immor
tality.
SuiiiNG. —Lo, tho whiter is past, tho
rain is over and gone ; the flowers ap
peal- on tho earth, the lime of the sing
ing of birds has come, and tho voice of
tho turtle is heard in the land; the fig
tree putteth forth her green figs, and
tho vine with the tender grape gives a
good smell.— Our Author.
•Somebody says, “If ladies would cat'
meat but once a day, pickles ouce a week,
and sweet meats but once a year; it they
would take a cold bath every night and
morning, and walk five miles a day,
they would have no need of cosmetics, ■
or led paint, to make them beautiful.”