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I
II Ii 
THE
LIFE AND TRAVELS
OF
JOHN W. BEAR,
C"THE BUCKEYE BLACKSMITH.
WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.
BALTIMORE.
t)D BINSWANGER & CO., BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS.
i873. 
[Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1873, by
JAMES B. MoaaRRIs,
in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.] 
PREFACE.
Ever since the art of printing was discovered, the
lives of men have been written,  the major part by
the Historian, and a few by themselves. The General
who has gained a few battles fought by brave men;
the Astronomer who has discovered a new planet;
the Inventor who has constructed a new labor-saving
apparatus; the Statesman, Philanthropist and Scholar
all have had their bravery, discoveries, deeds, etc., ap plauded and portrayed by the pen of the ready writer.
Believing that there are few men now living who
have made more speeches or seen more of life than I
have (as I have seen almost every phase of human
nature) and with the prospect of bettering myself financially, I am led to believe that t would not be
amiss for me to write the history of my own life.
Every line being written by myself and not being
blessed with a classical education, the reader will not
expect it to be written in high sounding language but
in a plain, unvarnished manner, using my own language and phrases.
Embracing a period of over seventy years, showing
my early life as a poor bound boy, afterwards as a
Mechanic working at the forge and then as a Politician, giving synopsis of many of my speeches, rehearsing many of my anecdotes as well as giving advice
to the youlg, I trust this book will interest, amruse,
and benefit the reader.
Very respectfully,
JOHN W. BEAR.
-1 4'P,'I - - 
I 
CHAPTER I
I  WAS born in the year 1800, in Frederick County,
Maryland, near New Market, of poor but respectable parents, and was the eldest son. At the early age
of ten years I was put out to service with an old gentleman by the name of iagan, who kept a tavern and
had several grown sons and a number of slaves; so I
was at once deprived of all moral influence. It would
be folly for me to describe a country tavern in those
days; suffice to say that all the old bloats of the neighborhood would gather there on Saturday and Public
days to run horses, fight chickens, drink bad whisky
and black each others eyes. Many were the knock
downs and bloody noses I saw in the three or four years
I lived there. You can well imagine that my moral
training was very poor, as I was only a lacky boy for
any who chose to avail themselves of my services, and
many was the sound flogging I got for not coming up to
time.
In the fall of the year when election time came on
it was the habit of wealthy politicians to get all the
poor white voters they could a day or two before election and furnish them rooms in the upper part of their
houses and supply them with plenty of the best the
market could afford, and plenty of whisky, and cards
to play with, and keep them there until the morning
of the election, (this they called cooping,) and then 
-8
load them on wagons and haul them to the polls and
vote them; after voting was over get them to fighting,
this they called sport.
This tavern of Hagan's was a great cooping place, as
he had a son who was a great politician, being Deputy
Sheriff of the county while I lived with his father,
and a great political trickster and with all not any too
honest as will be shown by the following: On a certaim day a gentleman called at the tavern to get his
dinner and horse fed, and while there discovered that
he had lost his watch, a fine gold one; he told me he
thought he had lost it in a peach tree while getting
some peaches, some two miles up the road and if I
would go and get it he would give me five dollars. I
mounted a horse and went flying, for five dollars was
a fortune for me. I thought of many nice things I would
buy for mother for she was very poor. The first peach
tree I looked in I saw the watch, my heart leaped with
joy; I was not long getting back, but when I arrived
with my prize the stranger had gone and this young
Hagan told me that he knew the gentleman and would
give him the watch and get me my money; at this I
demurred, I wanted the money before I gave up the
watch. A few days after he brought an order from
some person unknown to me for the watch, I gave it to
him and he said the gentleman would send me my money
b lt the money never come, and for two years he (Hagan)
still carried the watch, pretending that he had not met
the man, and whenever I made any inquiry about it I
either got a kick or cursing. This was my first lesson
in the dishonesty of man, which I have never forgot.
There was another incident that occurred while I
lived there, that indelibly fixed it upon my mind that
honesty was the best policy and would some times be
rewarded.  One morning while cleaning out the barroomr I found a pocket knife with seven dollars between
the blade and handle; my first thought was to keep it
and say nothing about it, as I had been treated so badly 
-9
about the watch, but my better judgment prevailed
and I made the facts known to the strangers that were
there. One of the strangers a drover, described the knife
and money and I immediately gave it up. He said for
my honesty I should have two dollars of the money.
This small incident had much to do in fixing my principles through lile; and [ would here say to young men
and boys, fix that principle upon your minds that honesty is the best policy, and the chances are strongly
in your favor of a successful career in life. I shall
speak of this subject more fully hereafter.
About this period of my life I first became acquainted
with the immortal and ever to be remembered Henry
Clay of Kentucky, who was then a member of the Lower
House of Congress, and in going to and returning from
Washington passed by Hagan's; the people in that
neighborhood generally admired him, and would gather
at Hagan's in large numbers to pay their respects to
him. I too became very much attached to him for the
many kind words he said to me. On one occasion
he laid his hand on my head and told me that I
was too smart a boy to be a servant; he said that I
ought to go to a free country where [ could get an
education and become a manr. On one occasion when
Mr. Clay was about leaving, he and his comrades wished
to light their cigars; there being no matches in those
days I went and got a coal of fire from the kitchen,
sticking on the point of a table fork for them. Mr.
Clay kindly handed me a shilling for my trouble, but
I raised myself on my dignity and politely told him
that I was too much of a man to take pay for bringing
him a coal of fire for his cigar. The company seemed
to greatly admire my independence in the matter.
I will here state that my intercourse at that early
period of my life with such a distinguished statesman
as Henry Clay, had much to do with shaping my future
political course.  In addition I had looked upon with
pain at white men cooped up like beasts and voted for 
-10
men and measures they knew nothing about, that I
made up my mind that if ever I became a man that I
would do my own thinking and voting, so I determined
to take Mr. Clay's advice anrd go to a free country where
I could improve lily mind and as he said become a
man. I said nothing about the matter to any person,
but intended the following summer when the weather
got warm to bid farewell to my native land.  So one
cold Sunday ill March i went home to see my mother,
when she gave me a new pair (f stockings that she had
knit for herself but were too small for her, and she also
gave me a nice apple.  I went home to Hagatn's and
hid my apple in the barn intending to-give it to a young
girl of my acquaintance the next day, but on Monday
morning before day one of the young Hagans went
with nme to the barn to see that I fed the horses right,
when I showed him the apple; he took it away from me
and began to eat it. I commenced fighting him for it
when he slapped me in the mouth until the blood started
when I saw the blood, it at oncle kindled the fire of indignation in my bosom and I determined to have revenge, so I seized a flail (-in article used for thrashing
out grain) and swinging it around at him struck him
on the head just above the ear, and laid him out, as I
thought dead; at any rate he stopped eating my apple.
I felt of his face and found him laying quite still; supposing him dead I thought now is the time for me to
leave, so I went quietly to the house, got my new stockings and a shirt that I had and lett by the back door,
as I supposed never to return. This was my first experience in pugilistic affairs. I had often been told that
if a person committed any crime and run away from
his master and could avoid detection for a year and a
day he would de declared free. Now the question
with me was how could I get away, for I had but seventeen cents to travel on, and it was cold weather.  I had
many fears that I should freeze or be caught, but go I
must and go I did. There was a stream of water close 
-11
by) it was frozen over but not sufficient to bear meI waded through, cold as it was and made for the Sugar
Loaf Mountains.  It was a fearful undertaking for a
boy not fifteen years old, to undertake such a hazardous journey all alone, without money, education or
friends to protect me; but here I was in a cold mountain at daylight in the morning, probably a murderer,
and I so young. One thought consoled me, he had
struck me first, and I had a right though poor boy as
I was to take my own part. I had no knowledge of
the country, or where to find freedom, which was a
great drawback to me. I had never read a newspaper
or book and only knew what little I had gleaned from
the conversation of those who had occasionally conversed in my presence. I knew where the Potomac
river was) so I made for it, and when I got there the
trouble was to cross; it was frozen over, but would thp
ice bear me; if I fell through I should be drowned.
But as luck had it there was no current at that place
in the river, so the ice was strong enough to bear me,
so after great anxiety and caution, with the aid of a
small rail to hold me up if I fell through the ice, I
succeeded in safely making my way across.
I must now take a look back at home and see what
is going on there. As soon as matters became known
at the hotel that there had'been a fight between me
and young Hagan and that I was missing, they sent a
messenger to my mother.  After hearing the story
that we had been fighting and that thle barn floor was
pretty well smeared with blood, and I was not to be
found she became very much alarmed and at once
caused a thorough search to be made; they dragged
every spot in the creek where the ice was broken and
also searched several old wells in the neighborhood and
in fact every place where a person could be concealed,
supposing of course that Hagan had murdered and concealed me.  Finally when all hope of ever finding e
was gone they gave mue up as lost. They even went a 
-12
long distance to consult a fortune teller about me; she
told them that I was dead, and they believed her, (what
an old liar she was.) Almost every person through the
whole country thought that young Hagan had made
way with me. Hiagan's mother however always said
that I would sometime turn up all right, which the
reader already knows I did.
We will now return to the South side of the Potomac river. I was now in Virginia, I knew that but it
was not a free country and to a free country I was determined to make my way. Mr. Clay had said that I
ought to go west, this seemed to impress itself on my
mind, so I concluded to take the firs-t road runing west
and keep as much out of public roads as I could, and
to go to no white peoples house if I could help it. I
knew the negroes were like myself, they could not read
and I did not fear any detection fr(m them. The
Hagans had always told me that if I ran away from
them and they caught me that they could sell me the
same as if I were a negro. So I had great fear of detection on that account in addition to the fears of being
caught as I feared for killing Hagan.
The first idea that struck me when I started, was
what name I should go by and what I should tell the
people when questioned. I finally concluded to tell the
colored people that I had ran away from a hard master
and was trying to get t(o a free country, and promise
them when I got there, and became a man, I would help
them to get free too, and in this I have been very successful. I also concluded to never tell white people
anything, and never give them the same name nor the
samrne place of destination. I had been so badly treated
by the Hagans that I had lost all confidence in white
people. The only friend I had while at Hagans was
an old black woman.  She often hid away a cake or
piece of pie for me, so I had all confidence in the colored
people.
When I left the Potomac river I took the Winchester 
-13
road and traveled all day without eating anything and
at night stopped at a negro quarter and asked an old
woman to give me something to eat and let me stay all
night; I told her and leer husband all about my affairs,
they pitied me very much and I heard them talking
after they thought me asleep. They agreed to give me
something to take with me to eat, and start me early
in the morning a safer road. "The poor little fellow"
the old woman said "I will give him all the money I
have got to help him along." So before day in the
nmorning they gave me the best they had to eat and
some to take with me and a few pennies in money; the
old man took me across the country a mile or more,
and put me on an old unfrequented road that led to
Romney, a small town in the mountains bordering the
south branch of the Potomac river. Nothing occurred
during the day to mar my progress. I had plenty to
eat with me, but when night came the trouble was to
find a place tostay. I saw a small house some dis tance from the road, supposing it was occupied by ne groes, I went there but found it occupied by white people.
The man was drunk, well this was nothing for me to see,
so I asked him if I could stay all night. He said cer tainly I could, and said, you d -d little rascal I ex pect that you have run away from some place-well I
dont care if you have. Can you sing? I love to hear
a good song. I said I could sing Blackeyed Susan, like
a bird. Says he that is the exact. thing, my wife's name
is Susan and she is the best old gal living. Well I
was a pretty good singer, and knew several good Irish
ditties and other songs, so I amused him for a long
time by singing for him; he had plenty of whisky but
no meat in the house, but he had a pretty fat pig in a
peti.  So next morning he concluded that I must stay
with him that day and butcher his pig for him. I
done so and we had plenty to eat. Next morning when
I was ready to start they filled my little bundle with
plenty of bread and pork to last me two days; so I 
-14
went away full of spirits. But I had not traveled
more than two hours when a young man on horseback
overtook me and called out to me, where are you going
you young rascal? I believe you are a run away.
Well, that was an insult I felt bound to resent. So
I told him it was none of his business. He up with
his horse whip and struck me two or three times across
theshoulders; that was too much formeto take from any
man, for I began to consider mnyself some on the muscle
since my encounter with Hagan. So I dropped my
bundle and up with a good sized stone and hurled at
him with such good aim that he began to retreat, and
it was well for him he did, for I could throw a stone
equal to any man in the country.  Now the trouble was
he was going the same road that I would probably go,
get help, and arrest and put me in jail and that would
be the end of me. I finally concluded to die game, so
I went ahead and in a few miles came to a store and
tavern.  I saw his h-orse tied there and when I came
up opposite the tavein he and several young men
came out and commenced to laugh. As soon as they dil
so I stooped and began to gather up several stones and
told them to come on, when several of them said that's
right my lad, take y,)ur own part, and if you can't do
it with your fist, do it with stones. They seemed to
greatly enjoy my pluck, as did also the fellow who I
had stoned.
Nothing of interest occurred for several days.  I
traveled slowly and whenever I could, staid all night
with colored people. At one place I stayed with the
owner of a mill. The miller's wife treated me very
well but asked me more questions than I cared to an swer; I told her at last that I was running away to
overtake a young girl to marry her-her parents had
sent her away to her uncle to keep her out of my way.
This was a choker for her. I told her I was in disguise
-that my people were rich.  She at last gave me some
credit for my perseverance, and at that we parted, never 
-15
to meet again, though I promised to write to her when
I got married, and let her know how I managed to gat
her. Well, she has had a long time to wait, as I have
never overtook the girl yet.
I continued on my journey for several weeks getting
along pretty well, the farther I went the less fears I
had of being detected; I passed up trough Romney,
Clarksburgh, anl  then turned towards Kentucky.  I
thought that would be a good place for mie; I eare{i
but little which way I went, so that I kept out of towns
and got to a free country.  I went by the Kanrawha
salt works and from them to the nearest point in Kentucky, but when I got there I found it was a slave state.
I stayed several days with a very nice family, it being
weather not fit to travel; I found these people very
kind to me and wanted me to stay with them, and to
do a good part by me, but I was bound to go to a free
country and told them what Mr. Clay had said to me
about it; they then advised me to go to Indiana. So
after a good rest I started and traveled through the
interior of Kentucky until I reached the Ohio river,
twenty miles below Louisville, where I found  some
trouble in getting across.  I began to think that although in sight of the'Promised Land' I was never
to reach it.
There was a man by the name of Duncan, who had
a boat but refused to put me over; he said I was a
runaway and he would be put to trouble if it was known
that he sent me cut of the State.  He concluded to
have me arrested and kept confined for a time and advertise me as a stray boy. He kept me all night and
in the mnorning while hlie went to see a Squire, his wife
pitied me and a neighbor calling they concluded for the
man to take the bo,at and set me across the river and
let me go; she sai- she would tell her husband that I
had got away   When I stepped my foot on Indiana
soil the man who put me over the river said to me that
I was now on free land and was safe from arrests; he 
-16
gave me a shilling and wished me good luck and hurried back before Duncan's return. I never heard what
he said when he did return, neither do I care, and if I
had ever come across him in a free State, I would have
learned him how to advertise a runaway boy.
As soon as I got into Indiana I felt comparatively
safe and began to think about finding a home; at that
early period there were very few people in Indiana.I very shortly found a place for a few days, and while
resting myself I learned that there was a good settlement on the White river, near where Indianapolis now
stands, and there being a young man going there I coneluded to go with him. When I arrived in the White
river settlement I soon found a home with a widow by
the name of Miller, who had a son somewhat older than
myself and one younger. She was a very kind lady
and treated me as a mother.  She said she would give
me two dollars a month to help her sons clear up land,
so I went to work with a will; at the end of two months
a neighbor of her's offered me four dollars a month,
for I could almost do a mnan's work. I told her what
I had been offered and she agreed to give me the same,
as also some old clothes of her sons. I had told her
that I had run away from home and wanted to take
my money back to help get my mother and father and
family to a free country, for which she gave me great
credit as also did the neighbors. I remained with her
until November, when I concluded to make my  way
to the east part of Ohio, where I have an Uncle; there
was a young man in the neighborhood who seemed to
be acquainted with the people around there, who said
he was going on to Ohio, and I prepared to accompany
him when he went. I had sixteen dollars in silver and
gold and Mrs. Miller made me a little belt to carry it
in, and in this way I carried it around my body for
five or six months, without any person knowing it but
Mrs. Miller. Well, this man, I have forgotten his
name, and myself started on foot through a wilderness 
-17
country, for there was only a small settlement every
few miles; we had plenty to eat with us the first and
part of the second day. The second day at night we
came to a small river called Whitewater; it was very
much swollen by recent heavy rains, there was no bridge
and the question was how shall we cross. This man
said he knew where there was a boat a short distance
below, and we would go down there and cross and then
stay all night with a friend of his. I had some fears
that all was not right, but went with him; I could do
nothing better, for there were no houses on that side of
the river. Well, we traveled several miles, and at last
come to the boat; it was a small affair and I was afraid
to get in it, for I could not swim, but he coaxed me into
it, and when we got into the middle he turned down
stream, saying he knew the owner of the boat and it
was all right. I was frightened almost out of my senses, I expected to be drowned every moment, but he
only laughed at me. We passed over a small mill dam
but the water being so high it was nearly smooth over
the dam. At last we saw several fires burning in a
field, there we landed and tied up the boat, and went
to the nearest fire, when he told me to stay there until
he went to the house and got something for us to eat.
I sat down by the burning log heap and commenced to
think matters over. Here I was in a strange land, with
a doubtful companion. Just think of it young men,
me a boy but fifteen years old, seven hundred miles
firom home, sitting all alone in the dead hour of night
for it was at least two o'clock, not knowing what
moment my companion might return and murder me.
He might know that I had money, and had therefore
coaxed me this lonesome route. I sat there in an awful
suspense, until tired nature gave way and I fell asleep.
Hiow long I slept I do not know, I only awakened
when he called me to get up and get something to eat.
How or where he got it I never knew.  He said the
people on that farm were his friends; but when I asked 
-18 —
him why he did'nt stay there till morning, he said he
wanted to get to Eaton, Ohio, that day.  Well we eat
some bread and meat and turnips we found in the field
and pushed on and arrived in Eaton, Ohio about two
o'clock that afternoon. When we got there we found
a number of men  playing ball against the Court House.
The Court house was not finished the walls only being
up. I very soon saw several men eyeing us very closely
so much so that I felt somewhat alarmed. At last one
of the men who I learned afterwards was the high
sheriff of the county commenced talking with me and
asking me questions about this man, where I first
got acquainted with him and how long I had known
himn. Well I came to the conclusion that my impressions of the night before were correct that I had a suspicious companion. So I told this gentleman all I
knew about him, he told me that he should arrest him
on suspicion, which he did. They all had a conversation with me afterwards and came to the conclusion
that I was only a boy and was innocent of any connection with him in his crimes, therefore they let me
go free. A gentleman (a carpenter) took me home
with him and treated me very kindly, and gave me
much good advice which I did not soon forget. During that night some officers of an adjoining county,
came there and found this man in prison arrested and
took him away
The next morning I told some gentleman that I was
trying to get to my uncle's in the eastern part of the
state, and they gave me a little money, and got a gen tleman who lived in Dayton, who was going home that
day in a little wagon, to take me that far with him.
When I got to Dayton, this gentleman took me to a
Mr. Hoffman's house, who, he said wanted a boy. I
staved all night with him, he was a merchant and kept
a dry goods store and was rich. He owned a farm ten
mniles up Mad river and wanted me to work with his
hired farmer, and agreed to give imne four dollars a 
-19
month.  I stayed a few days with him until his farmer
came down, and then went homne with him to go to
work till Spring; but when supper was ready I found
that I was to eat in the kitchen by myself, his wife being too important to eat with a hired boy, although
her husband was a hired man himself. She was a
Virginia lady, one of those poor devils that have more
hair on their head than brains in it. So next morning
I took Scutch leave of that place, and made another
start for the East. I stopped all night with a farmer,
by the name of Maddox, who took a notion that I
must stay with him. I stayed a few days but found a
chance to go East with a drove of cattle, the gentleman
offering me twenty cents a day and board I started and
went as far as Mt. Pleasant in Jefferson county, Ohio,
when I heard from my uncle, who lived but a few miles
north of there. So I concluded to leave the drove,
and go to my uncle's, which I did, and found them
very much surprised to see me, so much so that I
found it necessary to tell them all.
I would state that here at my uncle's was the first
place that I had ever told my real name; I had a
different name every place I stopped and intended to
do so until the year and a day was out; but by the
time I reached my uncle's I had learned considerable
of the manners and customs, as well as laws of the
country, and was not half so superstitious as I was
when I started. I stayed at my uncle's until the middle
of March and engaged myself very much with my
cousin, a young girl near my age, who took me to
every party in the country and there were plenty of
them.  I became quite a beau among the younger
girls and many was the boy that was jealous of me,
and was glad when I went away; but the girls were
all sorry, even the older ones, for I had become quite
a gay boy, and could sing like a nightinggale, which,
I suppose, made miepop)ular.  But the time arrived
for me to start; my uncle sent me to the Ohio river on 
-20
horseback, I crossed and started on foot for Washington, Pennsylvania, and reached a small town called
Hickory, where I stayed all night with a farmer who
lived on the edge of the town. He wanted me to stay
with hinm and break flax for him, which I agreed to
do at twenty-five cents a day, provided he would fine
me an old suit of clothes to work in, as I had a new
suit I earned while at my uncle's. He had a young
daughter who was foolish enough to fall in love with
me the first week I was there and the result was that
he discharged me to get us apart. Here I was again
on the road all alone, making a fresh start for home;
the year was now out and I was bound to go home
and face the music.
When I left Hickory I went to Washington, Pa.,
and struck the turnpike road that led East, there I
expected to fall in with a wagon going to Baltimore
or some place East so that I could have company.I had great fears of falling in with traveling footmen
since the only one I had traveled with proved a dangerous companion for a boy. While I was looking
around for a chance a drove of horses came up to the
hotel where I was going to stay all-night; I at once
made a bargain with the owner to go with him for
my board to Frederick, Maryland, where I would be
near my home. We started next morning and in
three days were in Cumberland, Md., where the owner
sold out his horses to a stage company. Here I was
again adrift alone in the world, in a strange land, but
I had got used to disappointments and vexations, so
it had but little eflect on me, for I was only a little
over a hundred miles from home and I could soon get
there. I was standing talking with boys when a man
came up and said he wanted two hands to go to
Georgetown, D. C., on a boat loaded with flour, for
which he would give fifty cents a day with board,
there and back. I told him that I wanted to go there
and would go for fifty cents a day without being paid 
-21
for my time coming back, but that I had never work ed on a boat but could learn, He said he would take
me, for any person could help pull an oar; so the next
morning found me a boatman on the Potomac.
The first day out we had a fine time at it. I soon
learned to pull an oar, but the second day just before
dark we got on a rock and had to stay there all-night
without anything to eat, for we had no place for fire,
to cook with, and we all expected to be drowned be fore we got through with the scrape we were in; but
as luck had it, next day the water raised and we got
off; we went ashore and built a fire, cooked and eat
until we were filled. When we made a second start
we went on smoothly until we got within four or five
miles of Georgetown when we brought ourselves up on
another rock; here we were in for another nights
peril, but we managed some how next morning, about
ten o'clock, to get off, and in one hour more we were
safely landed at the wharf; we had eat but little for
twenty-four hours, so we went to a tavern kept for
boatmen, and such a breakfast I never eat before or
since as I eat there. We had slept but little, so we
all went to bed and got a good sleep; the next morning the Captain paid me off and I started for home
which was about thirty-three miles. I started full of
hopes and fears, for I had never heard a word from
home since I left, which was then some fourteen
months, but go I must and go I did. When I got
within four miles of my mothers house I stayed allnight, for I wanted to hear the news and get home in
the morning. The family I stayed with knew me and
told me all about the affairs at home and was glad
to see me alive. I waited the next morning until
after breakfast and then started for home. I avoided
the neighbours as much as I could, as I had a desire
for my mother to be the first to know that I was still
alive, and I think the longest mile I ever traveled was
the mile that brought me home. I went to the house 
-22
the back way and when there walked around to the
front door and there stood my mother washing her
breakfast dishes; I shall never fbrget the scene that
then occurred; she gave one loud scream and then
caught me in her arms and fell on her knees  and
thanked God for my safe deliverance to her.  She
could scarcely believe her own eyes, I had grown considerably and been gone so long that she thought it
almost impossible that I was the same. Poor mother!
although near fifty years have rolled around since
then, and more than forty years have passed since you
were called to that land where sighing and sorrow
never comes, your image is still impressed indelibly
on my mind, and I never will forget the many blessings you heaped upon my head the day I returned
home when you thought me dead.
Young reader, remember this, that every sigh and
every pain you give your mother will only return to
torment you when she is gone. Oh! what a pleasing
thought, when you are about to take the last look in
this world at your mother, to think that you never
caused her one sigh or tear by your disobedience to
her.
My father and younger sisters and brothers soon
gathered around me and we had a grand rejoicing;
my oldest sister was sent for (she living out a sewing)
and she too, at first, refused to believe that I was really
her brother. In a few days we all became ourselves
again. My mother and father were highly pleased
with the money I had brought them and had made up
their minds from what I told them to remove to the
West.  So it was agreed that I should go up the Mo nocacy Valley and work through hay-making and
harvest and earn all I could and then in the Fall all
go to Ohio. I went and mowed, hauled hay, cut grain
and oats, and helped gather all the harvest crops
which kept me two months; I made a man's wages
the whole time.  When I was done I had a nice little 
-23
pile of money, for I had notspent a cenlt. I then left
for home, I came to Frederick, bought myself a nice
suit of clothes and had twenty dollars left for my
mother. Upon my arrival home we immediately
made preparations for going West, and by the first of
October we were all on the road with an old horse and
cart to seek our fortune in Ohio, where we arrived
safely in about three weeks.
I felt very proud to think that I had been able to
earn enough money to take my father and: n'nther,
sisters and brothers to a free country and that, too,
before I was sixteen years old, for I was only sixteen
a few days after we arrived in Ohio.  I make  this
statement to show young men and boys what perseverance will do. After our arrival in Ohio we all
went to work to fix for the winter; we settled in a
small village called Flushing, in Belmont county,
about twenty miles north-west of Wheeling, Va.,
where some of the family still reside. It was soon
agreed upon that the family could very well do without my services, as everything was cheap and a great
demand for all kind of labor, so I concluded to learn
the blacksmith trade. I went to work the first of the
year with a Mr. Jones who was a fine workman; I had
a natural talent for that business and by Spring could
do almost any. kind of work. My boss declared that
I had been at the trade before I came to him; he said
no person could learn as much as I knew in so short
a time; he gave me four dollars a month for the next
six months commencing the first of April.  I stayed
with him until Fall and gave all I earned to my
mother for she took care of my clothes.
It was during this year that I first began to shape
my political course. That region of Ohio was settled
by people from all parts of the East, consequently
there was a mixed population, which led me to take
the course in politics I did.  It was this: whenever
I met with boys or girls of my own age that came 
-24
from Maryland or Virginia, I found them uneducated
and ignorant, as much so as myself and family, (it
was true I had learned considerable in my travels,)
but when I met with boys and girls from Pennsylvania
or any of the Eastern States they were well educated
and sharp. I looked at this, I studied the matter over,
I thought nature had done as much for one as the
other. Then what was the cause of the difference?There was a difference; if any of us wanted a letter
written we had to go to a Northern family to get it
done, (none of us could write a word.) Well, after
long and patient investigationii of the subject, I saw
the cause: it was slavery. In the North it was the
policy of the leaders to educate the masses so as to fit
every man for usefulness. In the South it was the
policy of the slave holder to keep the masses of the
poor whites in ignorance, in order that they could the
better use them to sustain their own peculiar institutions. If you educate the poor white man, he, laboring and being in daily intercourse with the slave, will
educate him, and as soon as the negro is educated he
will no longer be a slave; further, if you educate the
poor white man you thereby teach him that he has
rights, and therefore you can no longer coop him up
and vote him as you have been doing, so the only'plan
was to keep them uneducated, which has ever been
the policy of the South, until this day. After I had
fully made up my mind on this point I was determined
that no vote of mine should ever be given to any man
or party that would sanction the perpetuation of this
system, and as time rolledton and I became a man and
voter I discovered that the democratic party was the
apologist of the slave power, and as such could
never get a vote from me, and how well I have kept
my resolution you will see when I tell you that ia
fifty years voting I have never voted for a democrat.
will now return to my former subject. I stayed
with Jones until October when I concluded that I 
-25
would travel a year and work under instructions with
different bosses thinking it the better plan. I had a
great idea that Pennsylvania was the greatest country
in the world, so I concluded to finish my trade there.
About this time there was a man from Pennsylvania
buying cattle through our country and I made a bargain to go with him east; he gave me fifty centsa day
with no return money and advanced my mother ten
dollars.   So I left home again, this time with my
mothers consent to be gone a year; by this time I
considered myself a man, and was a pretty good workman at some things. I could shoe a horse with the
best of them.
Nothing unusual occurred during our long and
tedious journey. We arrived at last at a place called
Doe Run, Chester Co., Pennsylvania, where, in the
course of a week, my boss sold out his cattle, paid
me a small balance due, and I started to hunt work.
I went back to the Susquehanna river to a small
town called Highspire and went to work with a man
under instructions to learn edge tool making. This
was a branch of the business much needed in the
West, and I knew but little about it.  A  few days
after my arrival there the young people got up what
they called a Strouse dance, a thing which I had
never seen, of course every man had a right to go and
take a girl with him if he bought a ticket; I being an
entire stranger, had no girl, but went by myself to
see the fun.
When I arrived the tickets were all sold but one,
and I bought that one. They were waiting to sell the
last ticket so as to begin the dance. A Strousedance
is nothing more nor less than this: The manager buys
the materials for a full suit for a lady, (dress, bonnet,
shoes, stockings, &c.,) spreads them on a pine bush as
a prize; they then place a candle in a dark lantern,
tie a string around it, pass the string through the
lantern and fasten a small key to it on the outside,
*2 
-26
light the candle and commence dancing a regular
step around the room.   The  manager, when the
dancing begins, hands the head of the column a small
stick; he carries it around the room, hands it to his
partner, if he has one, if not, he carries it twice
around and then hands it to the next, and he to his
partner, she to the next, and so on, until at the end of
several hours the candle burns down to the string,
burns it off and the key falls; whoever has the stick
when the key falls, wins the strouse. If it is a gentleman he gives it to his partner, if a lady it is hers.
Well, I had the luck to win the strouse which caused
no little jealousy among the young men, and all the
girls wondered who would get it, as I had no partner.
fter the strouse is over they turn it into a general
hoe-down dance; I having no partner got my eye on
a pretty good looking girl and asked her partner to
allow her to dance with me hut he at once refused,
telling me to get a partner for myself. I felt very in dignant at such an insult, but concluded, as I was a
stranger, not to resent it there but settle the matter
with him some other time. I was very stout, and but
few men could handle me but withal was very quiet,
preferring fun to fighting, but never intended to take
an insult without resenting it to the best of my abili ty. I therefore walked away without saying any thing; the whole party seemed to enjoy his insult to
me.  The young girl immediately walked up to me
and said for his insulting, language she would dance
with me. I took her by the hand, walked out on the
floor, paid the fiddler to.play a tune and danced a set
with her. When we got through the dance I led her
to a seat and sat down by her. As soon as we were
seated her partner came up and said he could thrash
any man that would take another's partner from him.
I raised from my seat and told him that I had not
taken his partner from him but sie had left him  of
her own accord, and so far as thrashing was concerned 
that he could not whip one side of me, and whenever
he thought he could, to just pitch in. This caused
considerable commotion among the crowd; he started
at me in a menacing mainer, when  I simnply dealt
him a blow above his eye that laid him flat on the
floor; I gave him a few kicks lwhen he cried out take
himl off. I had not been scratched. I found several
of them preparing for a fight, when one of them said:
you can't do that with me. I said come out in the
street, I can thrash you all.  Out they all rushed,
pulling off their coats as they went; I followed and
ill laying down my coat on a-pile of stones I picked
up a good sized one, held it in my hand and made at
the man who was to fight me and dealt him a blow
that laid him out as they thought for dead; no one
knew that I struck him with a stone nor did they ever
know. The whole crowd immediately made a rush
on me with clubs, and one with an axe knocked me
down, and if it had not been for several strong
teamsters that were working among their horses across
the street at a tavern, they would no doubt have killed me.  My employer and several others came and
took me home, and the first thing I knew was the next
day, when I found myself in my room pretty badly
beat and cut about the head.  The young girl and
her mother were sitting by me taking  care of me.The girl had not left me one moment since I had got
home. She had my prize all safe and had sent for
her mother; of course I gave her the prize and in a
few days was all right again. I visited her several
times after I got able togo about. One Sunday a few
weeks after my fight I walked down the river a mile
or so to a tavern kept on the river bank, when I met
one of the fellows who helped to beat me. He asked
me to drink, when I took a tumbler of whisky and
threw tumbler, whisky and all into his face, knocked
him down and paid him well for his share in beating
me. I knew that I could not stay in that place any
-27 
-28 —
longer and I went home, settled with my boss, visited
my girl and left. I never saw her after that, but
heard several years after, ihat she had married well
and was considered one of the first women  in the
country.
After crossing the river I went to York and got
work with an excellent man by the name of Elefritz,
where I stayed until harvest. During the Spring there
was a regimental muster in York when all the country
people of course came to town; during the evening I
saw a young man mistreating a young girl; I thought
this a proper time for me to show my manhood, to protect a female, so I stepped up and asked what was
wrong. The girl said he wanted to go home with her
and because she refused him he had insulted her; I
told him to leave or I should make him do so. The
crowd raised a great laugh when I said I will go with
you my little duck and she took my arm and away
we went amid the shouts of the crowd of old and
young. Hie followed to have revenge as he said; well,
he got it in the shape of being knocked down and
kicked two or three times, but I went home with the
girl and stayed until next day, and so ended this affair.
At the beginning of harvest I went back to Maryland to work on the Monocacy with my old employers
at harvesting. I earned a nice little sum this time
also. I then left for Hancock, a town on the road to
Cumberland, Md.,) to shoe horses for Reeside & Co.,
stage proprietors. I worked there several months,
when my boss ran away and I lost all my wages, he
having drawn all the money and kept it-his name
was Pool.
I packed my kit and started for new quarters, and
had not travelled far before I fell in with a man going
west; when we came to the foot of a mountain he said
he knew a short path across the mountain that would
save several miles walk, so we went that way and
when we had got to the top of the mountain we sat 
-29
down to take a drink of whisky, for we had a bottle
full with us; we had just taken a drink when he was
seized with a fit, and continued to rave and froth at
the mouth for a long time. Just think of it, here I
was on the top of a high mountain two miles from a
living being, all alone, with as I thought a dying man;
what to do I did not know. I began to pour whisky
into him when at last he became sensible and able to
walk; I managed to get him down the hill to a tavern
on the road, and there I left him and never heard of
him since.
I found work at Bevan's tavern at the foot of Twin
mountains, with a man by the name of Knight, to shoe
horses for the stage company; he was a poor, drunken
sot and I soon found that he was not the man for me,
but not until I had got myself in a scrape about him.
One night he got into a fuss with one of the stage
drivers who 1 saw choking him severely; when I
went to his assistance the man let go of him and with
a stable fork struck me across the head and gave me
a mark that I shall carry to my grave. I was not
able to thrash him, for he was very stout, so from shear
necessity I had to let the matter rest there, and as
soon as I was able I started for Cumberland, Md.
I had not received a cent for more than four months
work and began to think that I had better go home,
but got work with a very good man who gave me good
wages and paid me honestly, his name was Riser who
I believe is still living. But while I was at Cumberland I became acquainted with L. W. Stockton, who
run a line of stages to Wheeling, Va. He took a
liking to me and offered me a shop and tools to shoe
horses for him twelve miles east of Uniontown, Pa.,
so I packed up and left for my new field of labor. I
got along finely, the drivers all liked my shoeing and
I had plenty of time to do considerable other work.
Soon after I went to this place there was a wood chopping and quilting in the neighbourhood and all the 
-30
mountain girls and boys were invited, I among the
rest. I went and was finely dressed, which took the
eye of the girls as you all know it will do, so it was
little wood that I chopped; I had plenty to do to talk
to the girls. This of course caused some jealousy
among the mountaineers, so when night came and
dancing began, I went to the kitchen and commenced
singing; being a good singer, I soon had the whole
flock of girls around me; none wanted to dance while
I would sing; this stirred up a fuss, one fellow said to
his girl, if she refused to go to the other room and
dance with him there would be a bear skinned before
morning.  My name being Bear, I knew he alluded
to me this was an insult which I resented at once,
by saying that he nor any of his friends could skin
me. I had but one friend there as I knew of and
he but a small pattern, but I always found that a
game chicken generally fared the best, so I showed
pluck to the last. No sooner had I said what I did
than he and others began to strip for a fight; I always
found that the first lick was an advantage so I hauled
away at him and laid him out and was not long settling matters with him, when another fellow began to
say something, I up with my fist and laid him out. At
this moment a large, powerful looking man was
pullin, off his coat as I supposed to attack me, but to
my supprise he stepped out and swore that I could
lick any man in the mountains, and if I could not, he
could, and slapped me on the shoulder and called me
by my first name and said he knew me from childhood,
although I did'nt know him; "Say what you please
and I will back you." Well in less than ten minutes
we had cleaned the house and had the field to ourselves; they went for my girl's father, he came to take
her home but we out-witted the old man and got out
of his way..
The next Sunday I went with her to a woods meeting two or three miles from there, where this whole 
-31
party saw us, as I expected they would and so prepar
ed myself; I borrowed a pair of fine pistols from the
landlord I boarded with and went without fear. When
we started home the two that I had licked and another
followed us; I told the girl not to be frightened,
neither was she, as I soon found out. When we had
got a short distance from the meeting they came up to
us and said "we will now settle our old scrape."'
Agreed boys, said I and hauled out both pistols and
held them all cocked and ready to fire right at them
and said, leave you villains or I will blow your brains
out. Well you never saw three such scared men in
your life; I said run or I'll fire. They began to back
out, I following up and the girl saying shoot them,
shoot them. Just at this time I saw my large friend
with one or two others, coming on the run, for they
had missed us and supposed that they had followed
us; when they saw my friends coming they took to
their heels and ran like wild turkeys down through
the woods; I fired one shot after them, only to scare
them, and it was the last I saw of them, as I never
had the pleasure of meeting them again.
I stayed at that place several months, until my
mother desired me so earnestly to come home (for I
had sent her regular letters as also a little money)
that I concluded to go home, which I did and arrived
home in the Fall, about the same time I had left two
years before. I was now a grown man and made up
my mind that I would quit travelling and settle down
to work, as I was now nineteen years old and tired of
travelling.
My friends were all glad to see me and I to see them.
I rested a week or two and then got work seven miles
from home, but went home every Saturday night.
My mother and father were getting along very well
at this time, with what little I helped them. So in
order to keep me from travelling away from home my
mother advised me to get married although I was so 
32
young, which on the 6th of the following month I
did. With this narrative of my early history and
travels I shall drop the curtain over my early life.
Hoping that all young men and boys who read this
chapter may find means and opportunity to improve
upon the course that I pursued, as many might have
done worse than I did, with the start in life that I had.
In all my short comings I never forgot my mother,
nor did I ever forget that one great idea, that honesty
is the best policy. If I had not pursued that course,
I never should have gotten through as well as I did.
CHAPTER II.
MY START IN POLITICAL LIFE,
HE  first thing after my marriage, was to get a
shop and commence business for myself, although
I could neither read or write, I thought that I could
get along very well, as my wife was a good scholar,
and in place of trying to get an education, I would
study the human character, and politics. I had seen
so much of the deception of men, both in and out of
politics, that I thought it was of vital importance to
a successful career in life, to thoroughly understand
the human character, and in this I think I was pretty
successful.
Nothing occurred until the year 1824 to divide the
people in politics in our section of country, until
Gen. Jackson was nominated for the Presidency as
was also Henry Clay, John Q. Adams and Wm. Wirt. 
-33
I very soon found that Gen. Jackson was not the man
for me. Every man in our county who was opposed
to free schools, free labor, or protection to American
industry, was a Jackson man. At that time most of
our people were ignorant of these subjects, which
were new to them, and consequently did not meet
their approbation. I differed with the most of them,
believing that the only hope of laboring men was in
free education and protection to their industry, against
the cheap labor of the old world.
In addition to the above I had learned to read a
little, and had got hold of the history of England and
found that as far back as 1447 Edward III. had
said that no nation could ever become independent,
that depended upon any other country for supplies.
I had fully investigated the matter, and came to the
conclusion that so long as we, as a nation, purchased
more from other countries than we sold to them
we thereby brought the balance of trade against us,
and had to pay in cash the difference between what
we bought and sold. In this way we were continually
draining our country of our gold and silver. I believed and do yet, that in order to become prosperous
as a nation, we must sell more than we buy, thereby
bringing the balance of trade in our favor. Of this
I was convinced and so I argued, and on this point I
took my stand against Gen. Jackson.
As soon as it was known that Gen. Jackson had
been defeated by the people, I took a decided stand
for Mr. Adams, as Mr. Clay was not in the field,
and at once became a warm supporter of the Tariff
that passed the following winter, known as the Tariff
of 1824. I then commenced looking at parties as
they stood in our own state, and soon found that the
Jackson Party were the men to pass negro laws and
oppose free schools and every other measure calculated to elevate labor and the cause of freedom.
Every four weeks there came a colored itinerant 
-34
Preacher along and I invited him to preach for
us in a small Methodist church near by, - the
society gave their consent, and turned out in a body
to hear him, when they all agreed he could out preach
any man they had heard for a long time, but no person would invite him to his home. Although I was
not a Methodist I would not see the man after kindly
preaching for us such a good sermon turned out of
doors, so I invited him to stay with me, which he did.
As soon as it was known that I had "harboured," as
they called it, a negro, several of my customers took
their work from me, and I was so much persecuted
for that act, that I moved to another place. This act
only confirmed me more fully, that the Democratic
party was the apologist for slavery and were opposed
to freedom and the elevation of the poor man. Further I found that almost every good Christain man of
broad progressive views, was a Whig. The reader will
thus see the reason I had for my opposition to the
Democratic party.
As soon as Mr. Adams took his seat and appointed
Mr. Clay his Secretary of State, the whole Jackson
party began a howl about bargain and sale; a more
villainous and black-hearted falsehood was never
hatched out of Hell than that charge, as all readers
know. Mr. Clay was a Senator at the time and had
no vote on the question; the Lower House of Congress alone electing the President by States, Mr. Clay
simply using his influence as a Senator, with the delegation from his state in Congress for Mr. Adams, as
he had a right to do the same as any other citizen. I
have no doubt but that charge of bargain and sale had
much to do in the defeat of Mr. Clay in 1832, as many
of the old Democrats believed the story. Some of
them the ignorant ones especially, believe it to this
day; and I do not wonder when I look at the complexion of the present Democratic Party. During the
interval between the elections of 1824 and 1828, I 
-35
gathered all the information I could from the best men
of our country, on the great questions that were then
agitating the public mind, such as the Tariff, and National Bank, and many were the debates and disputes
I had with the friends of Jackson on the subject. Our
disputes often run very high, and many were the black
eyes and bloody noses I gave them for their abuse of
MIr. Adams and his principles.  The Democratic party
was then, as it is now, composed of the roughs and ignorant portion of the country.  In nine cases out of
ten, at that period, as well as at the present time, whenever you found a man whose skull was too thick for
one sensible idea to penetrate it, that man was a Democrat. In my young and wild days I concluded, that
if I could not talk "common sense" into their heads, I
would beat it in them. So whenever they began to
abuse Mr Adams or Mr. Clay, in my presence, I generally paid them for it with a bloody nose.
I was in the habit of speaking at small meetings
about the country, in those days, and on one occasion
the Democrats said that no Whig should speak at a
school house in the upper end of the county. I thought
this was a chance for me to show my pluck, so I went
to the school directors and rented the school-house fobr
a certain Saturday- afternoon, and drew up a regular
lease for it, paying twenty five cents for rent; so that
afternoon the property was mine; I then got a man by
the name of Sills, in an adjoining county, who was a
great fighter, to go with me. We took our rifles with
us, and at the appointed time we were on the spot. I
told the people that I had come to speak, and that I
was on my own property and did not intend to be interrupted. Many of them knew Sills as well as they
knew me, and concluded that the better way for them
was to keep quiet. I made as strong a speech as I
could.  After I closed I invited them to reply, when
one of them stepped froward and commenced to deny
some of my charges against his party; but I floored 
-36
him in that, by producing a Democratic speech in Con gress, portiors of which I had just quoted, and thereby
raised the laugh on him by his own friends. When
the meeting was over, Sills and myself mounted our
horses bidding them good-bye and asked them if they
had any more school-houses at which Whigs dare not
speak, if they had to let us know it. With this we
rode off singing
"The star spangled banner in triumph shall wave.
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."
Just before the election in 1828, I removed some
distance West to Muskingum County, where I was not
known, and being a stranger, said but little on politics,
as nearly all my neighbours wereDemocrats, therefore
but few knew my politics until the day of election,
There were but five votes polled for Mr. Adams, in our
election district, and one ofthem was mnine. The Jackson
men knew of but four Adams men in the district, and
when they found five v(tes for him, they offered a gal lon of whisky, (for whisky was then as it is now, their
staple commodity) for any one to show them the fifth
man. I stepped up and said "I don't want your whisky gentlemen, but I am the man you are looking for,
what do you want with me?" when something was
said about licking the man that did it. I said gentlemen, I heard something said about licking the man
that did it. I voted for Adams, and I can thrash any
Jackson man in the county, and whenever you are ready
bring on your best man for to begin with.  They immediately in a most cowardly manner crowded around
me, and all that could get a chance to strike me fell on
me and beat me nearly dead.  The poor cowardly devils then left me to be taken home by one of my neighbours. Well I paid two of them well for it afterwards.
One or two of the leaders left the neighborhood and I
never met them again.
Jackson was elected, and things as they usually do,
after the election is over, settled down quietly and all 
-37
bitter feeling mostly subsided. Things went on pretty
smoothly until the summer of 1832, when my great
friend and favorite, Henry Clay, of Kentucky, was
nominated for the Presidency by the Whig party.I was determined to make  use of every available
means to secure his election, and spent much of my
time in my county, riding around among the people,
holding friendly talks with them, showing themn that
Jackson's course in removing the deposits from the
State banks, and his opposition to the protective policy
of the Whig party, would work detrimental to the best
interest of the country. In this way I got the greater
part of the people to thinking, and examining the subject for themselves. So strongly did I agitate thesubject, that when the election came off, the same district
that gave A dams but five votes four years before, gave
Mr. Clay fifty-six majority. But with all of Jackson's
arbitrary acts staring him in the face, the people had
not become enlightened enough to defeat him, and he
was re-elected in preference to that great and good
man, Henry Clay.
I shall now drop the curtain for a short time as
nothi)g occurred of any note, until 1834, when our
county had become pretty evenly divided in politics.The Democrats began to have some fears that they
would loose the county, as there was an election to
take place that winter, as a Supreme Judge was to be
elected by the Legislature, and our county was entitled to two members of the Lower House, and one
Senator. So both parties went to work with a will.There were some public improvements going on in our
end of the county, which employed about a hundred
Irish laborers, the most of them were not entitled to
vote. but the Democrats, as usual, were determined to
vote them; and in order to carry out their villainous
plan, they got all their tickets printed on blue paper
in order that if any man undertook to vote a white
ticket, that was not entitled to vote, they would chal 
-38
lenge his vote. I found this out a day or so before
the election, and went to town and got the same kind
of tickets printed, headed Democratic ticket, with all
Whig names for offices. The night before the election
I went to the Irish shanties, and gave them the tickets,
charging them not to show the tickets to any person,
for the Whig's would find it out and counterfeit them.
So the next day, when the Irish saw all the Demoeratic tickets were blue, they, of course, thought it all
right, and the most of them voted our ticket. No person knew anything about it until it was too late, and
we thereby elected our whole ticket. The Democrats
never forgave me for that trick while I lived in that
county. Had the Irish lhave gotten hold of me that
night after the election was over, they would have
treated me pretty roughly; but I had glory enough
over our victory in the election of our whole ticket
without stopping to consult the feelings of my worthy
Irish friends, who so blindly voted our ticket.
Time passed on, when in 1836 Gen. Harrison was
the nominee of the Whig party for the Presidency.I again went to work in my owni county, using all my
ability to secure his election.   Then was the time to
have run Mr. Clay!  Van Buren was a very weak
man, having nothing to recommend  him  to public
favor, except the popularity of Gen. Jackson.   This,
I always thought, Mr. Clay could have overcome.Harrison was poor and not very well known; Jackson took advantage of this, and by recomnmending Van
Bureni to his friends and bringing the patronage of the
Government to bear in his favor, succeeded in electing him.
There was one incident that occurred in that Campaign that I wish to relate in order to show, to what
length the Democrats would go to carry a point, when
hard pushed.  I had been a thorn in their side in that
county for a year or two back, and they were determined to have some revenge upon me.  So the morn 
-39
ing ofthe election in 1836 they got one of their tools
to swear out a warrant for me for selling whisky without license when I had never sold a drop of whisky in
my life, with or without license. They had me arrested and taken twelve miles to the county town, thinking to hold me until too late to vote, but in this they
failed; I gave security and get back in good time,
not only to vote, but to thrash two of their dupes who
had undertaken to do the dirty work for them, and in
a few days my trial came off and I was honorably
acquitted.
The night of election I carried the vote of our district to town. We had beat them pretty badly in our
district as well as through the county, which raised
their dander to such a pitch, that their candidate for
Congress, finding how matters stood, rallied a lot of
his rowdy friends to thrash us Whigs who were rejoicing over our victory, among them one Casey, a
gambler, and a loafer, who said he could lick any
Whig in the town, and bantered me out to fight, but
as I did not feel inclined to dirty my hands with such
a character as he was, I just picked up a good sized
stone, and hurled it at his head, which settled him for
that night. We then rallied, drove the whole herd
from the field, and went to this Ca-sey's gambling hell
and smashed in every window in it, and thus had our
revenge for the insult they gave us. Casey was glad
to get off as well as he did, and their candidate for
Congress hid himself or he would have  fared badly,
as di(i several of their leaders.  After the election was
over all our bitter feelings soon died away, and all
went on right again.
As all my youthful days had been spent in wandering about the world, I had little inclination to remain
in one place long, so in the Spring of 1837 I heard of
a good place for my business in South Bloomifield,
Pickaway county, on the Scioto river a few miles
South of Columbus.  To this place I removed  and
went to work. 
The little village I moved to as well as the town   ship in which it was the only village, was composed of
Whigs. We could beat them five to one, this suited
me, as I could now say and do almost as I pleased.   S)metimes some hard-shell Democrat would come to
town and imbibe a little too freely in democratic
argument (whisky) when some of the boys would put
him on a small hand-cart they called a rolling ma   chine and give him a good ride around, to shake his
democratic principles out of him. Whenever any of
these fellows got too much for the boys we men would
come to their rescue.
I soon became very popular with the people in that
place, for I was considered the best posted man on
politics in the county, as I had thoroughly studied
every question of that day.   Whenever I could not
fully understand a question, in place of remaining in
ignorance, I always went to some well posted man and
got the information I needed. In this way I had
learned much of what I knew.
Here allow me to remark, that thousands of young
men and old ones too, remain all their lives in ignor   ance of very much valuable information because of a
very foolish conceited notion, that no person is able to
learn them anything.  I have often talked with men,
who were entirely ignorant of the subject they were
talking about, and could have learned them much
that would have been valuable to them but they were
conceited and refused to be enlightened. This is, in a
great measure, the cause of so much ignorance in the
world. I have seen men so ignorant on the subject of
politics, that they charged the Declaration of Indepen  dance with being a Whig lie, because a young Whig
/1lawyer read it at a Fourth of July celebration.  Had
a Democrat have read it he would have called it the
best thing he ever heard. One Democrat in the moun  tains of Virginia refused to go and hear me make a
Tariff speech, because he thought it was a disease
-40 
-41
among  cattle and that I was  going  to tell them
that I knew a cure. He said that all I would tell
them was a lie, for it could not be cured, that he knew
of three cows that had died of the disease only a few
days ago up the country a few miles from hlim. Of
such men as he we find plenty in the Democratic ranks.
They are the mneii they want, as such men can be more
easily controlled than men of sense and information.
Just tell such a fellow that it is all a damned Whig
lie and he goes away fully satisfied, without investigating the subject for himself. Of such men we could
never make Whigs or Republicans.  To be aWhig or
a Republican, a man must be possessed of thought and
action, of enterprise and progress, not willing to stand
still and remain where our fathers left us, but to press
forward, and open wide the gates, that lead to the prosperity and to the elevation of every living being.
During the Summer and Fall of 1839 there was
much speculation about who would be theWhig candidate for the Presidency at its next NationalConvention
that was to meet at Harrisburg, Pa., in December of
that year. Finally when they met they nominated
Gen. Harrison, this time with a fair prospect of electing him. The Whigs of Ohio immediately made arraiJgemnents to hold a grand ratification meeting the
22d of the following February, and accordingly sent
invitations to all the neighbouring States to join them;
they expected to make (as they did) a grand affair of
it. So by the 20th the people began to come to Coluinbus by thousands, from all parts of the country, so
much so that by the 21st there was no place to put
them, every house had to be turnled into a hotel. They
came in all possible ways, had all kinds of banners
and devices and were dressed in all kinds of costumes,
representing every trade and Country that could be
thought of, hauling onl their wagons steamboats, forts,
log cabins, coons tied on long poles, barrels of cider
and every other conceivable thing, as a burlesque on 
-42
what the Democrats had said of Gen. Harrison, they
having called him the log cabin, hard cider and coon
skin candidate when a candidate in 1836.
On the morning of the 21st I too concluded to go
in my blacksmith clothes, leather apron and all. So I
started with my leather apron on and my face all black
just as I came out of the shop, and arrived in Coluinmbus just as they commenced speaking at the main stand
and by twelve o'clock they were speaking at several
stands.
It was a miserable day, wet and cold, but none of us
cared for the weather, we were too much elated by the
great demonstration around us. The Convention adjourned about 2 o'clock to enable the various committees to prepare shelter for the great multitude of
people; I was standing by the main-stand, talking with
some friends, when Col. Cochran, a customer of mine,
who had often heard me talk at our Primary meetings
in our town, stepped up and said: "Get on the stand
Bear and give us a speech, you can do it as well as the
best of them." " No sir," said I, "that would be too
much for me," when he called out, "Bear, a speech
from Bear-gentlemen he is a first-rate speaker." The
crowd rushed on me, and before I had time to think
about it, had hoisted me on the stand. Well, here I
was with at least twenty thousand people around me,
yelling, at the top oftheir voices, "He's a blacksmith,
he's a blacksmith, go on, go on, I know that you can
speak." Here I was, a plain, humble mechanic, that
had never made a speech in all my life, to more than
a few dozen people and they my acquaintances. What was I to do with, thousands of well educated
men around? If I said nothing they would think I
was a fool; if I made a speech I could only make a
fool of myself, so I concluded to pitch in, and pitch in
I did.
As luck would have it, I saw before me Sam. Medary,
the editor of the leading Democratic paper in Ohio. 
-43 —
This Medary had been State printer, a few years before, and had used the outside quires of the paper belonging to the State without giving any account of it,
which amounted to several hundred dollars, which the
Whigs made him pay for when they got the control of
the State a few years after.  This circumstance gave
Sam. the name of the "Outside Quires," atd every man
in the State knew him by that name. So I concluded
to pitch into him to begin with by telling a dream  I
had made up onI him. I said:
GENTLEMEN-"I see before me my old and worthy
friend Sam. Medary.  I am glad to see you Sam. for I
had a very singular dream aboit you last night.  I
dreamed that I was coming to this Convention, and
met the devil who said to me "where are you going
Bear," said I to Columbus, to the Whig Convention.Why, said he, "I thought the Whig's were all divided,
some for Harrison, some for Clay, and some for John
McLean and so on," said I "they were divided before
the National Convention, but they are all united now.
He said: "This will never do,"'and calling a dozen or
two of his little imps that were around him, said:
"boys I want you to go through Ohio, divide the
Whig's, separate them if possible, if you can't do it
any other way, lie them out of it." They started and
he turned to me and said: "'bye the bye, when didyou
see my old and worthy friend Sam. Medary," said I "a
few days ago." "Well, what is Sam. doing now-adays,"
"he is editing the Ohio Statesmana  said I."  "What!"
said he in surprise, "is Sam. Medary at the head of
that paper," and turning around said at the top of his
voice, "come back boys, come back, if Sam. Medary is
at the head of the Ohio Statesman, and can't lie the
Whig's out of it, all the devils in hell can't do it, so it
is no use of your going."
This raised a shout among the crowd, when Sam.
looked up and said: "that's a lie." I took hold of my
coat and said: "say that again Samu. and I'll take off 
-44 —
the outside quires for you;" this was too much for the
crowd, they all understood it, I thought they would
tear up the earth on which they stood, with their long
continued shouts, and before they subsided, Sam. had
to leave, it became too hot for him, so I had the field
all to myself, when I pitched into Van Buren's weakest
points and made the best of it that I could.
When I concluded mry speech and came from the
stand, my friends and many of the crowd gathered
around me, so much so, that I had fears that they
would crush me to death in their eagerness to shake
hands with me, and congratulate me upon my success
as a speaker. Col. Cochran, as soon as he could, got
me away from the crowd, when thousands of them followed me with the wildest enthusiasm, determined to
shake me by the hand, as they said, they had never
seen such a blacksmith.  At length he got me in a
house of one of his acquaintances, where he had a
chance to talk to me. He told me that I had that day
made a man of myself; that I had immortalized my
name, and that he felt proud of me as a citizen of his
town.
Col. Cochran was a worthy citizen of our town, and
I felt proud of his good opinion of me. After some
time spent with him I left and went to the lower part of
town and stayed all night with a friend of mine (a blacksmith.)  During that night I heard nothing more
about the blacksmith, but by daylight the Whig committee of Columbus had found me, when to my surprise I was surrounded by a body of the leading men of
the State, enquiring who and what I was.  They said
the whole town had been in the wildest excitement all
night about me, and that Sam. Medary had devoted
the half of his paper in abusing me, and they said that
I must be of some account or Sam. would not have devoted so much time and space to me.
"Well, gentlemen," said I, "you see me as I am,
a plain mechanic, with but little education, and all 
-45
that I know I have learned of such men as you; as
regards my speaking, I never made a speech in my
life until yesterday, unless it was at a school-house meeting, and I suppose that my popularity grows out of
the fact, that I am a plain working man."   They at
once said, that I must be announced as one of the
speakers from the main stand, so that the most of the
people could hear ale. After considerable talk I very
reluctantly agreed to the arrangement, and by teii
o'clock, the hour the convention met, I was placarded
all over town, as the Pickaway Blacksmith, to speak
as the second speaker at the main stand. (I was a
citizen of Pickaway county, hence the above title.)
But Prentiss of the Louisville Journal, soon after
that, gave me the title of the Buckeye Blacksmith, in
honor of Ohio, which was called the Buckeye state,
and which name I have always borne since.
As the appointed hour the convention met; I had
prepared a boy with a blacksmith's tongs, and a basin
of water, some soap and a towel. When it was my
turn to speak, I stepped forward, with leather apron
on, sleeves rolled up, and tongs in hand, ready for
business, amid the shouts of the multitude. When
order was restored, I said, " Gentlemen of the convention, I have a very dirty job to do, so I have my tongs
with me, as you see."  Medary's paper was lying on
the stand, I lifted it up with the tongs, read a short
paragraph from it, and then let it fall, and wiped mv
feet on it, then called for soap and water, washed the
tongs and sent them to their owner, as I said, without
defiling them with such a dirty thing as Sam. Medary's paper.   This caused the wildest  excitement
I ever saw; I repeated much that I had said the day
before, butthe people were too much excitedtonotice it.
I would here state, that I have no doubt but that
my little spat with Medary the day before, and his
severe attack on me in his paper that morning had
very much to do in giving me the great notoriety that 
-46
has since followed me as a speaker. Had not Medatry
attacked me as he did, the Whigs would never have
found me, and I should have gone home as others
did, went to work and never have been known out of
my own county, but his unmanly attack put the
Whigs to investigating me, which resulted in my
being placed before the public as one oftheir speakers,
a position I have occupied ever since. Therefore whatever popularity I have ever attained, I owe it all to
Sam. Medarv.
When I came from the stand that day I was overwhelmed with congratulations by the leading Whigs
of Ohio, as also of other States. That night meetings
were held at various places about town, and I spoke
at two of them, one at the Buckeye House, and the
other at the Market House. It was at this last meeting I first met our present distinguished soldier and
statesman, General Schenck.
After the meetings were over myself and company
left for home, where we arrived about sunrise next
morning. It was no sooner known, that I had gotten
home, than all my nieighbours without regard to party
or sex flocked around me to congratulate me upon
my great success (as they said) at Columbus the last
two days. Col. Cochran was spokesman and made a
little speech of welcome to which I had to reply. This
was the hardest job of my life, to reply to the eulogies
of my near neighbors, but I did it. They said, just
right; at anyrate I did the best I could, when they
all left, highly elated.
It was Saturday, the 23d of February that I arrived
at home, and by two o'clock three committees were
after nme to go with them to speak; one of them was
from Lancaster, one from Chillicothe, and one from
Portsmouth. They would take no denial, go I must.
I fixed up, put a man in my shop, and went with the
Lancaster committee to speak for them that nightwith a promise to speak at Chillicothe on Monday and 
-447
Portsmouth on Tuesday, and then return home and
go to work, but alas! in this I was much mistaken,
as I did not return until the day of election, the second of November, just in time to vote.
The Democrats of Lancaster had prepared a quack
doctor to speak against me, so on the way over, the
committee who had me in charge, posted me on this
fellow. He knew but little, and did not know that I
was in possession of every act of his life. So when he
pitched into me, I got up in turn and gave a full history of his life, which was not a very creditable one,
amid the shouts and laughter of the whole crowd.WVhen the place became too hot for him, he left, swearing that we were all a set of d    d blackguards.
This caused another roar of laughter. I then had the
field to myself; when I asked if they had any other
doctor for me to desect, if they had to bring him on,
while my knife was sharp, and my hand was in; when
all was over, my friends gathered around me, congratulating me on my success in driving this doctor from
the field. The Democrats were ashamed of him, and
said they hoped he would never attempt to speak again.
Before day on Monday morning they started me in
a carriage to Chillicothe, where I arrived by noon,
amidst the shouts of the people that were gathered at
the hotel where I was to stay. By two o'clock there
was a large crowd at the Court House where I was to
speak, all anxious to hear and see the blacksmith, for
my fame had got there before me.  The Democrats
denied that I was the blacksmith the Whigs said I
was, and had got a stage driver who knew me to confront me, when I would begin to speak; well the stage
driver came forward and looked at me, then turned
to his friends and said "be damned if he aint the same
man," when the leading ones of the party began to
drop their heads and sneak away.  When I was made
acquainted with their game, I said to the driver "walk
upon the stand my friend, if you please, I wish to see 
-48
you a moment." He camne forward when I said "I
presume that you are a Democrat, but that don't matter.
Is this true," showing him a short article in a paper of
that place, printed that morning, charging me with
being a drunken loafer.  Helookedat itand promptly
said, "No sir, its a lie, if our own paper does say it."
"Thank you sir," I said, "I knew you were an honest
inan if you are a Democrat, did you ever see or hear
any thing against me as a mall." He said he never
did. Then said I, "Gentlemen out of their own mouth
have I convicted them, why is it that they have attacked me in the manner they have. Is it because said I,
they are opposed to a working man thinking and acting for himself.
I left Chillicothe next morning and arrived at Portsmouth that afternoon, where I found other committees
awaiting to take me to Kentucky. There was a large
meeting that night and I so..stirred up the Democracy,
that several of them wanted to ask questions at a time.
I was so well posted on all great questions of tlhe day,
that they found it up-hill business to begin with me.
The leading Whigs of every place I went, posted me
upon every Democrat in their town, so that I had the
advantage of them, for they knew nothing against me,
and I knew all about them, therefore whenever any of
them said anything regarding myself, I would pitch into them on private matters, that would generally floor
them.
I had intended to go home from there, and go to
work again, but that was no go, the Kentuckians were
determined to take me to Maysville, and had a steamboat with them for that purpose. So my friends in
Portsmouth made up some cash to send home, and I
concluded to go with the Kentuckians. We had a gay
time going down the river, and I began to think I was
some pumpkins. I had been so carressed and flattered
for the past week, that I had become quite conceited.
At any rate I feared none of them on the stump. At 
-49
Maysville we had a fin. meeting, but here I found a
strong opposition as well as the most bitter set of Dem  ocrats 1. had ever met. On returning from the meet ing that night three of their rowdies attacked me strik ing at me with a club, I warded off the blow, drew a
pistol (for I had two of them) and pulled away at
them, and struck one of them in the hand, when they
took to their heels and run away, and had me arrested,
but I was discharged at once.
The next day I was taken to a large meeting of the
old soldiers that had served under Harrison in the war,
which was held some miles from Maysville, in the in terior of the state, at a place called Washington. At
this meeting I first met Geo. D. Prentiss, and it was
at that meeting I first got the name of the Buckeye
Blacksmith, which I ever bear. Here I met a large
number of Harrison's old soldiers, as well as many of
the distinguished men of Kentucky, to whom I related
some of the incidents of my early life, particularly
those that referred to Mr. Clay. This alone made me
very popular with them.
At this meeting I met a Committee from Cincinnati, who took me with them to that city, to speak at
their ratification meeting that was to take place on the
following Tuesday. Here I had a day or two to rest,
which I very much needed. The meeting was a great
success; the papers had extolled me, as it were, to the
top of the ladder, until public curiosity was at its pitch,
to see and hear me. After the meeting I attended a
reception at J'udge Burnets. This was my first introduction into high life, and it made  me  feel very
awkward at first, but I soon got acquainted with their
manners and customs. I here met a young lady by the
name of Churber, who had heard me speak that night,
and had carefully noted down all my grammatical
errors; she politely pointed them out to me, and gave
me the proper words to use, which I never after forgot.
Gen. Harrison was there, as well as most of the dis           *3 
-50
tinguished men of Cincinnati; they gave me much
information. They formed themselves into a Committee, and said from what they had seen and heard of
me, that I would be a valuable speaker in that campaign, and that I must not think of going home, but
continue speaking until the election, which I consented
to do. So in a day or two they had provided me with
all the documents they could, and I left for Kentucky,
to speak a few times there until meetings could be got
ready for me in different large towns in Ohio, where I
was to stay until the first of May, and then go to Virginia and Pennsylvania. They dressed me up pretty
nicely before I started, and gave me a letter addressed
to the Whigs of Louisville, to which place I went,
where I met a most cordial welcome. It was very
laughable to see the Democrats peeping into the parlor
or around the corners at me, then going away, saying,
"all but a blacksmith," why that fellow is a gentleman. I never saw so much peeping in all my life;
even when I would be walking the streets, they would
come running from every direction, just to get a look
at me.  Many of them went away swearing that I was
a lawyer in disguise. Some said: "he's a member of
Congress!" and others said I was a minister. All this
speculation was owing to my new suit of clothes, that
my friends had given me. When night came, they all
made a rush for the meeting; when I was introduced
to them, I told them, that I was a plain man, with a
very limited education, and they, therefore, must not
expect a very flowery speech from me.
Prentiss, with all the leading men of the city, had
been closeted with me pretty much all day, posting me
on all the leading questions, that they wished me to
speak upon, as well as upon all the leading Democrats
of the place. I had an excellent memory, that en abled me to follow out their plans, so that when I got
through with my speech, many of the people were
astonished at the manner in which I had handled both, 
-51
the question, as well as the thrashing I had given the
leading Democrats.
Mr. Van  Buren had two  very weak  points-his
Sub-Treasury scheme, and his Army Bill —and on
the.e points I made my attack; and in all cases fastened my Sam. Medary's dream on the leading Democratic paper of every place where I spoke.
When I left Louisville, I visited Frankford, the
Capital of the State, where I met with a warm reception and was lionized by all the digniatary's, both male
and female in the place. I spoke to a large meeting
in the State house and was much applauded by the
ladies for my complimentary remarks on female influence. I left there with the good wishes of all my
friends and the curses of my enemies (the Democrats).
I then went to Lexington, the home of Mr. Clay,
where I received one of the warmest receptions, except
two or three, that I have ever met in my travels. All
the people appeared to try to outdo each other in kindness to me, even the Democrats seemed unwilling to let
the Whigs outdo them in courtesy.
Mr. Clay was at Washington city at the time, and
therefbre I did not see him, but visited his family and
was treated very kindly by them. Mrs. Clay, was one
of the finest ladies that I ever met. My meeting there
was a grand success, for at this meeting I related the
little incidents connected with Mr. Clay and myself in
early life, and gave him the credit of making me all
that I was or ever expected to be. This alone, made
me a Lion instead of a Bear.  I left Lexington and
spoke at one or two other places on my route to Ohio.
I arrived back in Cincinnati about ten days after
leaving there, ready to fill a series of appointments at
the principle towns along the Miama river. At Dayton I fell in with a shoemaker, who bantered me to
discuss the questions of the day with him. I accepted
the banter, but when I had learned that he was an infidel in his religious views, I said that I would not hold 
-52
a discussion with a man that did not hold himself
responsible to God for his words and actions. They
then brought out another fellow, that had but little
brains; I soon floored him, and that night, as I was
going to my hotel, from a friends house, at a late hour,
I met two of the Democratic rowdies, who insultedme
as I passed them. I turned on them, and told them
that I generally thrashed men in my country for talking to me in that way. They laughed at me, when I
hauled away at one of them and laid him  out, the
other took the best course that he could, for he took to
his heels and ran off.
From Dayton I visited all the large sized towns in
the interior of Ohio. Every place I went I met a most
hearty welcome from the Whigs, who took great pains
in instr ucting me on all the topics of the day.  During
all this time Medary was pouring his abuse on me,
which only served to make me the more popular with
all right minded men.
I would here state, that if' ever I lose my self-respect,
or confidence ill my own integrity, it will be when
Democratic papers speak well of me. One thing that
made them hate me worse than all others, was that I
never charged anything on them or their party, that
I was not prepared to prove by authentic documents.
This is a rule that I have always adhered to, for many
times have I came in contact with their speakers, when
they would make wholesale attacks on me and my
party, and when called on for the proofs, they could
not produce them, and 1 would floor them on that
point, The Whig leaders had furnished me with every
document that was necessary to a successful campaign;
I had half a cart load of them.  By constant practice
and the instructions I received daily from the leading
Whigs in Ohio, and members of Congress who were
furnishing me with the documents, I had so improved
in speaking that I had no fears of any man, and was
no longer timid before the great men of the country. 
-53
I was at length through with my Ohio appointments,
for the present, and was preparing to make my way to
Virginia. On my arrival in Wheeling, Virginia, I
found them making great preparation to receive me,
for my fame had by this time spread through the en tire country. Everybody wanted to see and hear the
blacksmith, (Barnum in his palmiest days was not
half so much sought after.) They had a large stand
put up and seats for the ladies; they too, wer2 anxious
to see and hear me. Well, when I came on the stage,
a servant with me to help carry my hooks and docu ments, the whole of the people raised a shout, and
some swore that I was a book-pedler, in place of a
blacksmith.  One fellow sung out to me, "Can you
shoe a horse?" "Yes," says I "as well as any man in
your State." This raised another shout and waving
of handkerchiefs.  "We'll try you when you are done
speaking," said he, "all right," said I."  "For I can:
not only shoe horses, but can shoe mules, so you had
better be there if you wish to be shod by a master workman." I have never seen or heard of that fellow since.
I went from there to Wellsville, some miles up the
river, next day, and had a meeting and got along
finely; and from Wellsville I took a boat for Pittsburg, Pa., arriving there in the evening. I put up at
a hotel, enquired of the landlord where I could find
some of the active Whigs of the place, as I was not
announced for a meeting, yet I thought I would see
them that night. He told me that there was a meeting at Liberty Hall that evening, if I would go there
I would see them all.  He directed me where to find
the Hall, and when I arrived they had already organized and were waiting for a speaker. No person knew
that I was in the city. Just as I worked my way to
the stand, the President asked if some person would
please make a few remarks until the speakers came.
I thought this a good opportunity to make myself
known, so I stepped on the stand, and said, that I would 
-54
entertain the audience until their speakers came. Tell
me sir, when they come and I will stop.  I commenced
by pitching into a dirty little paper of that city, that
had been abusing me for a week or two back, and then
commenced to desect Van Buren. After speaking a
half hour or more, I said: "tell me  when your
speakers come, if you please," but the crowd whom  I
had kept in a roar of laughter all the time, cried out,
"go on, go on!" until I started again and spoke altogether over an hour, when I closed amid the wildest
excitement.
The moment I closed the speakers, who had heard
the most of my speech, and a number of the leading
Whigs of the city, came forward, and said: "We
wish, sir, to congratulate you upon your success tonight, and to ask if you are not the blacksmith from
Ohio." I told them that I thanked them for their
congratulations, and that I was the blacksmith they
spoke of. The President at once announced to the
meeting that I was the genuine Ohio Blacksmith that
they had been reading about for the past few weeks,
when all hands, speakers and all, cried out for another
speech, and I had to step on the stand and make them
another short speech, when we adjourned to meet the
next night in a grand mass meeting in the Diamond
Market Square.  The next morning this little dirty
Democratic sheet gave me a column of extracts from
Sam. Medary's paper, for which I paid him that night
at Market Square to his hearts content. Our meeting was a fine one and all seemed satisfied.  I left in
a day or two for the East, with a promise to go through
the county later in the campaign which I did.  I was
to open the campaigu the 21st of June, in Philadelphia, and remain in Pennsylvania until the October
election, so I concluded to make my way to Maryland,
and spend a few days in my native place.
I left Pittsburg by the way of Washington, Brownsville and Uniontown, speaking at each place to large 
-55
crowds. Nothing unusual occurred until I got to
Brownsville, where I had a fuss with a drover, who
pretended he knew me, and that he knew something
about me, but refused to say what it was; I took him
by the throat, shook him a little, until he was frightened half out of his wits, and he let me alone after that.
When I got to Uniontown I met Andrew Stewart,
whom I had known before, as also L. W. Stockton
whom I had once worked for when quite young.  He
at once recognized me and made a great ado over me.
He could hardly believe his own eyes, he said he could
never have believed that I was the boy who had worked for him. When I went to the Court House to
speak, the Sheriff, who was a Democrat, refused to let
me in the house, because he said that I carried pistols,
when I told him that I not only carried them but that
I would use them if he, or any of his crew interfered
with me. Messrs. Stewart and Stockton influenced the
County Commisioners to give us the Court House,
where I made the first regular Tariff speech that I
had attempted to make during the campaign; my
usual course was to tear down Van Buren, and build
up Harrison, by attacking Van Buren's weak points,
and building up Harrison's strong ones. This I found
had the best effect.
I left Uniontown with flying colors and spoke at
Smithfield and Frostburg, Md., on ray road to Cumberland, where they had made great preparation to
receive me, ill my native State. Here I was met by
Committees from Hagerstown and Frederick, inviting
me to speak for them. I made appointments with
them for a few meetings, and when I left Climberland,
I went to the Berkeley Springs, in Virginia, to rest a
few days until my Maryland meetings were ready.While at the Springs I was met by the Philadelphia
Committee who were determined to take me home with
them, in order to have me there by the 21st of June,
which was some two weeks ahead. After hearing my 
-56
arrangements in Maryland, they concluded to travel
with me. So we went to Hagerstown, where we had
a gay time. The Philadelphia boys had plenty of
money, and spent it freely, and they became very
popular with the people of Maryland. The next day
we all went to a mass meeting at Sharpsburg, a town
that has since been made historical by the late rebellion. At this meeting I met a brother that I had not
seen for many years, who was a Democrat, and had
come twenty miles to see if I was his brother. He no
sooner saw me, than he came upon the stand, took me
by the hand, and said: "brother John how are you,"
I hope you will forgive me for being heretofore a
Democrat, for since you have been so much abused by
my party as you have been, I will never vote another
Democratic ticket while I live." I said "amen," and
turning to the Democratic part of the audience said:
'"go ahead Democrats for every lie you tell on me you
will drive some of my relations or other honest men
from your ranks," and I knew of no better way to
make Harrison votes than to distribute Democratic
documents among the people, for I have always contended that the mass of the people, without regard to
their religious or political views were honest, and
would vote right if correctly informed. I told them
that the Democratic party were afraid of the truth,
they reminded me of an Irishman that was brought
into Court for some offense that he had committed,
when he began to cry; his lawyer being a humane man,
as lawyers generally are, told him not to cry, he hoped
to have justice done him, when the Irishman cried
out, "be me souel Justice is what I'm afraid of."  So
it is with the Democratic party, they fear the truth,
hence their lies. This raised a shout among the crowd,
while many of the leading Democrats went away
swearing vengeance on me.
The same night I spoke at Boonsboro, a few miles
from there. Spoke at a large meeting, and the next 
-57
day visited my brother and spoke at Middletown,
near where he lived; I had also an uncle there, whom
I had not seen since my boyhood days. Here I had a
fine time, as most of the people in Middletown and in
that vicinity were Whigs, and are Republicans to this
day. I was to speak in Frederick the next night, and
concluded to go there in disguise, therefore I sent my
Philadelphia friends ahead and  I walked, arriving
there just at dark, and stopped at a small tavern at
the edge of town and asked for supper, when I was
told that it would be ready in a few minutes. The
landlord remarked to me that they were going to have
a great time in town that night, for the great Whig
Blacksmith, of Ohio, was to speak there, and that the
Whigs were making preparations for a grand display.
"Ah!" said I, "is that so, have you  ever seen this
Blacksmith." "No," said he, "I never have, but intend to not only see but hear him to-night, if I am a
Democrat." The supper bell rang about this time,
when we all, (some twenty in numrber,) took our seats
at the table. Soon after we were seated, a gentleman
at my side, asked me if ever I had seen this blacksmith, I told him that I had often seen him. "Well,
what sort of a man is he?" the papers tell some pretty
hard things on him; are they true or not."  Well,
sir, that is more than I can say, I suppose that he is
like the most of us, has his good and bad traits of
character. The landlord here spoke up and said, my
rule is never to condemn a man until I know something about him myself; I am told that he is a Frederick county man, and has respectable connections,
therefore I wish to see and hear for myself. "That's
right," said I, when several others said, "they never believed all they read in political papers. "Nor I either,"
said I. Just then a fellow on the opposite side of the
table said, "'gentlemen, if you knew as much about
him as I, you would not have a very good opinion of
him, I know him well, I only live a short distance 
-58
front him. "Ah!" said I, "then you know whether
these stories they tell on him are true or not." "They
are all true, and the half has not been told, he is not a
blacksmith at all but a miserable drunken lawyer
that would plead a case for fifty cents to get whisky
with." "Is it possible," I said, "I suppose you have
often seen him."   "Oh! yes, nearly every day," said
he, (oh how I wished to maul him, but concluded to
carry on the joke.) "Well," said I, "the most ofthose
stories are generally gotten up for political effect, for
if they were true, parties wou!d not countenance such
imposters." "That istrue"' said several of those present,
but he insisted that these stories were all true to his
knowledge. By this time supper was over, and I paid
my bill and left. When I arrived at the meeting it
was already organized and the Chairman was telling
the people that I would soon be there, it was early yet.
I told a gentleman by my side to tell him that I was
in the crowd, when he invited me on the stand, and
introduced me to the great mass of men and women
that had congregated to see and hear me.  I took off
my coat and began to roll up my sleeves, when an old
fellow sung out, "I'll bet fifty dollars he's a blacksmith by the way he rolls up his sleeves." When order was restored I turned to the audience, and to my
surprise I saw the whole party that I had mnet at the
tavern, standing right in front of me.   The landlord
and a few of the others were smiling, but my Ohio
friend looked as if he could crawl out of the little end
of a tin horn. I commenced by making an apology
to the audience for keeping them waiting so long, by
telling them that I hadf been so agreeably entertained
at the hotel, where I had taken my supper, by a pretended acquaintance of mine from Ohio, that the time
had passed unnoticed, and I am proud to see him as
well as the other guests of the hotel now  here.   I
then related all the conversation as it occurred at the
supper-table, amid the wildest shouts of laughter, the 
-59
guests as well as the landlord enjoyed the joke as well
as the rest of the crowd,for I had spoken well of them.
I told the people that this fellow wasthere, and, therefore, they had better look well to their pocket-books,
and lock their stables and hen coops when they went
home. This was too much for my Ohio friend. iHe
was soon missing and I never had the pleasure of
meeting him after that night.
I made my speech and was warmly congratulated
by the elite of the city. I would here state that I had
often heard it said, "that a prophet is not without
honor save In his own country," this was not the case
on this occasion, for the first families of Maryland, such
as the Pitts, McPherson's and Schleys, all took me by
the hand and bid me a hearty welcome back to my
native land. This was the grandest reception I ever
met with during all my travels in life, and I feel proud
of it to this day.
Next morning I made a horse-shoe at an old Denaocrats shop, in the presence of a large crowd, he was
offered ten dollars for the shoe, but he said if he was a
Democrat he would never part with that shoe. I
agreed to visit the county again later in the Campaign,
which I did, and the next morning left with my Philadelphia friends for Harrisburg on their route home,
where we arrived safely the second day after.
I 
CHAPTER III.
MY CAMPAIGN IN PENNSYLVANIA.
FTER my arrival in Philadelphia I had a day or
two to rest prior to our gieat meeting that was to
come 6ff on thie 21st of June. The committee gave
me quarters at the Madison House in Second street, in
order to have me in a quiet place, where none but the
leading men knew where to find me, until the day of
the meeting. All the leading politicians of that day,
in the city, visited me during those few days and posted me on all the various topics they wished me to talk
upon; among them were the great E. Joy Morris,
Charles Nailor, Jas. R. Chandler, J. P. Wethered and
many others whose names do not occur to me at this
distant day.
I had become pretty well posted on all questions that
were connected with general politics, but needed some
posting in the affairs of Pennsylvania, so as to be able
to meet the questions that were peculiarly adapted to
that section of the country. This they gave me, so by
the time that the meeting came off the people were
astonished to find me, a poor uneducated mechanic, 
-61
from a distant State, so well posted on all the affairs
of that country. Many of them came to me after I
had spoken to know where or how I had gotten hold
of so much information concerning the affairs of Penn sylvania. I generally told them that we blacksmiths
in the West were all the time prying into other peoples
business. Many a laugh we had over the way I got
so much information on the affairs of the old Key stone State.
The day of the great meeting arrived and at the ap pointed hour Independance Square was packed with
people, they had come from all quarters of the State
as well as from New Jersey and Delaware, to see and
hear the blacksmith. There were but few blacksmiths
in all that region of the country that were not there,
as well as other mechanics; it was a new thing to them.
I suppose, that I was among the first that ever took
such an active part in politics.
The first speaker that day was Mr. Alford of Georgia, hlie said, "I am not a blacksmith myself, but my
father was one, so you see I understand a little about
the business, at any rate I think I am able to act as
helper or striker for the boss; which you know is necessary in doing a good job of work. So I will blow
the bellows and heat the iron for him and then let him
finish the job himself." He then went on and gave a
short history of me, and finished with an appeal to the
working men to stand by me, for I was their best friend.
He said "this man will show you that labor should
own capital, and not capital own labor, as is too much
the case all over our country, as well as through the
entire old world.  He will show you that you ought to
be protected in your industry against the pauper labor
of the old world, which the Democrats deny to you in
and out of Congress, and still have the hardihood to
ask you for your votes," with this he closed.
I was then introduced amid the wildest shouts and
huzzas I ever heard. I took off my coat, rolled up 
62
my sleeves, and commenced by saying, that in appearing before them to-day, that I labored under many
disadvantages, for I was a stranger to them all, and
only a plain, unassuming mechanic, with a very limited education, and therefore could not give them a
very flowery speech. I only know a half dozen of
those big words that most speakers use, and I hardly
ever undertake to climb up very high to get at them,
for fear that I might have some trouble in getting down
again, so I generally let them alone. This raised a
great shout; I told them I would give them a plain
talk, that I would put the questions fairly and plainly
before them, and in doing so I should speak the plain,
unvarnished truth, and nothing else. With one voice
they seemed to call out "that's just what we want to
hear."  I then began by showing up Van Buren's Army-Bill and when I finished that point, asked them
do you want that, gentlemen?"  " No! no!"  was
the cry. I read his message to( prove my point.
I then took up his Sub-Treasury scheme, showed
that up and said, "do you want this, gentlemen?"
"No! to h -1 mid him," shouted an Irishman in
the crowd. Well this is what Mr. Van Burea offers
you, and here is his message to prove it, although the
Democrats of Pennsylvania deny it, do they not? 
"Yes, they do," said a thousand voices in the crowd.
Well, said I, they dare not meet me and deny that Mr.
Van Buren wrote this message, and recommended to
Congress to pass the Bills that I have just read. I
shall stay in the City a few days, at the Madison House,
where they can find me at any time they wish. They
must not wait until I leave the City and say that it
was all a Whig lie, or I will come back and punch
some of their heads for them. At this I had to wait
five minutes for the crowd to get through with their
laugh, some were shouting up to me, saying, "that's
right, I like a man that has pluck."
I then took the subject of Protection to American
4 
-63
Industry, showing them that it wes the laboring man
who needed it; the rich could live without, beit the
poor could not. I told them that the poor man loved
his wife and children as well as the rich man loved his,
and was as fond of seeing his family well fed and well
clothed as the rich man. How is he to feed and clothe
his family unless he is paid a fair price for his labor;
he never can. " No never," said many of them. Do
you men of family, wish to work for the wages that is
paid to the slaves and serfs of foreign countries? if not,
vote for protection to your own labor, vote for the party
that will give it to you, throw aside your politics when
the interests of yourself and family are at stake. A
man must be a fool that gives his vote against his best
interests, dont you think so, fellow workingmen? Theie
was one shout of" yes! yes!"  If you are opposed to
free trade and low wages you must vote for Harrison,
for Mr. Van Buren will never give you anything else.
I went on in this strain of argument for near three
hours whenl my voice failed me and I had to close.
When I was through I had to be taken away in a
hack to keep my friends from shaking my  ariu off.The whole crowd seemed to be crazy with excitement,
and hundreds followed me to my hotel in order to shake
me by the hand, and I have no doubt but that I shook
hands during that day and evening with five thousand
men.  The next day Ispent my  time in making  arrangements with the committee to open the campaign
through the state, commencing at Philadelphia. On
the fourth of July I was to speak in Washington city,
Baltimore, and a few other places in Maryland in the
interval, so as to give time to get up a meeting in
Pennsylvania.
Several members of Congress were present at my
meeting in Philadelphia and took me to Washington
with them, where I had a monster meeting at the City
Hall steps.  Mr. Van Buren heard me speak at this
meeting, and was very much amused at some of my 
-64
anecdotes that I told on him, and said to Mr. Crittenden that he never heard a man speak, that could carry
the people away with him, better than I could; he
said that with a few such men as I was in the free
States, the Whigs could beat any man the Democrats
could get up at this time, for it was a new thing for a
working man to speak at public meetings, and would
take a powerful hold upon men of that class, and of
such men the Democratic party is chiefly composed."Just see how they flock around him, he has got them
all in a roar of laughter at me, this is the way to beat
an opponent, get the people to laughing at him, and
you have him whipped, this that blacksmith can do."
The next dav Mr. Crittenden told me all that Van
Buren had said, which I tried to improve on after that,
through the whole campaign.
After I concluded my speech I was taken in charge
by the Ohio delegation in Congress, and feasted and
flattered for a day or two, when I was invited to a grand
party, given by Ex-President Adams at his residence
in Washington, where I met many of the leading men
of the nation, who enjoyed my answers to the questions
propounded to me by Mr. Adams and others that chose
to put them to me.  Mr. Adams said, "Mr. Bear I wish
to ask you what induced you, a poor mechanic, to take
such a stand in this campaign as you have taken." Said
I, "the same reason sir, I suppose, that prompted you
and all other great men in the country that ever took
an active part in politics; it was to distinguish myself,
I know of no other reason sir.
This raised a roar of laughter at Mr. Adams expense.
Some of those present, said "what do you think of the
blacksmith now?" to Mr. Adams, when he saidL'it is
a good answer, better than I expected," then turning to
me, he said, "I think that you are able to hold your
own with any of us. The party soon after that separated and went home.
The next day every member of the Senate or Hiouse 
-65b that I met at the Capitol, had something to say about
the way that I answered Mr. Adams the night before,
for it had spread all over both Houses before twelve
o'clock next day. Many a laugh we had about it when
I would meet some member at my meetings during the
campaign.
From Washington I came to Baltimore, and spoke
at Monument Square, to one of the largest meetings
that was ever held there.  I was well received by the
leading Whigs of the city, many of whom are dead,
among those that are living who treated me in the
kindest manner, was the Hon. Reverdy Johnson, who I
am sorry to say some years after that, left our party
and is acting with the Democratic party, but was a
true Union man through the war.
After my meeting in the Square, I returned to my
hotel (the Exchange) now the Custom House; about
eleven o'clock, three gentlemanly looking men called
on me, and said they were a committee to invite me to
a friend's house for a short time. I at first refused to
go owing to the lateness of the hour, but finally concluded to go, as they said it was only a short square,
just around the corner; we started but when we got in
the street, they turned the wrong way to go to Baltimore street, when I began to conclude that all was not
right, and said gentlemen, I don't intend to go with you
down that street, for that is not the course you told me
your friend lived, when they said "its all right, so come
along, you put us to the trouble to come after you, and
you must not back out now." I said, "gentlemen you
see that I do not want to go, now if you are my friends
you ought not ask me to go, and if you are not my
friends, I ought not go with you. At which one of
them took hold of my arm, and said you must go, and
began to pull me, when I pulled loose from him and
drew a pistol and said "stand back or I'll shoot you,"
and then turned back into the hotel. When they had
run away, none of the persons appeared to know them 
-66
that were in the hotel. We at once made search for
them but they could not be found. The street they
wished me to go, led directly to a dock that was but
a few yards off. I have never had a doubt but that
they intended to throw me in the dock and drown me,
for no person could ever be found that would  acknowledge that they were the committee.
The next day I went to Ellicotts Mills to speak and
about the time that I got fairly under way, a parcel of
Democrats tried to break up our meeting, and when
they found they could do it in no other way, they got
a locomotive and run it up and down by our stand blew
the whistle so as to prevent the people hearing me, and
finally we had to adjourn. They then bantered me to
meet one of their speakers the next day, in a joint discussion, but not until they found that I was to speak
at Elkton, fifty miles from there on that day.  This
was a small game they often tried to play on me but
sometimes when I had to speak at a small meeting I
posponed it and met them, but in such cases they would
mostly back out, by saying their speaker could not get
ready in time, and would set a day ten days ahead
when I would be many miles away at some other
meeting.
I left Baltimore the night of the day I spoke at Ellicotts Mills and went to Elkton, and spoke there to a
very good and orderly meeting, and was well received
by the Whigs of that place. This was on the second
day of July and I was to speak at Wilmington on the
third, ready to be in Philadelphia by the fourth. I
had made an arrangement with some gentlemen of
Wilmington on the twentieth of June to be there that
day, so as to give them time to prepare for a grand
affair. When I arrived there I found great prepara tions being made for the meeting, and a grand affair
it was, more so than it would have been, if it had not
been for the reason that I will now state.
The Democrats as soon as they found that I was to 
-67be there, (which they did, the day I promised the committee that I would come,) started a man by thename
of Orr, ost-baste to Ohio to the town that I lived in
to get all the testimony against me that he could, (for
they believed all that they had read in their papers)
and when I would come and begin to speak, he was to
come and confront me with the testimnony of my neighbours, (this man Orr was a good speaker.)  Neither I
or my friends knew anything about this arrangement.
The Democrats had kept it very quiet, but had boasted
that when I came there to speak they would have a
man ready to floor me. This I heard talked around
all the morning before the hour of meeting. Several
low-priced Democrats gathered around where I was
talking to some friends, and would say loud enough
for me and my friends to hear, "has he got back yet?"
"Where did he go?" "I heard that he went to Bloomfield, Ohio." "Yes, that's the place," said another."Oh," said one, "he will be here in time, I'll bet you,
it will be glorious sport, wont it?"
When the hour arrived for the meeting to commence
the Democrats were there in a body, as well as the
Whigs.  I was introduced and made  a long speech,
and as soon as I closed, this man Orr stepped on the
stand and asked to make a statement. Permission
was given him to do so, when he made a full disclosure
of all their plans, as well as his trip to Ohio in order
to obtain the necessary proofs of my guilt and unworthiness as a man, to enable him to follow me whereever I went, and expose me to the world.  He said he
was an honest Democrat and felt determined, if what
he had read about me was true, that the world should
know it.  "Well, gentlemen," said he, "I have just
returned from Ohio this morning," and turning to me
said, "I have just returned from a visit to your neighbours, in South Bloomfield, Ohio, sir.  I went there an
honest man, to find out your character, and I have
come back an honest man, with your full history." 
-68
Here the Democrats raised a shout, expecting of course
that I would be fully exposed; but oh, ye Gods, when
he turned to the audience and in a loud voice declared
that he was inot able to find a Democrat, let alone a
Whig, in the town that would say or could say anything against me, the worst word he had heard against
me was from an old Democrat, who said he wished I
would stop running around and come home to my shop
for he wanted his horses shod. At this stage of affairs
the Whigs raised a shout, when some of the leading
Democrats began to hunt a milder climate to cool off.
Mr. Orr then said, "gentlemen, if this is the course
nay party intends to pursue, in order to elect Mr. Van
Buren, whenever unable to meet an opponent to attack
and destroy his private character, simply because he
may be a plain, unassuming mechanic, it is high time
that all honest laboring men should leave the party,
and from this day I shall devote all the ability or
talent that I may possess, to the election of General
Harrison and the defeat of this sham Democracy," and
from that day to the day of election he remained a
firm friend of the Whig party.
The Democrats as soon as they heard what Orr had
to say, swore that the Whigs had bought him over, and
at once began to traduce his character by saying all
manner of hard things-about him; this they did as well
against him, as they did against me, in order to destroy
what ever influence we might have as working men,
with that class of voters in their party. They were
not able to meet the great issue of that day with either
of us, hence they had no other course to pursue, than
to attack our private character, but that course acted
then, as it always does, to the injury of those that attempt it.
The Democratic party was then, as it now is, a negative party, never originating any plan or idea of its
own, but always opposing the ideas and plans of the
opposite party. All Democrats can tell you what they 
are opposed to, but very few can tell you what they
are in favor of, unless they go to the county town and
ask their leader, when he will tell them equal rights to
all men, and an honest administration of public affairs
which is every word false, as I have shown you by the
manner in which they tried to distroy me. Had I not
a right to speak my sentiments as well as they had?
Then why destroy me, if they are in favor of equal
rights to all men? Are they in favor of an honest
administration of public affairs? Look, I pray you, to
day, at the two great cities of New York and Baltimore
and then answer me that question. But I shall speak
more fully upon this subject hereafter. The meeting
at Wilmington was a grand success for the Whig party,
and I think it will be a long time before the Demo crats of Wilmington will pay another man's expenses
to go to Ohio to hunt up my character, for fear they
may catch another tarter like Orr proved to be.
On the fourth I went to Philadelphia, where I was
to speak five times during that day and evening, at
different localities in the city and suburbs. The first
place I spoke was in Vance's yard up Second street, at
10 o'clock, A. M.   Here they had a  blacksmith's
forge, bellows, anvil and tools, all arranged on a large
platform out in the open air, where the multitude
could see for themselves that I was a blacksmith, for
this as the Democrats said could be proved that I was
not. They said they had a man that knew me well
and would confront me on the stand that day, and
would prove that I was a fraud, hence the Whigs had
fixed up this forge and tools to prove that the Democrats lied. Accordingly when the meeting was organized, I took off my coat, rolled up my sleeves, put
on a leather apron, and was introduced to the great
meeting numbering not less than twenty-five thousand
people. I said, "my friends aId fellow countrymen,
I am proud to see so many honest men and women as
now stand before me, to the nailing of another lie to
169 
-70
the Democratic party. I am ready to work, as you
see, what kind of a job do you wish me to do first?
"make us a good horse shoe nail," said an old blacksmith present, "certainly sir, I will," said I and commenceed and made a first rate one.  What next gentlemen, for I want to beat work?  "Make us a good horse
shoe," said another; at it I went and very soon had one
made as good as any other man in the country could
make. I held it up in my tongs, and said aloud "I
would like to nail it on the Jackass that said I was
not a blacksmith. This raised the greatest shout of
applause I ever heard. When order was finally restored I laid down my tools and spoke on the leading issues of the day,;for aboutan hour, and then left for another meeting in West Philadelphia, and from there
to one in the South-eastern part of the city, and then
out near Fairmount Water Works, and then winding
up with a monster meeting on Smith's Island between
Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey. At this meeting I drank the first Champaign wine I ever drank;
they told me that it was Jersey cider and would not
hurt me, so I drank it as free as water, but by the
time I got to my hotel I found that my head was beginning to feel pretty light, so I went to bed without
my supper and laid there two days before I got over
it. This was my first indulgence in drinking to excess
since I had been in the campaign, and I made up my
mind that it would be the last, and it was during that
campaign, for I have always thought if anything on
earth looked ridiculous it was a public speaker drunk
on the stand, trying to address a meeting, which none
but Democrats often do.
My next meeting was at Bristol, a few miles from
Philadelphia, in Buck's county, where I had to speak
to a Democratic audience, and the only way that I
could get along there, was to get them to fighting
among themselves; this I did by praising Jackson and
the working men, and denouncing the leaders in that 
-71
town, as soon as any of them would interrupt me. I
would say there is one of the leaders; he is afraid for
you honest men to hear a workman speak; this only
made the leaders more anxious to interrupt me, and
poor men more anxious to hear me; at last I got them
to fighting, when I left, believing that every one that
got whipped would vote fthe Whig ticket to spite the
man that licked him, which I afterwards heard they did.
I then visited Chestnut Hill, in Philadelphia county, a place almost entirely Democratic; they had said
that I should not speak there, and if I came there they
would thrash me, but I went, and had about fifty of
the best picked men in the city to back me.  When
we arrived there our few friends had a stand fixed up
in good order, and I commenced by saying, gentlemen, I have come here to make a speech to you, and
I understand that you are all good Jackson men and
if you are you may well feel proud of it, for he was a
great and good man in his day. He fought our battles and won our victories for us, for which we should
all honor him, and I propose, in view of what he has
done for his country and for us as a people, that we
give him three hearty cheers without respect to party
feelings, when all hands raised their hats and gave
three thundering cheers for Jackson. I said, gentlemen, we have another great General who, if he has
not won as many and as great victories as General
Jackson, he has still done great service for his couIntry, and I propose, as we all joined in giving three
cheers for Jackson, we all join in giving three more
for Genr. Harrison; when to my surprise they all with
one accord joined in and gave three just as hearty
cheers for Harrison.  I then commenced by saying
that I was a plain workingman, and as such wished to
address myself to the working portion of my audience.
It was the labor of the country and the laboring man's
interest that I felt a desire of seeing promoted; and
it was this, and this alone that had brought me here, 
-72
that if I felt certain that the success of the Democratic
party would result in promoting these objects, I would
now stop and go home, and let politics alone, but having with me to-night Mr. Van Buren's views in his own
party papers, that cannot be denied, which fully satisfies me that if he is re-elected and carries out, as he
most certainly will, those views, that it will prove most
ruinous to the workingman's interest. I therefore feel
it my duty to lay these things before you and let you
judge for yourselves. I then went on to show and explain my documents until I had finished. The leading
men saw plainly that I had made some impression
upon the party and began to accuse me of saying many
things that I did not say, when some of their own nmen
contradicted them, which brought on a general fight
among themselves, in the midst of which myself and
party stepped into our omnibusses and left, giving cheer
after cheer for Harrison. This fight did our cause
much good, as many of themn came out boldly for Harrison after that night.
I next went to Doylestown, Buck's county, where
we had a great meeting in a grove near the town, at
which place I pitched into the editor of the Demo.
cratic paper which had been abusing me from week to
week, since I had first come to the State. He was
pointed out to me at the meeting, when I went to him
and told him that if he did not leave before I was
done speaking that I would certainly thrash him,
which he took good care to do. We had a gay time
that night at my hotel, laughing over the manner in
which we made him leave, and as long as he lived the
people would laugh at him for letting me back him
out. I had many difficulties to encounter in my travels at that day, that would no. have to be encountered now. Then the Democratic party was made up
mostly of the working class of the country. Nearly
all the learned men of the country were Whigs, and
it was seldom you saw a working man that was not 
-73
a poor Whig. I being a plain working man, and Whig
speaker, the leading men of the Democratic party
feared that I would be able to make an impression on
their party, that a professional or rich man would not
be able to do. Hence their persecutions of me, for
they generally poured out all their venom on my de voted head; they often had me insulted in hotels and
every other place where opportunity afforded, and on
one occasion I was surrounded at a railroad station on
the Sabbath day, by a lawless mob of laboring men
attached to the road, and had to get out of the cars
with a pistol in each hand to defend myself from the
men I was trying to elevate. But such was the igno rance and prejudice of the Democratic party at that
day that it was not much trouble to raise a mob to do
anything you wished, with a little Democratic ar gument (whisky) for that has always been a powerful
lever in moving the Democratic car; for whenever
you take whisky and the "damned nigger" away fromr
the Democrat, there is nothing left of him, at least
this has been my experience for more than fifty years.
When I left Doylestown, I went to Easton, a fine
flourishing town on the Delaware river, in the north
part of the State, where we were to have a great meeting; this was a great Democratic place, and I expected to have some trouble there. I had my wife and
daughter (who had been in the East all Summer) with
me, as also Hon. Charles Nailor, wife and daughter.
We arrived early in the day and found the town alive
with people, who had come from all parts of the country to see and hear me. I was to be presented with
a silver cup by the Whig ladies of the place, as a token of their appreciation of my labors in the Whig
cause, which was generally known, hence the great
crowd of people.
The Democrats of course were determined to neutralize any influence that I might have in that man.
ufacturing town among the working men.  They had
*4 
-74
prepared a circular with twelve men's sworn testimony, from my county in Ohio, that I had a wife and
six children suffering for bread at home, and that I
had also been charged with stealing some years before.
This they had already to throw among the people (by
boys) as soon as the meeting would organize, and before I was introduced to the meeting hundreds of these
circulars were picked up and were being read. One
was handed to me, when I had read it I was introduced to the meeting and began by saying that I held
in my hand a Democratic document, which if true,
would render me an unfit person to stand before such
an audience as was now before me; this document appears to have been sworn to by twelve highly respectable men who know me in my own county, with the
broad seal of the county in which I live. Well ladies
and gentlemen let us see how far this document is
true. I see a gentleman of your town, who knew me
and my family in Ohio, standing now before me, you
all know him, he is I believe much of a gentleman, if
he is a Democrat. I will ask you sir to please step on
the stand for a moment.  He did so; I asked him to be
so kind as to say if he had ever known me and my
family; he said he had and at once recognized my wife
and daughter who were on the stand at the time, and
turning to the audience he said, these are all the family that Mr. Bear has, and at once took a seat with
them on the stand where he remained during the
meeting. When order was restored, I turned to the
audience and said "ladies and gentlemen you have
seen my suffering family, what do you think of them,
do they look like they were starving; what do you
think brother working men of a party that stoops so
low to carry a point? Who do you think got up this
lie? I can tell you and you will see a poor misera ble looking wretch, who looks as if he had just come
out of a hen's roost at midnight, after an unsuccess ful raid among the chickens; you can tell him from 
-75
all other men, by his sneaking looks, I see him now,
and will bet fifty dollars that I can point him out, and
if I owned a dog that would bark at such a creature
as he, I would shoot him. This raised a shout and
all eyes were turned on the editor of the Democratic
paper of that place.
You see that the first charge is false, now let us
look at the other, which charges me with stealing, (let
me see) they say it was in the fall of 1832 that I was
charged with stealing; well I have a Democratic paper
here, that was printed about that time (let me here
state that in 1832 I had by some mistake of the Democratic County Committee, been appointed a delegate
to the Democratic State Convention, to nominate a
candidate for Governor, and my name was published
as such in the Democratic organ of the county; I not
being one of the party of course paid no attention to
it, but had kept the paper more by accident than
otherwise; (this paper I had with me that day) and
you will see by that paper (holding it up,) that I was
a Democrat then, and if I did steal, I was only walking in the footsteps of the Democratic party, for stealing and drinking bad whisky has ever been two of
the cardinal principles of that party, but since I have
been a Whig, in respectable company I believe
they have had no charge against me. This complete
refutation of this libelious attack on me, created the
wildest applause from the mass of people that were
around me, so much so, that the place became too hot
for the editor, the author of the circular above alluded to. He had to leave as well as some of his backers,
or the people in their excitement would no doubt
have handled him roughly.
I made my speech and was presented with a beautiful Silver cup by the ladies; and at night spoke
again, in front of the hotel where I was staying, to a
large meeting and was very much annoyed by the only
arguments the Democrats could use with any success 
-76
against me, and that was throwing stones into our
crowd from dark corners at a distance, the poor devils
could use no better argument than that.
My dear reader you can only imagi-ne what I suffered, the many insults and privations I had to endure
the narrow escapes I had to pass through in order to
defend my party and principles; did you know what
I suffered, you would wonder how I ever made my
way through it, with the poor start I had in life. My
party never has, nor never will, fully realize what I
have done and sacrifised for them, in the last fifty
years; I often wonder myself how I ever got along
as well as I did, I had but one great stimulant to urge
me on, and that was I knew I was right. I was working to advance the interest of the laboring man, and
the freedom of the world, and felt confident in the
fulness of time, that right would overcome error, and
the principles that I was advocating would triumph,
and this alone bore me up.
Nothing occured at Bethleham a place where there
is a large female school, where I spoke after leaving
Easton; the most of the inhabitants are very religious
and as a consequence were Whigs, for pious men don't
make very good Democrats. I was well treated there
and stayed a day or two until my appointment was
ready at Allentown in Lehigh County, at which place
the Democrats got a drunken showman to get up a
meeting on the opposite corner to draw their friends
away from hearing me, but it was no go, he had too
much whisky in him to effect any thing, and then
they kicked up a fight among themselves, but finding
they could not stop our speaking, they undertook to
raise a row at our meeting, and in this they failed,
and after several of them got their eyes blacked and
noses pretty well smashed up, they concluded to leave
and let us have our meeting go on quietly.
I was to speak at Reading the next day, and was
met at Rutzstown,, a small place on the road in Berks 
-77
county, the hardest place this side of purgatory, by
a large committee from Reading, among them several
of the Philadelphia Whigs. They had called a meet ing there for me to make a short speech while dinner
would be getting ready. Just as I had begun to
speak, the Democrats had prepared a stuffed paddy
with a red petticoat, to represent Gen. Harrison as
an old woman, and had it setting on a two wheeled
sulky drawn by a big negro, who pulled it right up
in front of where I was speaking.  As soon as the
Whigs saw it, they commenced to beat the negro over
the head with clubs, when the white Democrats interfered and a general fight commenced. I being very
stout, jumped down and pitched into a bull headed
dutchman and in less than two minutes we cleaned
the ground of every Democrat that was there.  I
guess some of them and the old negro if living, have
never forgotten the day the Buckeye Blacksmith took
dinner at their town.
We left Rutzstown at twelve o'clock, and were met
on the road by another delegation which were all
mechanics and by the time we had reached Reading,
we had over a hundred vehicles in our procession.
We had a great meeting that afternoon and my speech
had the effect of bringing down all the Democratic papers and leaders on me; they manufactured a new
set of lies on me, for which I had two of them arrested. The Court being in session, the cases were at
once sent before the Grand Jury, and to the everlasting disgrace of the Democracy of Berks county,
twenty three Grand Jurymen under their solemn oaths
surrounded me in the Grand Jury room, and like a
pack of hyeanes attempted to mob me, refusing to
let me or any other witness testify before them, and
not only ignored the two bills without hearing any
testimony, but actually held me a prisoner until the
cost was paid. I have no doubt, if it had not been
that I expected a row, and went prepared for them, 
-78
that they would have maltreated me right in the
Grand Jury room, they said that I ought to be hung
for coming there to speak against the Democrats.
I confess that I would rather have been in some other
place just then, than locked up in a room with twenty-three ignorant copperheads in a county where no
Whig had any show for justice in their courts, but I
faced the music as best I could, and finally got clear
of them by paying thirteen dollars and fifty cents
cost. This was the first case that I ever knew the
Grand Jury to commit a man and hold him a prisoner
for cost, that is generally done by the courts. All
this persecution was brought to bear against me, to
destroy my influence among the mass of the working
men that were every where flocking to hear a working man speak, and to the credit of many of the mechanics of Reading of that early day, they boldly
came out and condemned the course of their leaders,
and many forever after that treatment of me by the
Grand Jury, left the party and never after acted with
them, so that they lost more than they gained by their
persecution of me.
My next appointment was Pottsville; here I had a
gay old time, they wanted to fight me, I agreed to
fight the whole party one at a time, with the understanding that every Democrat that I licked should
vote for Harrison, under a penalty of one thousand
dollars, and I would furnish a Whig to vote for Van
Buren for every one that licked me, under the same
bond. I told them that I could make votes faster
that way than by talking, but that argument would
not suit them, so that matter was settled by my having to knock one fellow down for calling me a liar. I
had experienced great difficulty during my travels to
get letters through the mails, as all the post masters
as well as the department at Washington was Democratic. I had to get my letters sent to me under an
assumed name and then when the post master recog 
-79
nised me he would refuse to give me my letters; this
was the case at Pottsville, where I had two letters
one with a lottery ticket in it that drew a small prize,
and the other simply the drawing of the lottery; these
letters I never received. I was told that they were
sent to the dead letter office at Washington. I wrote
to the manager of the lottery and stopped payment
of the prize, and this was the last I ever heard of it,
and the last ticket I wrote for also.
There was one very interesting incident that occurred at my meeting at this place, that I shall never
forget, it was this, a certain young man in a small village near Pottsville was courting a young lady, who
was a good Whig girl, and had refused to marry him
unless he would vote the Whig ticket; this he would
not consent to do, but when I came along, she invited
him to take her to hear me, thinking that possibly I
might make some impression on him, I being a mechanic; he came with her, and during my remarks
upon the tariff question, I seemed to satisfy him that
it was to the interest of all working men to stand by
the party who favored protection to American labor,
in order to protect themselves.  So at the close of the
speech he promptly informed her that he was convinced that it was to his interest to) vote the Whig ticket,
and shall therefore go for Harrison; then said she I
shall go for you, and at once went to the hotel, sent
for a minister and in the presence of myself and a
large number of ladies and gentlemen of their acquaintance were married.
At this place I found a large number of miners
mostly foreigners, many of them very intelligent men, 
particularly the Scotch and Welch. These people had
never been in the habit of going to political meetings,
they seemed to take but little interest in politics, but
when I caine along, being a working man, they turned
out to a man, to hear me, and many of them became
my warmest friends. TheIrish generally went against 
-80
me. The Democrats soon found out that I was in
their road in that region of the State, and tried all
manner of means to put me down. But notwithstand img all their abuse and insults, I remained a week or
more in that county, visiting the mines and speaking
at small meetings every day. It was not safe to speak
after night at those small places, they would mob us,
so the only plan was to speak in the day time, this
they did not like, the darker the night, the better it
was for them, they could then answer our arguments
with stones, without being seen.
I next visited Danville Montour county, where I
had some fun with an ex-member of Congress, who
was Judge of the Court, and had adjourned Court two
hours to give me time to speak; this Judge had been
in Congress four years and had never said a word
while there, except now and then to rise in his seat and
say Mr. Speaker I object; hle had become known to
every person in the country, by the name of I object
Mr. Speaker; he had been pointed out to me as the
Judge, whien I had spoken near my two hours, I turned
to the president and said is my time most out, I fear
if I speak much longer the Honorable Court might
object, this brought the house down with a tremendous
burst of applause, when the Judge sprang to his feet
and said in a very angry manner, "Mr. President, I
did not adjourn this Court to be insulted, by you nor
any other man you may choose to bring here, I was
born in this country, and pay taxes here, and do not
intend to be insulted in this Court room." Mr. President, said I, "you will please keep order, for to this
interruption I do most positively object," this brought
the house down again worse than ever, when the Judge
called out, "I demand of you sir, your author of this
slanderous stuff." "To give you my author sir, I must
surely object," this raised the wildest shouts of laughter I ever witnessed. There was no more speaking,
but my friends flocked around me and shook me by 
-81
the hands until they nearly pulled my arms off; among
the crowd that gathered around me, were a number
of moderate Democrats, who enjoyed the fun as well
as the Whigs did.
After the meeting was over I went to a blacksmith
shop, made'a set of horse shoes and nails, and shod a
horse for one of the leading Democrats of the place,
who seemed to enjoy the fun as well as any of the rest.
From Danville I made a tour up the north branch
of the Susquehanna river, and spoke in all the towns of
any size through the northern part of the State. At
almost every place I went I had to encounter new
difficulties with the Democrats, they seemed to forget
every other question that was agitating the public
mind, and devoted, all their ingenuity and talent in
trying to break me down; they even went so far, as to
send all the way to Ohio and t)uy a small note on me,
that was unpaid when I left home, and had me arrest ed while I was speaking, on a capias as a nonresident
and ou various occasions, they would wait until a very
late hour in the evening until the most of my Whig
friends had gone home, and then call on me to have
some matter explained that they would pretend that
I had said at my meeting that night, and prove by
some of their party that I had said things that I had
never thought of, and when I would deny it they would
frequently commence abusing me, and I would be under
the necessity of drawing a weapon on them in self defence. When I spoke at large meetings in company
with such men as James Cooper, Thaddius Stevens,
Judge Sargent, Charles Penrose and others, the most
distinguished speakers in the State at that time, the
Democrats would in publishing an account of the
meeting, merely name those destinguished speakers,
and devote- a whole column in misrepresenting and
abusing me, misquoting almost every thing that I had
said, and then call on their party to stay away from
my meetings; this they did to poisen the minds of the 
-82
working men of their party against me, and thereby
prevent them from attending my meetings. But not withstanding all their efforts to keep the honest por tion of their party from hearing me they failed, for
the people would come, and I have no doubt, but
many of the moderate men of their party, who had
read so many of their denunciations against me, after
hearing me themselves, left their party and voted our
ticket.  It must be conceded, that many a good man
has been misled by them into the Democratic ranks,
who when he is convinced of his error, will forever
leave them. Not all Democrats are bad mnen, but my
experience is, that all bad men are Democrats; there
seems to be a natural affinity between a loafer and a
Democrat, a kind of drawing together; so much so,
that inmv experience of fifty years in politics, has led
me to believe that it is safe to bet five to one, that
every drinking disorderly loafer you see is a Democrat.
I often hear it said, that the Democratic party, was
once a pure party, I would ask in all seriousness, when
that was, it has not been in the last fifty years, it was
conceived in sin and brought forth in inequity; it was
started by the rabel of that day, against one of the
best men that ever lived; it never has appealed to the
understanding of man, but to his baser passions.  It
was gathered up in the interest of the whisky insur  rection in the early part of the present century, and as
a party opposed to collecting the excise duty on whis ky, that was levied to pay the national debt.  So you
will see that it was the same party then that it is now;
I have often thought that as the party was organized
in the interest of whisky, that it had something to do
in giving the party of this day, such an appetite for the
article, that it has, for every body knows that without
whisky the Democratic party could notexist long,
neither could they carry on a successful campaign.
I will now relate an incident that occurred at Mil  lorstown on the Juniata river.  While I was speak 
-83
ing on the subject of Van Buren's Sub-Treasury scheme,
I exhibited a Sub-Treasury note for fifty dollars, with
one cent interest, payable one year after date, it had
nine months to run before it was due; I held it up and
asked if any person in the audience could redeem it,
that was not an office holder. I siid the people must
pay all their postage and other debts to the govern ment in gold and silver, and these bits of paper are
good enough for them; the office holder must have
gold and silver foy his work, and these are good enough
for the people, when up raised a man and sang out, "I
will give you fifty three dollars for that bill, it is worth
a premium of six per cent." The Democratic portion
of the audience raised a terrible yell, when I said you
must be an office holder; "yes" said one of the crowd
"he is the post master of this town," oh said I, no
doubt but he can raise the gold and silver for it, but
can any other but an office holder do it, I will wait a
moment to see, no other person seemed to respond, I
said, you can have it, sir, bring on your cash, when up
he stepped and poured out on the stand the fifty three
do)llars in silver; aflter I had counted it, I said, "it is
all right, sir, I am much obliged to you, I have made
five dollars on it for I can buy as many as I want in
Philadelphia for forty-eight dollars; they are four
per cent under par. Said he, "is this a genuine note,"
I said, "I don't know, it come from the Democratic
party at Washington and I have some doubts about
it, for I never have seen anything that did come from
your party that was genuine, but said I, "have you
any more silver about you, or was this the size of your
pile, (pointing to the silver lying on the stand,) I have
another note here, pulling out another fifty dollar
note with eleven months to run, drawing five mills interest, and shook that at him, said, "come on now don't
back out," but he did back out and then my party
raised a yell, and the post-master and his friends
sneake off very much chap-fallen, for they knew that 
-84
the note was only worth'fifty dollars and a half in
gold when it was due, but he had paid this premium,
in order to get this note out of my hands not knowing
that I had another.
The next day I was to speak at Mifflintown, a few
miles up the river, and had to pass a place known as
the Narrows, a short distance from Millerstown, where
the rocks for some distance, were fifty feet high, projecting over the road, where some of those malicious
men, no doubt prompted by Lhe postmaster, had by the
aid of hand spikes worked a large rock loose that
would weigh at least three tons, and had it all ready
when I came along in a carriage, in company with
Charles B. Penrose, a member of the State Senate, and
a gentleman that owned the carriage; just as we got
under the rock they tipped it over, and if it had not
been for the horses being very active and had sprang
forward at the noise made by the crushing of the rock
above as it tipped over we would have, all been crushed into the earth.  We only escaped by a few inches
as the rock struck the edge of the hind wheels of our
carriage as they passed under it merely touching them,
hard enough, however, to break one or two spokes.After our narrow escape we went around the narrows
and got on the rocks and there saw their tools that
they had used in working the rock loose. Hundreds
of people visited the spot to see for themselves, and
that rock bears the name of the Buckeye rock until
this day.
You may see my kind friends by this what I have
had to endure and to suffer for my principles, and the
cause of right, and I have no doubt but that thiere are
but few men but what w6uld have become discouraged
and given up and gone home, and I have often since
wondered how it was that I endured all that I did,
the half will never be kuowo that I did endure.
From Mifflintown I was to attend a meeting, a barbacue, a mile or so fiom Lewistown, a few miles up 
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the river. Here the Democrats had been very active
in preparing a plan to keep their party from hearing
me speak; they had gotten up a meeting at the same
hour of our meeting not twenty rods from ours, and as
we were to raise a pole at twelve o'clock, they were
to raise one also at that hour; well, we both had good
sized meetings, and at twelve o'clock the filn com menced; our pole was a nice dressed pine pole, and
was light and easy raised, we run it right up in a few
minutes, they, however, were determined to outdo us,
had got a large green hickory pole and could not raise
it nor never did raise it half way up. As soon as our
pole was up and we had cheered awhile, our meeting
was organized and I began to speak; no sooner than I
began to speak than the whole of the Democratic
crowd left their pole and came over to hear me,
speaker and all. I told them that I was glad to see
them, that it did me good to see men, and particularly
workingmen, have independance enough to hear for
themselves what the opposite party had to say. In a
few moments their speaker called on me for the proof
of something that I had said, when some of our men
were for putting him out of the crowd; I said, no, the
gentleman has a right to call for proof, and I am bound
to furnish it, which I will do if the gentleman will
take a seat on the stand; he came forward and took
a seat, I handed him the proof; when he had read it
I said, are you satisfied. sir, that I made a fair statement?  He said, yes, it is all true.  I went on and as
fast as I read a document, I handed it to him to see if
I stated it right, and as he would read them he was
honest enough to admit their genuineness. When I
had concluded my speech, I invited him to reply, when
he immediately came forward and said thatthe proofs
that I had proJuced were so unanswerable, that he
should not mak  any attempt to do so, and unless his
party would produce testimony, by the next Tuesday,
to show that they were false, he should take to the
..~~~~.........  
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stump for Gen. Harrison. This, as a matter of course,
raised a shout from the Whigs, but the Democrats began to abuse him and accuse him with being bo(ught,
and to say all manner of things against him, and even
made loud threats of personal violence against him,
but I was their match, when they made threats against
him, he being quite a small man; I said, if I hear
another threat out of one of you, I will come down
from the stand and thrash you out of your boots.This raised a great laugh, and Doctor Swartz, for that
was their speakers name, had to seek safety from them
on the road back to town in our procession, and that
night made a Whig speech with me in the Court-house
in Lewistown, where he handled the Democrats without gloves; he remained a true man during the
campaign, and was the means of doing our cause much
good. I received great credit from the Whigs for
bringing over this man, and for the manner in which
I succeeded in doing it.
From Lewistown I was to be at the great convention at Lancaster, and in'going there had to travel by
Canal in packet boats, as far as Harrisburg, where we
could take the cars; they ran that far West at that
time. The Canal being in the hands of the Democrats,
they concluded to not let us go through, and in order
to sLop us, drew off the water from one Canal that was
a mile or more long, but we beat them at that, by all
walking along the tow-path with long ropes and hauled the empty boats through the mud until we reached
the next Canal and arrived in Harrisburg in time to
meet the evening train for Lancaster, and arrived
there the night before the Convention met.
At this meeting a large number of the roughs from
Philadelphia, of the Democratic faith had assembled,
for the purpose of aiding theLancaster roughs in break ing up our convention, but there were too many Whigs
there for them to undertake it in the day time, so they
waited until night, when they supposed that the most 
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of them would leave, and they would be better able
to manage the balance; so at night they made an at tack upon a meeting in the Public Square but made a
bad bargain of it. They then went to the public Ho tels and attacked every Whig they met and beat many
of them severely. As I was walking up from one of
our stands, for we had meetings at several places that
night, I met three or four of the Philadelphia bullies,
who enquired of me if I knew at which meeting they
could find the Buckeye Blacksmith, for, said they, we
are after him. Well, said I, he was right down yonder,
where you saw those lights a few minutes ago. Thank
you sir, said one of them, we would give fifty dollars
to get hold of that fellow. I thought to myself and
you would give a hundred to get away from him again
if you were by yourself.
They went on and I went down the street a considerable distance and called into a small tavern and
ask'd if I could get lodging, when I was told that I
could. I made some inquiry about what was going on
in the street and was told all about the meeting, and
that the Democrats intended to get hold of the Buckeye Blacksmith that night if they could, and the landlord, although a Democrat, expressed some fears that
the mob would attack the City Hotel, for lie said this
man was stopping there, as also the rest of the speakers, and he would not be surprised if some of them
were killed before morning. I thought to myself that
I should be surprised if they found the blacksmith at
the City Hotel that night. What has this blacksmith
done, said I, that they are after him to mob him? "oh,
said he, "they say that he is very abusive in his speaking and pretends that he can thrash any man in the
country." Did you ever see him, said I. "No I never
did," he said, "but I always liked a spunky man."The conversation ended here and I went to bed, for no
person would ever think of looking for me in this little
out-of-:the-way place. So the next morning at break 
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fast I said to the landlord, I wonder if the Democrats
found the blacksmith last night. "Yes," said a fellow
at the table, "and gave him a good licking at that. -
I'll bet he don't come to Lancaster to lie again very
soon."  " He lies, does he," said I.  "They say so,"
said he, "I never heard him." "Where did they find
him," 1 asked. "At the City Hotel," was the response.
"Gentlemen," said I, " that blacksmith was not at the
City Hotel last night; he is a plain manl, as plain as
I am, and prefers to stay at a good plain tavern like
this." There were four or five men at the table and
they seemed to be pleased to hear me speak as I did.
"Then you know him, do you," said the landlord."Oh yes," said I, "he slent in this house last night.
I can swear to that, for he slept in the same bed with
me."  "I don't understand you," said one of them, "if
he slept in the same bed with you last night where is
he now?"   "Why, gentlemen," I remarked,  "he is
sitting at the table eating with you."  "What! are
you the blacksmith they talk so much about?"  "I
am the man," I said, "and am very much surprised to
see that you hard-working men would lend your influence to a party thatwould stoop so low as to hunt down
a man whose only crime is that he is poor and chooses
to speak and act for himself; you gentlemen have
the same right to speak and act in politics as though
you were worth a million of money. They were very
much pleased with my conversation, and the landlord
and his wife were elated because of my stopping with
them and speaking so well of their house as a good,
plain tavern, which it was. The leading roughs however would not have been pleased to think that I was
so completely in their power, if they had only known it.
From here I went to New York to speak one week
until another meeting could be called for me, this was
an arrangement between the two State committees.This was my first visit to New York. The committee
had called six meetings at diffelrent parts of the city, 
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one for each day, the last one to be at the City Park.
This was one of the largest meetings at which I had
ever spoken and was held on Saturday afternoon. It
was known that I was to speak on the Currency and
Van Buren's Sub-Treasury scheme, which brought all
the business men of the city to hear me. A. G. Clarke
ex-mayor was chairman of the meeting; when I con  cluded he came forward and told the people that I was
a poor man, and he proposed that the meeting should
make me a present of a farm by a public collection that
day, and said "I will give ten dollars and I know that
a thousand of-you will do the same," when thousands
responded, and a committee sent around. I very fool  ishly stepped forward and said, gentlemen I am not out
speaking for money as the Democrats say, I am out
for the great cause of the Whig party. This put a stop
to the collection, and the result was I paid my own
bills at the hotel. This, I consider, was the most fool ish act of my life, for I have no doubt but I would
have received at least five or six thousand dollars that
day if I had kept my mouth shut, for money was
plenty and I had pleased the people to such an extent
that they were ready to give their last dollar tot me,
but in the excitement of the moment I refused to let
them raise me a dollar, which I ever afterwards re greted
I left New York and spoke next at Harrisburg, Pa.,
at which place I met several that had known me in
my boyhood days when I had worked a few miles below there. Some of the Democrats had intended to
kick upa fuss at my  meeting, but when they heard
that I was the same blacksmith that had been such a
good fighter in that country, when but a boy, they
concluded to let me alone. I took advantage of that
and told them that I generally thrashed any man that
interrupted ume; I told them, that I had licked some
of their best men when I was a boy and I had not forgotten how to do it yet, and the best way for them was
to keep quiet, which they did. 
-90
I next went to York, where I had once lived, and
many of the older citizens remembered me. Here I
got the Democrats in a bad way; one of them came
on the stand to make me take back something that I
had said, but I soon made him leave the stand without accomplishing his object, amid the laughter of the
whole crowd.
From York I began a tour along the Southern tier
of counties westward, so as to reach Ohio in time for
the election. I spoke at all the principal towns going
West until I reached Erie, Penn., and then made my
way directly to Cleveland, Ohio, where I spoke to a
large meeting the night before the election. I was
one hundred miles from home, but determined to reach
there in time to vote the next day.
The Whigs of Cleveland had made arrangements with
the Ohio Stage Co., to run me through by express in
timte to vote, which they did, and I arrived just one
hour before the polls closed amid the shouts of the
Whigs of our little town. I doubt if ever a man went
to the polls with more friends around him than I did
that day, it was a day long to be remembered by me.
I had been gone nine months from home, went away
a plain man and come back lionized by the whole
country, so much so, that my friends and neighbors of
all parties not only respected but felt proud of me; I
was well received by all, and a meeting was called at
once to hear a short history of my travels, which I
gave them; while relating some of the amusing scenes
that I had passed through, many of my friends were
convulsed with laughter.
I went to Columnbus, a few days after my arrival. I gave a full history of all I had seen and heard while
away, and thus ended my first political campaign. 
CHAPTER IV.
S SOON  as it was ascertained that Gen. Harri    son was elected, I concluded to pay him a visit.
1 was warmly received not only by him, but by all his
friends around him at his headquarters in Cincinnati;
he and his friends gave me great praise for what I had
done, and were very much pleased with the history
that I gave of my travels.  They all agreed that I must
be taken care of at the proper time, the old General
saying that he had a nice little place in view for me.
When it became known that I was in the city, a
meeting was called and thousands of people responded
to the call, to hear me relate the various incidents
that occurred during my travels, and when I finished
I was very much lionised by my Whig friends. After
remaining a few days in the city, and having been
nearly shaken to pieces by my friends in their congratulations of my success in the campaign, I left for
home. 
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On my arrival there I found a number of letters
from members elect to the legislature, from various
parts of the State, inviting me to become a candidate
for Sergeant-at-2Arms of the House, the coming session
that wag about to commence.   I went to Columbus
and consulted some of my best friends on the subject
and concluded through their advice to let my name be
used for that office.
A few days after I went to Columbus; the Legislature met, and I soon saw the game that was about to
be played.  The usual rule of the caucus was to nominate the Speaker first the Clerk next, and last the Sergeant-at-arms, but in order to secure a speaker from the
Western part of the State, they balloted for Sergeantat-armrns first and nominated me, I living in the middle
part of the State, they then nominated a man from the
Eastern part of the State for Clerk, so as to secure the
Speaker from the West; I concluded to block that
little game, so I came forward and declined the nomination in favor of a western man, that would entitle
my district to the Speaker. I no sooner declined than
my friends saw the point and nominated the Western
man in my place, and then gave my friend the Speakership.
1 thus made a sacrifice of myself to promote the interest of one of the best men that ever lived in Ohio;
he still lives there, and has faithfully served his country and his party in many high positions since that
day. I need not name him, my readers, no doubt,
will recognize him by what I have already said. Many
of my best friends since that day have blamed me for
sacrificing myself for others, for had I stood firm for
myself that day, I might have gotten a start that would
have enabled me in ficture years to have become one
of the leading men of the State.
Nothing unusual occurred until the time for Harrison to take his seat.  I was there, of course, and made
several speeches congratulating my friend on his suc 
cess. A few days after the inauguration I called on
the President and was admitted without a card, which
gave some offence to the great crowd who were trying
to gain access to him; the President told nie to rest
easy a few days and he would have my place ready
for me, which was an Indian Agency among the Wyan dott Indians; so I went away contented and in a few
days I received my commission, but before I had given
bond (which I did) and had gotten my instructions,
the President got sick and died.
Mr. Tyler succeeded him and it was some days be fore I got my final instructions and started to my field
of labor, which was at upper Sandusky, Ohio, among
the Wyandotts. I soon became very popular with the
Indians by attending strictly to their interest; soon
after my arrival among the Indians the Government
commenced negotiations with them for their lands, and
sent a Commissioner there to treat with them; he was
an excellent man, and with my aid finally made  a
treaty by which they were to receive ]ands in Kansas
for their lands in Ohio, and were to move to their new
homes within one year at the expense of the Government, and I was to go with them and continue to be
their Agent; but about this ttme Tyler had sold out
to the Democracy, and I had but little hopes of staying in office under him, as I was an unyielding friend
of Henry Clay, and Tyler knew it. About this time
I had business at Columbus and went there; no sooner
had the Tyler party of Columbus heard of my arrival
than they called a meeting at the Market House without consulting me and announced me to speak. As
soon as the Clay men saw their bills, they too, called
a Clay meeting at the opposite end of the Market
House, and announced me as their speaker.  What
was I to do?  Principle, and fidelity to my  party
stareing me in the face on one side, and bread for my
family on the other.  I was poor.  If I spoke my sentiments, which would be for Clay, I would be turned
-93 
-94
out of my office. If I lost my situation I would have
nothing to start with; what should I do? If I spoke
at the Tyler meeting I would sacrifise my whole life's
cherished principles. I must confebs it was the severest
trial of my life, both parties around me urging me to
speak at their meetings. I had but a few hours to
decide the matter. I finally made up my mind what
to do, which was to go to both meetings, and decline
to speak at either on the ground that I lived in the
Inldiain Territory and had no right to meddle with State
politics; I did so, but at the Clay meeting the Presidentt desired me to say who I favored for the next
President. Without any hesitation I answered: when
the time arrives to elect a President and Henry Clay
is still living, I shall support him if nominated. This
caused the wildest excitement among both parties, the
Tyler men denouncing me and the Clay menr shouting
praises for my firmness in the matter; the eild of the
matter was, that in nine days fromnt that Tyler discharged me; we had no telegraph then, so it took four days
to go to Washington, one day to act on it, and four
days to come back.
Well here I was in a distant country away from
friends, with none but Indians about me and they to
poor to help me to start any business, so I concluded
to open up a campaign on temperance. I had sometime
before that, taken a decided stand in the great Wash ington temperance movement of that day, so I moved
back to my former place of residence, and started out
speaking on temperance, and here again I was brought
into direct antagonism with my old opponents the Dem ocrats, for I was not only in their way as a party man,
but assisting to destroy their most powerful lever that
moved their political machinery, (whisky.) They
immediately commenced a new attack on me wherever
I went, they secured the services of their most misera ble tools to libel me, and say all manner of evil things
against me to destroy my usefulness as a lecturer, they 
-95
followed me wherever I went, reporting that where I
had spoken the day before, that I had been drunk, and
that the Temperance men had refused to let me speak
and would not recognise me. So unrelenting did they
prosecute me, that I was compelled to get a certificate
from the leading men of the place where I spoke, certifying to my conduct while at their place, and take it
with me to the next town; in this way I managed to
head them off; I have a large bundle of these certificates unto this day. On one occasion there was to be
a Fourth of July celebration in an adjoining county
by the Temperance people, and they sent a committee
to my county toobtain speakers. I was the man iecommended by several of the clergymen of our county, as
the most effective man for themn and was accordingly invited in connection with one of our leading clergy men
to attend. The committee returned home and reported these facts to an adjourned meeting; no sooner had
they done so, than a leading Demnocratic doctor who
was one of the leading Temperance men of the county
offered a resolution to notify me not to attend. This
resolution was at once v(ted down on the ground that I
had been recommended by the best men of the country.  This Democrat at once withdrew not only from
the Temperance cause, but from the church that had
sustained me; this occured some two weeks before the
celebration was to take place.
No sooner was it determined upon, that I was to
speak there, than this doctor and his friends secured
the service of a poor miserable drunken Englishman,
to go to my county and obtain some claims, if any
could be found against me, so as to arrest me as a nonresident debtor of the county, and thereby disgrace
me, and if possible, destroy my influence. He succeeded in obtaining two small claims, one for less than
two dollars, and the other for less than ten dollars;
this they kept a secret calculating to arrest me on the
morning of the fifth as I was exempt from arrest on
the fourth by law. 
-96
The fourth of July arrived and with it myself and
friend that was to speak with me. I spoke twice that
day, and gave so much satisfaction that one of the
leading Ministers of the county offered a resolution inviting me to speak again next day at ten o'clock and
at night; it was accordingly so arranged. The next
morning this drunken loafer went before a magistrate
and made oath that I was about to leave the county
with intent to defraud him  out of his just claims,
(when I had not any knowledge that I owed him a
cent.) He got a warrant, and just as I was about to
commence speaking, had me arrested on one of these
claims; my friends were too strong for him and I made
my speech before I went with the constable, and when
I appeared before the Squire I beat him in the suit.I did not owe the claim.  As soon as I beat himr  on
this claim, he got another warrant for the other, and
had me re-arrested; this claim he managed to beat me
in although it was another man's debt, still I was
bound to se3 it paid; I took an appeal on this, and
finally in the end beat him on that also, the real debtor
coiuing forward and paying the debt.
There was a monster meeting that night and several
Ministers and leading men came forward and denounced these proceedings in the severest terms. I
left there in the course of a few days with flying colors.
My dear reader you will never be able to fully understand the amount of sufferings, persecutions and
trials, that I have had to pass through for the cause of
right, and for principles that I honestly believed to be
correct; the half will never be known this side of
eternity what I have endured in the last fifty years in
advocating those great and fundamental principles that
I have always believed would advance the interests of
the laboring men of this country.   I have  labored
honestly, fully believing that in the fulness of time,
in His own appointed way God would bring about the
accomplishment of these very principles I have so long 
-97
and zealously advocated. Though I may not live to
see that day, I have an unshaken confidence in their
final triumph. May God in his goodness hasten the
day!
On many occasions these enemies of mine would ob tain the services of some abandoned woman to meet me
on the street, and pretend that I was one of her old ac quaintance, and insist on a renewal of our former
friendship, when in fact she had never seen me before,
but these games had but little effect, the better class
of people understood them too well.
At one place during my absence a poor ignorant
creature stole into my room at a tavern where I was
staying, and put a pint bottle of whisky in my carpet
bag, and then came to my meeting and offered to bet
twenty dollars that I carried whisky in my bundle,
(but in this I beat him.) Just before I went to the
meeting I went to my room to get a handkerchiefand
there found the bottle and at once destroyed it, knowing
that devil had put it there; so when he offered to bet
the twenty dollars I asked him who gave him the
money to bet, (for he looked like a man that never
had any money.) He said: "never mind wnere I got
the money; you dare not bet." "Yes, I dare" said I,
"put up your money in the landlord's hands and appoint your own committee to examine my carpet-bag,
I will bet you twenty dollars that I have no whisky
in it." We put up the money and he appointed the
landlord to examine the carpet-bag.   The whole
crowd rushed to the tavern to see the examination.After everything was taken out of the carpet-bag and
no whisky found, the landlord gave me the money
amid the wildest shouts of the temperance men present,
and I never saw such a chop-fallen set as these few
red face, blear eyed I)emocratic rummies, who had
made up the money for him to bet; they scarcely
knew what to say when I told the landlord to give me
a room with a good lock on it, for I feared some of
*5 
-98
those fellows who had such dirty shirts on might take
a notion to some of my clean ones, and I had no notion to trade with them. The next night I spoke
again and told the whole story, how I had found the
whisky and destroyed it, showing the whole plan to
disgrace me and win my money; this, as well as the
most of their dirty tricks only served to make me
more popular, at least it did me no harm.
At one place there lived a man who had considerable property; he had three sons, two were grown
young men, and the other nearly so. They had all
began to love whisky too well, and their father knew
it. I had gotten up a great excitement in the place
on temperance, when a venerable old Methodist min ister, who knew the habits of these young men, went
to their father and said: "my friend, you know that
your boys are in danger of being ruined by whisky,
had you not better join in with us in this great tem perance movement that is Dow going on, you may
thereby save vour sons from ruin. "Parson," said the
old man, "I would rather follow my boys to the grave
than see them join the Temperance Society, for every
man that joins that Society is forever lost to the
Democratic party, and I would rather bury every son
I have than see them vote the Whig ticket."
You will see my dear reader, the difficulty that I
labored under. When I met a Whig that was fond of
whisky, he said: "well you are a good Whig and I
don't care if you are a Temperance man, I like you
anyhow," but when I run against a Democrat that
loved whisky, and the majority of them do, I had no
offset to make with him; he had a double hatred to
me, and even the very few temperate Democrats that
I met, threw every obstacle in my way that they could,
even some of their best members of the church refused
to meet me in a social manner, so much had the party
press prejudiced their minds against me.
If a liberal Democrat was seen in a friendly con 
-99
versation with me, he was at once set upon by the
leaders and chastised for departing from the faith. The poor fellows were afraid to be friendly with me,
for fear they would be read out of the party, and you
know it would be a dreadful thing to be read out of
such an honorable and dignified party as the Demo cratic party has always been; this, and this alone
kept hundreds, yes, thousands of their respectable
men from leaving them,' the fear of the abuse that
would be heaped upon them by their leaders and the
party press.
Without going into ally further details on my temperance experience, I will only add that I continued
to lecture on that subject until the fall of 1843, when
I received a letter from a Committee of the leading
Whigs of Columbus, Ohio, to come and speak for them
a few times on politics. I went and soon found that
their object in inviting mIe there was preparatory to
sending me South in the interest of Henry Clay's
nomination for the Presidency the following Sprinrg.
I stayed there several days, made several speeches,
and got myself well posted on the various subjects
that were then before the people.
My Whig friends had secured the services of a
Southern man to pioneer me through that country (as
I had never been farther South than Kentucky,) by
the namne of Mosely, who was styled the Kentucky
Pumpmaker, and after fitting us out with every thing
necessary for a six months trip, we started on the first
of November for New Orleans, speaking at all the
principle towns within fifty miles of the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers, commencing at Cincinnati.
When we arrived in Cincinnati we found the papers
full of notices of the meeting to come off that night,
to be addressed by the Buckeye Blacksmith and Kentucky Pumpmaker. When the hour arrived for the
meeting we found a monstrous crowd gathered in front
of the Court House; my colleague was a well educated
,.'. I
-,,-:;. I - 
-100
sensible man with good conversational abilities, but
not a great speaker. It was not, however, intended
for himt to do much speaking, but merely to introduce
me, which he could do in good style; he generally
mixed with the best citizens through the day and prepared them to hear me at night. The subject that I
generally spoke upon was the Tariff, which was a new
thing to most of the people of the South.
Upon our arrival at Louisville we found the Whigs
ready to receive us with open arms; they had not forgotten me since 1840, and we had a great meeting.Here I began to impress upon the people of the South
the great benefits t at would result from a protective
Tariff, and the only hope that we had in bringing
about these measures was the election of Mr. Clay,
their own immortal statesman.  This took like hot
cakes with the people of that city, and I went away
from there with more honors than I did in 1840.  We
next visited Frankford, the native place of my friend
Mosely, where we met a very warm reception, arising
no doubt to his being a native of that place.
From Franlkford we returned and made our way
down the river, spoke at several places until we
reached the mouth of the Cumberland river, where
we took a steamer for Nashville, the Capital of Tennessee. Notice of our coming had preceeded us; here
I was met by the Hon. John Bell, former Secretary of
War, under Gen. Harrison, whom I had served under
while Indian Agent. No sooner had we arrived than
we were taken ill charge by Mr. Bell and Gov. Jones,
and escorted to the State House; the Legislature being in session, we were introduced to the President of
the Senate, who, although he was a Democrat, adjourned the Senate and introduced us to the members.
He then escorted us to the House and introduced us
to the Speaker, who left the chair and made a motion
to tender us the use of the House to speak in, and although both the Houses were Democratic, the motion
,... 
-101
was carried by acclamation.  Here I found the most
honorable and manly set of Democrats I ever had
seen, and began to conclude that there was some de cency to be found among Democrats, and in my speech
I tried to return theircompliments to me by treating
the party with courtesy.
My companion, however, made a great mistake by
abusing Gen. Jackson at his own home, a thing unl called for, as hlie was not before the people for their
suffrages.  I, however, smoothed it over the best I
could; I pleased them so well, that the next day I
was invited by the Democratic President of the Senate,
to ride up with him in his carriage and pay my respects to Gen. Jackson, which I did, and received a
warm greeting from him. He thanked me very cordially for the manner in which I had referred to him
the night previous, in my speech.
The next day after my visit to the old General I
spoke to a large meeting at Columbia, the home of
James K. Polk, who was afterwards elected President.
At this place as well as others, I advocated the principles of the Tariff in the strongest terms.  This speech
and the one at Nashville brought out a letter from Mr.
Polk to the Legislature, condemning the  Tariff of
1842 in the strongest terms, both in principle and detail; and on my return to Nashville, to address
another meeting expressly for the benefit of the ladies
who had a great desire to hear me, I found Polk's letter already in print. I secured a number of copies
for Northern use; and after speaking to a monstrous
meeting, at which the ladies turned out by thousands,
I left Nashville, I believe, with the good wishes of all
the people.
We continued our way down the river, speaking at
most of the larger towns until we reached Memphis,
where we had a great meeting, and I became very
popular. A Committee went with us to Jackson, the
Capital of the State of Mississippi, and here again we 
-102
received a great compliment from the Democratic
Legislature that was in session at the time; they, by a
unanimous vote of the House, invited us to seats on the
floor with the members, and tendered us the use of the
House to speak in.  Here again my companion pitched into Jackson in an uncalled for manner, and would
have had considerable trouble, probably been shot, if
I had not got the matter settled for him.
After we left Jackson we went to Vicksburg, and
from there to Natchez, where we had a great meeting.
I spoke twice there and left for Baton Rouge; here we
had more trouble. My companion got into trouble
about Jackson, and while I was speaking a drunken
fellow came into the Court House and thought I was
the speaker that had abused Jackson; he drew his pistol and fired at me, the ball just missed my head and
struck the wall right by me; the mistake was soon discovered and he came to me after I was done speaking
and offered an apology, and through me this trouble
was settled.
I began to conclude by this time that I would be
better without a pioneer than with one and told my
companion so, and unless he would quit abusing Jackson in this Southern country we would both be killed.
He agreed to quit it, but on our arrival in New Orleans
we were met by a large committee, who escorted us to
the St. Charles hotel, and as a matter of course we
had to show ourselves on the balcony of the hotel and
make a few remarks to hundreds that were waiting our
arrival.  Here again my companion pitched into Jackson in the very city he had saved from being burned
by the British in 1814; I was frightened almost out
of my wits, but managed to heal up the difficulty by
telling a few laughable stories, in my funniest style.
The next day was to be our great meeting at Bank's
Arcade, the largest hall in the city. The leading Whigs
called on us, and in a very friendly manner told us
that they would rather my companion would not speak 
-103
for there was a bad feeling towards him and he had
better wait a few days before he spoke; it was so arranfge&   Mr. Clay was in the city at that time and
was desirous to hear me speak; accordingly the Whigs
secreted him behind the stand, so that I might not see
him, for fear that if I saw him I would become embarrased. I spoke over two hours explaining the great
benefits to be derived to the country by the election of
Henry Clay to the Presidency  During my whole
speech I was listened to with the most profound attention; at the close of my meeting I was taken in charge
by the committee and escorted to my hotel, where they
made arrangements for me to speak in all sections of
the city for ten days ahead.
The next morning I took a stroll to the Post Office,
and who should I meet there but Mr. Clay. "Good
morning Bear," said he, "how are you this morning
after your great speech last night." "I am very well
Mr. Clay, and hope to find you well; how did
you know that I made a speech last night," said L
"Why I heard you," said he, "I was hid right behind
you and heard everything you said, I was afraid to let
you see me for fear it might embarras you," said he.
He then went on to tell me that the course that I was
pursuing was according to his judgment, calculated to
do a vast amount of good, that he and some of his
friends had concluded to keep me in the field until the
election took place; he said the committee would take
charge of me and provide for me, and write letters
ahead, and fully endorse me to the people of the South
and when the election was over and all went right, to
come to him, and he would take good care of me.  We
had a hearty laugh over the little incident of my bringing him fire to light his segar, when I was a boy; he
was much pleased when I told him that all I was and
ever expected to be I gave him credit for; had he not
advised me to go to a free country and get education,
I never could have been what I now am. He said he 
-104
felt proud to have such a friend as I, coming as I did,
from the working class.
My friend spoke once or twice with me after that,
and then the committee sent him to Mobile, to prepare
the way for me. When I was ready to leave, the committee furnished me with plenty of money and the
best of endorsements to the people throughout the South.
The ladies made me many very valuable presents of
clothing for myself, also many rich presents for my
daughter. I left New Orleans with the best wishes, not
only of the Whigs, but many of the Democrats also.
When I arrived in Mobile my comrade had got the
people on tip-toe to see me, so much so, that when the
boat arrived there were hundreds waiting to get a
glimpse of me. Mr. Wm. E. Preston of South Carolina, had me in charge, and introduced me to the chairman of the committee who took charge of us, the crowd
following us to a hotel. As soon as we arived I was
taken to the balcony of the hotel and intro(duced to
the people; order being restored I said, Mr. President
I feel very proud of this reception, at the hands of a
people that I have never until this day met. Indeed
sir, I have met with nothing but the kindest and most
courteous treatment since I left my Northern home and
come to the sunny South, for which I feel very proud.
I know not sir, why it is that the people of all classes
seem so anxious to see and hear me; it certainly is not
because of my eloquence as a speaker, or the fine language I use? I am a plain mechanic, without the advantage of a classical education, and am therefore unable to use the fine words that a more gifted speaker
can. I can give no other reason for my popularity
than this, that I am a very liberal man, believing that
there are honest mlen in all parties, and churches, and
though I may differ with you sir, on politics and religion, I still believe you are as honest as I am, and that
your opinions ought to be respected. I hope sir, that
during my stay among you, that we may all become
Y'l 
-105
better acquainted, and warmer friends. After inviting
them to come and hear my speech the next afternoon,
I retired to my room to prepare to receive those that
wished to call on me. During the afternoon all the
leading men of both parties in the city called on me,
and we had a very pleasant time.
I had by this time discovered that the poor or laboring men of the South took but little interest in politics;
they generally voted as their employers or owners of
the land they lived- on, did; they paid no attention to
me or but little to my speeches, so I had become satisfied that in order to reach them I must mix with them.
I told the Whig committee that it was important for
me to visit the various work-shops and houses of the
poor classes of the people, in order to have them hear
me speak; they saw the point and accordingly next
morning I was taken around to all the work-shops and
places of business in the city, and was introduced to
working men generally. I cracked a joke or two with
each, and gave them a special invitation to hear me
speak; this seemed to have a very good effect, as many
of them were much pleased with me, inviting me to
their houses, and one poor Blacksmith insisted on my
taking dinner with him, which I did, and it was a
good one; his wife and friends were delighted with Ime
they said that I was not a big bug like other speakers
in that country, but a plain man.
I would here remark that many of our best speakers
make a great mistake in failing to notice the poor men
who largely compose their audiences; they generally
speak highly of the poor man in their speeches, but
never notice him before or after the meeting.  This is
a great mistake, for the poor men notice this and talk
about it. I have often been told by poor men, the
reason they liked me was that I would talk to them as
well as to rich men after I was done speaking, by these
means I have brought many hundred of men to hear
me and vote my way, that never could have been reached in any other manner. 
-106
The result of the course that I had pursued since
my arrival in the city, brought together that afternoon
one of the largest meetings ever held in that country.
The meeting was held in a beautiful glove in a public
square and we had rich and poor, ladies and gentlemen, Democrats and Whigs, in fact every body was
there. I was introduced as a plain mechanic from the
North, who had come South well recommended, and
the attention of the audience was requested to hear
me on the great tariff question.
I commenced by saying that from my extensive acquaintance throughout this broad land of ours, I had
become satisfied that the American people were politically honest, one party as well as the other; so well
satisfied was I of this fact, that I would have no hesitation in trusting my life ot) the prosperity of the country in their hands if they could only be well informed
on the great issues before them. I then went on to
answer the Democratic objections to the protective
system, and the great advantages arising from protecting A merican industry; showing that no country
could become great which depended on other countries
for supplies; that in order to become a great and prosperous Nation we must sell more than we buy to bring
the balance of trade in our favor; we must divide our
labor; let some produce from the soil and others
manufacture, and thereby create a home  market;
showing that the nearer we could get the producer to
the consumer the better for both; while thousands of
boys and girls were idle in this country thiey were
shipping their cotton to Europe and paying boys and
girls ther- for manufacturing it into cloth, and then
paying for shipping it back again.
In this way I talked for over two hours, and when I
closed I was warmly applauded by the great crowd
that was present, and I was pressed by the Whigs to
speak again for them that night, which I did to another
monstrous meeting. 
-107
I left next morning for Montgomery, but shall never
forget the people of Mobile, nor the warm reception I
met at their hands; I was followed to the boat by
hundreds of them and was cheered loudly until the
boat was ou)t of sight.
My companion had preceded mne to Montgomery
anJ had gotten up a little excitement about me, but I
soon found that the people of that place had no great
opinion of greasy mechanics; they treated me very
well however, and we had a large and very interesting
meeting. There were few working white men there,
and I therefore mixed but little among the people.I made my speech and left the next day for a great barbecue that was to be held at Watumkee, a new county
town some twenty miles from Columbus, Georgia.Hiere I had a fine time of it; the main speaker that
was to speak there failed to come and I had to do all
the speaking; here I became very popular, so much so
that I had some trouble in leaving them. A committee from Georgia had met me to take me to Columbus, but the Alabamians would not let me go but took
me away to a small town that night to speak again
and then sent me in a fine carriage the next day to
meet my engagement at Columbus, Ga.
My experience in Alabama satisfied me that my
popularity among them was not their love of a working man, but simply for the effect I could produce
among working men.  This, many dear reader, is generally the case everywhere; leading men care but little about us working men only for what they can
make out of us. Therefore we should work and vote
for our own interest which is the protection of our owa
labor by standing by the Tariff. 
CHAAPTER V.
CAMPAIGN IN GEORGIA, SOUTHI CAROLINA
AND VIRGINIA.
PON my arrival at Columbus, I found the people
on tip-toe to see me. Here I found the finest water
power I had ever seen, but none of it in use; the water
seemed to tumble from one rock to another, as far as
I could see up the river, and I made good use of that
circumstance to aid me in my speech on the tariff that
night. I told them that I had seen five hundred
young negro boys and girls, since I had come to their
city, running about doing nothing, that could manufacture all the cotton goods needed in the place, if
they only had one live Yankee to put up a factory for
them. Here said I, you have the water that God has
given, you have the idle laborers, and you have the
raw cotton and plenty of money to build factories
with, and vet you ship your cotton all the way to old
England and pay her laborers for spinning and weaving it for you, and then pay for shipping it back again
for you to use, and let all the young negroes run idle.
You must think a great deal of the English to spend
so much money to give them employment, when you
could manufacture all the cloth that would be needed 
-109
in your State, within two miles of where I now stand.
There is wealth enough in this town to build factories
sufficient to supply all the wants of this country, and
in place of letting these young negroes run idle, they
could earn their masters two or three hundred dollars
a year working the mills for you. The result of my
speech, was, that before I left Columbus, they had
appointed a committee to go to Lowell, Massachusetts
and investigate the plans of manufacturing, and
very soon after commenced the manufacturing of
their own cotton goods.
I became very popular at Columbus, so much so,
that they would have given me any amount of money to
settle there and make it my future home. I have often been sorry that I did not do so; for they were a
warm hearted, liberal class of people. And whatever
may have been their faults since, in the rebellion, I
must say, that in all my travels in life, I never found
a more high minded, liberal, social, kind hearted set
of people, both Whigs and Democrats, than I found
in Georgia.
I have often wondered how it was possible that
there could exist so much difference, between a Southern Democrat, and a Northern Copperhead, but such is
the case. When Imeet a Southern Democrat I meet a
gentleman who will converse freely and in a friendly
manner with me, invite me to his house, and if I go,
treat me most kindly, and we part in friendship,
but when I meet a Northern Copperhead, he is very
likely to insult me the first word he speaks, either
directly or by insinuations, attacking my character or
that of some friend of mine; no wonder that I had
such a poor opinion of the Democratic party before I
went South. I have not changed my opinion of the
Northern wing yet.
I next visited Macon, one of the most beautiful little towns I ever saw, situated on a small river in the interior of the State, about two hundred miles from Sa 
-110
vannah, a very aristocratic place, but very few poor
whites living there. I had been so highly spoken of
by the Whig papers of the country, for my liberality
toward the opposite party, the Democrats as well as
the Whigs gave me a cordial welcome among them. I
spoke there twice, the second time by the invitation
of the ladies; they were not present at my first meeting, and hearing of my good natured way of speaking,
-insisted on hearing me, and by the way they smiled
and waved their kandkerchiefs, I must have pleased
them.
I spent one of the happiest Sundays there that I
ever spent in my life, and on Monday left for the city
of Savannah, in charge of a committee of both places.
On reaching Savannah I met the grandest reception I
ever met except in my own native town (Frederick
City, Maryland.) IHere I found more mechanics than
I usually found in small Southern cities; there were
over three hundred men who met the cars some three
miles out of the city, where myself and the committee
were received with great pomp, and escorted into the
city to the head quarters of the Young Men's Clay
Club, where there were hundreds of men, women and
children, white and black, all anxiously waiting to get
a glimpse of a live Northern working man who could
make a speech.
I was taken into head quarters by a back way, and
hastened to put on a good suit of clothes and was at
once brought forward to a front platform and intro duced to the people to make a short introductory
speech. No sooner had I commenced than a young
sprig of a lawyer after eyeing me very closely, turned
on his heel and started away swearing, (a blacksmith
the devil,) that is a gentleman, he is no blacksmith,
why look at his clothes that will satisfy you. I only
spoke a few minutes when I was taken to my hotel
for dinner. Shortly after dinner in came a committee
who said they were a mixed committee of the two 
— 111
parties, and had called on me to ascertain whether T
wasa blacksmith or not. One young man (a Whig)
said that he had bet twenty dollars that I could beat
any man in Savannah making a horse shoe, and from
what he had read he believed I could. I laughed and
told him that I thought he would win; this created
great merriment among the crowd present.
The bet was made with a boss horse-shoer; he had
a black man that made his shoes, and on the strength
of this man's work he had made the bet. I told them
I would bet fifty dollars more that I could beat any
man in the State making a horse-shoe, and let my
Democratic friend, who had made the bet of twenty
dollars, be the judge. This was a clincher for the
Democrats; they backed down at once, being satisfied
with the twenty dollar bet. We soon made arrangemenrts to go to this man's shop who had made the bet,
to prove who could make the best shoe, (as horse-shoeing was my trade I had no fears of the result.) There
went a great crowd with us, so much so, that they had
to take several boards off the shop for the people to
see me make the shoe. I went to work and fixed the
punches to my mind and made the shoe. Before I
had it done the boss spoke up and said, gentlemen, it
is no use to talk, I have lost the bet, that is the finest
formed shoe I ever saw. So I left the shop amidst the
shouts of my friends.  The young man who made the
bet on me was rich and did not want the money, so he
handed me not only the twenty dollars lie won but the
other twenty also. That was the biggest price I ever
heard of for making a horse-shoe.
In Savannah there was a small dirty little Democratic sheet that had attacked me several times before
I arrived, as also on the morning after I had made the
shoe, (but to the honor of the South he was a Northern man,) so when I made my main speech that day
I pitched into him, (the Whigs having posted me.)
Soon after I had finished my speech and was entertain 
-112
ing some friends in my room at the hotel, I was waited
on by two young gentlemen, bearers of a challenge from
this editor, to fight a duel. I read it, smiled, and handed it to one of my friends to read aloud. What answer will you make to it, said my friend. Accept it,
said I. This of course pleased my friends. I told the
young men to be seated a few minutes and I would give
them my answer in writing. Gentlemen, said I, the
challenged party has the choice of weapons and the
mode of fighting I believe, in this country. Certainly
they have, said my friends. Very well, I will fix that
chap pretty soon, I said, and commenced and wrote
the following answer:
SIR!
Your note of this date inviting me to give
you satisfaction in mortal combat for words spoken in my speech
of this date, has been duly received, and in answer I beg leave to
say that your invitation is accepted.
I propose to meet you in front of Whig Headquarters at 6 o'clock
this afternoon precisely. The weapons used are to be our headswe will butt out'he difficulty.
Very respectfully,
J. W. BEAR.
To J. H. S.
When I had finished it I handed it to my friend
who looked over it, and after letting my other friend
see it I thought they would go into fits laughing. The
young men refused to carry it so I sent it by one of
my friends. At the appointed hour I was on hand,
but the editor failed to come to time. I made a short
speech to the crowd that gathered around explaining
the whole affair of the challenge and answer amid the
wildest laughter of all present.
The result of this affair caused so much amusement
that my Whig friends put out posters that night for
another meeting the next day and it was a monstrous
affair. My antagonist failed to put in an appearance.
I paid him up fully in that speech with compound interest, to the entire satisfaction of all present Demo 
-113
crats as well as Whigs. Many of the leadrling Demnocrats of the City called on me that afternoon and expressed great pleasure at the manner in which I treated
him, declaring that his attacks on me were uncalled
for and unmanly. Some of them concluded that he
would not challenge another Blacksmith very soon.I told these gentlemen that I had not received one insult through my journey in the Southern States from
any man born in the South. Whatever insults I had
received in the South came either from foreigners or
Northern men, and to the latest hour of my life I
should never forget the kindness I had received from
the Southern people. This kind of talk was the crowning point of my visit to Georgia.  I was to leave that
night at 10 o'clock in the boat for Charleston, South
Carolina. When the hour arrived for me to leave the
hotel, more than five hundred men of both parties escorted me to the boat, for fear this editor would make
an assault on me. When on the boat in charge of a
committee I made those on shore a short farewell
speech until the boat left. As she pushed off from
the shore the crowd made the welkin ring with hurrahs for the Blacksmith.
There had been great preparation made in Charleston for us, my colleague going there with me.  We
arrived in the morning and were met at the boat by a
considerable number in carriages and taken to the
South Carolina hotel, one of the finest hotels in the
city; we were visited during the day by many of the
leading men of both parties; the Columbus, Georgia,
committee on their way East had given them a history of my tariff speeches, as also the history of my
colleague's speeches; he had been in the habit of
abusing Gen. Jackson to such a degree that he had
become very unpopular with the people wherever he
spoke; I had great trouble to keep him down, indeed
in many places they refused to let him speak, putting
him off with the pretense that one speech was all the 
-114
people cared about listening to. The people of the
South are a very sensitive kind of people, they will
listen all night to argument but not to abuse; in
Charleston, Calhoun's home, it was necessary to treat
him as well as Jackson with the greatest respect,
they were not before the people for office and it was
impolitic to say anything about them unkindly, this
I urged on miy colleague; I hated them as bad as he
did but still I let them alone and if I spoke of them
at all I made some favorable allusion to them; this
course rendered me very popular with all parties; the
committee arranged for me to speak in the theatre
that night, my colleague to only make a short speech
introducing me. He could make an excellent introductory speech and he did so that night. It was arranved that I should speak on general politics that
night and on the tariff at the mass meeting the next
day. We had a large meeting that night, and in
urging the claims of Mr. Clay for the Presidency I
spoke of him as one of the great luminaries of the age,
not to be equaled by any man living except one, need
I say who that one is, I am too near his home to be
misunderstood, I mean gentlemen, your own idol John
C. Calhoun; it appeared that they would shake the
house to pieces with their stamping and cheers.This course, my dear reader, is the best policy in all
cases in polilics or any other subject, if you can't say
any good of a man don't say anything. Yott cannot
trap flies with vinegar, molasses is better; if you want
to win men to your cause don't abuse their friends,
differ with all men honestly, and don't think because
they differ with you that they are bad or dishonest
men.  In this way I made many thousands of friends
to my cause.
That night when I arrived at my hotel I was for
two hours in the parlor receiving the crowd that wished an introduction to me, among them, all the leading
Democrats of the city, they telling me they felt proud 
-115
to take a mechanic by the hand from a Northern
State, who could speak such favorable things as I had
about one of their citizens whomn they all so much delighted to honor.
The next day we had a monster mass meeting in a
grove. I made my tariff speech; when I made the
allusion to the thousands of idle young negroes I had
seen in their city who could earn their masters ten
per cent. on their value, it pleased them very much,
they saw the point very clearly through my explanations, so that when I was done I met a very warm reception, everybody seemed to want to shake hands
with me from the richest to the poorest.
I was met here by a delegation of men representing
the ladies, inviting me to speak for them on female
influence at the theatre that night.  I accepted it.We had the place packed an hour befor the time for
speaking, by the elite of the city, all anxious to see
and hear a blacksmith speak; at the close of my
speech the chairman said that many of the ladies
wished to shake hands with me, which I considered
the greatest compliment I ever received, and told them
so, they were as fine a specimen of Southern ladies as
I ever saw. I stood for a long time and was introduced to many hundreds of them, many thanking me
for the favorable allusion I made to them as well as
their gentlemen friends, particularly Mr. Calhoun. I
left the next day for Columbia, a beautiful little inland town some forty miles from there; I spoke to a
large meeting there, and then returned to Charleston
on my way to North Carolina.
On my arrival at Wilmnington, N. C., I found a
very different class of people, they were not as intelligent as I had generally found them through the
South, there were more poor white men and less negroes, and more of the middle class than I had found
through the Southern States. We had a large mass
meeting the night that I arrived there, and the first 
time for months I spoke to a large proportion of workl
ing men.  This brought me into my right element for
my hobby had been the workingmail's interest. I
spoke at length on that subject in connection with a
protective tariff. My speech that night would have
been a grand success had it not been that just before
I got through a fire broke out in a large hotel in the
vicinity of the meeting which broke it up, and it was
an awful fire, it burnt up nearly the whole city; myself and colleague could get no quarters that night,
but worked all night helping in extinguishing the
flames; the next day we left for Raleigh, the capital
of the State, had a fine time there, and then left for
Petersburg, Va., where we arrived two days in advance of our meeting; my colleague had relations in
Richmond so he went ahead to prepare the way for
me. I had a fine time in Petersburg making them a
short speech the night after my arrival to prepare the
way for our great mass meeting that was to come off.
In my speech that night I spoke very flatteringly of
their pretty town and also their ladies. The result of
my speech that night had the effect of bringing out
the largest meeting ever held in that place; the ladies
turned out by hundreds not only from the city but
from the surrounding  country; here I had a fair
chance to speak on my great hobby the advantage of
protection to American industry; a large number of
laboring men were present, and they were much pleased
at my allusion to them in my remarks on the subject
of the tariff. I made some very happy allusions to the
ladies in saying that with their smiles and influence
we expected to win.
We gained the day four years ago
For all the girls helped you know,
And now they all enlist again
And go for Clay with might and main,
CHORUS
Then get out the way with your foul party,
We are the girls of 1840.
-116 
117
I sung them this song that I had composed for the
campaign.
This brought the meeting down with the wildest
applause, everybody wanted a copy; a printer present
agreed to furnish them with plenty of copies, which
he did in a few minutes.
I left there the most popular man that ever lived,
not only the ladies but the working men flocked
around me to bid me farewell as I was to leave for
Richmond that night in charge of their committee.
The next morning soon after breakfast the Whigs
began to call on me, and to show me the Richmond
Enquirer which had mistook my colleague's speech
the night before for mine. I have not yet made a
speech there having only arrived at a late hour at
night, but my colleague had spoken to a large meeting and had pitched into Jackson and the editor of
the Enquirer in his usual way, so the editor pitched
into me by mistake. My friends told me that I must
go to him and make him agree to make an apology
in his paper, and if he refused, I must shoot him down
in his office. They supplied me with a pistol and I
went for him, two of my friends going with mne. I
called on the gentleman,and asked him if he was the
author of the article in his paper alluding to me. lHe
said it was handed in by one of his local editors, he
had  not  written  it himself.   I  told  him  the
whole thing was a falsehood as I could prove that I
was not at the meeting neither had I ever made a
speech in Richmond, and I therefore demanded a retraction of the whole matter in his next issue. iHe
very politely told me that it was not his desire to do
me or any other man injustice and would very cheerfully exonerate me the next morning, which he did.
I invited him to come and hear me speak, he
did so and I treated him very politely. So the next
morning he spoke in very honorable terms ofme, only
saying that I had better be at home in my shop, than 
-118
learning Virginians politics. My meeting was a
grand affair, the Whigs had built;a large wigwam,
the largest I ever saw, it would seat ten thousand
people and was packed to overflowing. My colleague
having prepared the people the night before, there
were thousands of ladies there and I sung mny song
with good effect and think that I made the best speech
that night, that I ever made.   Several gentlemen
present who heard me before, said that I outdone
myself.
That night at the hotel the State Committee paid
me a visit to engage my services for their Spring election that was to come of in about six weeks. They
told me that I should have all the money I wanted
to spend and for my services also, but that I must
get rid of my colleague, he would undo all that I
could do. So the next morning I frankly told him
what they had said, and that we now must part, and
each one take his own course. He felt very much
hurt at the arrangement, got angry and left for Ohio,
his home. I stayed with them until their election
came off, speaking in all the principle places in
Eastern Virginia.  In many places in the lower part
of the State I found a very ignorant class of people,
the most ignorant I had ever met with. At one small
place, some of the men refused to hear me speak on
the tariff for fear they might catch it, thinking it
was a disease that was catching; some of them refused
to shake hands with me. On one occasion I was
travelling along a country road and was quite sick. I
came across a small country tavern. I called and
although I was not in the habit of drinking  liquors,
I asked the landlord, a big dirty looking fellow, if he
had any good brandy, he said it ought to be good, for
he paid eighty cents a gallon for it by the wholesale
in Norfolk, for he had bought two quarts at a time,
and it was old, for he bought it last Fall. I said I am
sick let me have it without so much talk. He set out 
-119
the bottle, I poured out some and asked him for some
sugar; he reached his hand into a gourd hanging
against the wall and took a little brown, sugar in his
fingers and put it into my brandy, took his pocket
knife, with which he cut his tobacco, and stirred it up.
I said give me a little mint, I saw some growing near
the house, he stepped out and got some and stirred it
in the brandy. I said now a little ice if you please,
he looked at me and said, look here man, I thought
you was a fool when you first came in, now I know it,
who the devil ever heard tell of ice this time of the
year. Now this man was fifty years old and a good
Democrat, and had never heard of ice being kept for
use in Summer. This fellow was and is now a fair
specimen of many of the poor whites of the South, and
one of course opposed to negro equality as they
call it.
I found soon after my arrival in Virginia that the
Democrats were more of the stamp of the Northern
than the Southern. They were envious and ready to
do any dirty job that their leaders want done. They
were destitute of that high sense of honor that I found
in the Democrats further South. On my arrival in
Norfolk I found that they had got a poor drunken
creature of foreign birth to go before a Magistrate and
swear that a few weeks previous he traveled with me
in the cars from Baltimore to Washington and I had
publicly declared, that I would never vote for
any manil but an Abolitionist. This they had printed
in circular form and scattered all over the town. My
friends came to me and told nme that I must satisfy the
people that it was not true, or my influence would be
destroyed; well gentlemen, said I, that is easily done.
I did not say such things, neither was I within a
thousand miles of there Lt the time he swears I was,
neither have I been in Washington for three years.
I will show you where I was at the time sworn to. I
went to my trunk and got the New Orleans paper, 
which contained a long account of my ten days speaking there, as also my departure for Mobile, and speaking in the highest terms of me.   There gentlemen,
you see that I was speaking in New Orleans on the
very day that he says I was in Washington. You see
that I have no wings and the impossibility of my being
there, I also have papers here for almost every week
fer three months before that time, giving an account
of my speaking in the South and Southwest at the
same time handing them a bundle of papers, to prove
my statements. They said that I had so fully vindicated myself, that they would stand by me at all
hazards.
The next question was, what shall I do with this
fellow. Shoot him, said one. He is not worth it,
said another. Said I, gentlemen I think the best
way for me is to denounce him at my  meeting as a
liar, a scoundrel and a coward, and that no man of
respectability dare take it up, and if they do, shoot
him. That's the plan, they all cried and raised to
their feet gave me three times three cheers.
Well, at 3 o'clock that afternoon our mass meeting
came off. As soon as I was introduced I took the
circular and read it and said: Now Mr. President and
gentlemen, I will show you that this whole thing is
as false and as base as hell, and that the author of it
is a liar, a scoundrel and a coward, and I here say,
that no man of respectability dare take it up for him.
This created some exitement for the moment, I then
took  out my papers and read the articles above
referred to, handing them to the President to look
over; he immediately arose and said gentlemen of
this large meeting, this gentleman has so fully shown
his innocence in this matter, that I propose three
cheers for him and three groans for his adversary and
they were given with a will. I then went on and
made my speech to the entire satisfaction of all my
friends, and at the conclusion of my speech I said,
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that if any gentleman wished any satisfaction from me
for anything that I had said, they would find me at
any hour at my hotel during to-day and to-morrow
until 3 o'clock. This raised a monster shout on my
side. But none of them called, they were ashamed of
their conduct. 1 left Norfolk with flying colors, and
spoke the next day at Portsmouth to a delighted
audience; -hundreds of the Whigs came to me and
congratulated me on my success in backing down the
Democrats of Norfolk.
After speaking at several other small places, I returned to Richmond to speak at Hanover Court HIouse,
the birth place of Mr. Clay. It had been arranged
for me to debate the tariff question. We spoke two
hours each, although he was a fine speaker he did not
understand the practical workings of a protective tariff.
At the close (for I had the closing hour,) many of
his Democratic friends acknowledged that I had the
best of him. Mr. Hunter paid me a compliment, he
told the audience that he had spoke with me on the
Whig stump and that he knew me to be a very clever
fellow, and he was sorry that I was not a Democrat.
From there I commenced a tour up the James river,
speaking at various places, without anything occuring
to mar my happiness, until I reached Lynchburg;
here I met a very dirty editor of a very dirty sheet;
he had pitched into me before I come, and at my
meeting I let him have a few shots with the tongue;
he was there and began to growl a little, he wondered
how I knew so much about him; he forgot that my
friends would post me,-I knew all about him
before I began to speak, he knew nothing about me;
when I was told that it was the editor that was grumbling so much, I said: "what noise is that, I hear something like the bleating of a calf, I wonder if the old
cow its mother knows it'is out."  This raised a loud
laugh, the poor editor began to back out; I sung out,
"don't leave I will let up on you," this only increased
*6 
-122
the merrinent, when I spoke up and said: "gentlemen, men's heads are like tubs, they don't all hold the
same quantity, you can only fill a tub full, whatever
you put in after it is full will run over, so it is with
men's heads, you can only fill them so full, and if you
undertake to put any more in it will run out; now I
have filled that fellows head full, and the noise you
hear is the overplus running out." This set the crowd
wild with laughter amid which the poor editor made
tracks for his office, and I finished my speech.
What fools men are to insult a stranger that they
know nothing about, they may be certain that some
friend will post him, and that he will have the best of
it, this has happened with me hundreds of times. The
next place I spoke at after I left Lynchburg, a drunken
fellow contradicted me when the chairman whispered
to me, and said: "don't mind him, he is of no account
he has been in jail for stealing geese and corn." I went
on and very soon he began again, I said: "I hear a
goose making a noise out there, will some gentleman
be so good as to give it a handful of corn to keep it
still until I am done speaking." Well, that was
enough, the crowd roared and clapped for a long time,
and finally this fellow dared me down to fight; I jumped down and made for him, but he took to his heels
across the field and I after him, but he out-ran and
got away from me; when I got back to the stand there
was the wildest excitement I ever saw, everybody,
Democrats and Whigs congratulating me on my success in ridding the meeting of such a noisy customer.
I finished my speech and left the same evening for
Staunton, a beautiful town in the Valley of Virginia;
here I had a fine time; this was the home of A. A. H.
Stuart, the then great and active Whig of that part
of the State. We had a large meeting and I fully met
their expectations. Mr. Stuart had made an appointmrnent for himself and me at Harrisonburg for the next
day. 
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Harrisonburg was the great centre of the tenth legion as it was called, the whole county was one way,
it was the Gibralter of Democracy; they had bid defiance to any Whig speaker and dared them to come
there; we went and found the town alive with Democrats swearing that if we attempted to speak there,
that they would duck us in the river; we had but
three or four friends there to sustain us against more
than a hundred drunken men, so we quietly got into
our carriage and left. This was the first and only
time that ever I was backed out from making a speech
in my life.
I then had but a few days to speak before the election, so my next appointment was Winchester; here I
met some of the best Whigs I ever met, we had a fine
time; I had a debate with one of their candidates on
the tariff, we debated part of two days; I beat him and
he was defeated at the election a few days after and
all hands gave me the credit of defeating him. I
spoke at Charlestoin, Martinsburg and finally wound
up the campaign at Shepardstown, and returned to
Winchester to stay until the day after election, which
resulted in favor of the Whig ticket in that county,
and I got the credit for it.
I then left for my home in Ohio to rest until the
campaign opened in Pennsylvania which was in a few
days. 
OHAPTER VI.
TOTUR THROUGH PENNSYLVANIA.-VIEWS UJPON
THE TARBIFF.
I ARRIVED safe home in Ohio about the 10th of
May, after an absence of over seven months, and
after having travelled many thousand miles and
averaged about one speech per day, I was worn
down and needed rest very much. I had kept the
Ohio committee posted with my operations. I had sent
the papers regularly, so that when I returned they
understood all about my trip. I was sent for however
and had to make a speech and give a general detail
of everything that occurred of any interest.
I intended to remain at home and rest myself until
the first of July and then open a campaign in Pennsylvania. But in a few days after my return home
I received and accepted an invitation to attend the
Young Mens ratification meeting to be held inSyracuse,
New York, which was to come off on the 12th ofJune,
so on the first of June I packed up and started for
another tour. I went to this meeting, spoke there
twice amid the greatest enthusiasm. The New Yorkers
tryed their best to keep me in their State, but I had
made an engagement with the Pennsylvania committee 
to speak for them. I have often been sorry that I did
not stay in New York. I might have been the
means of carrying the State for Clay and thereby have
elected him.  But he never was intended for President
of the United States, he was too great a man for 
that.
By the time that I got into Pennsylvania both
parties had fairly opened the campaign. Mr. Polk
had been nominated, and the Democrats knowing that
Pennsylvania would not vote for an anti-tarriff
man, got up a letter,  known as the Kane letter,
pretending that it came from Mr. Polk;  Mr. Polk
however never saw it until it was published in the
news papers.   I had taken the precaution when in
Tennessee (having brought Polk out with a letter by
my tariff speeches in that State to the legislature in
opposition to the whole system of protection, they had
it printed and circulated in pamphlet form) to supply
myself with half a dozen copies, not thnking however
that he  would be the candidate,  he aspired to the
Vice Presidency.
When this letter made its appearance, I at once
offset that letter with his letter to the Tennessee Legislature, I had plenty of the original pamphlets from
Tennessee. The Democrats, James Buchanan at their
head, pronounced my pamphlets a forgery. I went
to their committee and offered to enter into bonds of
ten thousand dollars for the faithful performance of
our contract,  which was this:  The  Whigs should
appoint a man of character and the Democrats should
also appoint one.  These two should take the Kane
letter and Poiks' Tennessee letter and go to Mr. Polk
in person and present them to him.  If he denied the
Tennessee letter to have been written by him or if he
said he wrote the Kane letter, the Whigs were to publishi the facts on his return.  But if Mr. Polk owned
that he wrote the Tennessee letter and not the Kane
letter, the Democrats were to publish the facts on their
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-126
return, and the Whigs to pay all expenses. Their
committee only laughed at me; they said, we understand our own mode of electioneering, and although
we published the whole proceedings and challenged
them to deny it, they only answered us by making
personal attacks on my character.
On one occasion Mr. Buchanan spoke at Northumberland, and in my presence declared that he
knew Mr. Polk to be a better tariff man than Mr.
Clay, and when I replied to his speech that night, the
Democrats stoned me from the stand, and it was some
time before we could rally a force to sustain me until
I got through.  In this way they have always met
our arguments. As soon as it was known that I was
using this Tennessee letter with some effect, they
commenced to slander me  in all their dirty papers
throughout the State, and many of them went so far
as to advise my assasination. At that time I carried a
revolver and a bowie knife, and on several occasions
had to walk from the stage to the hotel door with
pistol and knife in my hands; they very often made
attacks on me in the cars and stages, and some times
in private carriages and at hotels.
On one occasion on the Sabbath day'I - came to
Philadelphia in the cars, and while the cars were
being switched on the right track to be taken into the
depot, several rail road men, who had been insulting
all the way from Harrisburg, jumped out of the cars
and ran to the depot and  collected a large crowd
around the cars wherein I was and surounded me as
I got out. I suspected them and told them to let me
pass.  Before I left the cars I had my hand at my
revolver,- and when they refused to stand away, I
drew it and said if you don't stand back, I will kill
six of you with this, and hauling out my big bowie
knife that weighed two pounds, and with this I can
cut my way in any crowd. Several of the passengers
from the other cars saw the trouble, and after finding 
-127
that I was to be mobed, interfered, and I was thereby
enabled to make my escape.
The Whig papers denounced this outrage on Monday
morning, and in reply on Tuesday, the Democratic
papers said, if I did not like Pennsylvania treatment,
I had better go back to Ohio, thereby virtually giving
encouragment to the mob to take my life. Almost
every place I went I had to let them know, that I
was well armed to save myself from an attack, and on
several occasions I got down fro(m the stand where I
was speaking, and thrashed one of them.
I have spoken in and travelled through some twenty
six states and am bound to say that the Democrats
of Pennsylvania are the most ignorant and meanest
Democrats that I ever saw. In the seven months, that
I spoke in the South, I did not receive one insult from
any Democrat that was born in that country.  They
always disagreed with me in an honorable way, but
the Pennsylvania Democrats were always for insulting
me without hearing me. At one place an old chap
got up while I was speaking and said the Democrats
ought not to let me speak. Why not, said I, aint this
a free country? Yes, but I heard that you said, you
could whip any Democrat in the county, did you say
that? I looked at him and laughed. I answered yes,
I did say it and I never tell lies.  This raised a great
laugh. I told the old man, that I would make a fair
bargain with the county committee. I would give a
bond for ten thousand dollars and they should do the
same, conditioned that I was to fight every Democrat
in the county. Every one I whipped should vote f(r
Clay, and for every one that whipped me I would furnish
a Whig to vote for Polk.  I told him  that I could
make votes faster that way than by talking.  This
created quite a laugh in the crowd, even among some
of the Democrats, who admired my pluck, as they
called it.
I have no doubt, but that the great opposition that 
-128
was brought to bear against me, was on account of
the manner in which I presented the tariff question to
the people. I have often been amused at the way
that some of our great speakers talked about that
subject. They would talk very loudly about a pro tective tariff and tell the people that it was their
interest to stand by protection, but never once tell the
practical workings of this system. My plan was to go
into the practical workings of a protective tariff, first
show them that if they depended on Europeans for
their supplies, that they would first have to find a
market for their products, convert it into money and
then send that money to Europe, pay for these goods
and never see that money again, that in the course
of time they would exhaust the country of money and
then we would be a nation of paupers.
I told them that the same rule that operated on a
farmer would operate on a nation. If a farmer produced from his farm five hundred dollars worth of
roduce to sell, and it cost him six hundred to produce
t, he would loose a hundred dollars and have to
pay the difference from his own pocket, and be the
looser of a hundred dollars every year. So it was
with a nation; if we bought a million every year from
other nations more than we sold, we would have to
pay the balance of trade out of our treasury, and in
this way become a bankrupt nation. But, says the
freetrader, a tariff for protection-is a tax on the consumer. I admit that it is. But I will show you the
consumer can pay the tax, and have more money left,
than he would have if we had no tariff. First you
will admit that without any protection our laborers
would have to work at the same prices that European
laborers do, which is about forty cents a day, with
this small pittance they could not support their families.
The result would be that they would have to turn
their attention to agricultural pursuits, this of course
woald lessen the demand for produce and increase the 
129
supply. This course would increase the products of
the soil, and destroy a home market for it, which
would be the means of lessening its value. Foreign
countries only buy from us the amount they need for
their consumption, and lio more. They would buy
just as much from us, as they now do, if we manufactured all our own fabric and did not buy a dollars
worth of theirs.
Our true policy therefore is to divide our labor,
let one portion of our labor be turned to manufacturingiron, others cloth, others cotton goods, others
boots and shoes, others the thousands of other small
articles needed by every body. All these men and
women  and their families have to eat,  and will
consume all the surplus produce that the farmers
have, thereby giving a home market to them, and
save them the trouble of finding a foreign market.
Take for example, a farmer wants a new coat, there
is now English cloth in the market, he call get it for
four dollars a yard for cash; he has plenty of produce,
there is no demand for it at home, every body else
has plenty as well as himself, he is compelled to seek
a foreign market for it, the result is by the time he
converts it into cash, he gets but a small price for it.
But suppose that there is a factory in his neighborhood
where  cloth  is made,   employing  three or four
hundred people; who-all want to eat; the farmer
loads his cart with the necessaries of life, goes down
to the factory, tells the foreman that he wishes two
yards of cloth, but has no money, but that he has a
cart-load of provisions at the door. All right, says the
man, we have five hundred hungry men, women and
children here, that must have their breakfast; unload,
that's what we want this morning, sir. The result is,
he sells his produce at a fair price, gets his cloth and
is back home again by breakfast time.  So it is with
iron,  boots and shoes and every article  commonly
used, 
-130
Now I ask you Mr. Freetrader, is this not better for
all hands? which is best, give a man fifty cents a day
and let him buy flour at three dollars a barrel, or
give him one dollar and fifty cents a day and compel
him to pay nine dollars a barrel for his flour. At
fifty cents a day it would take him six days to earn a
barrel of flour and he would have ten dollars left for
his other twenty days work for a month;  give him
one dollar and fifty cents a day, and let him pay nine
dollars for a barrel of flour and he will have thirty
one dollars left for twenty other days of that month
and thus it is with every other article he uses. The
more wages you pay a man for labor, the better not
only for him hut for the whole country. An Irishman
on one occasion grumbled at the price of a peck of
potatoes that the market man wanted two shillings for. Faith, said Pat, but I could buy them
in Ireland for six pence. You ought to have stayed
there, said the market man. But, said Pat, the
divil of it was to get the six pence to buy them with.
Thus you see, a man can better afford to pay nine
dollars for an article at one dollar and fifty cents a
day, than he could affird to pay three dollars for
an article at fifty cents a day.
I have in my young days bought in Ohio as good
beef and pork as ever went on a table, fobr one dollar
and fifty cents per hundred, and as good flour as
bread was made from at on e dollar per hundred pounds,
and the finest chickens at fifty cents a dozen, ready
for the oven, and every other article in proportion.
Why was it so? I will tell you, there was no manufacturing going on, every body was producing and
very few buying; no home market.
Well, says my free trade friend, why can't we
compete with foreign markets? I will tell you. As
soon as we establish our factories and get them under
way without a tariff, these old foreign establishments
having millions in their hands, put the prices down 
—.131
below the actual cost of making them at home,  and
flood our country at a loss of a  large sum.  People
will buy, where they can get the cheapest: -the result
is, our factories are compelled to stop, they have  not
the capital to stand the pressure.  As  soon as our
works stop, goods take a sudden rise in the foreign
market, and they make up all they lost last year and
a good profit on the whole, theni if our works start
again,  down  goes foreign goods,  it is their large
capital, that thus enables them to crush us.
I once.knew a Company to put an opposition boat
on the James river from R'{ichmond to Norfol1k, the
old line charged five dollarsfare, without meals, the
new line charged three dollars without meols.  The
old line was very rich, had  plenty of capital,  they
immediately put the fare down to nothing, and  in a
few weeks, because the new line hung  on,  the old
line gave their passengers their dinners in the bargain.
Every body knows that they could not afford. this.
They dlid operate it at a dead'loss  for six  nionths,
and as soon as the new line was taken off,  for the
want of passangers, up went the old  line again to
five dollars. and meals extra.
Now if the travelling public had patronised the new
line in place of travelling on the old line for nothing,
they would always have had the fare at a fair price, but
as it was they had cheap fare for a short time and then
as befiore had to- pay double fare.  So it is with American manufacturers in competing with those wealthy
foreigners; they have not the capital to do it with.  It
is our best policy to sustain our own workshops in
their infancy; but they say our manufacturers are geting rich too fast.  Which is best I pray you, to help to
build up rich establishments at home where the money
that ihey mnake will be spent amonrg us, whe"er w',an
have.:.h(le  to fet some of it, (for th,,o.~... I
mnake'their Iioiey, it is made by others, ali(i.while taiify
are making their boss rich they are making some foi 
-132
themselves; stop the boss from making anything and
you cut off the supply of his workmen,) or help to
make the foreign manufacturer rich in a foreign nation
where we will never see a dollar of it while we live.
The best plan is to keep money at home, these rich
men can't eat money, neither can they get fine horses
carriges and fine clothes without money; it takes money
for everything they get, and it is impossible for money
"o circulate without all hands getting a share of it, in
home way or other, this is my plan.
In this style I talked to the people at that time, my
friends saw as well as the Democrats that this plan of
presenting the subject, was calculated to do our cause
good, they at once made arrangements to send me into
the manufacturing portions of the State, atd for this
purpose hired a horse and wagon and started me in
company with another man on a tour through the
Northern portion of the State.
As soon as we commenced our tour, I found the
country flooded with hand bills, calling Democratic
meetings at the same time and place that my meeting
was called, heading their bills with Polk Dallas and
the Tariff of'42; this they done to offset my Tariff
speeches and to draw their friends from hearing me
speak, and wheb I would urge the tariff question these
fellows would say "that is just what we are for," when
they knew it was a falsehood.
On one occasion after I was done speaking I went
over to their stand to hear what they had to say, their
speaker was reading the Congressional Globe, giving a
speech as he said of Mr. Clay in the Senate against
protection, which was very bitter against the tariff.
This said he is the opinion of Mr. Clay their great
champion. There were plenty of Whigs there to sustain me, so I sung out, that what you have read is false,
that is not Mr. Clay's speech, but C. C. Clay's speech
of Alabama, a full grown Democrat. This created
a terrible commotion among the Democrats, he claimed 
-133
that his friends had not interrupted me while I was
speaking, and that I must not interrupt him while he
spoke; tell the truth said I and we will not interrupt
you; I dared him to show the speech to his audience
that he had just read, and if they did not say that it
was C. C. Clay's speech in place of Henry Clay's speech
I would apologise. He insisted on his rights to speak
and read as he pleased at hib own meeting, and I insisted that he had no right to falsify the records of the
Senate of the United States; I said that I had one of
the same records at the hotel, and could prove in five
minutes that what he had read was a falsehood. He
still refused to let me have his book; all right said I
and I went to the hotel got my book and returned to
their stand, with my Congre,sional Globe of the same
date of his, and sung out, now gentlemen all of you
who wish to hear me prove that fellow a liar, step over
to our stnnd and I will show you that what he has
read as being Clay's speech is false,  All of the Whligs
and half the Democrats followed me, and in five minutes I had them convinced of the truth of what I had
said; I came off that day with flying colors.
Their plan was not to organize their meeting until
we got about half through, then organize and endeavor
to draw the people away from our meeting; at this they
generally failed, as the people would stay to hear me
through. At one place their committee called on us
and said as the people all wanted to hear me, they
would not begin their meeting until I got through with
my speech; all right that is fair, said I, in that way the
people can hear both sides. As soon as they had left I
told my committee my plan, which was to speak all
the afternoon or until I had -drove the people all away.
The meeting was organized at two o'clock, and I
was introduced and commenced speaking.. I went on
slowly, read long paragraphs from papers and continued to speak until eight o'clock that night; by this
time I had driven every Democrat, but their speaker 
-134
from the ground, and then said, with these few remarks
I will leave the subject with you until I hearthe other
side, I hope gentlemen, that you will remain and hear
what the honorable gentleman before us has to say.
There were but about thirty present who at once retired. My friends surrounded me that night at the hotel
congratulating me on my success in so completely putting down the Democracy that day.
I continued on from day to day to speak snd debate
with the leading men of their party, for a week or
two after the meeting just referred to, when the State
election took place in that State. Gen. Markle was
the Whig candidate for Governor and was defeated by
Mr. Shunk the Democratic candidate, by near five
thousand majority.  Markle was a weak man and
never ought to have been nominated; he had no
strength with the people, and was put on the ticket
by a set of tricky politicians, who expected to use
him for their purposes, if elected.
I never doubted his defeat from the time I began
to canvass the State, and quietly told some of the
leaders so. I saw very plainly in mixing with the
people, that Shunk had a stronger hold upon them,
than Gen. Markle had. He was very popular being
widely known and known only to be loved; while I
was satisfied that Shunk would carry the State in October, I was equally satisfied that Clay would carry it
in November.
The election came off and I had a day or two to
rest; we had no telegraph then, and very few railroads,
the result was we were- some days without knowing
who was elected. As soon as it was known that Shunk
had carried the State by five thousand majority, the
Democrats became very jubilant, and the Whigs were
a little down in the mouth, but went to work with renewed energy, to regain for Clay, what we had lost on
Gen. Markle, and accordingly made arrangements
for me to speak through all the Western counties, 
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closing the campaign in the city of Erie, the Saturday
before the election on Tuesday the 4th of November.
I found it up-hill work after being defeated, to rally
the people around me. The Democrats took another
plan of electioneering, in place of holding meetings;
they went around among the people and said the State
election had settled the question, and that the Whigs
only held those meetings to keep up appearances; that
it was all a lie that the Buckeye Blacksmith was to
speak there; that he had given it up and gone home.
In this way they managed to keep thousands of their
own party and many of the Whigs from our meetings.
The only course we had to pursue, was to get to the
town early and go around among the people through
the day and show ourselves and tell them that we
were going to have a meeting that night. Even this
plan they tried to baffle, by following us around and
swearing that I was an imposter; that I was not the
original blacksmith, and some went so far as to come
and tell me so to my face. I had on several occasions
to find some person who had heard me speak in 1840,
to come forward and vouch that I was the man. In
this way I fought my way through from town to town,
until I reached Erie, where I made the last speech in
that ever memorable campaign of 1844.
The defeat of Mr. Clay was the hardest blow that
I had ever recieved; he had been the idol of my life,
I had learned to love him when a boy, and as I grew
older my friendship ripened almost into idolatry, so
much so, that I really believe that I would have given
everything that I possessed on earth to have elected him
to the Presidency, but an all wise Providence willed
it otherwise.
I now made up my mind that I would forever after
abandon politics, which resolution however to my sorrow I failed to keep, being satisfied that the slave
power of the South had such a strong hold upon the
Democracy of the North, that no man could be elect 
-136
ed to the Presidency who was not in full sympathy
with the slave interest, which Mr. Clay was not, (although he owned a number of slaves at the time;) and
this was one of the causes of his defeat, (and the principal one.) They were afraid to trust him on that
subject, and in order to defeat him sent millions of
dollars to the North to be put into the hands of their
allies to defeat him in New York, and Pennsylvania,
and through trickery and falsehood and ballot box
stuffing, were able to accomplish their object. There
never was a more villainous or deeper laid plan to
defeat the wishes of the people of any nation, than
that laid to defeat Mr. Clay. I will here give you
some of their plans, and you can judge for yourselves
of the fairness of them, (no wonder God frowned on
them.)
During the campaign in which Clay was defeated,
the Democrats throughout Pennsylvania and other
Northern States, who were interested in a tariff, headed all their calls for meetings with, Polk, Dallas and
the Tariff of'42, thereby misleading many thousand
of the honest, hard working men of the country,
when at the same time they knew that Mr. Polk was
opposed to protection and would sign a bill for the
repeal of the tariff of'42, if elected, which he did
among his first publc acts after he came into office.
And as soon as he signed the bill that was passed by
the casting vote of their Vice President, who was
a strong tariff man, a few months before, the party
with one voice declared that the whole system of
protection was a wrong, and that every body knew
that the Democracy were. opposed to the tariff of'42.
Why was this done, the slave power gave the command and the doe-faces had to obey.
It was necessary in order to elect Mr. Polk that he
should appear as a free trader in the South, and a
tariff man at the North. And when the Whigs confronted them in the South, with a Northern handbill 
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for a meeting, they would get around it, by calling it
a Whig lie; so also in the North. In this way they
cheated the people into voting for Mr. Polk in both
sections of the country. Mr. Polk was said to be an
honest man, at least he was called so by his friends,
now I submit it to any candid man to say, was it honest in him to allow his friends to declare him a tariff
man in the North to deceive them, when he knew he
was not, answer me if you can. 
CHAPTER VII.
DAGUERROTYPING-SCOTT AND PIERCE CAMPAIGN
KNOWNOTHINGISM-SICK AND PENNILESS.
N the day of the election I returned home in time
to vote, almost penniless and broken down in
health after a years hard labor speaking in the South
in favor of Henry Clay's nomination, and in the North
in favor of his election after he was nominated in
Baltimore in May of that year.
As soon as the election was over and -I had got a
little rested, I concluded to leave the West and go East
where I thought there was a better chance to get a
start in life than in the West; I therefore went to
Philadelphia where some of my old Whig friends assisted me with funds to learn and start the daguerrotype business. I started my business in Philadelphia,
but owing to its being a new thing I did not succeed
as well as I expected, so I packed up in the Spring of
1845 and went to Boston, believing that if ever I got
a start in life again it must be among the Yankees;
accordingly I opened up in Boston where I had but
one or two oppositions to contend with; I hung out
my sign and at the end of the first month I found I
had made a failure; I could not get the people to 
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come into my place; I saw plainly that I must burst
up or use some other plan to attract the attention of
the people; we were charging three dollars for a small
picture in a morocco case which was considered very
high. So I concluded to reduce the price, and in order to attract attention to the price, I concluded to
play a Yankee trick on the Yankees. I got up a
large placard on each side of a frame that I fixed on
the top of a pole ten feet high and hired a boy to
stand at the corner of Court and Hanover Sts., the
most popular corner in the city, and hold this pole so
that all the passers-by could see it, (fromn five to seven
in the evening when thousands passed on their way
home from work.) The people of the country had just
began to talk about a war with Mexico; this subject
was in everybody's mouth, I took advantage of this
and had my placard headed in large letters: "War
with Mexico, (then under that) or not (in small letters) J. W. Bear will furnish beautiful daguerrotypes
at No. 17 Hanover street, colored, true to life, in fine
morocco cases for one dollar and a half, with a premium to the first setter every morning." This was all
that I had on my large placard.
I stood a short distance off to see the effect it would
have; it had the desired effect, for the people came
running from every direction to see what that war
news meant; after reading the whole bill they would
go away laughing, saying, "that it was the best dodge
of the season."
The bait took like hot pancakes, for next morning
early when I got to my rooms I found a score or more
waiting ready to enlist as they said for one of my
cheap pictures. I gave a premium of fifty cents to
the first one that came every morning, (this hurried
them up.)
The result of my experiment was: that rich and
poor, high and low, all flocked around me, and many
of them said that I must be a Yankee for none but a 
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Yankee could ever have got up such a good dodge as
I had to get custom, and many of them offered to as sist me with means to increase my business, and I have
no doubt had I have stayed there that I should have
been a rich man to-day, for the Yankees are the best
people I have ever seen to help a stranger along in
business who is willing to help himself, and I would
here advise every young man who  wishes to make a
good start in the world to make that start among the
Yankees.
I stayed in Boston until the winter set in, and then
concluded that the climate was too cold for me and
that I had better go South. This was the greatest
misfortune of my life. I had made money enough to
furnish myself with the finest set of instruments that
the world could produce with a fine stock of mate
rials for a tour to the South and a nice little pile o
cash in my pocket.
The first place I stopped at was Wilmington, Del.,
where I stayed a few weeks, but done but little business, owing, I suppose, to its being a new thing it did
not take with the people there. I very soon saw that
it was no go at that place, so I pulled up stakes and
went to Annapolis, Md., where I opened up in the
Court House with an excellent light for the business.
I had no sooner hung out my sign than the people began to crowd around me, and for five or six weeks  I
done a most excellent business; I took in over five
hundred dollars in less than two months, then when
all that wished pictures had been supplied I packed
up and went to Alexandria, Va.
I opened up in a fine room and went to the printer
to get some bills printed, when he frankly told me,
that he would charge me five dollars for them and that
I would never get it back for pictures in that city, for
said he, "daguerrotypes are played out here, there are
three men at it here already that can't make their
rent, and they are citizens, so it is no use for a stran 
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ger to try it." All right, said I, "print my bills, I
will try it a few days and see what I can do."
I changed my bills from what I had intended to put
up; in place of putting the price at two dollars I con cluded to play a Yankee trick on them, so I got up
the following bill:
Only $1.50 for the best daguerrotype ever seen in
Alexandria, put up in fine morocco cases; colored
true to life and warranted not to fade at         Washington street, (adding below,) how many have lost
a father, a mother, a sister, a brother, or an innocent
little prattling child, and have not even a shadow to
look upon after the separation; some little toy or
trifling article are often kept for years and cherished
as a token of remembrance. How more valuable
would be one of the Buckeye Blacksmith's beautiful
pictures of the loved and lost.
Reader you could not do a better thing now, while
your mind is on the subject, than to take a stroll to
the Buckeye's Place, you may have reason in future
years to feel thankful for these gentle hints from a
stranger:
For think not these Portraits by the sunlight made,
Though shades they are, will like a shadow fade;
No, when this lip of flesh in dust shall lie,
And death's gray film o'erspreads the beaming eyes,
These life like pictures mocking at decay,
Will still be fresh and vivid as to day.
A call is respectfully solicited. I hung out my
sign at 12 o'clock, went to my dinner and returned
at 1, and found a dozen or more looking at my
pictures. "Are you the gentleman that makes these
pictures," said a pretty young laiy to me.  I told her
I was. "Will you make me as pretty a picture as
this (pointing to one in my frame) for a dollar and a
half?" "oh, yes, and prettier too, for you are a better
looking young lady than the one that set for that
picture," said I. This raised a great laugh among the
crowd; we went in, and I not only took her picture 
-142
but nine others, thus before night I had taken in
fifteen dollars. I went to the printer that night and
told him what I had done, "that I had taken fifteen
dollars the first day and intended to take in fifteen
hundred  before I left," he said, he hoped  that I
would but doubted it. The next day I was full from
morning till night with the fashion and beauty of the
city, and so I continued from day to day, until finally
the families of all three of the other operators came
to me to get pictures, for none of these operators
knew how to take good pictures and had quit the
business as soon as I got under way.
The result of my operations in Alexandria was,
that in seventeen weeks I took in over fourteen hundred dollars in cash. But notwithstanding all mv
prosperity in my business going to Alexandria was
the most unfortunate step of my life for the following
reasons:
At the time I commenced business there, they had
the Virginia lotteries drawn in Alexandria   I was induced to try my luck in them, hoping from day to day
to make a fortune in that way, the more I lost the
deeper I went into it, for I was made to believe that if
I would hang on I would certainly get a prize sometime.  Well I had got such a mania for the lottery
that I could scarcely eat or sleep without a ticket in
my pocket. I kept this all a secret from my true
friends and seemed to allow those lottery swindlers to
have full control of me, the result of the matter was
that when I left Alexandria and went to Frederick,
Md., I had but about ten dollars to begin with, all the
money that I had made in Alexandria and over five
hundred dollars I took there with me, was gone for lotery tickets and I had no prize yet. So you will see
that this move in going there was a very unfortunate
one, for I commenced there to lead a life that has ruined thousands of good men, and next to rum has ruined more men and women than anything that has 
-143
ever cursed our country, and I would here say, my
dear young reader if you value prosperity, if you value
happiness and character, I warn you to let liquor and
lotteries alone; for the two together or one alone must
in the end prove your ruin; I know what I say, for I
have travelled that road.
I went to Frederick, opened up my business, but
soon found that the old proverb is a true one, when it
says, that a prophet is not without honor save in his
own country; I was borne there and the people thought
it was impossible for me to take as good pictures as a
stranger that was there at that time.  He professed to
be from New York, and the people of course thought
that he knew more about the fine arts than a man that
was born a poor child in their own county, when at the
same time his pictures could not compare with mine,
the result was, I stayed there several weeks and then
had to go away without being able to pay all my
board and rent.
I packed up and went to l Hagerstown and left my
instruments in pawn for my board, until I could get
something to do. I got to Hagerstown without a cent
in my pocket and over twenty dollars in debt at Frederick. I felt like the old irish woman, who said while
drunk and being hauled to the watch house in an ashcart-"I have been in many a scrape before and got
out of all of them, but this one," so I thought that I
had been in many a tight place in my life and had got
out of all but this; and although I felt a little down
hearted, felt certain that I could work my way through
this difficulty also.
While in Boston I had got hold of a receipt to make
cement for mending glassware, crockery  and  all
earthen wares. I concluded that I would try that
business in Hagerstown, so I went to a druggist and
got credit for eight cents worth of the materials for
making the cement; went to the hotel where I had
put up at, got to work and prepared it for sale. I 
-144
had enough cement to bring me ten dollars, (it was
nearly all profit.) I went to work to sell it and succeeded first-rate that afternoon, and by night everybody found out that I was in town. During the evenimg many of the leading Whigs of the place called on
me at the hotel (which was kept by Mr. Robert Fowler, who has since that become a very active politician
in the Conservative party of the State, and is still
living.) After conversing some time with them, I
told them that I was considered the best daguerrotypist
in the country, and that I had failed to do ainything
in Frederick and had to leave all my aperatus there
in security for my board and rent, and that I had
taken this method of raising money to pay this debt
and get a small stock of materials to begin with, when
I intended to start business in their town. They asked me how much it would take to start me. I told
them fifty dollars would get me a good stock of materials and twenty dollars would redeem my tools; with
seventy dollars I could make a good start.
Mr. Fowler, the landlord, proposed that seven of
the party then present should advance me ten dollars
each to start on, and take it out in pictures after I
got under way, (for he said that I had done enough
for the party to entitle me to a living as long as I
lived;) he had no sooner made the proposition than
every man present (one or two Democrats among
them) responded that hlie would be one of the seven;
and in a few minutes the m6ney was raised, and before I went to bed I had started fifty dollars to Philadelphia for goods and twenty dollars for my tools,
(well, you can bet your bottom dollar that I slept
good that night.)
The next day I got a first-class room in the Court
House, rent free, and went to work to fit it up by the
time my tools and goods would arrive, which they did
in due time; in the mean time I kept on selling cement so by the time that I got ready to work I had 
-145
several dollars picked up in that way. I put out the
same handbill that I had at Alexandria and it took
well, all declared that my specimen pictures were the
best they had ever seen; I got several prominent men
to let me take their pictures to hang at the door in
my show case before I opened up for the public, so
that when I did open up everybody admired my work
and commenced to crowd around me by dozens at a
time, all anxious to have their pictures taken.
I never shall forget to my latest hour the people of
Hlagerstown, for no sooner than they found out that I
was poor and needed a friend than they came as one
man to my relief; from the morning that I hung out
my sign to the day that I left their town they never
ceased to patronize me, but here also as well as in
Alexandria I found a lottery office, I had not gotten
over my mania for tickets notwithstanding my sad ex perience but a short time before, and here, too, I had
the misfortune and weakness to spend nearly all that
I had made; I made up my mind to leave the South
where lotteries were tolerated and go to Pennsylvania
where there were none, so I packed up my kit and
went to Chambersburg, Pa., almost penniless but
enough left to stand a decent business.
I opened up there, and for several weeks done a
small business, so very small that I began to fear that
I should make a failure of it at this place as I did in
Frederick, Md. About this time the Methodists had
a great meeting to dedicate their large new church,
and Bishop Janes, one of their big guns, was to preach
the dedication sermon for them; I was not long in
making up my mind what was best for me to do.I went to hear him preach on Sunday, and when he
was through a celebrated preacher by the name of
Collins, from Baltimore, was to do the begging of
money to pay for finishing the church.  I immediately bit at that bait; at the proper time Mr. Collins
called on all that felt like giving anything towards
*7 
-146
paying the debt, that were not members of the church,
should raise up and say what amount they were willing to give; I took advantage of this and sung out,
"I will give you ten dollars."  "Your name, sir," said
AIr. Collins, I told him, when he sung out in a loud
voice: "thile Buckeye Blacksmith gives ten dollars."
All eyes were on me for a moment, and I felt that I
had gained a point.
The next morning early I went to see the Bishop,
invited him to my rooms, took a splendid large pic ture of him, made him a present of it, and also made
one for myself for my show table; this had the de sired effect, for in less than twenty-four hours every body knew what I had done and commenced to call
and see the Bishops picture and to get a copy of it,
and in less than ten days I sold over a hundred dollars
worth of copies. I had raised myself in the estima tion of the Methodists so high that they came in droves
to my place and got their pictures taken, and I done
excellent business for a number of weeks after that
and had succeeded in saving several hundred dollars.
I then concluded to go to Carlisle, Pa., where the
people had the name of being very high minded and
aristocratic, here, I thought, would be a fine field for
me. When I got there I found two men engaged in
the business but neither of them understood how to
make a good picture. I went to see them and one of
them told me that he was not a country artist as I was
but a New York city artist that took pictures by an
entire new and improved plan; that his pictures could
not fade and therefore were more valuable than any
others, and even dared me to open up against him.   I told him the people would speak of him as they
would of Noah of old, as one that once lived, but was
no more, as soon as I opened for he would not get
another picture to take after I got under way.
The other fellow came frankly to me and said that
he knew that he did not understand the business, and 
-147
asked me to learn him so that he could make a living
for his family. I told him I would do so, which I
did, without charging a cent. As soon as I got open
for business I hung out my sign and filled the town
with flaming hand-bills, and in three days had the
pleasure of seeing mly New York artist take the cars
body and baggage for parts unknown, and have never
heard of him since nor never expect to.
I stayed at Carlisle some four months and done a
most unparalled business; I had sent- to Vienna, in
Austria, and got a set of the best instruments made
that was ever imported, and was in a fair way to make
a fortune again, but the devil or something else put
it in my head to go to the South again; I started for
Winchester, Va., with the finest outfit that ever cross ed the Potomac in my business; my outfit was so ex tensive that I had to pay some eight dollars extra fare
on the cars. I had also a nice roll of cash in my
pocket.
When I arrived in Winchester I found a young
man engaged at the busineqs, but as he was rich he
only followed it for pleasure and was glad that I came
to relieve him of the bother of taking pictures for the
public; he rendered me all the assistance he could in
getting a suitable room to operate in and issued a card
recommending me to all his friends as a first-class
artist; this was very valuable to ineas it brought me
at once into notice, he being one of the first families
of the place, his father was a Senator and stood high
among the people of Winchester, which gave a decided advantage over any place that I had been; here
I had no opposition, and with a fine stock of the best
materials and the finest instruments extant I was prepared to do a fine business.
I opened my business here with the fairest prospects
that I had ever had.  The people had never had a
picture taken for less than three dollars, so when I
hung.out my sign -at one dollar and a half everybody 
-148
came to see me; in this place I reserved every Friday
afternoon for colored people, this seemed to please
both white and colored; I also published that slaves
would be taken for fifty cents less than others, this
made me ver y popular with them, they came in droves
to see me on their day, the white people all agreed
that my plan was a good one, so much so that the
owners of them willingly gave them time to get. their
pictures taken, and many of them came with them to
see that they got good ones taken.  I had lots of fun
with them, no odds how black they were I rmade their
pictures light, this would please them, they would say
"bless de Lord it looks just like dis chile," and when
a black man and a yellow girl would set together I
would throw the largest amount of light on the man
so as t) make them both as light as possible, this took
with them like hot pancakes, and pleased their owners also.
I very soon became very popular, not only with
the white ladies and gentlemen, but with the colored
ones too; the result of my popularity with the people
here, was, that I had a successful run of business from
early in the Fall of'47 to the Spring of'48. I took
over fifteen hundred pictures there, the lowest at a
dollar, the highest at five dollars.   But lo! and be hold, right opposite my place of business was a lottery
office and, here, as before, the mania took hold of me,
and every dollar that I made as well as what I had
taken there with me was spent in that way, and before
I left there- I was compelled to sell one of my instru ments to get away.
I now made up my mind fully that I would forever
leave the South to return no more, but I stopped at
Charleston (a place that has since been made memor able in this country as the place where the first martyr
to liberty was hung.) for a few days, just long enough
to make a raise to take me to Pennsylvania. I done
an excellent business for a week or. two, and then pack 
-149 —
ed up and went to that State, fully intending never to
return. I arrived there safe and sound just about the
time the Presidential question began to be talked of,
but had not made up my mind what I should do on
that question. I had not taken any interest in politics
since the defeat of Mr. Clay, and thought that I never
would, but as soon as the Whigs at their National Con  vention of that year had nominated Gen. Taylor as
their candidate for President, I saw very plainly that
the South had gained their point in placing a strong
pro slavery man on the Whig ticket against Gen. Cass
one of the best men that the Democratic party ever
had placed before the people. I had known Gen. Cass
well and had known him to be an honest man, which
was more than I could say for the most of them. I
knew very well that the'South would not trust Cass,
although he was a much superior man to Taylor.  Yet
he was a man that they could not use, and they knew
it, hence their lukewarm support of him. Although I
knew him to be the best man for the place- party lines
were so tightly drawn that I could not vote for him.
I took but little interest ill the election, further than
to speak three or four weeks around through three or
four counties of that State. I saw from the first that
Cass was beat, Taylor's war record was carrying him
flying over the Presidential race course, like a tornado,
and that nothing but a miracle could stop him.  I
told the Democrats so, but they were foolhardy enough
to think up to the day of election that they would carry
their point, and I could not pursuade them that the
South would not allow him to,be President.  Well the
election came off, and the result was just as I had told
them, Taylor and Fifmore were triumphantly elected.
I had told some of my friends that men were like water,
it would seek its level, so would men. Cass had not
equals enough he was too distinguished a man, the same
as Mr. Clay was. Polk and Taylor were ordinary men,
and a very large majqrity of the voters of this country 
-150
being but ordinary men, sought their level by voting
for them in place of Mr. Clay and Gen. Cass, hence
their defeat.
Gen. Taylor took his seat with as little pomp and
show, as any other President had done; and I have no
doubt, but had he lived, that he would have made a
pretty fair President; but before he had been eighteen
months in office, he died, and Mr. Filmore took his
place, then came the tug of war.  Mr. Filmore very
soon became the pliant tool of the slave power, and
through him, as the best compromise that Mr. Clay
(who was in the Senate at that time) could get, we got
the fugitive slave law. That law made every white
man in the North a negro-catcher for the South, for if
one of their slaves ran away and got into one of the
Northern States, and his master followed him and
called on you to assist him to catch his slave, that law
compelled you to help catch him; if you refused to
assist him and was worth the price of the negro, you
would be compelled to pay for him.  To this state of
things I most positively demurred, and this law I re fused to obey. Look at the unfairness of the thing. Negroes in the South were by law goods and chattels,
the same as horses and oxen are in the North-well
let us see how this law worked; if my horse or yours
ran away from us in the South, there was no law to
compel them to help us catch him, neither could we
make them pay for him if he got away from us; but
if one of their black cattle got away from them, we
must assist in catching or pay for him. Look at it,
Northern Democrat, and tell me, did you ever support
such a measure as that? I tell you you did when you
supported Mr. Pierce in 1852.
After the campaign of'48 was over I concluded to
go to work again at my business, but by this time every
little town in the country had a daguerrotype saloon
in it and the large places had two or more men running
opposition in them.  Every fellow who could raise a 
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few dollars would get up a small outfit, mostly almost
worthless, and put out into some country town and
stick up his cards and pretend he knew more about
the business than any man living, when at the same
time all that he knew and his tools in the bargain
were not worth ten dollars.  Almost every town  I
went to I found one or two and sometimes more of
these fellows blowing their own trumpets, and as soon
as I would open up and commence business they would
generally put the price of their pictures down to about
half what I charged ill order to burst me up, but I generally made them leave, and that very soon after I got
under way.
The greatest difficulty I had to encounter with these
men, was the want of a suitable room with the right
kind of light to make good pictures with, they being
there before me, would generally get the best places
to be had, and I would have to take an inferior place
to compete with them, but having more knowledge of
the business than they had, and the best instruments
in the country, I could always put them to flight.
I saw very plainly, that there was something wanting.  I knew what kind of light I required to do good
work with, and this light I could not get in country
towns.  There being a little Yankee in me, I set to
work to build me a house adapted exactly to the business, with a large, splendid sky-light, made in such a
manner, that I could, by taking off a few screws, take
it all apart in small c)mpa-itments and load it on a
car or big wagon and move it to any place I might.
wish to, where, with the aid of two men, in three hours
I could put it up, ready for-work.  It was three times
as large as those saloons which were built on wheels
years after that, and far superior; those saloons were
too small and were never adapted to the business, consequently I never had one.
As soon as I got my house done I had no more
trouble with opposition. My sky-light made such fine 
-152 —
even shades over the face, everybody said they were
just the thing they wanted, and everybody admired my
enterprise in g(etting up such a novel plan of doing
good work, and they fully rewarded me for my outlay
and skill. I would go into a town, get a vacant lot
whereever I could, get two or three men to help me,
and have my house all ready for business before any
person knew what whs going on. The first thing they
would know about my being there would be when they
read my bill, which I would have thrown into every
house as well as all over the country around. I put
up my bills thus:
The great crowd you see moving from morning till twilight
Are enquiridg the way to the Buckeye1s great sky-light,
To have a daguerrotype view of their faces
Put lup for a dollar, in the very best cases.
A  call is respectfully solicited-saloon on-  lot
-&c.
This saloon as I called it was a decided success, for
in it I did the best work I had ever done, and whereever I went, I did a very nice business. I continued
to travel about through Pennsylvania, from town to
town, from the time of Taylors election until the Spring
of 1852, when another political campaign was about
to open, but as yet nobody knew who were to be the
candidates.
The result of the two National Conventions was that
the Whigs nominated General Scott and the other side
nominated General Pierce of New  Hampshire.   By
this time the people had become very tired of the agitation of the question of slavery, and ready to vote for
any party that would pledge itself to keep down the
agitation of this vexed question. The Democrats took
advantage of this, and placed in their platform at Baltimore, the day that they nominated Mr. Pierce, a
plank, declaring that they would forever after discountenance the opening up of that question; and their
speakers and their press during the campaign that fol 
— 153  lowed pledged themselves, that if the people would
elect Mr. Pierce, that question would be forever settled.
Through these pledges and the weakness and vanity of
General Scott, he having no strength with the people,
they were enabled to elect Mr. Pierce by a tremendous
majority.
On the 4th of March 1853, Mr. Pierce in his inau gural address, in the presence of the congregated thou sands of upturned faces, declared that during his term
of office the opening of the slave question would not
be tolerated. This his friends received with loud ap plause and the country seemed to be satisfied with it;
but lo and behold, Mr. Pierce had scarcely got warln
in his seat before he and his party leaders began a
system of agitation tenfold worse then ever by their
plan to force Kansas into the Union as a slave State,
against the will of a large majority of the bona-fide
citizens of that territory. This they attempted to do
by filling the territory with armed  border ruffians, to
stuff the ballot boxes to suit themselves and in order
to assist them in this plan, Mr. Pierce appointed a Mr.
Reeder of Pennsylvania, Governor of Kansas, hoping
as he was a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, that he would
declare the fraudulent election that had just taken
place, to be a legal one, but notwithstanding Reeder's
powerful democratic proclivities, the dose was too bitter for him to swallow, and after investigating the
whole matter, he wrote back and declared the thing
an outrageous fraud. The result was, that he was immediately recalled, for he had refused to do the dirty
work for which they had sent him there.
The next man they tried -was John W. Geary, also
of Pennsylvania, supposing that they would find a
pliant tool in him. Well, Geary went out there and
in six weeks he returned, also declaring the whole
thing a fraud, so he could not swallow the Southern
pill. They then boxed the compass about for awhile
to find a man to suit them, and at last picked up ex 
— 154
Gov. Shannon of Ohio; he had heretofore always been
willing to do any dirty work that the Democracy
wished him to do, so they sent Shannon out there; but
willing tool as he had always been for them, he also
came back disgusted with Kansas and the whole proceedings of the election.
They now saw very plainly that there was no use in
trying to get a Northern man for that job, so they concluded to try a Southern man. Although they preferred a Northern man for the job, they could then go
before the people of the country and declare that the
election was a fair one and had been so decided by a
Noithern man.  This they preferred but they found it
impossible to get one to suit them; they therefore sent
all the way down to Mississippi and got one of the
large slave holders of that StaLe, Mr. Robert J. Walker, who was a strong Democrat, supposing as a matter
of course, that he would bite at the bait. But slave
holder and Democrat as he was, he too utterly refused
to enter into such a damnable plot as that was, and he
as well as his secretary, also a Southern slave holder,
came back perfectly disgusted, not only with the Kansas question but the Democratic party also.
My dear reader you will thus see how the Democratic party have kept their pledges in former years,
when the party was comparatively pure, and if they
failed to keep them then, in the name of common sense,
what can you expect of them now, when their leaders
are composed of the worst men of the nation.  I would
here state with all due respect to many honest Demo crats, for they have honest men among them, that I
have never known them as a party, to keep a pledge
they ever made, except to protect the whisky rings of
the country; this they have always done to the letter,
for the simple reason, that much of their success in
politics depended  upon the influence that whisky
brought to bear in their favor, for without whisky you
could not carry on a Democratic campaign. 
-155
I was told once, by one of their prominent men that
he could make more votes in his county with a barrel
of whisky than I could make with the ten command- 
ments, when I told him the Democrats were like the
man who sent his child to the grocery to get sixpence
worth of bread and six pence  worth of whisky, the
child returned and said they had no six pence loaves
of bread, nothing less than eight cent loaves, when
the father replied, damn th3 bread we can do without
it, go back and get the whole shilling in whisky; therefore I couclude you can do better with whisky in
your party than you could with the bible or bread
either.
But my dear reader the question very nuturally
arises, why did the South have such a strong desire to
extend slavery into the free territory, I will try and explain it to you: there were four millions of slaves in
the South that had no voice, part or lot in the administration of the affairs of the Government, they were
only goods and chattles, but at the same time they were
counted in the ratio of representation, at the ratio of
five slaves to three free citizens; this gave them about
two million four hundred souls to be counted in the
representation. At that time every ninety six thousand souls entitled a State to a member in Congress,
counting the two million four hundred thousand slaves,
at ninety six thousand to the member, they had twenty
seven members, thus representing their property, in the
place of free white citizens, and also twenty seven electors for President and Vice President; what right I
ask you had they to count a negro if hewas common
property, in their ratio of representation, unless- they
allowed us to count our property also.  To show you
how this system worked, and the advantage it gave the
South over the North let me call your attention to a
few facts. Vermont with a free population of more
than nine thousand more than South Carolina, had
but three members of Congress, while South Carolina 
-156
by counting three out of every five of her slaves had
six members, thus making one free citizen of that State
equal on the floor of Congress to two free citizens of
Vermont; then take New Hampshire, if you please,
she had a free white population of over thirty oue
-thousand more than South Carolina, yet she had but
three members in Congress, thus making one South
Carolinian more than equal to two white citizens of
New Hampshire. Then take Rhode Island with an
equal population of South Carolina, she has but two
members, thus making one South Carolinian equal to
three Rhode Islanders, and so it wo i ked throughout
the entire South, but in less proportion in some of the
States than it did in South Carolina, Georgia and
Mississippi.
It will thus be seen the great advantage slavery
gave them over the free States. You will very readily
perceive that with the twenty seven members represen
ting their slaves added to those they were entitled to,
they only needed a few votes from the North as well
as a few electoral votes to elect a President of their
choice or carry any point they wished. In this way
they held the balance of power on almost every important question that came before the people.  It was
this balance of power which elected Mr. Van Buren;
it was this balance of power which repealed the tariff
of 1842; it was this power which elected Mr. Polk;
it was this power which gave us the fugitive slave law;
it was this power which repealed the Missouri Compromise; it was this power which elected Mr. Pierce and
also Buchanan; it was this power which prevented a
system of free education.in the Southern States, which
left a large majority of the poor whites in ignorance
and the servile tools of the slave drivers; it was this
power which filled the p(oor houses of the South with
hoards of poor, ignorant white females, who had fallen
a prey to the slave driver and his sons, and were left
to eudure their own shame in the county poor house, 
-157
until some poor, ignorant white tool of their destroyer
could be hoodwinked into marrying them.
Is it any wonder my dear reader that the great
ruler of the Universe in the fullness of time took this
matter in hand to destroy the fountainhead of all these
monstrous evils as well as the Democratic party, which
had been the instrument in the hands of the devil to
produce them, it is God that ought to have the glory
and not man for their destruction.
I had taken but little interest in the election of 52,
other than to make a few speeches through the county
where I was working, for I saw very plainly that Scott
was defeated three months before the election, and
that all efforts to create any feeling in his behalf was
labor in vain, hence I spent but little money or time
in that direction. I always thought it was folly to
spend money or labor in a hopeless cause. So I con tinued on at my business going from town to town un til the beginning of the year 1854, when the great
Knownothing party began to attract considerable at tention throughout the country. I began to look at
the question in all its bearings, and finally made up
my mind that through that party we might possibly
be able to break down the corrupt Democracy, for
about this time they had become about as corrupt as
they well could be. 1 therefore concluded that it was
every mans duty who loved his country to assist in
putting down this monstrous evil, I therefore made up
my mind to unite my destinies with them.
Here was the Democratic party in power, had gotten
that power through three of the most powerful influences
in the country, viz: slavery,,whisky and the foreign vote,
which they had enlisted in their favor through the
heads of one of the powerful churches of this country.
Here I found a large mass of foreign voters from one
end of the country to the other, all as one man throw ing their entire vote to one party; this I considered a
very dangerous thing, I feared that at no distant day 
-158
this influence might and would endanger the liberty
of the people of this country.  I found the churches
composed of the native born citizens of the country
divided in politics the same as those who where not
members of the church, but when I found a church of
foreigners, I found them solid for the Democracy. This
I thought, and think so yet, meant something, and
would some day be used to our sorrow, therefore I
felt that there ought to be a stop put to it, hence I
united with the Knownothings with all my heart.
As soon as the campaign opened I was appointed
one of the officers for the eastern part of the State
with full power to establish lodges through any district; I had saved some money at my business and
concluded that as it was the Whigs that had gave it
to me for my work that I would spend every dollar
that I had, for the Knownothings who where mostly
Whigs to help them to break up the Democratic foreign whiskey and slavery party.  I therefore sent to
Pittsburg where the head officer of the State lived and
bought with my  own money two  hundred  dollars
worth of blank charters, and quit all business. I commenced to travel, establishing lodges from night to
night, and  day to day, paying my own  expenses,
never asking a cent for the charter of a lodge, for fear
that the people might think it was only a moneymaking scheme of mine, although I had paid two dollars for
every charter that I had. My plan was to go to a
place, feel around and find a friend or two, send them
amnong their friends, appoint a place to meet that afternoon or night, under some big tree in the woods or
some cornfield or old out house, or any other place
where we could meet secretly and th re I would initiate them into the order; they very soon began to
write or come for me to visit all parts of the country,
which kept me going constantly for near three months.
I had many pleasing incidents in that campaign;
on one occasion a Democratic Congressman sent four 
-159
of his Democratic friends to different schoolhouses to
watch if any Democrats met with us. At the same time
all four of these men belonged to our lodge, and in
place of going to the country and schoolhouses to
watch Democrats, came into the lodge and told all
about it, and had a hearty laugh over it; on an other
occasion they sent a fellow to watch us when he got
into a pig pen among some pigs. The owner heard a
noise among his pigs and supposing some persons were
stealing some of them he took down his shot gun and
fired at the fellow, peppering his whole hips with fine
shot, which gave the doctor a pretty good job picking
them out.
Finally the election came off, I was the last one to
vote, when the polls had closed, the Democratic Congressman alluded to above, took up a collection among
the Democrats to pay the Telegraph Co. for the use of
the wires that evening for political news, when I stepped
up snd offered to pay a part of it but he declined
to take it from a Knownothing, at the same time saying that although I was the great Mogul of the party,
that I had got but two of their men from them, and
that the Democrats would still have forty seven majority in the Borough. I told him that I had no
doubt that he spoke what he thought, but I would
speak what -I knew, we would beat them twenty for
the whole ticket except Congressman, and would beat
them eighteen for that.  This raised a great laugh
among the unterrified, they said I had gone crazy and
ought to be locked up for safe keeping. Very well
gentlemen, said I, wait a few minutes till the tickets
are counted and you willIsee that I know what I am
talking about. We continued to crack a few jokes
for awhile until at last the vote for Governor  and
Congress was handed out of the window to us, when
lo and behold we had beaten them just as I told them
we would, and in five minutes there was not a Democrat to be found on the ground. I hunted up the 
-160
Congressman and found him in his office without a
light, asked him how the election was going, for you
have the telegraph said I, when he replied, "its all
gone to h-i and you can go there too if you choose."
I went away laughing at the top of my voice. Thus
ended the success of the great Knownothing party.
The Knownothing party was a short lived party,
owing to the fact that it proscribed the children of
foreigners and also the children of American Catholics; had they have left that out of their creed they
might have built up a:party that would have ruled
this country for many years to come; another cause
of its downfall was that the great men of the country
who were capable of being leaders never took hold of
it, they stood aloof and looked on to see what effect
it would have but took no part in it, and thus it died
out for the want of great men to lead it; the principle
was a good one, that Americans should rule America,
this was the doctrine of the Father of Our Country
(George Washington) when he said, "put none but
Americans on guard," which doctrine I endorsed then
and do to this day, but as it is dead and buried I will
let it rest in peace.
After the election was over I went to work again,
but was very much broken down in health by my
constant exposure to the night air, for I had been for
near three months exposed all hours of the night in
the open air until I was nearly prostrated; the result
was, that I was taken down with the typhoid fever,
forty miles from home, and lay there for five months
before I could be taken home, and this sickness added
to what I had just spent in politics took every dollar
that I had on earth; it left me penniless without any
means to begin my business or without bread to eat,
or a home to put my head into. I had to sell nearly
all my tools to sustain myself until I got able to work
which was two months after I was able to be taken
home. My services were not needed then in politics 
-161
and I found but few friends that were willing to assist
me. Thus I have found it with politicians, you are
everything when they want to use you, but after they
have used you and got out of you all they want, you
can go to the devil for all they care. There are some
exceptions to this rule, however, they are not all of
that stripe but unfortunately a large majority of politicians soon forget and desert their best friends.
Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, General Harrison
and Mr. Lincoln were among those that are dead that
never forgot or deserted a friend, and one of the main
reasons why General Jackson was so popular was, he
was never known to desert a man who was his friend.
These men are all dead but their deeds of kindness
still live, and will continue to live long after you and
I, dear reader, are forgotten.  The best living man I
ever knew in my fifty years experience in politics to
remember a friend or services rendered, is Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania.  I have watched  him closely
for more than forty years, and can truly say, that I
never knew him in one single instance to go back on
any man that ever rendered him any service. And
this accounts for his great popularity with the people
of that State. I hope all young politicians will profit
by his example. 
CHAPTER VIII.
CAMPAIGN OF 1856-STARTED OUT FOR FILMORE, BUT
AFTER FIRST SPEECH WENT FOR FREMONT        A FRIEND IN NEED-PLOTTING OF
THE SOUTH.
URING the Summer of 1855, after I had partly
recovered from my long attack of sickness; I went
to Philadelphia where I found a friend to loan me
money enough to start my  business in a small way,
but by this time the city was full of operators, and
my means being so limited that I could not -do much.
I was not able to make much of a show, and that was
every thing in a city, it made no difference how I
made my pictures, I had no show to draw the people
into my place; therefore I made but poor headway
during that Summer and the following Winter, only
doing enough to keep soul and body together. But I
had confidence that I should get out of my difficulty
after a while, my organ of hope was very large, and
always has been, or I should have been dead long ago.
Early in the Spring of 1856 there began to be considerable talk about the Presidential question, and
there was much speculation about who the candidates
would be. The Whig party had been swallowed up 
-163 —
in the Knownothing party, and Mr. Filmore seemed
to be the choice of the American party and was finally
chosen their standard bearer, and Mr. Buchanan was
chosen by the Democrats; thus matters stood for a
while, but there existed a powerful feeling throughout
the country in opposition to the extension of slavery
into the free territory of the country. The good men
of all parties were uniting in opposition to it, and it
was plain to be seen, that the men who composed this
opposition meant business, and would make themselves
felt, and that very soon, in a way that would not be
very palitable to the Democratic party. These men
were opposed to Mr. Filmore, owing to his affiliating
too much with the South, and were determined to ruu
a ticket of their own. They claimed that Filmore
was the nominee of the South, and if elected would
be as he had been before, their pliant tool. They called a National Oonvention to meet in Philadelphia in
July. Accordingly when the Convention met it was
one of the largest and most respectable one that ever
convened in this nation, and almost by a unanimous
vote nominated John C. Fremont for President and
presented him to the people as an opponent to the extension of slavery.
Mr. Fremont in his letter of acceptance of the nomination, came out boldly in favor of free soil for free
men, and in opposition to the extension of slavery,
thus we had three candidates before the people. Living as I was in Philadelphia, where Filmore had all
the strength that he had in the State, and where Fremont had his least strength, I made up my mind not withstanding Filmore was not my choice and Fremont
was, that it was my duty to go for Filmore, as the
available man to beat Buchanan, not knowing that
Filmore had no strength out of Philadelphia. I had
been made to believe by the Filmore organ, and the
Democratic papers of Philadelphia, that he was carry ing everything before him outside of the city. They 
-164  were giving the most glowing accounts of the outpour  ings of the people in his favor; to read these papers
you would,have thought that Fremont was not running
at all. I therefore made up my mind to go for Fil  more with my whole heart, as the only hope of beat  ing Buchanan, and commenced to speak at meetings
about the city in his favor.
About two months before the election the chairman
of the Filmore State Central Committee sent for me
to call at his office to see him on business connected
with politics. When I called on him he told me that
he was authorized to send me through the Western
counties as a speaker; and that he would pay me a
hundred dollars a month and all expenses for my la bor; he said that the West was in one blaze of en thusiasm for Filmore, and that the people wanted me
out there; and if I would consent to go on a certain
day, he would send large bills through that country
announcing my meetings for me. As I was doing but
little business I consented to go, and the next morn ing it was announced in the city papers that the Buck eye Blacksmith was to stump the State for Filmore.
Almost every person I met congratulated me, and
wished me success..
The day arrived for me to start, and I called on
the chairman for the money and letters of introduction to the different committees. He gave me a check
on the Northern Liberty Bank for a months salary,
and a ticket to Pittsburg, my first stopping place, also
a letter to the chairman of the committee there, saying that he should take charge of me while in that
city, and forward me to my next appointment.   I went
to the bank with my check and presented it to the
paying teller, who told me there was no funds there
to cash it with. This rather surprised me; I walked
to the door and just as I got there I met the chairman
of the Democratic State Central Commiteee going in.
I stopped at the door for a moment considering whether 
to take the check back or go home first.  The chair
man stood at the bank counter and then passed out;
as soon as he had gone this same teller came around
the counter and tapped me on the shoulder and said
he could cash my check now, when I turned and went
back to the counter and received my money.
I now began to fear that all was not right, and that
Filmore was running in the interest of the Democratic
party, but I said nothing about my fears to any one,
for fear that I was mistaken. I was determined if it
was Democratic money that I had got, it never should
be used to their advantage; so at twelve o'clock that
night I packed my kit and started for Pittsburg, with
my mind fully made up concerning the course that I
intended to pursue, viz: that if the great ado about
Filmore was only a hoax I would use their money
against them for the Fremont party.
Well, the next morning a number of the gentlemen
passengers recognized me and began to plague me
about Filmore, offering to bet me a hundred dollars
that I could not find fifty Filmore men West of the
Alleghany Mountains, this, I confess, rather staggered
me for they seemed to be candid men and meant
what they said, and the nearer we got to Pittsburg
the more I became the butt of ridicule. I finally arrived there, and very soon found my committee man
who received me very cordially and sent me to one of
the best hotels in the city, which I soon fouud to be
the Democratic head-quarters; the Democracy flocked
around me and treated me with great respect, which
was not very pleasing to me but I said nothing and
thought a great deal.
In the evening the committee man called for me
according to promise and gallanted me to the meeting
which was held in Liberty Hall, a small hall by that
name, which, if well filled, would not hold more than
five hundred persons; I found about two hundred
noisy men and boys there all clamoring for the Buck
-165 
-166
eye. I was introduced to the meeting by my committee man and made but a short speech, being fully
satisfied the Filmore movement was a failure at that
place.
After I had returned to the hotel I was called on by
several gentlemen who had once known me, when one
of them said: "Bear what are you doing; have you
forsaken all your old friends and your life long principles anid turned over to the Democratic party that
you have always opposed, or what do you mean by
coming out here making Filmore speeches, when there
are not ten Filmore men in the county that are residents, what few there are here, belong down South,
and are only here doing business; further, the very
man or men that have had you in charge since you
came here, and nearly all that heard you speak to
night are Democrats and you are here in one of the
worst Democratic holes in the city. We do most positively assure you that there is no Filmore party in
this part of the State."
I told them all about the manner in which I had
been started out, and how I had got the nmoiey and
pass to come on; and also what I intended to do with
the money that I had. I told them that I had been
deceived into the belief that there was no Fremont
party in the State, and that I had thought that Filmore was our only hope to beat Buchanan with, but
I was now satisfied that it was all a Democratic dodge
to weaken Fremont, and that I should change my
whole course hereafter, that I should fill the appointments that were made for me, but the Democrats
would make little by  the operation.  This pleased
them very much and they left with a better opinion
of me than they had when they first called on me.
The next morning when I called for my bill, preparatory to leaving the city, I was told that it was
paid and a ticket had been left for me to take me to
Kittaninpg, where I was to speak that night. I.-asked 
-167
who the kind friend was that paid my bill and left the
ticket, when the clerk said it was a friend of the cause;
here you perceive there was some more Democratic
money used. I took the cars and in due time arrived
at Kittaning and as soon as I got out of the cars I began to look around for the notices of my meeting, but
saw no bills; I asked several persons present if there
was to be a Filmore meeting there to night, a Filmore
meeting said one of them, what kind of a meeting
would that be, there aint a Filmore man in the county.
Yes there is said another, there is a fellow down the
country about ten miles from here that swears he will
vote for him; oh well said the other he will be allright
before the election. Then there is no Filmore hotel
where I can stop at, said I; no said the man, but that
omnibus, pointing to one, will take you to a good hotel, but I hardly think you will find many Filmore
men there.
I went to the hotel, registerd my name and asked
the landlord if he had heard of any meeting that was
to come off there that night, he said not, when a ser vant man spoke up and said that some bills had coulme
there a few days before to the landlords brother, for a
Filmore meeting, and they where laying in the closet
then, and went and got them, when all present had a
hearty laugh over them. The landlord said, his brother
was a halfway Filmore man, but had gone to New
York, so there was no Filmore party in town at this
time.  About this time the high sheriff of the county
came in and the landlord introduced me as a Filmore
speaker, who had come there to make a speech and
that the bills had not been posted. That dont make
any difference, said the sheriff, everybody is here to day attending the county fair, and we can get up a
meeting without ally trouble. I am a Democrat, but
you shall have a meeting to-night, and a big one at
that, we all want to hear the Buckeye Blacksmith, the
man that we have read so much about. 
-168
A fter dinner the sheriff took me all around town
and introduced me to all the big bugs of the county,
telling them that I would speak at the court house that
night, but I soon found that he was introducing ame
generally to Democrats. The Chairman of the Re publican County Committee had a store opposite the
hotel, where all the principal men of the party were
collected looking daggers at me. I finally asked the
sheriff to go over with me and introduce me to them,
which he did; they treated me very kindly and asked
me how many Filniore votes I expected to make in
their county. I told them that I expected to convert
all of them to my doctrine before I left town. This
caused considerable merriment  among them.  The
sheriff then took me out to the Fair ground where I
had a nice time with the ladies, and returned to town
with the sheriff in time for tea, well pleased with that
days adventure.
At the hour of meeting, my friend, the sheriff, escorted me to the Court House which I found packed
to overflowing with men; every available spot had a
man in it so that I could hardly get a place to stand
and speak; there was no chairman appointed, the
sheriff telling me to go ahead and make my speech
which I did; I commenced by a violent attack on
Buchanan, I raked up everything he had ever done,
and gave him the best drubbing I could; this the
Democrats only smiled at, supposing, of course, that I
would give it to Fremont worse after I had gotten
through with Buchanan.  I spoke  a few things in
favor of Filmore, spoke of him as having been a good
and true Whig that we old Whigs had delighted to
honor, &c., whtjen all at once I stoppled short in my
speech and said, but, gentlemen, there is another
fellow running, what is this they call him I have forgotten his name, when a dozen voices sung out Fremont, ah, yes, said I, Fremont is his name, well I
don't know much about that fellow, all that I do know 
-169
is what the Democratic papers says about hinm, (I
must confess that it is not very good authority.) They
say that in 1846 while he was in charge of the Com   missary department in Mexico or some other place,
that he stole eighty thousand dollars worth of Govern   ment cattle, well, this I believe for the strongest rea   sons that a man could have that was not an eye wit   ness to the fact, he was a Democrat then, and was
elected to the United States Senate by them about
that time as such, and as stealing had ever been the
order of that party, I had no doubt but that he thought
it was his duty to follow in the footsteps of his party.
But, gentlemen, I am free to say that I have never
heard of anything wrong against that man since he
left the Democrats and got into decent company; this
fixed matters, all the leading Democrats raised up and
said they had heard enough of the Buckeye, and
made for the door amid the shouts of the Republicans
who gathered around congratulating me on my suc cess in putting down the Democracy that night; when
order was restored I finished my speech to the entire
satisfaction of all the friends of Fremont and some of
the Democrats.
After I was done speaking and returned to the
hotel, the Chairman of the Fremont Committee with
many of the leaders of the party of that county called
on me and complimented me very highly for the
manner in which I had turned the tables on the Demo crats who had been the means of sending me out to
speak for Filmore, for I had told in my speech all
about the way that I started out, and where the money
had come-from to send me. The next morning the
Fremont men would not allow me to go in the stage
but sent me to Brady's Bend in a carriage in charge
of a committee, and when we got to Brady's Bend the
Democrats, what few there were in the place, had
posted the bills and had made arrangements for me to
speak at a tavern of theirs, but my committee took me
*ii 
-170
to a Fremont house and went and saw all the leading
men about the mills and works of the place, and told
themn all about my plan of speaking, and by night
they had got up a large meeting at the hotel where I
was staying, so when night came everybody was there
except a few leading Democrats who were at the other
tavern; I therefore told them that I would speak where
the crowd was and therefore did speak at the hotel
where I had put up.
The next day I went over to another town where
I was to speak and here also I found my bills up for
a meeting, but at this town the Democrats had been
posted by some of their friends, who had been to the
fair at Kittaning; so they stood aloof and paid but
little attention to me, but the Fremont men made up
in attention, what the other side neglected to do.
Hiere we had a day-meeting and a pretty stormy one it
was, for the Democrats undertook to use their old and
only arguments, that is, when they can't answer your
questions, to kick up a fuss. This they undertook at
this place, but got the worst of it by getting two or
three of their men whipped.
From this place I took a stage for Clarion the
county seat of Clarion county, where I was told in
Philadelphia they had fourteen hundred enrolled
names for Filmore;  I had also been told that they
had eight hundred enrolled names in Armstrong
county, where I had just left, but I had failed to find
one man, so I supposed it would be in Clarion, but I
was mistaken, for on my arrival there I was met by
a delegation of real bonafide Filmore men; it is true,
it was not a very large delegation, but what it lacked
in numbers it made up in zeal, it was composed of
three Journeymen painters from Philadelphia who
were up there painting a large church. They received
me very cordially and introduced me to most of the
leading men of both parties of the place.
The Fremont men were pretty shy and said but 
-171
little to me, but the Democrats seemed to delight in
talking to me; I said but little on politics, talking
mostly about county affairs, crops &c. I had invited
all that I talked with to come to my meeting that
night and hear what I had to say, so that when the
hour arrived for our mneeting,, I found the courthouse
full. It was a Democratic county and as a matter of
course there was a majority of my meeting of that
stripe; they-organized with one of my Philadelphia
painters as chairman and another as secretary. When
I was introduced, I said, gentlemen I-ama avery fear less speaker, I generally speak my own sentiments
without fear, I generally take the responsibilty on my self for what I say, and I never allow any man to in terrupt me while I am speaking; I hope you will all
listen to me until I am done then I will answer any
question that you may ask me.
I took about the same course that I had taken in
Kittaning, pitched into Buchanan, spoke well of Filmore and then took up Fremont as I had done before.
I told all about my start from Philadelphia and said,
that every dollar that I had to electioneer for Mr. Filmore with, had been furnished by the Democratic
party, and that the whole Filnlmore movement was a
Democratic dodge to weaken Mr. Fremont; I told of
the fourteen hundred enrolled Filmore men that were
claimed for that county and showed the Philadelphia
papers as proof; which caused great merriment among
the crowd; I spoke for two hours, and when I closed
I was taken in charge by the Fremont men and seen
but little of the Filmore party in that place.
I was to speak in six places in that county that
week.  So the Fremont men sent a man to all these
places to post their friends about me, so as to get up
good meetings and they sent a good speaker along to
help me.  I had a very lively time that week among
the unterrified, got into several fusses with them, but
always came off victorious. After speaking a week in 
-172
the principal places in the county finding but three
i'ilmnore men, I left for Jefferson county, where I was
to speak for another week.
Here I founl five live Filmore men, although that
county was said to have eight hundred men enrolled
for him. Here I had a monster meeting, it was court
week and almost everybody was in town that week;
they knew nothing of my manner of speaking, and
when the time came for the meeting, the Judge of the
court was nominated for chairman; he declined, saying that he could not be chairman of a meeting in the
interest of Democracy. We got a man to act in his
place, who introduced me as a Filmore speaker who
would address them.  I began by saying, that I had
no doubt but that there would be more disappointed
people there to night, than was ever in that court
house before at one time.
I began my speech in my usual way, and when I
got to that part that alluded to Fremont stealing
cattle and being a Roman Catholic the manner in
whi(ch I got around it, and brought it to bear upon
the Demnocrats, brought down the Fremont men with
loud and continued applause. When order was restored up jumped a fellow from Philadelphia, that had
been sent there under pay of the Democratic party to
intercept me (for they had heard the turn that I had
taken on them) and he began to denounce me, and had
the impudence to ask me, if that was the kind of a
speech that I was sent there to make. You were sent
here to make Filmore speeches, said he, and here you
are making Fremont speeches, Hold on, says I, you
shall have a chance when I am done. I then com menced and gave the whole history of the case, how I
had been deceived into the belief that Fremont had no
party, and that Filmore was going to carry every thing before him in the western part of the State;
I told how and where the money came from and who
paid my bills at Pittsburg, and how opposed I was 
-173
to the Democratic party and then asked the
people present, wether I was not justifiable in the
course I was pursuing, when the old judge raised up
and offered three cheers for the Buckeye Blacksmith
and the whole house came down with loud applause.
I then told this fellow he could take the stand, which
he did, and commenced to abuse me, but was soon
told by the crowd, that if he did not want to be ducked
in the mill pond, hlie had better stop that kind of talk,
when many sung out in the crowd, duck him, duck
him, duck him, let us duckl him anyhow, he has no
business here, and if the Judge and myself had not
interfered, he would have got into trouble there that
night, but we got the people quiet, and he left at a
late hour that night for a town some ten miles away.
In all the travels of my life, I never made a speech
that gave more satisfaction than that speech did that
night; I had shown so conclusively that the whole Filmore movement was conducted in the interest of the
Democratic party and with their money, that every
Fremont man in that great meeting was ready to fight
if necessary for me.  They said, that I have done
them more good than any other man could have done
in the country; I have no doubt, but that fellows interrupting me in the way he did, done us great good.
The effect of that meeting was, that the whole five
Filmore men who were there when I began to speak,
all came out boldly for Fremont as soon as the meeting was over.   I filled all the appointments that had
been made for me in that county and two or three in
Snyder county and then turned my face toward home
again, arriving there a few days before the election,
where I spoke three or four times every night until the
election.
After I returned to Philadelphia and began to
speak at the various Ward meetings, speaking at two
and three meetings every night telling them about my
travels through the western part of the State, declar 
-174
ing to them that there was no Filmo te party outside
of Philadelphia.  The Democrats and the leading Filmore men and their papers began a tirade of abuse
against me, and even had the assurance to declare in
face of all the facts of the case, that Filmore was the
only opposition that Buchanan had, and many of them
came to my meeting and denounced me as a liar when
I was telling the truth. But notwithstanding all their
abuse I went ahead, well satisfied that the Filmore
men were coming over daily not only by hundreds, but
by thousands. And I have no doubt, that if we could
have had ten days more to have worked in, that we
would have been able to have given Fremont the
State. I certainly never did see such a revolution in
politics in one week as there was in Philadelphia the
week before that election, for as soon as the people became satisfied that their was no Filmore party outside of the city, they came around by thousands; a few
days longer to have worked in would have  accomplished all we wanted. The people were honest and
wanted to vote right, so as to beat the Democratic party.
Soon after the nomination of Fremnont, his State
Central committee proposed to the Filmore committee,
to run a joint set of electors, pledged to cast the vote
of the State to the man that had the largest number
of electoral votes in the nation.   If the vote of the
State would elect Fremont, they were to be pledged to
cast it for him, or if their votes would elect Filmore,
then they should cast it:for him. This the Filmore
committee utterly refused to do, saying that they would
not affilliate with Abolitionists. They saw very plainly
that with a union ticket the State would go against
Buchanan, and Fremont would be elected; the De mocrats saw it too, hence they paid any amount of
money to this committee to keep up a separate organi sation. Hiad they accepted the offer of the Fremont
committee six weeks before the election, we never
would have been cursed with Jimmy Buchanan's ad 
-175
ministration, we would have elected Fremont,
and then we would never have been cursed with that
terrible rebellion; for weak a man as Pierce was, he
never would have suffered the seceeding States to have
withdrawn from the union.
And I would here state, that the leaders of the Filmore party of Pennsylvania, stand to day responsible
befUre God, for every drop of blood that was shed in
that rebellion, and poor as I am, I would not take the
Presidencey and be compelled to meet those four hundered thousand martyred soldiers and their starving
wives and childern at the bar.of God on the day of
judgement, as they will have to do; for be you well
assured that every dying groan of the soldier, and
every sigh and tear of their bereaved families at home,
God will bring up in that Day against them, and I
am proud to day that my soul (whatever nay other
faults may be) has never been stained with the blood
of my countrymen.
The reader will thus see the various tricks and plans
that the Democratic party resorted to, in order to
cheat the people into electing an objectionable man.
For unknown as Fremont was-to the people and as
little time as we had to bring him before them,
he would most assuredly have been elected if he had
not have been cheated out of it. Thus Mr. Buchanan
carried the electoral vote of Pennsylvania by a manority vote of the people, and was therefore elected by
that vote. Hence our country was cursed with the
greatest calamity that ever befell any nation from
Adam until the present time.
After the election was over, I began to turn my attention to my business again, but here I was broken
down in health without much money, for I had spent
all I had in the campaign that had just closed, and
had been defeated in my undertaking. How to start
again, I could not see, but my doctrine had ever been
to hope on hope ever. So I looked a round a fewdays, 
and at last found an excellent opening, provided I
could raise two hundred and fifty dollars, but where
that was to come from I knew not, I had but a few
days to raise it in; so I went to my friends, that were
able to help me, but the election was over and they
had no use for my  services, and therefore were not
willing to assist me with a dollar.  The last day that
I had to raise the money in, had arrived, and I was
no nearer it, than when I began; (so I thought at the
time.) I had become very low spirited and out of
heart, so I sat down on the curbstones to rest myself, meditating upon my hard fate, thinking over the
old proverb, that Republics had always been ungrateful, when who should walk up, but a prominent Democrat, and said, well Buckeye, what are you studying about, grieving I suppose over your late defeat,
aint you well; no, said I, but I am grieving over my
misfortune in not being able to find a friend to help
me out of a tight place, and then told him all about
the place that I could buy out, if I could raise the
two hundred and fifty dollars; well said he, if you
can get it for that sum, you can get it for two hundred
cash and your note for the balance, this I am certain
of; but where is the two hundred dollars to come
from, said I; he then said, I have it my pocket and
will lend it to you, provided you can get the place in
that way, and took out the money and gave it to me,
with the understanding, that I was to give it back to
him if I failed to get the place, and if I got it, I was
to pay him as fast as I could.
This raised my spirits up to fever-heat; this caused
tears of gratitude to rise jn my eyes to think, that after I had failed with all my political friends to raise
a dollar, that God had sent a political opponent to
raise me as it were from the grave. I at once went to
the party that had the place and told them that all I
could do with them, was to give them two hundred
dollars in gold for the place, if that would suit them
-176 
-177
there was the cash, they owed some rent that I told
them must be left in my hands. They consulted
awhile and said, that they could not accept it, so I
started to leave the place, but before I had got down
to the street they called me back and accepted my offer, and gave me a bill of sale on the place and keys
and walked out; well I went home that night a very
happy man I assure you, but before I left for home I
went to the Ledger office and put a card in that paper
for a partner with a cash capital of two hundred and
fifty dollars to join the Buckeye Blacksmith in
a money making business well understood by the
Buckeye.
The next morning when I went down to my place
I found a number of men waiting for me to understand what business I wanted to carry on, and before
night I had near fifty applications for the places; I
made a contract with one of them who paid me two
hundred and fifty dollars cash for one half of the place
that I had only paid two hundred dollars for the
whole; I had here made a pretty good thing of it so
I went to my friend, paid him his two hundred dollars
and had fifty dollars and half the place left, thus you
will see that I had a pretty good start again.
I went to work and learned my partner as soon as
I could and we were doing a very nice little business,
but unfortunately for me, we did not agree very well,
he was not the clear thing, for he took every advantage of me that he could, which was very unpleasant
to me, so much so that by the next summer I sold out
to him for two hundred and fifty dollars for the other
half of the place; this was just about the time that
Mr. Wilmot, the great Wilmot Provisoman, was nominated for Governor of Pennsylvania, and as I was out
of business I thought I would make a little tour
through the State until the weather got a little cooler
and then open up business again for myself.
I therefore went to the committee, and they, through 
-178
their chairman, agreed with me to stump the State for
them, and as it was early in the campaign they had
no funds collected, they arranged with me to pay my
own expenses and keep an account of it until the end
of the campaign when they would pay me my expenses and something for my services. So I started
and stunmped the country until a few days before election and returned home.  When I got back I found
that everything was excitement in Philadelphia owing
to the great panic in money matters, for it was during
the great crisis of 1857; the result was that the people
had failed to pay the committee what they had subscribed and they had adjourned and gone home and
let the election go by default and I never got a dollar
of the money that I had advanced to pay expenses nor
a cent for my labor, which left me with but about
ninety dollars to begin business with.
I took what money I had and started in a small
way and thus continued doing a small business during
the years of'58 and'59 when the Presidential question begun to be agitated throughout the country,
but I nmade up mny mind that I would take no more
part in politics fobr the simple reason that there are
but few politicians that have any other principal than
self-aggrandizement, they too soon forget the men that
do the work for them, and for this reason I would advise all younIg men to beware of politicians and in
place of being a politician engage in some honorable
business.
Although I had taken but little part in politics
since Buchanan's election, I had kept pace with all
that was transpiring in the political doings of the
country. I saw the inroads the South was making
upon the North; the plans that they were laying to
get the whole Government into their own hands, that
whenever they might pretend to have cause for a
separation from the North, they would be prepared
for it, they had been steadily preparing for secession 
-179
for a number of years, by getting a large  preponderence of the officers of the Goverment both civil
and military of Southern birth.
During the administration of Mr. Jefferson he inaugurated a system of equalizing the Federal officeholders at Washington, so as to give eachl State its
proportion of officers according to their representation in Congress; this system seemed to give entire
satisfaction to the whole country, and indeed this
seemed to be the only fair way of disposing of the
matter for each State to have its share of the public
patronage of the Government.
This system was continued without much deviation
through the various administrations that followed Mr.
Jefferson's until Mr. Pierce took his seat as President,
he commenced to deviate from that rule, by appointing a large excess of these officers from the Southern
States; this, of course, was done as a reward for his
nomination for the Presidency by the votes of the
South in the National Convention.
Will any man pretend to say that Franklin Pierce
himself, or any other Northern man for one moment
ever thought of Mr. Pierce as a candidate for Presidenlt of the United States, and it was said at the time
that when the news reached Mrs. Pierce that she took
it as an insult to her husband, and could scarcely be
made to believe it, but the S)uth had sprung him on
the ticket as an available man to suit their purposes,
for with him at the head of the Government as their
tool, they could have things pretty much their own
way, which they had, and thus were able to force
upon the country a large overplus of their friends in
the Federal offices at Washington.
In the camnpaign of 1856 when we charged it upon
the Democracy the unfairness of the distribution of
the public offices at Washington they readily ac knowledged the fact, but pledged themselves to the
people that the election of Mr. Buchanan would reme 
-180
dy that evil as he was pledged to walk in the footsteps of his illustrous predecessors Jefferson, Madison
and Jackson. But alas how very soon are the promises of politicians forgotten. As soon as Mr. Buchanan
was installed in his office instead of going back to the
old Jeffersonian doctrine in the distribution of those
offices equally among the States he not only followed
in the footsteps of Mr. Pierce, but went far ahead of
him in his appointmenits of Southern men to office, so
that bv the close of his administration eleven out of
every fourteen of the officers at Washington both civil
and military according to the blue-book or depart,
ment register, were of Southern birth, why was this
done, there must be a motive for it, well I will tell
you why it was done.
The South had been preparing  for a-separation
from the North for a number of years, they desired a
Government with slavery for its basis and were sooner
or later fully expecting to get it, and in order to be
fully prepared, whenever they were ready to strike the
blow, it was necessary for them to have not only the
army and navy in the hands of their friends, but the
Treasury also, as well as all the archives of the country; this they had been gradually securing by getting
a large majority of both civil and military offices in
their hands during the administration of Pierce and
Buchanan.
Thus theywerein the closing year of Mr. Buchanan's
administration about as near ready to make their contemplated blow at the Government as they ever could
possibly get. But before it would be safe to make
that blow it was necessary to divide the Democratic
party, for they saw very plainly that the Republican
party of the North would run a candidate on free soil
for free men principles, and there was a large vote in
the North opposed to Democratic principles, that
would not unite with these free soilers, and that if
they run a strait Democratic candidate he must be 
-181
elected, as the opposition would certainly be divided,
and thus they would be left without a pretext for a
separation, hence it was necessary to divide the Democratic party also.
Well about this time the opposition or a part of the
opposition to Democracy met in convention and nomina'ted John Bell, of Tennessee, for President, and very
soon after the Democrats met at Charleston, S. C., to
nominate a candidate of their choice, no I can't say of
their choice for they had no choice, they did not intend to make any choice, the Southern portion of that
convention only met there to mature their plans for
dividing the Democratic party and not to nominate a
candidate; if they had met for that purpose why did
they not make a nomination. Stephen A Douglas
went into that convention with a clear majority of
over forty votes on tl e first ballot, why was he not
nominated, I will tell you.
Mr. Bell had been nominated by a large body of
men, and thle Republicans had already called a convention to nominate their candidate, this would so
divide the Northern opposition that if Mr. Douglas
was put on their ticket he would most likely carry the
North through this division in the opposition party,
hence they were compelled to break up the Charleston
convention in a row, and adjourn to meet in Baltimore some weeks later, and when they did meet what
was the result, Mr. Douglas had a large majority on
the first ballot, after which the Southern wing of that
convention kicked up another row and withdrew and
organized another convention, and nominated John C.
Breckenridge, a fire eater of Kentucky as their candidate, while the regular convention nominated Mr.
Douglas, as their standard bearer, and thus we had
two distinct and separate Democratic candidates in
the field.
Douglas got but few votes in the South, as it might
well be suppl)osed. It was not their intention that he 
-182
should, neither did they intend that he should have
too many in the North. Their plan was to so divide
the Democratic party in the North as to make the
election of the Republican candidate, whoever lihe
might be (although he was not yet nominated) certain.
Then they could go before the rank and file of the
Southern people and inflame their hearts against the
North, by telling them that the North had decided
against the South and her institutions, and in favor of
the freedom of the negroes. This of course would be
a sufficient cause for breaking up this governmenit.
The great Republican party met and nominated
Abraham Lincoln of Illinois, and thus we had four
candidates in the field. Each party seemed to hold
up their man as the only fit person for the office he aspired too. And from the way matters stood at- the beginninig of the campaign, it bid fair to be a very lively as well as very exciting one. The Federal officers
were nearly to a man enlisted on the side of Mr
Breckenridge, while the farmers and working men of
Democracy generally preferred Mr. Douglas.  While
in the opposition ranks Mr. Lincoln appeared to take
the lead, he was a working man himself, and appeared
to take well with that class of voters. I as yet had
taken no part in the matter, but was determined to go
for Lincoln, for the reason that I knew him personally
and knew him to be an honest man, (and Henry Clay
once said that an honest man was the noblest work of
God.) I was therefore determined to do all that I
could for him. 
CHlAPTER IX.
CAMPAIGN OF 1860-SECESSION 19TH APRIL IN
PHILADELPHIA-AN OFFICE HOLDER IN
THE CUSTOM HOUSE.
R. LINCOLN was a strong man, I knew that
M      he was hard to beat, that he had scarcely ever
undertaken anything that he did not succeed in, I
therefore felt every confidence in his success, and
tendered my services to the State committee, as a
speaker, so that they could use me whenever they
wanted me. During the several years that I had
travelled through various counties of the State as a
daguerrotypist, I had always told the people that my
pictures would not fade, while most of the others
would, in this I knew I was right, as a few years had
proven; this circumstance I took advantage of. I
had told them the truth then, so they would be more
likely to believe me now than they would other speakers. I therefore sent out small bills to a few places
that were strongly Democratic, to try what effect I
could produce among them. The first place that I
went to I found a very large meeting collected together, both ladies and gentlemen. They had brought
a grand supper with them, each farmer had brought 
-184
a basket full of nice things to eat, and had arranged
a long temporary table in an orchard near by, and had
it filled to overflowing with the best the country could
produce. I did not arrive until the time for speaking, and was taken on the stand at once.
When I was introduced to the audience, I told them
that I was glad to meet them after so many years of
separation; that I had formed a friendship for them
when among them some years ago taking their pictures, that I had never forgotten, and I was very certain that I never forgot their kindness to me at that
time.: I had come among them a stranger, and had
told them that I would do them good work, and that
my work would not fade as most others had, and
would; you believed me then and got me to take your
likeness, and I feel very certain that none of you have
had reason to regret having your work done by me.
No, no, said a hundred voices, at the same time holding up their pictures, saying here they are as good as
ever. Well gentlemen, I told you the truth then,
and I have come here to tell you the truth now; when
many of them cried out that is what we want to hear.
Then gentlemen if you will give me your attention, I
will try and tell you all I know about the questions
that are now before the people.
I told them that the election of a President was
similar to a farmer - employing a man to superintend
his farm for him, we had a large farm to take care off,
the whole United States, and we wanted to employ a
man to superintend it for us. We had four gentlemen
applying for the situation, and it was for the people
to decide which of these men are best qualified for
the place. If you farmnrers wanted a superintendent
on your farm, who would you employ, you would employ a farmer, one that fully understood farming
would you not, you certainly would not employ a
lawyer or a merchant, for the simple reason that he
did not understand the business. So it is with all 
-185
other trades, if you want a coat made, you go to a
tailor, not to a shoemaker, because he would not un derstand the business. So it is in choosing a man for
President, we should throw aside politics, and try
our utmost to get a man who understands the wants of
the working men, as a large majority of us are working men; we should get a man who knows how to feel
for us and one that understands our wants. My friends
I am well acquainted with Mr. Lincoln, and know him
to be the man who does understand our wants. He
has been a working man himself, and knows what a
hard days work is worth, he has worked many a long
day, hard for fifty cents, and knows exactly what it
is worth, and what kind of laws the working man
needs to protect his industry. They say that he was
once a rail splitter, well, so have you and I split rails,
but is that any disgrace to him or us; no my friends
it is an honor to any man to have earned his own living by the sweat of his brow. Does it prove that because you and I or Mr. Lincoln or any other man has
had to work for our living, that he is not capable of
doing any thing else? No my friends, the best and
greatest men that this nation has ever had, were self
made men.
Another reason why we should elect Mr. Lincoln
is, that he is an honest man, and every man of all
political views, that ever knew him, will say so. There
is not a farm in Illinois where he is known, that he
cannot buy on his word, there is no need of a written
contract with him, his word is law, and every body
knows it that knows him; therefore I think he is decidedly the best man to go for. Mr. Bell is a good
and an honest man, but he has no show to be elected,
and therefore the fight is entirely between Mr. Lincoln and Douglas, against whom I have not a word to
say. Mr. Douglas is a great Statesman, probably as
great a man as we have now living in this country, but
gentlemen Mr. Douglas is and has been raised a law 
-186
yer and cannot understand thle wants of the people
as well as Mr. Lincoln does.  It is not possible that
he could, he never having done a days work in his
life cannot know what it isworth, or what laws would
be needed to protect him as Mr. Lincoln does. I
therefore conclude that the best thing we can do is to
lay aside all politics, and give an undivided support
to the working man's friend, honest Uncle Abe, as he
is called by the people who know him best. What
do you think of it my friend, don't you think so too,
if so in conclusion let us give him three cheers, when
all hands joined in one shout for old Uncle Abe, ladies
and all, after which an old Democrat raised up and
said, "gentlemen Democrats, I move that we Democrats give three cheers to the Buckeye for the manly
way in which'he has spoken of his opponents, and
the plain and acceptable manner in which he has
presented Mr. Lincoln. This they responded to with
thunders of applause.
As soon as the speaking was over, I was invited to
the orchard where we all partook heartily of a fine
colation that had been prepared for the occasion.
After we had done justice to our appetites, and I had
made a general round of hand shaking, we separated
at a late hour of the night, or I might say an early
hour in the morning, never so far as I am concerned
to forget that nights proceedings. The most pleasing
scenes that I passed through that night, was the taking by the hand of ladies who were now married, that
I had nursed on my lap years before. when they were
little girls. A number of old gentlemen would lead
their daughters up to jne and say, do you remember
the little black eyed girl that you wanted to adopt
as your daughter, when you took her picture ten years
ago, well here she is, and here is her husband, pointing him out to me, when I would generally remark,
that shle was a pretty little girl ten years ago, and had
not yet lost her good looks, This would please not 
-187
only her but all her friends, and I am very certain
that no man ever left that place more popular than I
did when I left there the next morning, for the landlady told me at breakfast, that old as I was I could
get any of the girls for a wife, that were there that
night, for, said she, a number of them inquired
of her, if I was married. This I told her was caused
by my funny way of speaking, when the landlord
spoke up and said, that he would give half of all
that he was worth, if he could win the people over
as I could.   IIe said that a number of lifelong
Democrats had come to him after our meeting
was over, and said that I had told them the truth ten
years ago about my work, and they believed that I had
told them the truth to night, and that they intended
to vote for Mr. Lincoln if they lived to the day of
election, and the vote of that district on the day
of election showed they did vote for him.
I went to my next appointment, and was met by a
similar crowd, mostly farmers and working men, where
I took about the same course that I had taken the
night before, and was received in the same cordial
manner, except the supper in the orchard, but had a
fine one at the hotel after the meeting was over,
where we ate and drank until many of us became
merry. In this style I continued until I had finished
the appointments that I had made, when I returned
home and reported to the committee all that had occurred. They told me that they would have plenty of work
for me in a short time. I went to work for a few
days until they were ready,-but before I had
been home a week they sent for me, and told me that
I had to go back again to all the places that I had
just visited, for hundreds of people who had not heard
me, insisted on having me back again so that they
could also hear me. So the county committee thought
it very important to have me go over the same ground
again, that I had just left. I therefore sent another 
-188
set of appointments to the same places as before, and
at the appointed time filled them to the entire satisfaction of most of the people who heard me. And I
would here state that the main cause of popularity
was the fact, the people had confidence in me, that I
would tell them the truth, for I always made it a
rule and it is the only true rule, never to make a
charge on any man or party that was not strictly true
and that I was not able to prove by authentic documents if contradicted. This has ever been my motto,
and should be the motto of every speaker who undertakes to make a political speeeh before the public, if
he wishes to become a popular man with the people.
When I had finished my last set of appointments in
that county I returned home. The committee had
made arrangements for me to travel through several
of the northern counties of the State, to speak at massmeetings, which was very much against my will, as I
never had a very great opinion of them. I always
thought that the five or six speakers who would attend
a mass-meeting would do more good by scattering
around the country and hold six different meetings,
than to all speak at one meeting.  There would be
more Democrats come to the six meetings than to the
one, and would have a better chance to be convinced
by hearing one speaker fully explain his ideas than to
hear six short little speeches all of different ideas.But I consented to go, for I knew that if there were
a dozen speakers at a meeting the people would not
rest until they heard me through, and if I am proud
of any one thing attending my public life, it is this,
that but few people have ever left the ground while I
was speaking, and that I never have found a man who
could hold an audience longer than I could; this of
course I am proud of; neither did I ever find many
speakers that were willing to speak after me, but always prefering to speak before me, for the reason they
said that I made the people laugh so much while I
spoke, that they could not get a smile from them. 
-189 —
About this time there was a very lively contest going on in my district, for the nomination of a candidate for Congress, between Judge Kelly and Wm. B.
Thomas. I felt a deep interest in that nomination
I therefore went home for a few days to assist in the
contest. Judge Kelly had done me a great favor in
1857, when I was sick and needed a friend, and as I
had always considered that ingratitude was the foulest
blot on any man's character, that could ever be found
to stain it, I concluded that it was my duty to use
every power at my command to aid in his nomination,
which I did, and the country knows the result.  We
not only nominated, but elected him by a large majority to a seat in Congress, which he has satisfactorily filled ever since. I have always felt proud that
I was one of the men that sent Judge Kelly to Congress, for I look upon him as one of the best men of
the present age.
Mr. Thomas was also a good man, he was rich and
very good to the poor, which made him very popular
with the people, and had it not been fbr a little mismanagement he would have beaten Kelly for the first
nomination.  Mr. Thomas never forgave me  for the
part I took in favor of Kelly against him at that time
and although I wrote Mr. Lincoln a long letter as
soon as he was elected, giving many good reasons
why Mr. Thomas should be the collector of customs
for the port of Philadelphia in 1861; yet he refused
to give me anything better than a night-watchman
along the river which only paid one dollar and a half
per night.
After the nomination for Congress was over and I
had got a little rested I continued to speak all through
the eastern part of the State until the election which
terminated so successful to the Republcan party. Mr.
Lincoln was triumphantly elected over all opposition,
and the little giant, as Douglas was called, was quietly
laid aside and Breckenridge and John Bell were left 
-190
badly out in the cold; thus ended  that great and
never to be forgotten campaign. It had resulted just
as the South wanted it to. They broke up the Demo cratic party for that purpose; it was for this reason
that Nlr. Douglass was not nominated at Charleston, it
was for this that they withdrew froin the convention
at Baltimore, for no man who has a sane mind will
pretend to say, that Mr. Lincoln with a divided party
at the North and no party at all in the South, could
have beaten Mr. Douglas if there had been no other
Democratic candidate running. Mr. Douglas was
popular with the people and would have been hard to
beat in a single fight, and would have beaten Mr. Lincoln easy in a triangle fight, with Bell and Lincoln
both running in the same party, but the South did not
intend to have any other than a Republican elected
from the start, so they sent millions of money to the
North to keep up the split in the Democratic ranks.
As soon as the election was over I went to work
again at my business in a small way, for I had but
little cash to start on, so I done little work for the
want of means to increase it; I struggled along until
Spring, when I intended to apply for a situation under
the collector of customs, but before Mr. Lincoln had
taken his seat the entire South had organized a most
powerful resistence and seven States had already
withdrawn from the union and had established a seperate confederate government at Montgomery,  Alabama, and to show you their sincerity in their opposition to Mr. Lincoln, I will only refer you to one fact.
The Democrats had a majority of some six or eight in
the United States Senate, that could have held a check
on the President, so much so, that he could not have
appointed his own cabinet or any other officer of the
nation, and yet these southern Democratic Senators in
the face of all these facts before them, resigned their
seats in the United States Senate and went through
the entire South inflaming the peoples minds against 
-191
Mr. Lincoln, in order to get them to assist in separating of the States, when they knew that Lincoln's
hands would have been tied so far as doing them any
harm was concerned. Yet they were only carrying
out their intended plans of a separate government
with, as I have said before, the intention of making
slavery the basis of it.
And when the time arrived for Mr. Lincoln to take
his seat, what do we find to be the facts of the case.
The Government in the hands of the South, the army
and navy in their hands, the navy had been sent into
far distant seas, where it was impossible for them to be
reached in time to render any assistance in maintaining the government, the army also was in their
hands, had been scattered all over the South, ready
to be used by them against the government they had
sworn to defend. They had taken the precaution to
remove all our guns and ammunition out of reach,
and every dollar as well as every dollars worth of
available funds had been scattered through the South,
so that when Mr. Lincoln should reach Washington, if
he ever did alive, he would find the capital almost
entirely in the hands of his enemies, and a formidable army across the river and he alone without a
dollar or a man to defend him, where he would
fall an easy prey to their hellish malice.
But in this they were mistaken, as they were in
many other things, they had no idea that the North was
so easily aroused. They had already fired on Fort
Sumpter, and the blood of the North had begun to
warm up almost to fever heat and wanted but little
more to set it a boiling.  They were determined that
as their President had been elected fairly, that he
should take his seat at all hazards.
The threats had been so loud that the friends of
Mr. Lincoln thought it the most prudent for him to
change his intended route to Washington, and in place
of going from Harrisburg to Baltimore, where it was
I
-i,.,
-,., I..', 
-192
they were prepared to assasinate him, that he should
go by the way of Philadelphia and Baltimore disguised
as a common old farmer, and thus escape his intended
murderers. Thus he reached Washington where he
was safe among his many friends who had preceeded
him there. And on the 4th of March in the presence
of the thousands of his friends, who had congregated
took the oath of office which he never violated.
But he soon found that it was necessary to call out
the military to defend the Capital against an army of
rebels that were already organized to march against
it. The people from one end of the North to the
other responded to the call at a moments warning, and
when they reached Baltimore they met the first armed
resistance, and then and there was the first blood shed
in that damnable rebellion; and had it not have been
for Mayor Henry of Philadelphia, on that memorable
19th of April, the city of Baltimore would have been
laid in ashes in twenty four hours after they fired on
the Northern troops.  But Mayor Henry prevailed on
the people to have patience, saying at the same time
that Baltimore would right herself in twenty four
hours, and if she did not, he would not interfere with
them, that they could do as they pleased.  This had
the desired effect of quieting down the excitement for that
day. And if Baltimore had not righted herself and
had fired on any more Northern troops, there were
fifty thousand men in Philadelphia, ready to take an
oath never to eat, drink or sleep, until Baltimore was
in ashes. And that it certainly would have been, had
they continued to publicly obstruct the passage of
troops through it. But the worst thing they done
after the 19th of April, was to send a committee to
the President to say to him that he must not desecrate
the soil of Maryland by sending Northern troops
through it, but they came away with a flea in their
ear, for Mr. Lincoln plainly told them that it was too
far for him to march the troops around Maryland and 
-193
he had not time to dig a tunnel under it and the men
had no wings to fly over it, and therefore he should
have to march them through it. This struck them
like a bombshell. They found out for the first time
that there was pluck enough in old Abe. as he was called, to take care of tbhe Government, notwithstanding
one third of the people in it were arrayed in arms
against it.  The only blunder that Lincoln made in
the start, he placed too much confidence in some of his
officers. Had he have had the right kind of a man
at the head of the army at the first Bull Run fight,
he might have ended the rebellion then, but he had
traitors in his camp at that time, and a long time after.
Had Grant have been at the head of the army at
Richmond when little Mac was there, the war would
have been ended then. But it was not little Mac's
programme to whip his Democratic brethren too soon;
he and his friends wished to prolong the war without
the shedding of much blood, so as to create a large
war debt to bring up against the Republicans as an
electioneering scheme, and through that to break
down the Republican party and elect him to the
Presidency, when he could make peace on terms to
suit them.
I shall now return to the 19th of April at night in
Philadelphia, which was the greatest night that I ever
saw; the whole people were in the wildest state of excitement that was ever known in that or any other
city. There was one outpouring of the people, and
meetings were held at various points. I went to the
National Hall to hear the speaking, but found more
than ten thousand out side unable to gain admission.
I was soon called for, and I mounted a segar show
case and commenced to speak, and the crowd beconming larger and larger every minute, until Market
street wide as it is, was packed with people as far as I
could see. I continued to so speak for more than three
hours to the largest mass of human beings that I
*9 
-194
had ever seen at one time. At one time in my speech
some copper-head interrupted me, when he was se.zed
by the excited people and hoisted above their heads
and knocked and thrown from one to another as far
as I could see; what became of the poor devil I never
knew, but one thing I do know he got a pretty good
thrashing before he got out of their hands. When I
concluded my speech, the whole crowd seemed to rush
upon me to take me by the hands to congratulate me
on my great speech as they called it, and many of
the leading men of the city declared that my speech
that night was the greatest effort of my life; and I
suppose myself, that I made the best speech that night
that I ever did make, for the simple reason that I had
more material to speak about than I ever had before.
I was done speaking but how was I to get out of this
mass of humanity, crowding as they were upon me,
while six or eight would have hold of each hand and
arm, shaking me nearly to pieces.  At last ten or fifteen police managed to form a hollow square around
me, and gallanted me home, amidst the shouts of ten
thousand people, all crying let me shake that man's
hand. And after I did get home, they continued to
shout for the Buckeye, until I got out on a balcony and
made them another speech of over an hour; when I
closed they gave me three cheers and left. It was now
near two o'clock in the morning.
The next day very early the mob began to assemble
about the Court House yard to hear the news and prepare for the defense of the capital at Washington, and
when the call was made for all those who felt like
fighting for the flag to step across a certain line which
was made, I was the third man who stepped over and
offered my services to my country, and in less than ten
minutes, more than five thousand had crossed the line
to fight for the old flag. (God bless and protect that
dear old flag, and forbid that its folds shall ever be
trailed in the dust.) 
-195  The mob then organized a large force and made a
raid on every house which was suspected of sympathizing with the South and gave the occupants but five
minutes to hang out the stars and stripes, and God help
the man who would have refused to hang them outthey would have hung him as high as Haman, and
nothing could have saved him. Some hung them out
and others ran away before the mob got to their places
and thus saved their lives. Robert Tyler, son of exPresident Tyler, was one who escaped by jumping over
the iron railing of the State House yard and running
for life with five hundred men and boys after him with
ropes to hang him, but Bob's legs were too long and
nimble for them, and therefore he made a masterly retreat, as they say McClellan did from before Richmond,
at the time that it took him weeks to advance ten
miles forward, but was able to get back in a few hours.
This they called a grand retreat, and thus it was with
many of the Southerners who were in Philadelphia on
that day, they saved their necks by making a grand
retreat.
The Monday following the 19th, those who had volunteered went forward to prepare to be examined and
mustered into the service. I was there with thousands
of others, ready to shoulder my gun, but the examining Surgeon refused to pass me on account of my age,
and a small defect in one of my hands. This came
upon me very unexpectedly, so much so, that I sat
down and shed tears of sorrow, to think that I was
not permitted to assist in the defense of my country.
The captain of the company in which I had volunteered said that he would rather have had any other
man in his company rejected than me, for which I
thanked him publicly fbr his good opinion of me, and
told him that I would try it again in another company, which I did, but was again rejected.
About this time William B. Thomas was appointed
Collector of Customs for the port and as I had been 
-196
one of the men who had assisted in procuring him the
appointment, I had supposed that. there would be no
difficulty in my getting an appointment under him,
but to make the thing more sure, I went to work and
got up three different petitions, one of them I sent to
John Sherman of Ohio, a Senator in Congress, who
got twenty-three United States Senators names to it,to another I got seventy-two of the leading Bank-Presidents and Importers signatures, the other one I got
over eight hundred leading active politicians to sign,
and thus fortified I went to the Collector and handed
him my papers, and desired him to read them, which
he did; after reading them he said, you are the best
recommended man that I ever saw-out of eight thousand applications which I have on file, you are stronger recommended than the whole of them together,but I have no place for you except a night-watchman's
place along the river.
Now dear reader, you can see the principles of a
politician; he had used me to get the office he had,
but as he had no more use for me, he turned his back
on me. Well, what was I to do, out of business with
no money to start on and nothing to eat? I was therefore compelled to accept this small place until I could
do better, but why did Mr. Thomas refuse me a genteel
place when I was so well recommended? It was because I had used my influence for Judge Kelly's nomination for Congress the previous Fall, and I was not
the only man he punished, for no man in Kelly's district who had supported him, got anything under Mr.
Thomas better than a night-watchmanl's place.
I had applied for captain of night-watchmen but
in place of giving it to me, he gave it to a man who
never applied for it and was not able to read and
write; why was this done? Why, because the man was
a Thomas delegate in the Congressional Convention
when Kelly was nominated and had knocked down a
Kelly delegate for something which he said against 
-197
Mr. Thomas. So you see that this was qualification
enough for him. As soon as I was appointed to be
under his direction, he commenced to impose on me in
every way that he could by detailing me to every mean
and dirty job there was to do; I was kept constantly
on duty whether it was my turn or not, and if I grumbled or refused to obey orders he would report me and
recommend my suspension, (at which game I always
beat him, as it was the Surveyor and not the Collector
who had the trying of the case.) The Surveyor of the
port was a good man and understood my captain very
well, and on one occasion told the captain that he
would believe me as soon as any man on earth, for I
had never told him a lie.
My captains continued failures to have me suspended or disgraced only increased his hostility towards me
and mine towards him. I felt determined to have my
revenge on him (you know that revenge is sweet) so I
concluded to put up a case on him. I knew that I was
not able to whip him myself, for he was young and a
good fighter, so I concluded to hire a big fighting Irishman who lounged about the docks along the river, to
give him a thrashing, as some satisfaction for his treatment to me. I saw the Irishman and agreed to give
him two dollars and a half in gold if he would pick
a quarrel and whip him. Well, the next night they
met, when the Irishman picked the quarrel with hinm,
and at it they went, but instead of the Irishman whipping him, he gave the Irishman a terrible beating, so
the Irishman got the two and a half dollars and a
sound drubbing in the bargain.
Well, here I had made another failure, but I concluded that my time would come some day, and sure
enough it did come very soon. The captain heard of
a large lot of sheep which were for sale very cheap
some eighty miles up the country, so he and another
-man started off to buy-them, the captain leaving his
duties to be performed by his lieutenant. I found out 
-198
that he had left without leave; I went at once and reported him absent from his duty, and summoned all
the watchmen along the river, as also the lieutenantto
prove his absence. The result was that when he returned he was summoned before the Surveyor when I
proved my charges and had him suspended for ten
days, (and ah how sweet was my revenge.)
When he returned to duty I told him that if he
would treat me fairly hereafter, I would treat him
with respect and obey all lawful orders which hlie would
give me. He however never abated his hostility towards me and continued to use undue authority over
me, so much so, that I appealed to the Collector for
protection, but he gave me no satisfaction further than
to say that he supposed that I was as much in fault as
the captain, and that it was my duty to obey him. I
thus found that I had no remedy for my troubles in
that quarter, so I concluded that I would write to some
of my friends in Congress, they having just convened
for the session of 1862. I wrote to Judge Kelly and
laid all my troubles before him and asked him to lay
them bofore the President and Secretary of the Treasury, and see if something could not be done for me.He did as I requested and the result was, that John
Covode, a memb3r of Congress came over to see Mr.
Thomas, the Collector, and sent for me, and in my
presence told Mr. Thomas that it was the desire of not
only the President and Secretary, but of a large majority of both Houses of Congress, that I should have
a respectable place in the Custom House, to which Mr.
ThIomas replied that he intended to give me the first
vacancy that occurred. Well, said 1, there is a vacancy now, just the thing that I want, why not give that
to me? He said he had promised that to another, but
I should have the next chance.
As soon as Mr. Covode had left town Thomas sent
for me and asked me if it was me who was kicking up
all this fuss at Washington with the members, and 
-199
whether it was through me that it was done? I frankJy told him that I had written to a friend in Congress
about the manner that I had been treated, and had
asked him to get me a better place. He then told me
that if I kicked up any more fuss about my place that
he would discharge me altogether.
I now saw very plainly that there was but one thing
left for me to do, either to put up with my ill-treatment
without making any more fuss about it, or, give up my
place and seek some otheremployment. ThisI thought
hard, after all I had done for my party; I therefore
made up my mind that I would go to Washington and
see the President if I had to walk there, so I gathered
up what little money I had and went to the Surveyor,
who was my friend, and got leave of absence for a
week. I left to try my luck with the President, the
Surveyor having often told me that I ought to go to
him, that he was certain that the President would see
me righted, and that I was very foolish to put up with
the treatment that I had received when I could so
easily remedy it.
I went to Washington, saw several of my friends,
and told them my troubles. They all advised me to
go to the President which I did. He received me very
kindly and told me that I ought to have come to him
long ago, when he had plenty of places to give, that
he hardly knew what to do with me now, but would
look around and see what he could do; that I must
stay a day or two until he could find a place for me.
lHe said that I must come to see him every morning
until he got me a place.  When I started to go away
he followed me to the door and asked me if I had any
money to pay my way for a few days; I told him that
I had but very little as I was very poor just now; he
took from his pocket a "greenback" saying as he did
it, this will keep you until I can get you a place.  I
left and was surprized to find that he had given me g
twenty dollars. 
I went to the Capitol and told some of my friends
what the President had said and done, which seemed
to please them very much; they said that he would
not forsake me as some others had done, that I might
rest contented, that I was certain of a place. I felt so
too, for I had every confidence in Mr. Lincoln's hon esty and integrity. I had known him for a long time,
having spoken with him on the same stand for Henry
Clay many years before, therefore I felt satisfied that
I should not make a failure this time.
The next morning I called at the White House when
the messenger told me that the President wished to see
me and to walk in; as soon as I went in the President
said, how would you like to go to Baltimore to live;
I have telegraphed to the Collector for a place for you
and he says that you can have an easy place there at
three dollars per day, how will that suit you, it is the
best that I can do for you at this time; it will suit me
first rate said I, it is just the thing that I want, and
I am under a tho(usand obligations to you for your
kindness to me. Never mind that, said he, you are
entitled to something better than that, for your valuable services to our cause, but I have nothing better
to give you at this time; go down to Mr Risley, the
supervising special agent, and he will give you your
commission, which you will present to Mr. McJilton,
the surveyor of the port of Baltimore and he will set
you to work.  After thanking him again f,)r his kindness, I left him and made my way to Mr. Risleys office
where I in due time got my commisson and left for
Baltimore, in better spirits than I had been lately.
On my arrival in Baltimore, I went to the Custom house, found Mr. McJilton and presented my papers to him, when hlie very kindly introduced me to all
the employees of his department; I told him, that I
wished to return to Philadelphia and settle up my affairs there, before I reported for duty, which would
take me until the next Monday; he said it was all
right, so I left that evening for home.
-200 
- 201
The next day I went to see the Surveyor and showed him my commission.  He congratulated me on my
success, saying that he was certain that Mr. Lincoln
would take care of me.  I got him to write me a very
saucy letter of resignation to Mr. Thomas, which I
copied and went in to see him, in order that I might
ask him again for a promotion. There was to be a
vacancy in the Inspectors department, a place that I
wanted, and if he would give me that, I would send
my commission back to Mr. Risley, but he told me
that he could not promise me anything better than
I had before, until next Fall. When I handed him
my resignation he read it and said that I was pretty
independent about my place. Why should I not be,
said I, when I have been to see the President who has
given me a better place if I choose to accept it, at the
same time handing him my commission to look at,
which seemed to take him by surprise. But, said I,
if you will promote nme I will send this back as I would
rather stay here than go to Baltimore. He said that
he could not give me a better place just then, but-if I
would hold on to my old place for a short time he
would do something better for me. I could not see
the point however, so I picked up my hat, bid him
good bye and left, never to meet him again as a friend.
That night I went down to the night-watchmen's
office to bid them farewell, showed my commission to
the captain and told him that I now held an office
above him, and that if I ever caught him in Baltimore he should be the worst whipped man that ever
left home.  He only laughed at me and said that I
was not the worst fellow in the world and thus we
parted never to meet again on this side of Jordan, (as
he is dead, he having died suddenly while attending
a State Convention at Harrisburg some two years after I left. So let his ashes rest in peace.)
I returned to Baltimore on the following Monday
morning and reported to Mr. McJilton for duty, when 
-202
I was assigned to the Permit Department as one of its
officers, whose duty it was to examine and pass goods
to be taken out of the city by and to loyal people. 
CHAPTER X.
APPOINTMENT TO OFFICE IN BALTIMORE CUSTOM HOUSE
-GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN IN PENNSYLVANIA,      VOLUNTEERED TO DEFEND BALTIMORE —
CAMPAIGN OF 1864-A DREAM.
T WAS on the 18th day of May, 1863, that I re ported in Baltimore, and I had not been there but
a few days before I discovered that "all is not gold that
glitters," neither did all that held office under the
Government at Baltimore, love the flag of their country as they should have done; disguise it as they
would I could see the rebel in them, and the hatred
they had towards me as a Northern man. Baltimore
was under bayonet rule, and no man was allowed to
say aught against the Government for fear of being
sent to the Fort for safe keeping, so hundreds of wool
dyed rebels pretended to be loyal in order to get some
of the loaves and fishes. That portion of them who
held hatred in their hearts against the flag;, also hated
me and I could see it. They took various plans to
drive me from Baltimore; when I would leave my
seat for a few minutes, they would have pins doubled
up and placed in my seat in such a manner as to stick
in me when I sat down, and when I complained about 
-204
it, they would tell me if I could not take a joke, I
had better go back to the North where I came from.
At other times they would slip my coat that I wore
in the street, into some other room, and sew the sleeves
together from one end to the other; and smear mu cilage in my hat so that it would stick to my head,
when I put it on, and when I said anything about it,
they would tell me if you don't like it go back to
Pennsylvania where you come from, old Lincoln had
no business to send you here anyhow.
I put up with this for a few days until I became
convinced that I could not stay among them unless
this thing was stopped. So one morning when I went
down I called on Mr. McJilton and asked him to step
into the Permit Room, which he did, at the same time
asking me what he could do for me. I said Mr. McJilton am I a regular appointed officer here, and am I
entitled to the same respect and pay that others are?
He said certainly you are, why do you ask me that.
I then told him how I had been treated since I came
there. He looked at me in surprise and said, it has
been done without his knowledge, and must not be
repeated, if it was, he would discharge every man
who had a hand in it; this had the effect that I desired.
They then changed their mode of devilment, they
all refused to speak to me, although it was their duty
to tell me by whose authority the goods were permitted,
so that I could enter it on the permit. I could hear
them say he came from' the North, let him find out
from whom the order came.  I went to Mr. McJilton
and told him again about their capers, when he walked out and told them  very plainly that unless they
treated me in all respects as they did other officers
he would at once dismiss every man who violated this
order.
This last reprimand had the desired effect, they
came to me and apologised for their rudeness as they
called it, and promised to treat me better in the future, 
-205
which they did, and we got along very well together
after that, until about the first of August, when the
State Committee of Pennsylvania sent for me to stump
the State for Gov. Ourtins second election. I got
leave of absence for that purpose and left for that
field of labor.
When I got to Pennsylvania this time, I found a
great change in the sentiments of the people.  The
Democrats had carried the State in'62, under what
was known as the peace policy, and were very sanguine of success in'63. They had been doing all that
they dared do, to discourage enlistment and had since
the war commenced condemned every act of the administration in putting down the rebellion, but never
had a word to say against Jeff. Davis or Lee, for carrying it on. They had always heard of a rebel victory
before any one else, and never believed the news of a
union victory when they heard it.  When you told
them of a union victory they were in too much of a
hurry to stop and listen to it, their whole cry was,
let us make peace with them, for we never can whip
them, there has been too much blood shed already, so
for God's sake let us call in our troops and let them
go out of the union in peace.
Andrew G. Curtin had been called the soldiers
friend.  Mr. Lincoln had said that he had done, and
was doing, more to assist the Government in putting
down the rebellion, than any four Governors in the
country.  This we had as a rallying word all through
the State, and I made good use of it.  But with all of
Curtin's popularity at home, as the soldiers friend, he
never could have carried the State that year, if it
had not have been that Congress had taken the precaution to pass a bill allowing the soldiers in the field
to vote. Pennsylvania had too many Republicans in
the army, and the Democrats too few for the Republicans to have carried the State without the vote of
the soldiers. This was one of the reasons, and the
main one, why the State went democratic in'62. 
-206
After the war was over the Democrats claimed that
there were more Democrats in the war than Republi cans; if so why did every Democratic Legislature and
member of Congress from one end of the country to
the other vote against allowing the soldiers to v9te in
the field, answer me Democrats if you can. The facts
are these, every leading Democrat in this nation, not
only opposed every measure-for putting down the rebellion, but every man who assisted in putting it
down, both North as well as South. And I am very
certain that the Southern rebels as they were called,
are a better class of men than the Northern Copperheads who were too cowardly to fight for what they
desired to see effected, viz: a separatiou of the States,
and I am certain that they are more to be trusted
than a cowardly Northern Copperhead.  I have never
found one of them yet who was afraid or ashamed to
maintain his principles, and that is more than you can
say of one of those slimy reptiles of the North.
But all their peace policy and loud talk about the
enormous debt that Lincoln was building up for the
people to pay, with all their hue and - cry about
high taxes that were crushing the people to the earth,
they were not able to meet us on the stump; why because we would ask them what made the taxes so high,
they would have to answer, the debt; we would then
ask them what made the debt, they would answer, the
war.  Your answers are very correct gentlemen but
please tell us who made the war, and who are opposed to putting it down. Was it not Democrats who
fired first on the flag? Was not every State that
withdrew from the Union democratic? Was there
one Republican Governor in one of these States, if this
is true, please tell me who made the war. These and
similar questions they dared not meet before the honest people, and consequently refused to meet us on the
stump, but contented themselves with'going around
among the people crying taxes, high taxes, millions, 
-207
yea hundred of millions of dollars of debt to pay, and
increasing every day, and will continue to increase as
long as these Republicans hold the reigns of the State
or National Government in their hands; elect a Democratic Govenor if you wish to put a stop to these
things. This was what I and other speakers had to
contend with in that campaign; they were afraid to
meet us with such arguments, for fear that we would
ask too many questions that they would not like to
answer before the honest people. I for one, sent out
a challenge to meet the best speaker and discuss these
questions with him, but it was no go, they got out of
it by calling me one of Lincoln's hirelings.
Well the election came off and we beat them out of
their boots, as the saying is. Curtin was triumphantly
elected, as well as a majority in the Legislature, and
other State officers. I returned to Baltimore full of
glory, and was complimented by all those who knew
me and loved the flag. I reported for duty a few days
after I returned, and had no difficulty after that with
any of the men connected with my office, but had
many flare-ups with the rebels of the city,-some of
whom boarded in the hotel where I did, and many of
the customers who visited the house were such,
although the landlord and his sons were good Union
men.
I was boarding at the Franklin House at the corner
of Howard and Franklin streets at the time that Harry
Gilmor made his great raid through Maryland, and
there were some thirty others boarding there, who
were mostly pretended Union men, but I could see
that they hated a Northern man.  There were but two
of us from the North, and their constant talk was,
that no man ought to come to Baltimore to make a
living, who was not willing to defend it. This
was on Thursday and Friday and on Saturday it was
supposed that Gilmor would be in or near Baltimore
before morning, so those fellows talked very loud 
-208
about defending Baltimore.  I knew who they were
striking at, and said, why in the devil don't you go
and defend it you want it defended so badly, and not
talk so much about it. Why don't you go and defend
it, said some of them? Because I don't think that it
needs defending yet, said I, when it does I will go
and defend it without saying half as much about it,
as you have. Well the next morning about daybreak
the bells began to ring the people to arms, Gilmor
was coming, myself and room-mate put on our clothes
and hastened down stairs to find all these fellows
nearly panic stricken. I sung out come on you brave
Baltimorians who have such a great desire to see Baltimore defended, now is the time to'show your pluck,
I am going to help defend Baltimore.  Wait till after
breakfast said some of them, and we will go too. No
man ought to live in a town who is not willing to defend it without his breakfast, said I. And I and my
friend went down to the city hall and offered ourselves
as volunteers.  There was a company forming and a
Colonel commanding the people to fall into ranks.We stepped in and before 8 o'clock had our gunis and
forty rounds of cartridges in our cartridge boxes,
and had marched up to the Lexington market and
stacked arms for thirty minutes to provide some provisions to take with us out to camp Bradford. And
before nine o'clock we were marching past the Franklin House where we saw most of those brave fellows
who felt so much like fighting a day or two before.
Come on, said I, boys we are going out to meet your
old friend Gilmor; but nary a one came, they thought
best to keep away from the smell of gunpowder.   We
marched out to Camp Bradford, where we were soon
joined by several other companies, when we were placed
on picket duty during the whole night without anything
to eat except what we had in our pockets. The next
morning Gilmor burned Gov. Bradford's house, which
was within two miles of where we were; we were joined 
-209 that day by a part of the 6th army corps, and they were
worn out by their long mnarch; we had to do picket duty again all that night without anything but raw
bacon and bread to eat. In ten days we were marched
to "Druid Hill Park" in company with the 6th corps
and there I got a furlough to go to town and get
something to eat. I went around-about way. so as
not to run afoul of the 6th corps pickets and when I
got to the F'ranklin House, I found several of these
plucky fellows sitting outside smoking; well Buck eye, said one of them, how many rebels did you kill;
I said I killed as many of them as they did of me,
when another one spoke up and said, he kill a rebel,
he would run if he saw one; would I, said I, setting
down my gun against the house, you are a rebel and
you can't make me run, and at him I went, but he
backed out so completely, that I let him off with a
good cursing. I picked up my gun and told him, if
he was worth shooting, I would put a bullet through
him, but as he was a villianous, cowardly rebel I
would let him off.
I got a basket full of bread and meat and a bottle
of good whisky, and left for my camp, but just before I reached there I was picked up by a picket from
the 6th corps who had been posted there after I had
passed out; he took me into camp a prisoner, where I
was kept under guard till morning, when I was taken
under guard to my own company, amid the laughter
of all hands. I enjoyed it finely and had many a
hearty laugh about it afterwards. The second night that
we were at Druid Hill, I was placed on the extreme
outer picket with two others of my comnpany; we were
standing under a large tree near the top of a small
hill; it was about two o'clock at night when I saw
seven men coming over the brow of the hill; I told the
boys to prepare to fire and stepped out and said, who
comes there, halt and give the countersign, when to
my surprise they all fired on us, and started to run 
-210
into thie bushes; we returned the fire and then retreated into camp, where we found the whole camp under
arms, but we saw or heard no more of the enemy that
night.
On Friday night ten of us were posted in a small
grove of timber, that stood in an oatfield on the Liberty road, a short distance from our camp, when
about midnight some persons unknown to us, fired a
volley of bullets into the trees above our heads and
made their escape before we could find them, although
it was light enough to see a man for a long distance;
we searched the field over but saw no man in it.  On
Saturday afternoon we were marched into town and
by seven o'clock that evening we were all mustered
out of service and honorably discharged, without the
loss of a man, and thus ended the memorable seven
days fight, in which the Baltimore Home Guards took
such a conspicuous part. It answered to talk about
for a long time and many was the hearty laugh we
had over it for months after; on my return to the hotel I gave the rebel element that were boarding there
to understand that the first one of them that said
aught against me or the government, I would have
them locked inthe Fort.  This had the effect to shut
their mouths, as they hated the Fort worse than the
devil ever hated holy water.
After my return from the war I became very popular with the men in our office, owing to the fact, that
I was always ready to take the most extreme outer
picket duty both day or night, and ready to go on a
raid whenever desired, and always the foremost man;
they all said I had good pluck. I told them that it
had always been my motto to act and not talk, that I
had never known a barking dog to bite.
There was one little matter that I omitted, while
relating my campaign life in the army, which I will
now relate. One night while I was on picket duty, on
the extreme outpost, the officer of the day, in making 
his grand round about two o'clock at night, in company with two orderlies came riding up to where I
stood; I hailed them in the proper way, ordering one
to dismount, advance and give the countersign, which
they refused to do and continued to advance, the officer in front, when I made one step forward and said
halt, one step forward and you are a dead man. Dont
you know me, said he, I am officer of the day, let me.
pass or I will have you arrested. If you are the General of the army, you can't pass me without the countersign, therefore don't advance another step or I shall
fire. When he saw how resolute I was his orderly dismounted and gave the countersign, whenI let thempass.
He hau made his brag, that he could frighten me into letting him pass without the countersign, for which
he expected to have a good joke on me, but he soon
found that he had made a grand mistake; I meant
business, and he saw it. Had he advanced  one step
forward I should have most undoubtedly shot him. The
next morning he sent for me and complimented me,
for the manner in which I had discharged my duty,
in not allowing him or any other man to pass me
without the countersign.
I will now return to the Permit Department, where
I was at work. I had a very pleasant time among
the boys from that time, until the close of our connection in that office.
In the Spring of 1864 theIRepublicans held their National Convention in Baltimore. I had the luck to obtain a ticket of admission to it. Lincoln, as you
know was unanimously nominated for his second term,
and Andrew Johnson was unfortunately put in nomination by Parsonl Brownlow of Tennessee for Vice-President, (oh, what a misfortune it was) and under the
excitement of-the moment, a vote was taken, and he
was declared the nominee.  I turned to a delegate from
Pennsylvania and said, that nomination  I am afraid
will prove a curse not only to our party, but to the
-211 
-212whole nation, for no good, said I, can come out of Nazareth, neither can there any good come out of Andrew Johnson; I have known him for many years
and have no confidence in his unionism or his professions of love to the Republican cause. My friend
differed with me, and said that he believed, that he,
Johnson, was a soundly converted man; I told him I
hoped so, but had doubts, for I had known him too
long and had never known him to entertain at any
time one honorable principle; but at the same time,
for the love of Lincoln, I should swallow the dose.
Very soon after the nomination we men in the Permit Department got up a set of meetings in various
places in the counties, for me to speak at, one of which
was at Westminster,]Carroll county. It was a monster,
we had all the bigbugs of both parties there, all
anixous to hear the Buckeye. As soon as I arrived
I was taken in charge of a committee, who wished to
post me about what I should say. They told me to praise
up Douglas, for he had many friends that would hear
me, and the more I said in his favor, the better effect
it would have. I told them all right, I know exactly
how to treat that subject.   When  the hour arrived
for the meeting to organize, they went about it with
as much ceremony, as the Jews did, when they laid
the foundation of the house of the Lord, in the days
of Aaron. When I was introduced, I told them, that
I had not come there to talk much about Mr. Lincoln,
as he was as Well known to them as he was to me, his
public acts were before the country and it was their
daty to endorse or respect them at the coming election,
and from present indications I had no doubt, but they
would endorse them from one end of the nation to the
other.
Upon what platform do our opponents stand, and
what doctrine do they ask you to endorse?  Why they
ask you to say by your votes, that the war for the Union
is a failure; this they have boldly put forth in their 
213
platform, and this their press and speakers everywhere
declare to be the case, but gentlemen has the war thus
been a failure, if so, who made it a failure? Was it
Mr. Lincoln or his firiends, or was it "little Mack"
and his friends, these are the questions that you are
to decide;  does any  man  doubt, that McClellan
could have taken Richmond, when he first got in front
of it, the enemy hbd but a small force there at that
time, and whalt they had, were not prepared to make
a very strong resistance, so there would have been no
trouble with the large army, - that he had to have
marched in and captured the city, which would put an
end to the war.
But instead of doing this he laid in front of that city
some six weeks, continually sending out his bulletins "on
to Ricihmond," until the enemy had time to concentrate
all their forces there and fortify the place against him,
then after one third of his army had died from deseases
contracted in the swamps around Richmond, he finally
spread out his army in a line, sixteen miles long, and
made the attack; when the enemy found how he
had weakened his strength, by the way he lengthened
his lines, they with all ease broke his line, and he was
compelled to retreat, and this they tell us he done in
good order, and they might have added in quick order;
he was able to fall back as far in one afternoon, as he
had went forward in six weeks. So you see my friends
that this was a grand failure. Further, while their candidate was doing all that he could toward making the
war a failure in the field, what were his friends doing
in Congress and the State Legislatures of the country?
Were they not voting on all occasions against raising
men and money, to put down the rebellion; can any
gentleman before me, tell me the name of any man
in or out of Congress, who ever voted for one man
or one dollar to aid the Union? If you can, speak now
or forever after hold your peace. Again, what were
these friends of McClellan doing at Charleston in 1860, 
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in their National Convention, the time they slaughtered
Stephen A. Douglas; did Douglas not go in that
Convention  with over twenty majority of the delegates? I say he did, then why was he not nominated? I
will tell you; they were as near ready for a separation of the States, as they ever expected to be, and
they knew that if they nominated him, that he would
be elected.  The Republicans had no party in the
South and were divided in the North, so there would
be no difficulty in electing Mr. Douglas, as he was
very popular with the masses, but they had tried
him in the Senate and found that he was not the
man to be bought or made a tool of, or in other
words, he was an honest man, and one that loved
his country. Hence they slaughtered him in Charleston as also in Baltimore and nominated another,
while the regular Convention nominated him, and
then the bolters sent millions of dollars North to
keep up a division in their ranks in order to elect
a Republican President, so as to have an excuse to
withdraw from the Union.
And now these same fellows I find all over the
coun.try have the impudence to look an honest Douglas Democrat in the face and ask him to vote for their
candidate. I must confess gentlemen, that I am perfectly astonished at the amount of impudence these
fellows have, for I had thought, that with their past
record stareing them in the face, that they never
would again have the hardihood to look any man
in the eye, and ask him for his vote,  let alone a
friend of Mr. Douglas, the man above all others
that they tried to destroy. This brought down the
house with loud applause, especially thie friends of
Douglas; after a few more remarks I closed.
After the meeting was over I was surrounded by my
friends and shaken nearly to pieces, many of them
telling me that the course I had pursued would do the
cause great good in that place, as there were a large 
-215
number of the friends of Mr. Douglas there that night
and were well pleased with my reference to him and
said that I had told them the truth that night in a
way that they would not forget.
I spoke at several other places in the counties
around Baltimore, in a similar manner, with about
the same effect and became very popular with the
people whereever I went. After I had closed my appointments that I had made in Maryland, the Pennsylvania committee sent for me and I went there,
where I met as usual a very warm reception. The
committee sent me over my old stumping ground,
where I had an opportunity of meeting my old friends
as well as many of my old opponents; but here as
well as in Maryland, I found that the great rallying
cry of the Democracy was, the war was a failure;
here they claimed to be Union men and to be better
Union men than the Republicans were, they said that
they were in favor of making peace with their erring
brethren of the South, by calling home our troops
and stop the shedding of any more blood, that we never
could conquer them until we had killed the last man
of them for they were to high minded t6'ever yield to
Abe Lincoln or his hirelings; they further told the
people that Lincoln had set the niggers free and that
they could not live in the South after the war was
over,  but would come  North  and  inderwork the
white laborers and be the means of starving them all
out of the country, and fill the whole North with
black laborers. These men had changed their plan
of electioneering very materially in the last four years.
Then they told the people that Lincoln and his party
wanted to set the niggers free, and if they did, they
were too lazy to work without a master and if free
they all would come North, where they would steal
and murder for a living, and that no man would be
safe at night in his bed from them.
These and similar plans they resorted to, in order 
to draw the people away from the true issue before
them; their war record they were not willing to talk
about, but had a great deal to say about McClellan
and he would have ended the rebt)ellion if he had been
let alone; but they forget to tell the people that at
the battle of Antietam when  Lee was whipped and
out of amunition and McClellan with twenty thousand reserve troops only two or three miles away,
granted Lee an armistice just at night for twelve
hours to bury his dead, which Lee took advantage of, and during the night in place of burying  his dead  made  his escape  with  his  army
across the Potomac and got away. Why didn't McClellan capture him then?  The answer is, he was
not ready, he was to be the candidate for the Presidency in'64, he was to prolong the war, in order to
build up a great National debt, to be chargeable
to the Republican party, and this they intended as
the rallying cry of the Democracy and through that
cry they expected to elect little McClellan, and then
he could make terms of peace to suit our erring brothers.
McClellan had been constantly making littlespeeches to the soldiers during the time he had command of
the army, and always had a news paper reporter there
to report his speeches, to send them to the North for
publication. He had flattered his men into the belief
that he was a great man, and indeed he had gained
the good opinion of the people all over the country,
and had he done his duty at Richmond or even at
Antietam, nothing could have prevented him from being President. But as it was he had showed his intentions so clearly that the whole country lost confideuce in him, not in his ability as a soldier but in his
patriotism. Many of the best men of the country
had serious doubts whether or not, that he had been
the means of giving the enemy much valuable information, concerning many things that were transpiring
-216 
-217
within our lines; indeed the opinion became so prev  alent that the department was compelled to suspend
himn from the command of the army of the Potomac.
These as well as many other of their short comings
I made good use of. I challenged their leaders to
meet me on the stump and discuss these great questions
with me, but in most cases they declined to accept my
challenge. At last however I found one fellow fool hardy enough to meet me; he had been a member of
the Legislature in 1862, and was one of the fellows
who voted against every measure brought before the
House that session, that would give aid to the country
in putting down the rebellion; indeed he went so far
as to vote against allowing a man to make a union
speech in the hall of the House of Representatives. I
made the opening speech, and charged the Democrats
with beginning the war, and furnishing fuel to keep up
the flames, and showed by conclusive evidence that
they were responsible for keeping it up. This I showed by producing the proceedings of their meetings and
conventions, in which they had held out hope and encouragement to the rebels, as also their constant endeavors to prevent enlistments, and the raising of
means to put down the rebellion. I charged them
with prolonging it by their constant and even their
present opposition to the Republican party who were
trying to put it down; that the rebels looked upon
it as in their favor, for I lived among them and knew
what they said and thought.
I put the question to him, and demanded an answer
if every man North of the Pennsylvania line had been
a Republican, or in favor of putting down the rebellion at once, would Gen. Lee ever have come across
the Potomac river, or would we ever have had to fight
the battle of Gettysburg, Antietarn, or the South
Mountain? If you answer yes, I will tell you that
the rebels say themselves, that they knew before
they came over, that near half of the people on this
*10 
-218
side of the line were their friends. Then if that is so
who were their friends? If it was not you Democrats,
if it was not you, why do the rebels hurrah for McClellan since his nomination, why don't they hallo for
Lincoln? Why can't you get a few cheers for old
Abe from them, as well as for "little Mack."? Please
answer some of these questions for me.
It was his turn to reply, but instead of replying to
what I had said, he commenced on the negro, just as
I expected; he proved by the opinion of some learned
Democrat, that the negroes were not quite human beings as they had more bones in their feet than white
men, and said we Democrats are better friends to the
negroes than the Republicans are, for they desired to
turn them loose on the world to take care of themselves, which they are not capable of doing, and we
think they are better off with a good master to take
care of them.  Why even the clothes and shoes and
the very hat that they wear, are provided by their
masters turn theipoor creatures loose upon the world
when they will have to provide for themselves, you
will then see what will become of them. (The poor
fool forgot that the negro had to earn not only his
own clothes, shoes and hats, but his masters and his
families too, and if he could earn enough to support
two families when he was a slave, he certainly could
earn enough to support one, when he is free.) He then
undertook to show by their love for the - negro, and
their undying support of Gen. Jackson, and the great
love of the Union as it was before the war, that he was
a better Union man than I was, and then closed and
gave me the stand to make my reply.
I told him he reminded me of an old tanner in Ohio
who had no sign to attract the attention of the people,
his wife insisted that he ought to have one, so he went
out and studied a while what kind of a sign he should
have; at last the idea struck him, there was a knot
hole in one of the boards of his shop, he took out his 
-219 —
knife and cut the tail off an ox hide that laid there
and stuck it in the knot hole, letting the huskey end
of it hang out.  Thinking it a good attraction he went
to breakfast and when he returned he found an old
traveller with his bundle on his back, looking at his
sign. He said nothing to him, but got his horse and
went away to plant some corn, and did not return for
several hours, but when he did return he found the
old traveller still standing there looking at his sign,
and said, what are you doing ideling away your time
looking at my sign; the old traveller turned and said,
sir, I have travelled all over Europe and America and
can very easily tell how the tide ebbs and flows, and
how the sun rises and sets, in fact sir, I have never
come across any thing in my life, but what I could  b
investigate, unravel- and make something out of it,
but how in the devil that ox got his body through that
knot hole, and has been all day trying to pull his tail
through and can't do it, is more than I can tell; so
say, how in the devil after all your opposition to the
Union, you can call yourselves Union men, is more than
I can tell. This had the effect that I desired, for the
crowd yelled and cheered until he got disgusted and
left the meeting, and that was the last I ever heard of
him. I continued my speech to a late hour, and closed amid the cheers of the crowd for old Abe and the
Buckeye Blacksmith. Here I also paid a high compliment to Mr. Douglas, and wondered why the ghost
of that great and good man did not rise and haunt
the men that are asking his friends to vote the ticket
that every rebel in the Southern army would vote; if
they were allowed to. Mr. Douglas, I said was a
loyal man to the flag, and his last words when dying,
were, tell my boys who are absent, to be true to the
flag of their country, and I was very certain that if he
was living to day, that he would be a strong supporter
of the war policy of the administration, for he did say
a short time before his death, that''notwithstanding 
220 —
he and Mr. Lincoln had differed widely in politics in
former days, yet he would stand by, and support him
in putting down the rebellion, and to the honor of his
friends who are living to day, the most of them do
stand by the old flag, as their great leader would do
was he still among us.
This course I found had a very good effect in harmonizing the Douglas Democrats, a very large number of whom were with us heart and hand in putting
down the rebellion, as well as assisting us in re-electing Mr. Lincoln, as could plainly be seen by the manner in which they would cheer me whenever I made
these favorable allusions to the memory of their great
leader; also by their flocking around me after the
speech was over, thanking me for the manner in which
I had spoken of Mr. Douglas.  I usually told them
that it was my duty to speak as I had, for it was nothing but the truth that I had said.
I travelled from place to place and spoke for some
eight weeks, making from six to ten speeches a week,
many of them from fifty to a Lundred miles apart,
causing me to travel bo'h day and night, and on most
occasions speaking to large meetings in the open air,
and at least one half of the time I had to speak twice
A day, miles apart, so that when the campaign was
over T was very much prostrated, so much so, that it
took me several weeks to recruit my strength. I had
spent in that campaign near three months hard labor
and all the money that I had, but on the day of elec tion had the glorious satisfaction of knowing  that I
had assisted in putting "little Mack" to bed and tuck ing the covers in around him, where he can quietly
lay the balance of his life, dreaming about his future
prospects for the Presidency
The people in this election not only endoresed Mr.
Lincoln's war policy, but his honesty and integrity as
an executive, by giving him the largest electoral vote
ever given to any man in this country. In doing that 
-221
they not only condemned "little Mack's" war policy,
but his loyalty to his country, by giving him the
smallest vote ever given to any candidate who ever
ran for the Presidency in a single fight in this country,
and I would here say that their decision on this occa sion was a very righteous one.
While I was speaking in Pennsylvania the papers
said many fine things about me, which I took good
care to send to our office, in order to let them know
what I was doing, and how I was liked by the people
up there. I sent them a glorious account of my debate with the Democratic Legislature man, and also
sent them all the attacks made on me by the Copperheads, and they were not a few, for they piled it on me
pretty heavy.  This I liked, for the simple reason that
if ever I loose confidence in my own integrity it will
be when a Democratic paper speaks well of me.  Their
praise I never have had, nor never expect to court.
I have always considered that their abuse was the best
of proof that I was touching them in a tender spot,
for I have always heard that a wounded pig would
squeel, and the tree that bears the bestfruit is clubbed
the most. So I have found it in politics, the man that
hurts-the most will be abused the most, and if I was a
agoing to make a dozen campaigns, I would be glad
to have all  the Copperhead papers in the country
through which I expected to travel, to raise a howl
against me, for it would be the means of bringing me
into the favorable opinion of all decent men; and if
ever I should make another tour I would get them to
publish abusive articles against me, even if I had to
pay for them as advertisements, so certain I would be
that it would bring me into the good graces of the
best men of all parties, which I have always tried to
merit.
As soon as I had fully recovered my strength, I reported at Baltimore for duty and I was received with a
hearty welcome from all hands, who I am satisfied were 
-222
glad to have me back among them. They said that
they were proud to have me as a companion, as there
were few men who could k'ck up such a fuss among
the Democrats as I had, and but few who could get as
many complimentary things said about them, as I had
while away from them. This of course was very
pleasant to me to have their good opinion, and from
that time until our connections as permit officers ceased
we got along very pleasantly together.
About the close of the year of'64 there was a proposition made to present Mr. McJilton the head of our
office, with a silver set, as a testimonial of our good
feelings toward him for his kindness and impartiality
in his intercourse with us, as subordinate officers- It
was intended to be kept a secret until the moment of
presentation, which was to take place at his house, on
New Years morning. There had been nothing said
about the manner in which it was to be presented until the day before its presentation. when I was called
on by the committee who had it in charge and informed me that I had been selected as the speaker who was
to make the presentation speech. I consented to do so,
but told them as the time was short to prepare a speech
in, they must not expect much of a one, but they said
they would risk that, so the next morning we went in
a body to Mr. McJilton's house, and there in the presence of his wife and daughter and all of the permit
officers I made the presentation speech, for which I
received great credit, not only from Mr. McJijton and
his family, but all present.  They requested me to furnish a copy of it for publication, which I did, and
Mr. McJilton's reply, which I had published in a Philadelphia paper and a large number of copies sent to
me for distribution.
Nothing occured between January and the first of
April worthy of note, every thing went on smoothly,
we had but little to do, business had fallen off greatly,
and we were expecting that we were going to loose our 
-223
places altogether, as Congress was talking about abolishing it during the session.   About this time my
health began to fail me considerably.  I asked for,
and obtained leave of absence for a month to recruit
my health, and concluded to go out West for a short
time, so about the 10th of April I packed up and
started and went to Pittsburg, where I stayed a day or
two, and from there I went to Beaver some thirty miles
down the Ohio river, where I delivered a lecture; it
was on the 14th of April, that memorable night that
I never shall forget, nor shall I ever forget my dream
of that night.  I dreamt that I saw Mrs. Lincoln in
the greatest agony that I ever beheld, dressed in white
clothes, and seemed to be tearing her heart out of her
bosom, and wailing in great distress. I was so much
troubled about it that I could not sleep, but arose
from bed and put on my clothes and went down stairs
and at day break in place of going West, I concluded to
go back to Pittsburg by an early train that passed there
on its way East, and by the time we got half way to
Pittsburg we met the train for the West, and received
the sad news that Lincoln had been assassinated, and
was probably dead, and by the time that we reached
Pittsburg we got the news that he was dead. I went
to the post office at once where I found more than five
thousand people gathered together all bearing on their
sad faces the truth of what I had just heard at the
depot, Lincoln our Nations chieftain is dead..
As soon as I was recognised in the crowd, I was invited to say something to the people, as it was known
that I was personally acquainted with him.  I stepped
on the post-office steps, took off my hat and said:
MY FELLOW COUNTRYMEN:  I have a word to say
if you will listen to me for a moment.  I have traveled all over this continent as well as many parts of
other countries; I have been rich and I have been
oor. I have been on the topmost ladder of fame and
have been in the valley below, but I must confess 
-224
that this is the darkest day of my life; our chieftain
is slain and the nation mourns. I can say no more,
my heart is too full for utterance. The best friend
that this country ever had is this morning lying cold
in the arms of death. God has permitted it to be so,
therefore let us meekly bow to his will, for he doeth
all things well.
With these remarks I left the stand, while there
were thousands of watery eyes in the crowd. All
seemed to realize the facts that I had just spoken. I
had to wait a few hours for the train for the East and
before I was ready to leave, one of the papers Chad
published my short speech and complimented it very
highly. I bought a nnmber of copies of the paper
and sent them to my friends in Baltimore and elsewhere. I went to Philadelphia where I still had my
home (I had not gone to Baltimore to make it a permanent place of residence) and on my arrival I found
almost every house in my part of the city draped in
black. It looked very solemn-I could hardly realize the fact that he was dead, but alas, it was only
too true. The house next to where I lived was not
draped, I knew that they were cursed rebels, so I rang
the bell and asked if they intended to drape their
house, when I was told that they had nothing to drape
it with. I told them that if it was not draped in one
hour, I would not leave one brick on top of another,
for, said I, your party has killed our President and
you are glad of it, but you shall seem to mourn by
draping your house, or I will have a posse of men
here in one hour to tear it down, and then I walked
away; but long before the hour was out they had it
draped.  I told my friends that I was the man to
make a rebel understand his duty, and to do it to.
That was the most sorrowful day that Philadelphia
ever experienced; there was but one feeling there and
that was a feeling of sorrow.
As soon as Mr. Lincoln's body had left Philadel 
-225 —
phia, I returned to Baltimore with a sad heart, for I
knew that my only true friend was gcne, and now that
the war was over, the Permit Department would cease
and I had no friend to get me another place. On my
return Mr. McJilton informed me that he had orders
to disiniss all hands on the twentieth of the month,
(it was now the first week in May.) He said he was
sorry to part with us but there was no remedy for it.
I put for Washington to see some of my friends to try
for another place.  Judge Sargent, the Commissioner
of Customs, with whom I was well acquainted, told
me that he would try and arrange it for me, so I went
back in better spirits than those in which I had left.
I said nothing about it to any of my colleagues, for
fear they might interfere against me for themselves;
neither did I tell any person where I had been, but
waited patiently for the day to come when we were to
be discharged. It came at last-it was on Monday,
and about 10 o'clock I received my pay and got my
discharge. I was about to walk out when to my surprise a messenger told me the Collector wanted to see
me in his office. I immediately called on him, when
he told me that he had appointed me at the request
of some of my friends at Washington, an Inspector
of Customs, at four dollars per day, and handed me
the oath of office to sign, and then swore me in and
sent my name to the Surveyor to enter on his books.
As soon as Mr. McJilton received it he handed it to
the clerk for the proper entry, and then took me by
the hand and said, boys let us congratulate the Buckeye in his good luck in getting a better place than he
has just left-he has been appointed an Inspector and
I for one am very glad.
If a thunderbolt had struck them they could not
have been more surprised. Here were all my old
enemies just dismissed without any hope of another
place, and I, who so many of them had so often treated with so much disrespect, promoted to a better one 
-226
than I ever had before. The great trouble among
them was, how I got it; who had got it for me; what
influence could I possibly have brought to bear; they
said the Collector would not have given me the place
without some influence, more than my own.  I told
them that the Collector knew that I was an honest
man and hence the appointment.
My dear young reader, you will here see another
evidence, that by doing right, you must in the end
succeed. I had always done my'duty faithfully, and
Providence was taking care of me now.
1',
.1 
CHIAPTER XI
JOHNSON'S ADMINISTRATION. - HIS MOTIVES AND AS  PIRATIONS. -HANGING MRS. SURRATT. - "A CAT
IN THE MEAL TUB."'-REFUSED TO SELL OUT
TO JOHNSON. - -RESIGNED MY OFFICE.
S SOON as the excitement incident to the death of
Mr. Lincoln had partially subsided, the eyes of the
whole nation were turned to Andrew Johnson, who was
now the legal head of the government. The South
had reason to fear him, for they had said, and done
many things against him while the war was going on,
and now that he was at the head of the nation, they
had reason to fear that he would retaliate upon them.
The whole North seemed to have fears, that he would
be more severe on traitors than was necessary. We
conquered the rebellion, they had laid down their
arms and had returned to their homes, and therefore
the large majority of the northern people thought that
we ought to be lenient towards them as long as they
kept quiet and behaved themselves, but many had
grave doubts whether Johnson would let them off without at least punishing their leaders, and after he had so
promptly offered a large reward for the capture of
Jeff Davis, we began to conclude that he intended tQ 
-228
make short work with them. Also when Mrs. Surrat and her coleagues were tried and convicted his
prompt action in their cases caused much alarm in
the South, and considerable also in the North.
Many thought at the time and think so yet, that the
ends of justice did not demand their executions so
soon after conviction. The most hardened criminals
that the world ever knew, are generally allowed thirty
days in which to prepare for death, but here we have
an old feeble woman, who is not charged with the
crime of murder, but only with being accessory to the
murder of Mr. Lincoln, brought before a court martial, at a time when calm reflection is almost impossible. Our great and good President has been murdered, and the whole nation cries for vengeance, it was
scarcely in man to think, speak or act calmly on-the subject at that time. There seemed to be no doubt but
that Mrs. Surratt knew something about the murder,
but suppose she did, was it necessary, to meet theends
of justice, to hang her the next day after she was convicted, or indeed was it necessary to hang her at all?
Could we not have been lenient to her, and saved the
disgrace of hanging an old woman, by sending her as
we did others to prison for life.  I think we might
hove done so, and received the applause of the whole
world for doing it.
But Andrew Johnson said no, she must die, and on
to-morrow at that. The question very naturally arises,
why was he in such a hurry, why not give her and
her companions the usually allotted time? Was
there any danger of her. or them doing any harm
when they were locked up: in prison? Was he afraid
that she would raise an army and be rescued from the
hands of the government, or what was he afraid of.
I have no doubts but that he thought the old proverb
was true, that dead men and women tell no tales on
the living.
It is very certain that he had some motive for act 
-229
ing so promptly in this case, and I have many doubts
whether on the day of judgement, when he will stand
before her at the bar of God, she wont accuse him of
knowing as much about the murder of Mr. Lincoln aq
she did; there has always seemed something very dark
and mysterious in that affair. Why did Booth and
his companions untertake to kill Mr. Lincoln and all
the leading members of his cabinet, and not try to
kiul Johnson the only man that could take Lincoln's
place? None of the cabinet were eligible to his seat,
then why try to kill them and not the man who was
to fill his place.  These are questions I fear will have
to be answered in the last day.
It was in evidence at the trial of J. H. Surratt some
time after the murder of Mr. Lincoln, that Booth was
at the Kirkwood House on the afternoon before the
murder, in conversation with Johnson. -Why did he let
him slip when he had such a good chance to put him
out of the way. There must have been an understanding among them, that Johnson was to be let alone,
as he was the only one of the heads of the government who was not attacked or an attempt made
upon; yet notwithstanding they had spared his life,
there is no doubt but that he intended to deal very
harshly with the rank and file.
In 1841 after the death of Gen. Harrison, John Tyler began in good faith to carry out every measure
that the Whig party had advocated and to all appearances bid fair to make as an acceptable a President to the Whig party as Harrison would have
made.  This of course he did, not as a principle, but
for a motive. i He expected to build himself up with the
Whigs, so as to get the nomination in 1844 by them
for re-election, but before six months had passed he saw
plainly that the Whigs throughout the country were
centered and fixed on Henry Clay, and nothing that
he could do would be able to change that fixed determination. He the before turned table not only to all 
-230
his former principles and professions, but to the Whig
party that had elected him Vice-President, and from
that time until the end of his term used every power
at his command not only to destroy the Whig party,
but to build up the Democrats. The result was
that when his time expired, he went out of office
despised and hated by the good men of all parties.
So it was with Andrew Johnson, he intended not
only to carry out every known principle  began by
Mr. Lincoln,  but to go still further than he ever
intended to go, for it was  not Mr. Lincoln's intention to hang the leaders of the rebellion, but to
deal leniently with them, but it was Johnsons fixed
purpose  to put his iron heel upon them  and crush
them to the earth as dogs.  This he intended to do,
not because the country demanded it, but as Tyler
did to build up a Johnson party in the North, strong
enough to nominate him in 1868, and had the Republicans throughout the country after he hung Mrs.
Surratt have began to form Johnson clubs in every
town and county as they did for Grant, he would have
hanged Jeff. Davis and Lee as well as hundreds of
others as high as Haman, but he saw very plainly
that hewas not the man.  General Grant was in the
hearts of the people; he had conquered the rebellion
and saved the country from ruin, therefore they
determined to place him at the head of the nation
as a reward for his faithful services in the field, believing him as capable in the executive chair to
serve his country as he was in the field of battle.
Thus Andy saw that the thing was settled so far
as his being able to get up a Johnson party was
concerned so he, like his predecessor, John Tyler,
concluded that if he could not rule, he would ruin, and
at once turned the table to all his former professions
and commenced an indiscriminate war upon the Republican party and all its known principles and politics, and at once commenced without the aid of Con 
-23[
gress to reconstruct the rebellious States upon his own
responsibilty, and in direct violation of the plans laid
down by Mr. Lincoln.
It was his duty as soon as he was called to the chair of
State, to have issued a call for an extra session of Congress, for the purpose of reconstructing those States in
a manner that it might see proper. The South would
have been satisfied with almost any terms that would
have boen proposed; but in place of that, he undertook the job himself, and before Congress could meet
in December following, he had so tampered with the
leaders of these rebellious States by his appointments
and reconstruction policy, that when they did meet
they were not willing to accept any measure that Congress offered them, and from that day to the end of
his term of office he never for one moment abated his
opposition not only to every measure of the Republican party, but with every power at his command endeavored to crush and disgrace Gen. Grant- not that
Grant had done any wrong, but to vent his spite on
the Republican party for their great love for and confidence in him, and thus for near four years we as a
party not only had the Democratic party in the North
to fight but the whole South, with Andrew Johnson
and all his officeholders to back them.
Early in the Summer  after Johnson had- become
President, there were several applications for a change
of officers in the Custom House  at Baltimore, so I
concluded, that as Mr. Hoffman the Collector had
kindly given me a situation when I needed it, that it
was my duty to assist in keeping him in  his place,
therefore with numbers of others I set to work to get
signers to that effect, and in a few days succeeded in
obtaining several thousand of the best citizens of Baltimore asking the President to retain him in office.
When all was ready, a committee of the leading importing men of the city were appointed to take all the
papers to Washington and present them to the Presi 
-232
dent in person. I being a pretty good talker, they invited me togo along, (this committee was composed of
both parties); when we arrived we were very cordially
recieved by the President, and after shaking hands
with him we presented our papers, each one making a
short speech; none of us said anything about politics,
only stated what the merchants wanted him to do.
He during all our remarks stood calm and coldly, listened to us without a smile or a nod of his head, but when
the last man, who had always been a rebel, came forward and said, Mr. President I do not come here as a
Union man, but I come as a Democrat, I have not
voted the Union ticket as I suppose these gentlemen
have, indeed I have not voted at all since the war
broke out, but I have come to you as one of the importers of foreign goods, to ask you to retain Mr. Hoffman, without regard to his political views. The moment that this gentleman said he hatd always been a
Democrat, I saw Johnsons countenence brighten up
with a smile, saying very pleasantly, I am glad to
meet a good Democrat tbr I have always been one
myself, and he appeared to take more interest in what
he said, than all the rest put together.
From that moment I lost all the remaining confidence I had in him, and as soon as I could get to the
cars I returned to Baltimore and  went direct to
Collector Hoffman's house and told him Johnson had
gone back to the Democratic party and that he would
be removed as certain as he lived, which he was in a
few days.
As soon as Mr. Webster took his seat as Collector I
put for Washington to try my luck again to keep my
place, but this time I went to Montgomery Blair, he
eing very intimate with the Presideut. I concluded
that if I had any hope it was through him. Mr. Blair
at once acknowleged my claims on the party and went
with me to the President and then to the Secretary of
the Treasury, where we had a very pleasant interview. 
I returned home with bright hopes of success. A few
days afterwards, Mr. Webster sent for me and told me
that he had sent my  name down for re-appointment,
in due time it was announced in the papers that I had
been re-appointed by Mr. Webster as an Inspector of
Customs; this caused another flutter among my colleagues, all of them wondering where the influence
came from, that held me in my place.
The situation that I now held was a more pleasant
one than I had in the Permit Department, owing to the
fact that the men composing the Inspectors Department
were a better class of men and better Union men, than
those that were in the Permit office; they were very
kind and respectable to me which made our relations
toward each other very agreeable.
About this time a friend of mine came to me one
evening and asked me to go with him to a certain hall
not far away, for a meeting. He said we have called
a Johnson and Swann meeting and intend to form a
club of that name, we have taken the start of the
the other wards, so that if it comes to anything
we will have the name of starting it.  I told him that
I would go along, but I could not take any part in
it, for I had great fears that both, Johnson and Swann
had or would soon desert our party, and I could not
follow them. We went to the hall and found some
seventy persons present. As soon as we entered some
one proposed to organize the meeting by calling me to
the chair, which I promptly declined; they soon found
another to take the chair, who stated that the object
of the meeting was to form a Johnson and Swann club
of the sixth ward and proposed that a committee be
appointed to recommend permanent officers for the
club. I was named as one of them, but I again declined, when several present insisted on my reasons
for declining to take any action in the proceedings.
I told them that I had once read of a rat that
went to the top of a meal barrel and looked down
1233 
-234 into, and saw plenty of good meal at the bot tom,  but  at  the  same time saw  a large lump
in the centre of the pile of meal; he sat there looking
at the meal, wishing for some of it, but what does that
lump mean in the centre of the barrel, who knows
but that is a cat covered up there, if it is, and I go
down to get some meal, the cat will get me, so I
think that I had better stay out. That is my case
said I, it may all be right, but I think that I can
see a cat in the meal tub and therefore think that I
had better stay out.
What do you mean said the President by such talk
Oh nothing particular said I, but I don't like cats,
this raised quite a laugh. When the business of the
meeting was concluded, (every man in the house except myself signed the constitution) they took a collection to pay the rent of hall (which was one dollar
and fifty cents). I told them that as I was the only
officeholder in the house who had a good salary, I
w(luld pay their rent for them that night, and they
could keep what they had raised by their collection
for other expenses; this seemed to please them very
much, but still they insisted on me to give them my
reasons for not joining the club. The only reason
that I would give them was, that I had  concluded
to wait a while to see whether it was all meal that I
saw in the barrel or whether a cat was really there,
as I had really suspected; if it should all prove to be
meal that I saw in the barrel and no cat found among
it, then I would take part with them, but not until
then.
The next Thursday night they had another meeting
when a number more joined the club. They called on
me for a speech but I declined telling them that I had
come there to listen and not to speak. Some of their
new recruits I noticed were or had been rebels. They
had some speaking that night by some of their local
speakers, but none of any account; everything passed 
off very quietly, but I left with my mind fully made
up that Johnson and Swan had forever left the Republican party and had sold out to the enemy.
The morning of the next meeting there were notices
in all the papers that there was to be a grand rally of
the sixth ward Johnson and Swann club, and that able
speakers would address the meeting. I concluded to
go and hear them, but to my surprise when I got there
I found not only the hall an(i stairway full, but hundreds in the street. I thought this meant something;
I therefore worked my way up stairs and into the
room when I found it crowded with all the leading
Democrats of the ward.  They very soon proposed to
organize the sixth ward Johnson and Swann club by
electing a certain Democrat to be President. The regular President being in his chair declared the motion
out of order as the club was already organized and the
President in his chair; but they paid no attention to
him and put the vote and elected their man. They
ousted the rightful President and went to work. I
turned to the old President and said dont you see the
cat in the meal tub now? The most of the old members who had joined the club left as fast as they could
get out of the hall, myself with them, and as far as I
was concerned, that was the last Johnson and Swann
meeting I ever attended.
Many of my friends thought it advisable for me as
well as themselves to attend those meetings and appear
to take some interest in them in order to keep our places, for if we were turned out some rebel would get
our place. Tihis I refused to do from the fact that I
had never forsaken my first principles nor I never intended to do for the sake of a petty office under the
government.
Things went on in the usual way until Thos. Swann
appointed his registers who were to turn the State over
into the hands of the rebels; this was done in the
Summer of 1866.  There was to be a Governor and
. 235 
-236 —
Congressmen elected that Fall and Judge Bond was
to be the Republican candidate for Governor and John
L. Thomas for Congress in my district. The Johnson
men threw out the hint, that every man in the Custom
House wilo voted the radical ticket would be turned
out the next day.  My friends advised me not to vote
at all; many said that they would not go to the polls,
but I was determined to die game, so on the morning
of election I was the first man at the window ready to
vote when the time arrived to receive votes. I found
a man there to watch me, so in order that he might
make no mistake, I opened my ticket and showed it to
him, saying as I did so, you see that it is the genuine
radical Republican ticket, go tell your master that I
showed it to you, and without another word I walked
away.
There was but one thing that saved me from being
turned out, it was this: a few weeks before this, a ship
arrived at quarantine with some fiftysmall-pox passengers on it; there was no law to compel an officer to
board such a vessel, (although humanity did) and it
was necessary for one to go, in order to separate the
healthy from the sick; they could not go ashore without an officer, and the question was, who would volunteer to go. There were ten men waiting orders but
none of them were willing to risk their lives. I had
a ship in charge at the time, but the Collector sent for
me and asked me if I was willing to board that ship
and discharge the passengers and their baggage. He
said that it would be a humane act to do it. I agreed
to go and did go and never left the ship until the passengers were all ashore at the hospital and the ship
completely fumigated and hauled up to her dock. So
when the demand was mrade for my removal a few days
after the election the Collector sent for me and told me
that for my humane act in boarding that ship at a
time when no other officer could be induced to go, he
should not trouble me about the way I had voted; so 
-237
I slipped through that time, but several others were
removed.
But still these villainous rebels were determined to
follow me up and get me out, but found that they
would have to chaligr  their programme.   They next
made their attaclt from Washington. They reported
there that there were a number of officers unnescessarily employed in the Custom House and finally got one
of Johnson's pimps sent over to investigate the matter;
he of course was toasted and fed on the best, by the
tools of J(ohnison in the Custom House, and without
even calling to see if men were attentive to their business or n.)t, he goes back to Washington and reported
that myself and two or three others were of no account
to the government, for when we had a ship in charge,
we were never on it, but running about town drinking
and neglecting our business. This charge they supposed we would be unprepared to meet, as there would
be a peremptory order from the Secretary to the Collector to dismiss us without giving him a reason for it.But in this they failed; Judge Sargent, the Commissioner of Customs had the case to investigate, he was
my friend, and at once sent me a copy of the charges
and gave me a chance to disprove them.
I went to the Collector and showed him the charges
when he at once told me that I should have leave of
absence to fight it out with them; he said that he was
satisfied that it was false, and for me to go ahead until
I proved it so. I went immediately to all the large
shipping houses that I had unloaded vessels for, and
showed them the charges against me, when every firm
including the Baltimore & Ohio R. R. Company officers
Spence & Reid, Kirkland, Chase & Co., F. W. Brune
and Sons and many others signed a denial of all the
charges brought against me, and also a remonstrance
against my being removed,. giving as a reason why
they wanted me retained, that I was the most prompt
and accommodating officer they ever had to transact 
-238  business for them. When I had got through with my
testimony I went to the Collector and showed him all
my papers, which pleased him very much; he was
glad I was so well fortified, and told me to take them
direct to Washington, and give them to the Secretary
in person, and I would find it all right. The next
morning I put off with my bundle of documents, and
in due time laid them before the Commissioner of
Customs, who went with me to the Secretary, and laid
my papers before him. The Secretary told us that they
were unnecessary as he had just finished reading a
letter from one of the largest importers of Baltimore,
which satisfied him that the charges against me were
false, but to accommodate me he would look over my
papers, which he did, and then turned to me and said,
go home and go to work, and as long as you perform
your duties as you have done, you shant be put out of
your place;-I thanked him for his good opinion of me
and left with flying colors.
On my return home I went to the Collector and
tol]d him all that had been said and done; he congratulated me on my success, and told me to attend well
to my business, that I should not be disturbed. Mr.
Webster the Collector was a true friend of mine, and
although he had sold out body and breeches to Johnson and Swann, I shall ever feel grateful for his many
kind acts to me, and at no period in my life will I
prove ungrateful to him, should he need my services.
He is a high toned gentleman, that would not stoop
to an unmanly trick, at.least I have always found
him such.
After I had whipped them out at this last game of
theirs, they concluded to let me alone for a while, but
continued to work on the Collector to have me removed. The messenger at the Collector's door kept me
posted about what was going on, I was therefore preared at all times to meet all charges that might be
brought against me. The Collector in order to get rid 
of their teazing him about me, told them that if they
could catch me away from my vessel in working hours,
sitting about a drinking saloon, he would turn me out.
So that night they met at their club room and arranged a plan to trap me. Four of them were to come
to my ship and pretend that two men from the country who had known me when a boy, were around the
corner at an oyster saloon, and wished me to step
around for a few moments and take a plate of oysters
and a drink with them, and would be much disappointed if I did not come. But I had been posted by
the messenger, who was present in the club room
when the plot was laid.  He had come to my house
at midnight and notified me about their plan, so I
was ready for them when they came, and told them
that I always made it a rule after I unlocked my ship
in the morning never to leave it until I locked it at
night. If my friends wished to see me, they must
come on board the ship, or wait about an hour, when
it would be closing time, then I should be very happy
to see them. They tried every plan they could think
of, but it was no go. I knew what I was about, so
they had to go away with a flea in their ear, and I had
the satisfaction of knowing that I had beat them in
this last effort to oust me.
Mr. Webster one day sent for me and told me it
was his desire, that I should keep quiet and not abuse
the President or Gov. Swann. Just let them alone and
say nothing about them, that I could enjoy my own
opinion without saying any thing about it, as the
more I said the greater the opposition would be against
me. I therefore concluded that it was best for me to
take his advice, which I did, until Johnson and Swann
undertook to send the United States troops here to
forcibly eject the police commissioners out of office;
this I saw was a high handed measure, one that was
likely to bring on another bloody war, at least in Bal timore that might have spread all over the whole
-239 
-240  country.  This I openly denounced, it was impossible
for me to keep still, and I would here remark if it
had not been for General Grant who was at the head
of the army, coming to Baltimore and putting a stop
to it when he did, God only knows how much blood
they would have caused to be shed, but thanks to our
noble General, he was the right man in the right
place, came boldly forward and finished this job as he
has done all others he ever undertook; promptly
without saying much about it, as he don't talk much,
but shows what he is by his acts. After this trouble
quieted down things went on in their usual way, I
said but little, kept very quiet and attended to my
business, until about the first of January 1868, when
they began to talk about assessing the men for politi cal purposes. There was to be an election in New
Hampshire in March, which would be the opening of
the campaign of that year. Both parties were de termined to carry it, and for this purpose we were to
be assessed to help carry it for the Democratic party.
I knew all about it in January but said nothing to
any person but my true friends, but was determined
not to pay a cent for that-purpose.  They had given
out the word that whoever refused to pay their assessment would be turned out of office, the result was,
all except myself, Ishmael Day and D. R. Mumma did
pay it, and I am very sorry to say it, but it is true,
that many of those who did pay their money to defeat Grant in'68, are holding good offices under him
to day, while many who refused to pay are walking
about, unable to get a place under the Government,
but so the world goes, the greater the weather cock
the better the luck.
They collected nearly all their assessments before
they called on me, for they knew that I would refuse
to pay, so they left me to the last, and when they did
come they went away with a flea in their ear. I told
them that I would give twenty dollars instead of ten, 
-241
but I wanted it used my way, one dollar for a rope
and the other nineteen to pay a man for hanging the
traitorous villain Andrew Johnson. The young man
who called on me said, that if I talked that way I
would be kicked out of office before the next night,
when I told him he had better keep quiet or I would
kick Lhim out of my office now, for I was a man of
principle, and did not allow him nor the President or
any other man to insult me in my office, and so far as
paying money to aid the Democratic party was concerned I had been fighting them too long for that,
and had lived before I got an office and could live
after I got out.
As soon as the young man left I sat down to think
the matter over, I had always been true to my principles, had never for one moment deviated from them
and now should I pay tribute to such a scoundrel as
Andrew Johnson, no never, my mind was made up in
a minute. I would resign -and in place of sending
money to New,Hampshire, I would go there and stump
the State, so I sat down and wrote my resignation and
handed it in, and bid farewell to Andy and his office
and put for Washington and got some letters of introduction and left for New Hampshire.
*11 
CHAPTER XIL
STUMPING  NEW  HAMPSHIRE AND CONNECTICUT. -
"HUNTING JOHN MCDANIELS BLACKSMITH SHOP."
-  GREAT ENTHUSIASM, HANDSHAKING,
ETC.-"THE NEW HAVEN REGISTER."
T WAS on the 6th day of February that I resigned
and went to Washington, and that night at 9 o'clock
I left for New York on my way to New Hampshire,
although it was one of the coldest nights I ever felt,
and I was going to a State that I had never visited before; I started as cheerful as if I was a boy, and had
a gay ride that night to New York, and by six o'clock
the next evening was in Nashua the first city in the
State, just beyond the Massachusetts line. I inquired
for a Republican Hotel, where I was saftely landed in
a few minutes by the accomodating hackman of that
house, which I found to be one the best kept hotels
that I had ever visited;  upon going to the office to
register my name I inquired if there were any live
Republicans in that place, when the landlord, who
was behind the counter, said, I am a live Republican
and there are plenty more of them at the tea table,
walk in and take your tea, and I will introduce you
to plenty of them when you are done your supper. 
-243
I went in, took my supper and when I returned to
the sittingroom, I found a score of gentlemen waiting
for an introduction to me; the landlord immediatly
came forward and introduced me personally to each
one of them, when we entered into a very pleasant
conversation. They asked many questions about the
people and their views in the South and what motives
I had in coming to that country at that inclement
season of the year, for it was about the coldest night
that I had ever felt.
I told them all about the assessment to raise money
to help carry their State for the Democratic ticket, and
my refusing to pay for that purpose, which was the
cause of my coming there, for the purpose, of
undoing all that the money they were sending would
do. I intended to go all over the State and talk to
the people if they were disposed to hear me, which I
had no doubt they would.  They said they were going
to have a little meeting that night, and I should go
along with them to it which I did; they took me up
into a room and told me this was a secret Grant:club
that they were attending, but that I should be admitted as a member, which I was in a few minutes afterwards. As soon as they were through their private
business I was called on for a few remarks, when I
arose and said: Mr. President, I have read in the good
book that the whole need not a physican, only those
who are sick; I presume sir, that not many of those
present are in a very unhealthy condition at this time,
particularly if they passed through the same ordeal
that I did in getting in here; this raised a great laugh
when the President said, that was speech enough for
this night, we are satisfied that you can do it, we will
give you a meeting to-morrow night, one that you
will be satisfied with. The meeting was at once adjourned and I was received with a hearty welcome by
all present.
The next morning I found the town filled with large 
244 -
placards calling on all working men to rally at the
City Hall that night, to hear the Baltimore Blacksmith, a loyal southern mechanic, rmake a speech;  I
was taken during the day all around the city to the
leading workshops and introduced to all the workmen
in them, so that by night I had become pretty well
acquainted with the people.  When night came I was
escorted to the hall by a committee of Blacksmiths,
and found the hall so packed with people that we had
to get through the back window to get to the stand,
and found it packed also. I found all of the elite of
the  city there, both ladies and  gentlemen, so that
there was scarcely room for me to stand. I was introduced, and began by saying, thatthis was one of the
proudest nights of my life, coming as I did among
them an entire stranger, to meet such an audience as
I now saw before me, was very gratifying. But while
I feel gratified at this very flattering reception that I
meet here to-night, I fear that I shall not be able to
meet your expectations, for as you perceive, I am a
plain working man, raised in the South without the
advantages of even a common school education, I
therefore know but little about big words that some of
our speakers use, in fact I only know four or five of
those big words, and I hardly ever undertake to climb
up them very high, for fear I might have some difficulty in getting down again, so I usually let what few
I do know alone, (great laughter) and content myself
with speaking in a plain matter-offact way. 
What is it ladies and gentlemen which is dividing
the two great political parties at this time; what are
the principles laid down by the great Democratic
party, do any of you know, can any gentleman in
this house tell me, if there is, I will thank himi to raise
right up and tell us, for I am free to say that I have
been for- forty years trying to find out, and have never
been able to find any other principle in them, but to
love whiskey and hate niggers (loud applause). Hunit 
-245
ing Democratic principles put me in mind of when I
lived in Ohio; I wanted to find a certain Blacksmith
to work for me, and started to hunt him up; after going some distance across the country, I came across
a boy chopping wood by the road side and asked him
if he could tell me the road to John McDaniels Blacksmith shop; he looked up and said certainly I can,
keep down this road till you come to a fence on your
left hand, take up that fence to the left until you
come to the top of a hill, then take to the right down
through the woods till you come to a small creek with
a log laying across it, cross the creek and turn up to
the right until you come to another fence, take the
left hand end of the fence and follow it till you come
to where three fences join together, you then follow
the right hand fence until you come to the top of another hill, turn to the left and go down the hill until
you come to another little creek with a pine slab laying across it, cross the slab and you will see three sycamore trees growing up out of one stump, there turn to
the right and keep up the hill till you come to the
top of it, and here he stopped as if studying the balance of the road, when I said, well which way then my
boy? Oh, said he looking archly, I guess you will be
lost about then, for that is as far as I know the road.
And that would be the way with finding out what
Democratic principles were; this raised a loud roar of
laughter. I then commenced and showed them the
great advantage the South had held over the North
in the representation in Congress by counting a portion of their slaves as free citizens, and the great necessity there was to enfranchise the colored voters of
the South in order to protect the North, for as the
negroes were now free they would all be counted in
the houses of representation, which would give the
South over forty members in Congress after 1870, that
they would not be entitled to, without enfranchising
all the people.  I then showed what the Republican 
-246
party had done since they came into power, and how
the Democratic party had tried every way they could
to prevent us from raising men and means to put
down the rebellion, and to prevent us from reconstructing the Southern States in a satisfactory manner, and
now they have the hardihood to look an honest man
in the face and ask him to put them in the control
of this great country that they had used every power
at their command to destroy. I as one individual
beg leave to say no.  Suppose ladies and gentlemen
that you would find a man trying to destroy your
house when you go home to night, and in conquering
him you lost several of your family killed and wounded, and after you had succeeded in overcoming him
you let him go( without punishing him, would you be
willing to employ him to watch your house for you
after that, or would you not rather employ one of your
friends who assisted you in saving your property?
You will all say that you would employ your friend
and not your enemy, that would seem natural.  I
will now put the question and I want some Democrat
to answer it; was there one man in that rebellion who
assisted in trying to destroy this country, or one man
that fired a gun at a Union soldier or who ever dragged
our flag in the dust, who was not at the time he did it a
professed Democrat? I pause for an answer, come sing
it out, if you know of even one that was not. T'Ihere
being no answer, I said how can they have the impudence then to ask you to trust them with the reigns of
government, why give them the reigns of this great
country in their hands, they would be like a beggar
on horseback, they would ride it to the devil in a
short time.  This caused the wildest outburts of laughter. I finally at the end of two hours closed my remarks by stating that if the people disired it, I would
speak for them until the election. As soon as I closed
the people crowded around me, shook hands with me,
and introduced me to some ten committees who  had 
-247
come from various cities of the State to hear me. They
had gotten up this meeting to try me, to see if I would
suit the people of their country, hence these committees had been sent for. I had more than met their
expectations so much so, that before I left the hall
that night, they had made fourteen appointments for
me in various parts of the State, and I commenced the
next night to fill them. I spoke at Milford the next
night and then went to Manchester, the largest city in
the State, and the greatest manufacturing city also.
There they had the largest hall in the State, it would
hold sixc thousand people. The meeting was called
for working men, but the hall was packed by all classes; we had a boss blacksmith for chairman, who introduced me in good style, and here I made a two hours
speech but half of the people failed to get in and were
determined to hear me, and as I had no meeting for
the next night, I agreed to come back from the place
I was to speak the next afternoon, and speak for them
in their hall again at night. I had made my speech
and had agreed to speak for them agina, but how to
get out of that hall that night, was what bothered me,
for everbody must shake hands with me, and I was
afraid that they would kill me with kindness. Gover nor Smythe said, that no man had ever pleased their
people as well as I had done, they seemed fairly wild,
so much so that a large number of them went with me
the next day, so as to be certain of getting me back
that night. I went to my appointment where I met a
large crowd and made them a very satisfactory speech
and at the close of my speech a vote of thanks and a
ten dollar bill to help pay my expenses was given to
me, and after a little handshaking I returned with my
friends to the city in time for tea, well pleased with my
reception that day in a country place.
Our meeting was called for eight o'clock, but at
six the Governor called at the hotel and told me that
the hall was packed full of ladies, and I might just as 
-248
well go over and begin then, as to keep the people
waiting, for all was in the hall already that could
get in.  So I went over and  found  it true,  there
were not less than four thousand ladies seated; this
hall had a private way leading to the stand, so that
I had no trouble in getting to it.  I was introduced
that night by Ex-Governor Smythe, who done it in
a fine style, making some happy allusions to the la dies.   I began my speech by thanking the people
for the many flattering receptions that I had met
with since I had comne among them, and said that
I was at a loss to know what had caused my great
popularity among the people, it was not my eloquence
or fine speaking that caused it, for  I was an  uneducated man, and if it was not my good looks, I
could not tell what it was.  This of course started
them roaring for several minutes, finally when order
was restored I commenced to speak on  the  importance of the coming' election; I told them'that the
eyes of every friend of Freedom  and: free Institutions was turned to [New Hampshire, as' she was the
State that was to start the ball in the present campaign.  I urged the necessity of standing  by  the
party that saved the country, as the only party that
had a right to rule it. IfI' appealed to the ladies to
give us their  influence in this campaign as they had
done during the war;  I  told them  some pleasant
things about female influence and. then closed  my
speech..       -    --               --
The Governor came  forward and said that it' was
the desire of the ladies that I should stand at the door
as they passed out, to give them a chance to shake
hands with me, and that many of them: desired  my
photograph before I left.  I told  them  that they
should be gratified, for it had always been pleasing to
me to take a handsome lady by the hand, and if they
were not afraid to get in the hands of a Bear, I was
not afraid to get into their hands; this caused a loud
laugh. 
-249
I was taken around to the front door and stood in the
centre, while the great mass of people passed on each
side of me, each one as they passed, giving me a shake
of the hand or arm, six or eight hold of each hand
and arm at one time, so by the time that they had all
passed I was nearly shaken to pieces. This was one
of the most glorious nights I ever pawsed, and one that
I never shall forget. The next morning I went to a
photograph gallery and set for a card picture, and before I left the gallery there were over thirty applicants
for a copy of it, and I was informed afterwards, that
the firm had copied and sold over a thousand of them
in ten days. I left Manchester with much regret, for
a more pleasant or agreeable set of people I never met,
nor shall I ever forget them.
I continued filling my appointments, until I arrived
in Portsmouth, the only importing city in the State,
here I met with a glorious reception; here they had
a navy yard which was pretty well filled with Johnson Demnocrats. I took occasion to pitch into them,
charging them with treason and causing hundreds of
murders that had been committed in the South since
he had been President, winding up with Tom Moore's
curse on a traitor, which is as follows
Cursed be the slave, whose treason like a deadly blight,
Steals oe'r the councils of the brave and blasts them in their hour
of might,
May life's unblessed cup for him be dregs with treacheries to the
brim,
With hopes that but alure to fly,
And when from earth his spirit flies,
Just prophet let the doomed one dwell,
Full in the sight of paradise,
Beholding heaven, yet feeling hell.
This caused considerable shuffling in the crowd, the
Republicans cheered and the other side looked daggers at me but kept pretty quiet. I left with flying
colors for my next meeting, with the best wishes of all
of the friends of Grant and the Republican party. I 
-250
continued to speak from place to place, with unbounded
popularity until Monday the day before the election,
when I was to close the campaign in Nashua, the
place where I began to speak. I was received with
open arms by my friends and had a monster meeting.
I made a long speech and closed by thanking the
people for the kind treatment that I met with, while
sojourning among them. I had made forty-two long
speeches in twenty four days and was about to leave
them, possibly never to meet again, but I shall never
forget New Hampshire.
As soon as the meeting was over I was met by a
committee of ladies and gentlemen, who  presented
me with several nice presents, and a nice little roll of
greenbacks, and after a general round of hand shaking
and parting good byes, we parted, hoping to meet again
in Washington a year from that. The next morning
I left for Connecticut, where I was to begin a campaign, and arrived at West Meridan about eight o'clock
that night.
When  I arrived at the hotel, I found no person
there except the landlady, who told me that all the
gentlemen about the house had gone over to the hall
to hear the great Blacksmith speak, but she feared he
was not there, as he had not come in the Boston train.
I asked her where tile hall was, when she pointed it
out to me; I went over and found it crowded, but worked my way to the stand, where I found Hon. Henry
Wilson speaking; as soon as he saw me he said, here
comes the Blacksmith, who you all want to hear.
I had made arrangeiments with the committee at
Nashua to send me the result of the vote of their State
at nine o'clock by telegraph. Mr. Wilson had just
closed, and I had been introduced to the meeting, when
some man cried out, here is a dispatch for the Blacksmith; it was handed up to me, I opened it and after
looking over it a moment, I turned to the audience and
bowed very politely, saying how are you Mrs. New 
— 251
I-Iampshire, twenty-five hundred Republican majority
and no mistake. This caused the wildest outburst of
applause I ever witnessed, it was full five minutes before order was restored; I had to read the dispatch over
several times to satisfy the crowd, after which I made
them one of my best speeches, which seemed to give
entire satisfaction.
After the meeting was over a number of the leading
men of the State, who were there attending a State convention with Mr. Wilson and myself, returned to the hotel
where I had: put up, when a handsome supper was prepared; we did ample justice to our appetites and then
went to business.  They proposed that I should take
the hardest Democratic county in the State as my field
of labor, promising to give me a good speaker to assist
me, which they did. We had two days to rest in, to
give the town committee time for to get our meetings
ready for us. I went to New Haven to make a speech
before starting up to my mountain district; here I met
the dirtiest little paper that I had run against in the
New England States, called the New Haven Register.
He began his dirty slang at me before I came to the
State, and continued it all the time I was there. I
went in due time to my appointments where I stayed
some three weeks, speaking day and night in my usual
way, leaving each place with the good feelings of all
good people.
The chairman of the State Oommittee had written
to me that I was to close the campaign on Saturday
before the election, at New Haven; he said it would be
the largest meeting that ever was convened inside of
a house in the State, for every body wanted to hear me
speak, so I must prepare myself for it. I went at the
proper time and found one of the largest meetings that
I had ever seen inside of a house; the fashion and
beauty of the city were there, every spot that a human
being could stand in was full. I was introduced to
the meeting by Goverior BuckingIham, who told me 
-252
that the editor of the Register was there to take notes,
in company with several others. I concluded to quit
even with him that night, so after speaking on various
subjects for a while, I remarked that the Democrats
were terribly frightened about negro equality, they had
great fears that the two races would inter marry with
each other, but I thought they were frightened without
a cause. It was a matter of taste who we married; if
a Democrat wished to mary a colored lady he could
do so, if he could get one, but I would advise them not
to come to Maryland for one, as our colored women
were to sharp there to marry a Copperhead, but in
order to quiet their fears on that subject if I were in
your next Legislature I would introduce a bill like
this, that if any colored lady shall hereafter marry
a white Copperhead, knowing him to be such at the
time, she shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and
upon conviction before any court having jurisdiction
of the same, shall be sentenced to read the New Haven
Register through every morning before breakfast for
one week, and I will bet my life that she never will be
caught in such a scrape again.
This almost tore the house down; they shouted with
laughter; there were some dozen or more colored ladies
sitting just to my left, in one seat, I turned to them and
said, do any of you desire to marry the editor of the
New Haven Register, if you do I suppose you can get
him  They all sung out we don't want him; this raised
another great shout, which was too much for the editor,
he raised up and left, and as he went I sung out, you
have frightened him off ladies, he is going to try his
luck in some other quarter, he sees that he  has no
chance here. There was but little more speaking done
that night, the people all rushed around me with their
congratulations in so putting down the Register man,
that I hardly had time to get ready for the train that
left at twelve o'clock that night, in which I was going
home. I got off however and arrived in New York the 
-253
next morning, spent the day there in company with
Governor Curtin and other speakers who had been
speaking in Connecticut, On that night I left for Baltimore, where I arrived in safety on Monday morning. 
CHIAPTER XIIT,
CHICAGO CONVENTION-SPEAKING IN INDIANA- t,LL
BET FIFTY DOLLARS IE IS THE BJUCKEYE
BLACKSMIITH-TOOK DOWN THIE COPPER        HIEAD MILLIGAN OF MORGAN'S RAID
NOTORETY-SPEAKING IN MAINE
PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW
JERSEY.
SPENT a few days at home and then started to
I make my way to Chicago, to attend the National
Convention in May, that was to nominate General
Grant for President, I went direct to Indiana and
commenced speaking throughout the State, whenever
I could get up a meeting. I had never been in that
State before as a speaker, and it was more difficult to
get up a meeting on that account, but I had too much
experience in politics, to be beat when I undertook to
get up a good meeting. I took a new plan with the
Indiana boys, I secured a place in which to speak,
then got my own bills printed, heading them with
War! War I War! one thousand volunteers wanted
immediately, not to fight Jeff. Davis, but to hear a
genuine live Southern Republican make a speech tonight, at (naming the place of meeting.) 
This being a novel plan of advertising, it took well
every body was wondering who and where the man
was, none of them suspected me, for I looked too comnmon. When night came I waited until the crowd
gathered and it was a big one, all looking anxiously
for the speaker, there being no name attached to the
bills they did not know who to call for. At last I
stepped on the stand and said: gentlemen you seem
to be waiting for your speaker, did any of you ever
see an orange that grew in Ireland, if you never have
you never will,- for there never was one that growed
there, this raised a big laugh; let me ask you another
question, did you ever see a real live Southern Republican, if you have not, look at me, for I am one dyed
in the wool, here was another laugh. I told you so,
said one to another, I thought he was the man.
I then took my coat off and commenced rolling up
my sleeves, when an old fellow sung out "I'll bet fifty
dollars that's the Buckeye Blacksmith, I saw him do
that same thing thirty years ago." Not so fast my
friend said I, you are making me too old, remember
there are ladies here, and they don't like old men,
this caused another laugh. By this time I was ready
to speak, and commenced and spoke for near two
hours, in my most happy style, causing the wildest
outbursts of applause; when I closed I found many
warm friends around me. I had pleased them so well
that they not only paid my bill at the hotel and refunded me what I had paid for my bills, but telegraphed to several other towns for meetings for me
and took me in a carriage to my next meeting, sending two of their best citizens along to introduce me
to the people where I was to speak.
I had no more difficulty in getting up meetings
after that, but had more invitations than I could attend to. I met many very bitter Copperheads in
that region; at a town called Anderson, I came across
that celebrated Milligan who was sentenced to be hung
-255 
-256
for being accessory to the murder of several citizens
who were killed by John Morgan while making his
great raid through that country, but was pardoned by
Mr. Lincoln through the intercession of Gov. Morton.
This Milligan sneered at some favorable remark that
I made about Gov. Morton, when I told him he was
the last man on earth that ought to sneer, for said I
if it had not have been for that good kind hearted
man, you would be rotten in your grave to-night with
six foot of hemp around your neck; he jumped up
and said he would thank me to tell him who had
given me so much- information. I got it from the records of the war department, said I, and was mad
enough when I saw it, at Lincoln and Morton to have
cursed them for interfering in the case. They ought
to have hung every man that had any hand in pioneering Morgan and his men through the country.  I
lived in the South and know what I say is true, that
you and such men as you prolonged that war for more
than two years, and there are more than three hundred thousand men now in their graves useless to themselves and the country,  that would to-night be at
home with their families, if such men as you had been
hung when you ought to have been.
Yet you have the hardihood in the face of all these
facts to set up and sneer when a great and good man's
name is mentioned.  You ought to thank God three
times a day for the balance of your life, that I was
not President at that time, for had I been, I would
have made hemp command a better price than it does
now, I would have hung as high as Haman, every
man North or South that ever raised his arm or voice
against the flag of my country. God bless that old
flag, I love it dearly, and she still floats over the land
of -the free and the home of the brave in spite of you
and John Morgan and all your hellish crew. This
was more than he could stand, so he left amidst the
roars and laughter of nearly all present; this was a 
257
gay old night for me, and I left there a very popular
man.
I continued to speak until I!got to Logansport,
where I made my last speech before going to the convention, which was on Saturday night, after which I
took the train for Chicago, arriving there the next
morning. I stayed in Chicago until the nominations
were made and then left for home to rest awhile.
After I had rested a week or two, I started for the
Northern tier of counties-in Pennsylvania, where I
travelled from town to town laboring day and night,
until July, and was then taken sick and had to come
home; many days while up'in that: mountain country
I had but one meal to eat a day, for the want of
money to buy more.  I hated to make,my  situation
known, the:people being strangers to me, at last I
worked my way to where I'was known, when I fared
better.  Had I told the people my situation they no
doubt would have provided well for me; as it was I
felt satisfied that I was doing my duty to my party
and also the country, it was not money  that I had in
view, but a fixed desire to aid Grant's election.  I'arrived home about the middle of July, quite' sick, and
remained there until the first of August, when I got
well again, and concluded to go to the State of Maine,
where they had just opened up a very lively campaign.
I left Baltimore on!the night of the first of August
and went direct through to Portland, Maine, without
stopping, arriving there thie second day after.  I left
the cars, carpet bag in hand, for the City Hotel, but
had not gone far when I met a man who said, aint
this Mr. Bear of Baltimore'? I looked at him and at
once recognised him as the master of a: ship,'that I
had discharged some years before. He asked me where
I was going, and I told him my business, when he
said that I had come at the right time, for they were
going to have a great meeting there that night, and
wanted all the speakers they could get.  I am a Dem 
-258
ocrat said he, but that don't make any difference, you
must go home with me and stay at my house, and I
will go with you and introduce you to some of the
leading men of your party. I went with him and
made his house my home while I remained in that
part of the State, and made a good Republican out of
him at that.
The captain took me around that afternoon and introduced me to the leading men of our party, they
having heard of me while in New Hampshire the
winter before were much pleased to have me visit
their State, and said that they had plenty of work
for me, that they needed me very much that night.  I
went to their great City Hall, and found as many outside as there were inside, all clamoring for a speech. I
went in and found a gentleman speaking to a packed
house. In a few minutes a committee came to me and
asked me if I could speak in the open air, if I could
there were more people outside than inside, and I had
bettei be sent out there. I went and in five minutes I
had them roaring, they cheered so loud and often that
the crowd in the house heard it and began to leave by
hundreds, and the committee had to stop me, until the
other gentleman was through, when the meeting was
adjourned to the street where all could hear me, when
1 finished my speech, (and if I ever made a good one
I made it thatnight. I told all my good anecdotes with
good offect, and after we were through I was made the
Lion, in the place of the Bear, that night.  The committee made a series of appointments for me, through
the mountain regions of the first congressional district,
where I went after speaking a few days in the neighborhood of Portland. I had a pretty tough time of it
while travelling among the mountains, owing to more
ignorance among the people than I had found in the
Eastern States. I had a fine young speaker with me,
he done the smooth talking and I done the rough, but
we got through all safe, without the loss of a man, or 
-259
a drop of blood, we returned to Portland to make the
closing speech of the compaign, which was on Saturday
before the election on Monday. I spoke to two very
large meetings where I hid them a final farewell, and
left for Pennsylvania on Monday morning, arriving in
Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon just in time to attend their great mass meeting that night.  I went tot
the telegraph office, where I expected a dispatch, giving me the result of my labors; I found one awaiting
me with the glorious news that we had crrried, not only
the first, but every district in the State, this was glory
enough for one day.
I went to the great meeting on Broad street, where
they had several stands erected; it was arranged for me
to speak on the main stand first, in order to draw the
crowd together. I commenced by telling them that
as I camne there I passed a crowd of Democrats who
had just heard the news from Maine, singing that good
old hymn, "Hark from the tombs a doleful sound," but
they had altered it, they sang:
"Hark foom Maine a doleful sound,
Mine ears attend the cry,
Ye Democrats come view the ground,
Where you must shortly lie."
This raised a great roar of laughter, and as they finished that verse a sound came up from Maine to the
Pennsylvania Democrats in answer to their song:
Rebels this clay must be your bed,
In spite of all your towers,
The Copperheads throughout the land
Must lay as low as ours. 
this was all that it was necessary for me to say, I had
filed the crowd as full as they could hold, and then
left the stand, but remarked as I done so, gentlemen
if we do our duty in Pennsylvania this Fall, you will
hear our Copperheads singing about the fourth of November next,
Plunged in a gulf of deep despair,
We wretched sinners lay. 
— 260I then bowed and left for the next stand, amid the
shouts and laughter of ten thousand people. I mountthe next stand and went over the same thing, and in
five minutes had another crowd roaring; I then passed to the next stand, and done the same thing over
again, and so on, until I had gotten up a good meetat all the stands.  I received great credit from many
of the leading Republicans of the State, for the manner in which I drew the people together at the various
stands that night, all declared that the "Buckeye'
was ahead in getting up a crowd.
I rested the next day, and then made arrangements
with the State committee to canvass the State for them;
they knew that I was coming and made a number of
appointments for me, the first one, at Chambersburg
in Franklin County, near two hundred miles West of
Philadelphia.  I was to stay in that county a week,
when they would have other appointments ready for
me. I left Philadelphia on Monday morning and arrived in Chambersburg that afternoon in time to speak
to a very large meeting. I had to do all the speaking
myself, as the other speaker who was to assist me failed to get there. As soon as I was done speaking the
chairman of the County committee handed me a dispatch directing me in place of filling five other appointments in Franklin county, to report to him in
person at all hazzards the next day by two o'clock,
which I did by starting at two o'clock that night.  It
appeared that the State committee had made a mistake in sending me to Franklin county, they having
promised me to other meetings in a different part of
the State, and for that reason I was recalled as above
stated.
Some ten days prior to the great mass meeting at
Philadelphia, the Democrats of Montgomery county,
called a meetingat a place calledthe T'rappe one of their
strong bolds in the county, the Republicans called one
in the same place on the following Tuesday; the two 
committees made a bet of an oyster supper for a hun.
dred men, upon which party would have the largest
meeting. I was very popular with the people through
that region of country, it being the place where I had
made so many Lincoln votes eight years before.  The
Republicans took advantage of my popularity, and
sent bills all over three counties assuring the people
that the Buckeye would certainly be there; the Democrats denied, saying that I was not in the county but
the Republicans sent out riders all over the country
to tell the peo)ple that I was in Philadelphia and would
certainly be there. 
When I arrived in Philadelphia the day of their
meeting, I met their committee, who were greatly rejoiced thl)at they would be able to fulfil their promise
to have me there in time for their meeting. They said
that they would have lost a hundred votes had I failed to be there.  We took the cars and in due time arrived at the Trappe, where I was met by several hundred men and women who had already commenced
pouring in by hundreds from distant sections of the
country.  I was nearly shaken to pieces by them, they
being so glad to see me.
By eight o'clock that night no person estimated the
crowd to be less than from six to eight thousand people, the Democrats had given it up long before we began to speak.  I was the first speaker and spoke one
hour, telling the people as I closed that I had just
been informed, that several large: delegations were still
coming, and that I would speak again, after two other
speakers were done, so that all might hear me. This
pleased them very much and I retired to take a little
rest.
At the close of the speech of the last gentleman
that was to follow me, I was again introduced, this
time to more than eight thousand up turned faces, all
anxious to see and hear the "Buckeyes" I told them
that I had reasons to feel proud to stand where I now
-261 
-262
stood, looking as I now did into so many smiling faces.
Many years ago I came among you as a mechanic, you
placed confidence in me then as an honest man, and I
feel proud tonight my fellow countrymen, that I can
see in your smiling faces that I still have that confidence.  What is it my friends that has brought so
many of you here tonight from your quiet homes,
many of you from a distance, it was not to see and
hear me talk. No my friends you had a higher motive
in view than that; God has given you a great and
glorious country for your inheritence, you have come
here to show your devotion to that country.
It is only a little over three years since the last
enemy of this glorious country was compelled to
lay down his arms and cease fighting to destroy it,
and I have no doubt but that many of you were there
under that sour apple tree, to witness their surrender, and now the question is to be decided in a
few weeks, who shall govern this glorious country
of yours, the men that fought more than four years
to destroy it, or the men that spent three thousand
million of dollars, and three hundred thousand lives
to save it. This is what has brought you here my
friends, and I see very plainly by your looks to night
which side you are on. Have patiencemy friends until the third of November, and you will have the
glorious satisfaction of seeing this rebel Democracy
not only surrendering their rebel heards to General
Grant again, but you will see them buried so deep
that it will take the resurection gun to awaken them
again; this caused long and loud applause, and finally
at twelve o'clock I closed, never to forget that nights
proceedings.
It was one o'clock before the crowd got away, and
I had to get a wagon to take me across the country,
some twenty miles to intersect the Pennsylvania rail
road, in order to reach my appointment the next night
two hundred miles up the Susquehanna river; I had 
-263
not slept a moment for two nights, but I was determined to make it, and did do it, arriving just as the
people began to gather at the stand; I was taken to
a hotel and got a harty supper and was already to
speak, by the time the crowd had gathered. This
was another monster meeting; no other speaker being
there I had to speak over two hours, which pretty
nearly used me up, but I stood it. My speech that
night had a good effect, as the election afterwards
showed. 
I got a good nights sleep which refreshed me very
much, and left next morning for Bloomsburg in Columbia county, where I was to speak at a mass meeting in the afternoon. Here I met Senator Cragan of
New Hampshire, who was to speak with me; this
was Senator Buckalew's home and we had  him to
hear us. This was the place where seven hundred Democras organized and equipped themselves to resist the
draft in time of the war; it was known as the fishing
creek confederacy, which cost the government eighty
thousand dollars to put it down, this was a good text
for me. i was very popular in that county as a
speaker, having often spoken there. I charged the
Democrats with being the anti-war-party, which they
could not deny in that county. I laid it on thick and
hard that day, which pleased my friends very much.
After the meeting was over I had to shake hands
with thousands of the people; one lady said I must
sit down and take her daughter, a girl fifteen years
old on my lap; I done so, when she said, just here in
this woods you took me on your lap when I was a
little girl, and I hope you may live to come back and
take my grand daughter on your lap when I get one.
This pleased Messrs.Cragan and Buckalew who remarked that they never saw a more popular man among the
people than I was. The reason why I was so popular
with the people, I always after speaking went down
among them in a friendly way, shaking hands with 
-264
them in place of shutting myself up in a hotel parlor
as most speakers do.
That night I had to speak to a mass meeting  at
Northumberland where I arrived in time to get my
supper and be the second speaker.  Here I found
another very large meeting; all the old residents who
had heard me speak in 1840 of both parties were
there, and the chairman of the meeting told me that
he wanted me to make the best speech that night
that I ever made, as I had all of the best men of the
county there to hear me.  When I was introduced I
said that when I last -had the pleasure of speaking in
that place, my opponents stoned me, because I held
an honest difference of opinion with them, but times
have changed since then, we were at that time fighting for a principle, now we are fightinDg for our country, and I hope all of this vast crowd  which  I
see before me are in favor of a' united  country,
if they  are, there would be none  left. to throw
stones; this took well with the crowd.  I then went
on to show that the Republicans while fighting the
rebels in the front with the bayonet that they had to
fight the Democratic party in the North, both in Congress and every State Legislature to raise men and
means to put down the rebellion,  winding up  my
speech with these words:  In conclusion gentlemen
let me say, if any man here to night can show me
where one Democrat-in Congress or any State Legislature in this Nation during the entire war ever cast
one vote to aid in putting it down, I will stop speaking and aglree that they have a right to rule the country. This had a good effect, for they were like the
man in the scripture, dumb and not able to open
their mouth.
The next day Senator Cragan and I had another
monster meeting in Danville, Montour county, here
also I was very popular, having at one time worked
there taking pictures. The great Montour Iron works 
-265 —
are located here and employ a large number of hands
who were all anxious to hear a mechanic speak; here
I took protection as my theme to speak upon, which
the leaders of our party thought the best subject to
agitate before the crowd that would hear me. I was
at home on that subject, and gave entire satisfaction
to all present and left the stand amidst the cheers of
the people.
As soon as I was done, a carriage stood waiting to
convey me to another mass meeting that night, some
twelve miles from Danville. Senator Cragan was
unable to speak twice a day, therefore did not accompany me. That night after speaking over an
hour and a half my voice failed me and for the first
time in my life I broke down before I was through
my speech, but my friends rallied around me, and
by the aid of a good sweat and a warm room, I rallied
sufficently by morning to resume my travels.
My next place was a large county meeting in Union
county where I met the Hon. J. B. Packer the member of Congress from that district; we had a fine time
of it, many of the old farmers that had heard me
years before were there, with their whole families to
see the old "Buckeye", and to hear him make another
speech, and many of them shed tears, when I made
an allusion to the sacrifices that they had made to
save the Union, as some had lost a son, a brother or
some near friend in the war; I never met a warmer
reception in any place than I did there.
I went the next day to Sealings grove, where I was
to speak that night, and put up at a Democratic hotel
there being no other in the place. I was soon told
that I would have opposition that night, by a man
who boarded at my hotel; alright said I, that is just
what I want, who is he, I should like to take a look
at the fellow. He was pointed out to me by one of
his friends; is that him said I, well it wont take me
ten minutes to set the whole crowd laughing when I
*12 
-266
begin on him, but don't say anything about it, or he
will back out; let us have a little fun at his expense,
said I.  He promised to say nothing, but I knew  he
would, as he was a Democrat and a friend of the man
who was to reply to me.
At the supper table a very important stuck-uplooking young fellow sitting opposite me said, Mr. Bear
do you not have opposition sometimes in your meetings, dont some of the Democrats want to reply to
you? Sometimes said I, but not very often, those of
them that can speak have more sense than to undertake it; I sometimes meet with one that is green
enough to undertake it, but he dont generally stay long
in the town after he is done with me, particularly if
there are many boys about, for you know that boys
like to laugh at and tease people who are not very
sharp.
Night came on and with it a large crowd; they had a
fine stand fixed up for me, and I was introduced and
spoke for near two hou rs, winding up by saying, why
don't the Democracy meet and tell us what claims
they have upon the people for their votes? Our leaders
have tried to force them out, but they refuse to come,
preferring to stick to their old song that we are in favor of negro equality; I will meet the best man that
vou can raise in the county to-morrow, or any other
day and discuss living issues with him, but I will hold
him to the questions at issue, but my man failed to
put in an appearance and I had the field all to myself.  After the meeting a number of my friends walked with me to the hotel and we had a hearty laugh
over what had occurred at the tea-table, the landlord
among us; he was a Democrat, but a very clever fellow; he said that I had scared that fellow out of the
notion of replying to me, by what I said at supper he
being at the table at the time I said what I did.
I went next to Sunbury where I had one of the
most genteel meetings that I ever addressed; a num 
-267
ber of the first ladies of the place were there to hear
me who were not in the habit of attending political
meetings; I took advantage of their presence and devoted half of my speech to female influence, giving a
filll history of their toil and labor in behalf of the
patriots, cause not only in the revolutionary war, but
in our late struggle for the Union, and wound up by
appealing to them for their influence in the election
of Gen. Grant. This highly pleased them and many
of them came forward after the meeting and thanked
me for my very complimentary allusions to them. I
left Sunbury that night at twelve o'clock as popular
as any man ever left a place.
After leaving Sunbury I made a tour up the Juniata
river, speaking at Mifflin to a large meeting, the next
day, then at Lewistown, Huntington, Tyrone, Altoiia
and Hollidaysburg, having large and successful meetings at each place. From Hollidaysburg I returned
to Philadelphia, where I spoke two or three times,
closing the night before the State election. On my
arrival back to Philadelphia, I found a letter from
the New Jersey committee inviting me to speak for
them until the Presidential election, provided they
were done with me in Pennsylvania; they were done
with me there, and I therefore accepted the New Jersey invitation and spoke in Camden the next night.
The committee that engaged me made an appointment for me every day or night until the election.
One of the first places that I went to was Tuckerton,
a small town on the bank of the ocean in Burlington county; I did not expect to meet many
people there, but to my surprise when n:ght
came,  the  people  came flocking in  by. hundreds
until we had a mass meeting, that would have
done credit to a city, and in all my travels
through life I never  met a more pleasant reception than I did at that place. I was taken to Dr.
Pages private residence, where I was toasted, feasted 
-268
and flattered, as though I had been a king; the
people were not rich in this region, but they were the
most hospitable peolle I ever met.
I had another fine meeting in Vincentown, a place
where I had spoken before, where the people tried
how much fuss they could make over me; I left there
more popular than I ever was. I went from there to
Melville, one of the largest manufacturing towns in
West Jersey, where I had a monster meeting; here I
took up the tariff question, which suited themn in that
place. The Democrats got up a procession at the
same hour that our meeting was called, and formed
their procession directly in fronlt of the wigwam, where
we held our meeting; this was done in order to keep
their party from hearing me, but it was no go. As soon
as our band struck up a tune, the people crowded
into the wigwam until every available spot in it was
full; I commenced and spoke until their parade was
over and dismissed, when their leaders acknowleged
that half of their men stayed to hear me speak.
My next appointment was at Haddenfield, Camden
county, where I was to meet Exs Senator Frelinghuysen; here we had another great crowd, it was an afternoon meeting, to be held in a large hall. Haddenfield is an old fashion town, settled mostly by business
men and retired merchants from Philadelphia. Just
as the meeting organized a gentleman came forward
and said that the committee had sent another speaker
for the meeting, (a gentleman from Ohio); he was introduced to the chairman of the meeting and it was
arranged that I should speak first a few minutes to
draw the crowd together, then the stranger a short
speech, and Mr. Frelinghuysen make the main speech
of the day, and I to close up the meeting with a few
good stories. But in this arrangement we were doomed
to disappointment, for when this Ohio man got the
floor, he spoke nearly three hours, talking about nothing that had any bearing upon the subject before the 
-269
meeting (what a great pity it is, that speakers don't
know when to quit). Mr. Frelinghuysen was so disgusted at the manner in which he was treated that he
only spoke ten minutes, and I closed up with a few anecdotes. One of the wealthy citizens made a big party
that night, Mr. Frelinghuysen and I were the invited
guests and were serenaded in a splendid manner, but
the Ohio man had so offended the people by the way
that he had treated us speakers, that he was not invited, which gave him great offence. The greatest fault
that a speaker can commit, is to speak the same thing
over to the same audience in order to make a long
speech, particularly when there are others to speak.
This speaking to kill time has rendered many good
speakers unpopular.  My plan has even been to quit
when I was done, and for that reason have never driven my audience away while I was speaking, and
could always get a larger audience to hear me, where
I was best known than I could among strangers.
I went from this place down among the glass blowers
and wood choppers, here I met some pretty hard customers, some of them very ignorant, as much so, as
any I ever met, but the name of the "Buckeye" would
bring them out to our meetings and if they were not
to full of Jersey whisky they would listen to me very
attentively, but generally the Democrats will get them
too full to understand much that is said, after staying
a few days in that part of the State. I went to Salem county, where we had a large mass meeting at a
place called the Pole Taverp, a very noted place;
here I met Senator Cattell, who I found to be one of
the most glorious men I ever met, and a very fine
speaker, and I met many of my old friends of former
years; they gave me a very warm greeting.
I stayed a few days in Salem county, spoke at several of the most public places in the county, and then
left for Bridgeton one of the prettiest little cities in
the State; here we had a monster meeting and pro 
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cession.  Senator Cattell and I spoke, after whlich we
had a grand supper, gotten up by ladies of the place.
While the Senator was speaking some drunken shoemaker called him a liar, I at once took it up and went
down to thrash him, but before I got there the boys
in blue had sent him flying fronm the crowd; my resentment of the insult to their Senator made me very
popular not only with him, but all his friends. I
spoke in that county several times, winding up in that
part of the State at a small town called Newport; our
meeting was not large, but it was about the gayest
meeting I ever attended; oine half of the audience
were young ladies and a prettier set I never saw, they
sunIg songs after I was done speaking until midnight,
when we adjourned to the hotel and partook of a
hearty supper, after wich I left in company with
Sheriff Peacock who had taken me to all my meetings
in the county, and with whom I stayed while in Bridgeton; he is a tiptop man, and has as fine a family as
the county can produce.
On my way back to Camden I learned that Pro.
fessor Lovejoy of Maryland was to hold a debate with
one of the Camden Democrats at a small town on my
road up. I concluded to stop and take a hand in it,
therefore when within a mile or so of the place I got
off the cars and stayed with a friend until the time for
the meeting, when I quietly went in and took a seat
in a back corner.  As soon as they had  made  their
speeches, a motion was made to adjourn, when J. W.
Hazleton who knew I was there, raised up and moved
that they now organize a mass meeting to hear the
Buckeye Blacksmith, who was now in the room, make
a speech; this took the whole crowd by surprise, as
but a few knew I was there. The motion carried and
I walked forward and was introduced, the whole De mocratic party of the neighborhood was there to hear
the debate, which was lucky for me, to have a chance
to give them my views on the subject. This Demo 
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crat had alluded to me several times in his speech,
as though he would like to have a chance at me in a
debate, so when I commenced, I told the audience
that I had accidently dropped into their meeting and
had been very much amused at the remarks of the
very learned gentleman who had last spoken, particularly when he said hewould like to get hold of me, and
now that I was here he had a chance to get into the
Bears hands, and if he chose to attempt it, his
mother would'nt know he was out, when he got through
with me; why said I, his whole theme has been the
nigger, it was nigger when he began, and nigger when
he closed, he seems to have a bad opinion of the nigger, as he calls him; possibly he has a right to have, possibly some colored lady has given him the cold shoulder
at some time, if so, he is excuseable for his opposition
to them; and turning to him, said, was you ever
sacked by a colored girl? He sung out no sir. This
brought the house down with thunders of applause,
and as soon as it subsided, I turned to him again and
said, do you still want to get hold of the "Buckeye"?
This brought down the house again, and thus I went
on until there was not greese enough left of him to
fry a mosquito, when the meeting adjourned with loud
and long cheers for the "Buckeye", and I'll bet my
head that he will never tell another audience, that he
would like to get hold of the "Buckeye Blacksmith",
that will be a night long to be remembered by those
that were present.
I left the next morning and spoke in Camden county
some three times, closing the night before the election,
at a place called the Flat Iron, in the surburbs of
the city of Camden, where I met a drunken Demo cratic crowd, who had collected there to break up our
meeting as they had done many others; but I pitched
into them, I told them that by that time the next
night they would be howling out of the other side of
their mouths, that we would bury them so deep the 
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next day, that even whisky would not be able to resurrect them. I made my speech in spite of them, and
in closing told them that I could thrash the best man
they had among their cowardly crew, if they dared to
come forward to the light, but it was no go.
I finished my speech and came away with flying
colors, crossed over to Philadelphia and  the next
morning took the cars and arrived home in Baltimore
at one o'clock, in time to vote for Grant and Colfax,
and thus ended that campaign. 
CHAPTER XIV.
APPOINTED A SPECIAL AGENT IN TREASURY DEPART
MENT.-GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN IN PENN      SYLVANIA.-CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN
IN MARYLAND.-THE PREACHER
AND THE WASPS.-STRIKE A
LIGHT OLD WOMAN, I'MI
ALL UNRAVELLING.
THE  ELECTION was over, Grant was elected,
but I was very much broken down in health, after eight months hard labor. I had but little money,
out of employment and surrounded by Democrats that
only pointed the finger of scorn at me. Whenever
they met me, I tried various plans to get something
to do, but tried in vain; I got up a small useful article, that every family needed, and tried to sell that,
but they would tell me that I was too black for them,
and refused to buy of me, and some of the very men
that pointed me out as a nigger worshipper at that
time and kept many persons from buying from me,
are this day holding offitce in the Baltimore Custom
house.  This shows the principles of designing politicians, use you when they want you and kick you after
they are done with you, this has been my experience
through life. 
-274 — 
As soon as Congress assembled in December, I
went to Washington and got all the leading Republican members of both houses to sign a petition to Mr.
Webster, to put me back in my old place. I had
thirty Senators and fifty members of the house to ask
him to put me back, but he refused to do so, giving
as a reason, that it would be a bid for Grant to keep
him in his office, and thus I was left to work my
way through the winter, the best I could. The 4th
of March came at last and although I had worked
eight long months, and went through as many hardships as any man ever did, I could not raise money
to go and see him take his seat. But my organ of
hope was large, and I looked forward to better days.
I intended to apply for a special agency in the
Treasury Department, as soon as Grant had his cabinet made up and concluded that I must do something to show the department that I had a capacity for that branch of business. There were rumors
of fraud in one of the internal revenue districts of Baltimore, that the Assesor was playing in the hands of
the whisky ring, so ini connection with another
gentleman, I went to work and made out a very
strong case against him.  1 took the proofs to Washington and laid them before Commissioner Delano,
whose solicitor pronounced them strong enough to remove any man. Mr. Boutwell at once removed him,
but lo and behold, that same man has lately been appointed to office again in the Custom house; tiis is the
way politicians do business;  as soon as I made out a
case out against him, I went to see President Grant
and made my wants known to him, he at once sent me
to the Treasury Department and in two hours after I
was appointed one of the special agents of that departinent at five dollars a day, and went home with
flying colors, but by some hook or crook in sixty two
days after I was discharged.  I went to Washington
and could get no reason for it, neither could I find out
by whom it was done. 
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Mr. O. D. Madge, the head of my department went
to work and raised some money, to pay my expences
in Pennsylvania to stump the State for Gov. Geary,
who was runing for his second term.
I started and went to Philadelphia, where I made a
few speeches around the suburbs of the city, and then
left for the western part of the State; my first appointmeat was in Waynesburg, the county town of Greene
county, one of the most rabid Democratic counties
of the State; indeed this county bordering as it did on
Virginia, gave the government more trouble during
the war to keep them in subjection than any county
in the State. It was court week, and the day of court
when the the most of the people of the county were
in town, I consequently had a very large meeting; I
had all the leading Copperheads of the county at my
meeting, as well as all the leading Republicans, including Hon. J. B. Donley the member of Congress of that
district, who I found to be a live and active Republican, one of the best in the county. My meeting
was at one o'clock and as I had never spoken there
before, all were very anxious- to hear me. I had all
the Democratic speakers and principal men in the
county to hear  me, I therefore expected a pretty
lively time of it, but had no fears but that I would
come out all right.
I was introduced and commenced by referring to
myself as being a plain, uneducated man and therefore
should not attempt to make anything but a plain speech.
I then told them, that from my  long experience in
politics I had become fully satisfied that the masses of
the people, without regard to their political views, were
honest, that what the people wanted is truth, this they
could not get from the Democratic leaders; I told
them there was not a Democratic speaker, from his
honor the judge of the court, down to their commonest
speaker in the county, who would meet me on the issues 
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which divided the two parties, and stick to the question.
They are going to have a meeting to-night, said I, and
they will tell you all about a nigger; they even know
how many bones he has in his feet; they will tell you
that his nose is flat, his lips thick, his heel long, and
all that kind of talk, but this is not the issue that we
have to meet; the true issue before the people to day
is; shall those who sacrificed their blood and treasure
to save the Union rule it, or those who did all they
could to destroy it? Now the question is this: how
many of you Greene county Democrats aided in putting down the rebellion, and how many of you aided
in furnishing the fuel to keep up the flames of rebellion! You who assisted in putting it down have a right
to say in this matter, and you who did not, I would
advise to take a back seat and keep your mouths shut.
I went on in this way pitching into them for at least
two hours, they looking daggers at me all the time,
but I cared nothing fobr that, for I had friends enough
to sustain me. What few Republicans there are in
the county are made of the right material, they know
their rights and have manhood enough to maintain
them.
That night the unterrified held their meeting; they
had two speakers, the first one was a Doctor Patton, a
very intelligent man, but not a very good speaker.He raved and foamed about what I had said, misquoted much of my speech and seemed to be angry at me
for telling beforehand what he wanted to say about the
nigger; but he pitched into the nigger and dissected
him pretty well. He proved at least to the satisfaction
of some of his hearers that the nigger was not exactly
a human being.
The next speaker was a man by the name of Orawford, he was a much better orator than the doctor. He
pitched into me rough shod, but did it in such nice
style that I could not help but admire his tact in getting a laugh on me. (I always liked a good joke if it 
-277
did turn the laugh on myself.) This speaker also gave
the nigger more attention than he gave any other subject. (I would here remark that I defy any Deminocratic speaker in this nation to make a speech thirty
minutes long, without naming the word nigger, it can't
be done. What! a democratic speech without the
nigger, that would be ridiculous.)
I left the next morning for Carmichaels, a small
town in the same county.  Here I met some very good
men of both parties; here I found the greatest opposition against Gov. Geary that I had yet found. He
had made a speech there the year before in the Grant
campaign, which had given some offense, and I had
hard work to heal up the sore that he had made, but
I did it bv appealing to their love of Republicanism,
to vote the party ticket.
From here I went to Brownsville in Fayette county.
It was the week of their Fair; the town was full of
people, which enabled us to get up a monster out-door
meeting. Here also I met plenty of the unterrified,
many of them being full of Democratic argument,
(whisky) were quite noisy, but there were too many of
the boys in blue present to permit any trouble from
them, and after two or three of their most noisy ones
got knocked down for their insults, the rest took the
hint and behaved themselves.
The next night I had a meeting in West Brownsville, a small place on the west side of the river, in
Washington county. Here I met the most degraded
drunken crew that I ever saw; they were determined
that I should not speak that night, and some of my
friends advised me not to attempt it, for fear of an
outbreak, but the Brownsville boys knew what kind of
a place it was, and came over in full strength to sustain me while I made my speech.  From there I went
to Bellville and spoke to a large out-door meeting and
walked nine miles next morning before breakfast, in
order to take the boat to Pittsburg, having received 
-278
orders from the State Committee to return to the eastern counties to speak.
When I returned to Philadelphia I found that the
Delaware county committee had engaged mny services
for that county as the only person who could reconcile
the disaffection that existed in that county among our
own party. Geary had become so unpopular with the
best men, owing to the unwise use he had made of the
pardoning power, that there were great fears that we
would lose the county, and in addition to this, the oldest paper we had in the county was out against not
only Geary, but two of the county nominees.
I went there and filled a series of appointments from
that until the election. Our plan was to take a horse
and wagon and ride around all day among the people,
invite them personally to come and hear me speak,
and in that way got them out to our meeting through
friendship to me, when nothing else could have gotten
them out, then through my earnest appeals to their
party prejudice and my good humored way of coaxing
them we were able to carry the county by nearly its
usual majority.
My plan was to get them to our meetings, tell them
a few good stories, and then make  an appeal to their
patriotism, speak of how they had stood by the party
and our country in our darkest hours, and now because
one man had made a mistake and committed an error,
no doubt of the head and not of the heart, we must not
forsake the old ship, and let her fall into the hands of
the very piratical crew that we had spent so much
money and sacrificed so much blood to overpower, and
keep from sinking the very ship that we are about to
surrender into their hands, by refusing to support the
ticket that the party had given us.
By my earnest appeals and constant labor both day
and night for several weeks we were able as above stated to save the county. On the night before the election I spoke at Marcus Hook at eight o'clock and then 
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rode in a buggy nine miles, (the horse ran away  and
upset us once) and made another long speech, and then
back nine miles more the same night. This my dear
reader is the way that I have worked for my party,
and that without pay or any other reward than their
thanks. The morning of election I took leave of all
my Delaware county friends and these were not a few,
and returned home crowned with laurels, but had no
money. I went to Washington again to try for something to do, when Mr. Madge my former head officer
had me reappointed back in my old place, and where
through his influence, as one of the best friends I ever
had, I have ever since remained. I went to work as
an assistant to special agent, J. B. Morris, who was
located at Baltimore, and who was a good Pennisylvania Republican and have had a very pleasant time
with him since we have been together.
As I was now in a situation which I expected to keep,
I again made up my  mind to let politics alone, but
one of my greatest faults through life has always been
whenever I took sidles for any man, I would stop at
nothing that was fair to aid in electing him. Accordingly in 1870 I had a friend, Win. M. Marine, an enterprising young lawyer who I had known as a friend
and advocate of human liberty. I knew him to be
sound on all of the great questions of reform and progress of the present day. IHe was a candidate for the
nomination for Congress in my district; I felt that he
deserved it. He being an excellent speaker, I conicluded to stump the district With him in favor of his nomination. We did so, and had a very fine time of it;
we had large and respectable audiences wherever we
went, we carried every election district we spoke in.T'he result was, that my friend was nominated but the
district being six thousand against him he was not elected.'Mr. James A. Gary was the nominee in the fifth
district, and there being a large colored vote in that
district it was supposed that we could carry it for him 
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The colored people having heard of my speaking,
in the second district for my friend Marine, insisted
on my being sent among them. I therefore concluded
to go through the lower counties of this district
and  speak  for  him.   Mr. J. H. Butler a very
prominent speaker of Baltimore agreed to accompany
me, so we got a first class horse and carriage and
started, this was the gayest campaign I had ever had.
The whites were generally bitterly opposed to me, they
thought it terrible for a white man to ride around
speaking with a negro. We had to eat and sleep with
the colored people in most places, as the whites would
not keep us, but that was only fun for me, for I have
always thought that a colored patriot was a better man
than a white rebel, so I preferred staying with them.
The first place we went to was Calvert county,
where we had a very large meeting, we had all the
white rebels of the neighborhood there looking as mad
as the devil at me, but I cared nothing for that, I
pitched into them, I told the colored people that their
getting a vote had rather upset the Democrats, they
reminded me of an old preacher who had a pair of
buckskin breeches that he always wore over his pants
in the Winter to keep the cold out, and during the
Summer they were hung in the garret out of the way.
In the Fall a number of wasps crawled into them to
avoid the cold, and finally froze there. One cold morning the old man told his daughter Betsy to get his
leather breeches for him, she got them, he put them
on with the legs full of frozen wasps, he went to the
church and found a warm stove, and soon after he began to preach the heat of the room soon thawed the
wasps into life, and just'in the midst of the sermon
one of them stung him on the leg; he slapped down
his hand and began to rub, which set several others
to stinging, and him to rubbing worse than ever, until
the whole audience became interested in knowing
what was wrong, when the man looked up and said, 
-281
"brethren the spirit of the Lord is in my heart, but
the devil is in my breeches;" so it is, said I, with these
white gentlemen, (pointing to them.) The spirit of
Democracy is in their hearts, but your noting has put
the devil in their breeches.  This raised a great laugh
among the colored people.
I then asked the colored people if these white gentlemen were not trying to get their votes, they sung
out "yes." Why that is funny said I, they used to
call you damned niggers, did'nt they? "Yes they
did," cried out an old man; they used to say you had
flat noses and thick lips, and long heels, and crooked
shins, and curley hair, did'nt they? "Yes bless the
lord they did," cried a dozen voices; yes said I, and
they said more than that, they said you stunk like
the devil; "that's the god's truth," cried out an old
black woman; "hear him men, said she, "every word
the man says is true, bless th%Lord I know it." I told
them that their duty was a plain one, they must stand
by the party that gave them their manhood, they must
stand by themselves, and see that their rights  were
not taken away from them. And their votes since
show that they not only know their rights but are determined to take care of them.
We had a monster meeting at Port Tobacco, in
Charles county, there were a large crowd of rebels at
it.  I told the colored people that their getting a
vote had put the Democrats in a bad way. I told
them it reminded me of a man in Ohio, who was in
the habit of coming home drunk every few nights, (he
was a Democrat of course, said I,) and his wife always
set a bowl of bread and milk on the table for him to
have a lunch when he came home.  So one night one
of the children dropped a small ball of silk thread
from her work basket into the bowl of bread and milk,
the mother not noticing it went to bed. John came
home, got his milk and bread and went to work eating it, while doing so he swallowed the ball of thread 
-282
the loose end of it sticking between his teeth; he felt
something tickling him in the throat, he said what
in the devil does all this mean, and began pulling it
out, but before he had got more than a yard or two
out, he got frightened and sung out Peggy, Peggy. She
jumped out of bed and said, John don't make such a
noise, you will waken the whole neighborhood. I
don't care a durn, strike a light woman, strike a light,
I am all unravelling. That is the way with these white
gentlemen, (pointing to them,) your right to vote has
unravelled them, they don't hardly know what to do,
and I would not be surprised to see them before the
election, picking up your little colored children in the
streets and kissing them, and swearing they are the
prettiest children they ever seen, that they look like
their father, all for the sake of getting the father's
vote.  You are not a damned nigger now, you are our
colored fellow citizen now aint you, said I? "Hallelujah to de lamb, every word de man is saying is the
God's truth," said an old man.
Then if this is true, stand by your manhood, since
you are men, and don't suffer these men to mislead
you on the day of election, and if they can buy poor
white men's Votes for whisky, teach them that the
black man has more self-respect than to suffer himself to be bought with a glass of whisky or at any
other price.
Gen. A. E. King one of the finest and most popular speakers in the State, in company with Mr. Gary
and other able speakers, met Butler and I at all the
mass meetings that were held in the district. In the
interval between these meetings Butler and I would
hold one or two small meetings every day. We had
a large barbecue in St. Mary's county, where I think
there are about as many conceited Democratic lawyers
as I ever met; they challenged me for a debate, I accepted it, both parties were to be there, (these white
Democrats had no objection to eat the niggers bread 
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anad meat when they could get it, but were above voting with them.)
\Vell these lawyers had a speech written out, and it
mattered not who made the speech, they all made the
same one. I got hold of it, and when we met to have
the debate I spoke first and made his speech and replied to itJin advance of him; this of course took the
wind out of his sails and left him unprepared to answer me, he got very angry, charging me with unfairness, but I contended that I had a right to suppose
that he was going to say just what I had told the people he would, for said I there are fourteen speakers of
your party in the county, and every one of you make
the same speech, you have but one and can make no
other. This raised a great laugh, and one old Democrat said that he was ashamed of his party for letting
a Blacksmith beat them out as I had.  -This lawyer
had an arm full of books with him, but I told the
people what he would read out of them, so when he
would read from a book the whole crowd would laugh,
I having read the same from a piece of paper. But ler made the closing speech, and I don't think that
lawyer will want to meet us again in a debate.
We had a very large meeting at Bryantown, the
home of Dr. Mudd of Dry Tortugus notoriety, As soon
as I was done speaking the doctor demanded a right
to reply to me, he said they never allowed a man to
speak there without a reply, I told him all right, and
he mabe a reply, but not being a very good speaker,
made but a very poor attempt. Butler fo'lowed him
and before he was done with him, he had even the
doctors white friends laughing at him.
Thus butler and I travelled from place to place, for
nearly six weeks, eating and drinking, sleeping and
speaking together, and I must say that I never had a
more pleasant companion in all my travels. Butler
is a glorious good fellow, if he is a colored man.
Although we returned home without accomplishing 
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our object, viz; the election of Mr. Gary, we felt satisfied that we had not only discharged our dnty to
him, but to the Republican cause.
I received much praise for the manner in which I
conducted that campaign, by some of the leading men
of the party, particularly the Hon. J. L. Thomas the
collector of the port of Baltimore, who I consider one
of the best Republicans in the State; and who I am
certain was one of the best collectors Baltimore ever
had, my official relations with him for four years satisfied me that he is an honest man, and I challenge any
Port in the United States to produce a more honest or
faithful set of men than his subordinate officeris were
the day he left the Custom House.
It was my duty as an officer, to look after his men,
and see that they attend well to their business, and I
am proud to say that with few exceptions I always
found them prompt to duty. 
CHAPTER XV.
SETTLED DOWN TO BUSINESS.-STUMPING IN PEN  SYLVANIAi.-"PEGGY WHEN DID I SWALLOW THOSE
GOSLINGS. -GREELY BROKE UP THE DEMO      CRATIC PARTY.-SPEAKING IN NEW JER           SEY.-ADVICE TO YOUNG MEN.
N  MY  return from my tour with Butler, I settled
down to business again and although very much
broken down by constant travelling and speaking both
day and night. I soon rallied again to my usual
health and strength, and from that time until July
1872 mingled but very little in politics, but continued
to assist special agent Morris in the business of our office, with whom I get along ou the most friendly terms,
nothing occurring to mar our happiness, and I am very
certain, that the last four years have been the happiest
years of my life, and I sincerely hope that we may be
spared to pass four more years as pleasantly together
as we have the former, haviug devoted the best part of
my life to the service of my party I think it nothing
but fair, now that I am old, that the party should take
care of me, which I have no doubt they will so long as
I conduct myself in a proper manner. 
General Grant having received the nomination for
his second term, with that great and good man, Henry
Wilson for Vice President, I concluded to take the
stump in Pennsylvania, in support of them, and about
the first of July started for that field of labor. I had
not been there many days before I found that Grant
would gain an easy victory, the old dyed-in-the-wool
Democrats would not swallow Greely, he had said too
many hard things about them in former years for them
to bite at the bait, we had however a hard fight before
us. General Hartranft was our candidate for Governor,
and Buckalew his competitor was very popular and
hard to beat. In addition to that Hartranft was unpopular owing to the many falsehoods that the Dem ocracy had trumped up against him, and instead of
the fight being between Grant and Greely it was
pretty much entirely between Hartranft and Buckalew.
I was not long in finding out Buckalew's weak points,
one of which was his speech and vote in the Senate of
Pennsylvania the winter before, on what was known
as the Screen Bill; this speech and vote were very unpopular among the miners throughout the State. I
prepared myself with the official journals of the Senate and went down to the mining regions of the State,
and pitched into him, with my documents to prove
what I said, and I have no doubt but these journals
had very much to do with his defeat, as it was impossible for him or his friends to get around them.
I had considerable fun with the Democrats about
Greely; I asked them if they thought he was an honest man, some one would sing out yes, when I would
reply, well let us see what he says about you and your
party, and then read an article from his paper calling
them thieves and drunkards and every other vile name
he could think of, and then ask them what they thought
of that, if he is honest he wont lie, and if he don't lie
you are a thundering hard party, at least your own
candidate says so.  I had a large meeting at Shamokin,
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-287
one of the strongholds of the Democracy, when I asked them why they had taken Greely as their candidate,
or had he been forced on them by their leaders? I
know you hate him, I feel sorry for you, it is a pill you
hate to swallow, but you can't help it, bitter as it is
you have to take it.
I told them it put me in mind of a fellow who came
home very tight, (he was a Democrat of course,) and
felt sick, and called his wife to get him a bucket for
he must throw up.  She took the light and went to
the kitchen for one, but he was too sick to wait for her
and seeing something behind the stove that looked like
a bucket, he emptied the whisky out of his stomach
into that, but instead of it being a bucket it was a
basket full of young goslings, that she had put there
to keep  them  warm.  The goslings began to squirm
around not liking the smell of his whisky, when she
came with the light and he saw the goslings he turned
to his wife and said: in the name of God Peggy, when
did I swallow all these goslings? So in the name of
God how could the Democratic party swallow Horace
Greely? This created a loud and long laugh, many
of the old Democrats joining in it heartily.   I had a large meeting in Luck Haven, another
stronghold of Democracy and had plenty of them at
my meeting. I told the people that I had not one
word to say against Mr. Greeley, for I considered him
one of the best men that ever lived; he had done more
for the benefit of this country than any man living, and
indeed I consider that he has done more than all the
men put together that ever did live in the country.
Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and all the leading men
of the nation labored and died without accomplishing
the object they had in view. The great Whig party
existed fifty years and failed to do the job. Mr. Lin coln in the Presidential chair, with Grant at the head
of the army could not do it. But Horace Greeley
stepped in and has done the job without charging a
4 
sent for his labor, for which he deserves the thanks of
this Nation. That is he has broken up the Democrat ic party, and if that does not entitle him to the
thanks of the country, I should like to know what
would; this created considerable skuffling among the
unterrified, and laughter among the Republicans.
I spoke at several other meetings on my way out to
Lawrence county, where I intended to pass some time,
in order to fight the Democratic candidate for Con gress; he had been elected two years before by a split
in the Republican party of that county, he having
beaten a bosom friend of mine by that m ans.  I felt
determined to beat him this time if possible, I went to
Lawrence and commenced speaking, charging him
with certain votes in Congress the winter before, which
he and his friends denied, charging me with falsehoods
and demanding the proof; I had no proof further
than newspaper proof, which they denied.   I was determined not to be beat, so I left some of my appointments to be filled by other speakers and left for Washington city in order to get the journals of Congress to
prove the truth of what I had said.
As soon as I had left they said that I would never
return, that I had taken that method of getting away,
but they had missed their mark, for I went as fast as
the cars would carry me, and drew a half months
salary, and bought out of my own money the whole
set of journals of the winter before and the same night
took the cars back, and in three days from the time
I started I was back among them fully armed and
equipped to make good every word that I had said
about his votes, and then made appointments through
three of the counties composing his district. My journals struck them like a bombshell, wherever I went,
his friends would deny what I said and challenge me
for the proof, when I would open my big book and
ask them to step forward and read it for themselves,
this was a settler. They were unable to answer it and
-288 - 
I have no doubt but that those journals were the means
of uniting the Republicans in Lawrence and Beaver
counties and of his defeat; I spoke in all the principal
places in three counties, producing my documents on
all occasions and inviting the people to examine theIn
for themselves.
The Pittsburg and other papers through the district
gave me great praise for my energy in procuring the
proofs of the charges that I made and the labor [ performed in laying them before the people; I certainly
labored as hard in these three counties as ever I did
in my life, and think that I am entitled to some credit
for what I did.  There are but few as poor as I was,
that would have taken their own means and went four
hundred miles and bought documents, to carry one
congressional district. But I was determind to beat
him and I did beat him, this has always been a great
fault of mine, to spend all I ever made in trying to promote
my party. If I had have been a little more selfish
and looked after my own interest as well as I did the
interest of my party, it would have been better for me;
but I never think of myself when my country or party
need my services, neither have I ever counted the
cost, but go ahead at all hazards, believing in the old
proverb, that duty before pleasure is the best motto.
I closed the campaign in Pennsylvania on Saturday
before the election and returned home to wait the result.  It was generally conceded, that if Hartranft
carried the State, that there would be no more meetings held, as all knew that Buckalew would get more
votes than Greeley, as there were thousands of Democrats that would not vote for Greeley that would for
him, therefore the fight was entirely on the Governor
and Congressional vote, the most crazy Democrat in
the State had no hope of electing Greeley.
When I got home, every person I met wanted to
know how Pennsylvania was going for Governor. I
told them that Hartranft would be elected by at least
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290
twenty five thousand majority.  They would look at
each other and laugh, and some said I had gone crazy,
they had been led to believe that Buckalew would
certainly be elected, and I think he would have been,
if the election had taken place six weeks before it did,
as Hartranft's friends had not at that time prooved the
charges brought against him by the opposition to be
false, which we did during the last six weeks of the
campaign to the entire satisfaction of all honorable
and thinking men of both parties; a deeper or more
villainous scheme was never invented, than the one
they got up to defeat the wishes of the people and
them into support of Buckalew their candidate, but it
failed.
The day of the election I left for New Jersey, to
speak in the first congressional district in favor of my
old friend, J. W. Hazleton, who was running for his
second term. The Democrats had taken up a liberal
Republican, a great friend of Mr. Greeley, against
him and were expecting to carry enough Republican
votes to elect him easy. They were very bitter against
IHIazleton, he was and had been for many years a leading temperance man, and that was enough for them, for
everybody knows, that bad whisky has ever been a
leading commodity in their stock of trade. This liberal Republican candidate of theirs lived in Vineland
City, where Mr. Greeley owned property, and where
he oftened visited and lectured, and consequently had
a number of warm Republican friends, who would vote
for him, this they thought would enable them to beat
Hazleton.  As soon as I got there and began speaking
they met me and challenged me to debate with their
candidate, I of course accepted, and a meeting was arranged, but when the time arrived my opponent failed
to put in an appearance, but sent a substitute in his
place;  He was a very clever fellow, but knew but
little about politics, so it was not much trouble to put
him to flight. 
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I commenced my debate by stating that the only
principles that the opposition had yet advanced, that I
had heard of, was anything to beat Grant. Now I will
ask the gentleman who is to follow me to tell us why
they have such a desire to beat Grant. Is it because
the day he was elected four years ago, that our bonds
were worth but seventy two cents on the dollar, in the
bank of England, while their own bonds were worth
ninety three, and to-day our bonds are worth ninety
three and a half, and theirs are worth but ninety two
and a half, or is it because that our bonds were only
worth in Frankfort the great money centre of Germany, sixty nince cents on the dollar, while theirs were
worth ninety six four years ago, and to-day our's are
ninety six cents while theirs are worth but ninety five.
Or is it because the day Grant was elected that gold
was worth one dollar and thirty seven cents, and to-day
it is worth but one dollar and fourteen; or is it because
the day Grant was elected you could buy a hundred
dollar bond for seventeen dollars less than you could
a hundred dollars of gold, and to-day you can get a
hundred dollars of gold for four dollars less than you
can get a hundred dollar bond.
Now I submit it not only to the gentleman who is
to follow me, but to every candid man present, if they
have ever known or heard of any Government, whose
paper bonds were worth more than their par value at
home, except ours, and if ever ours were until now,
these statements that I dave made are facts known to
every man who now hears me, and of which every
man is proud.
I would here ask the gentleman to tell us what has
brought about all these happy results, and for fear he
will fail to inform us, I will give you some of the
reasons which produced them.
When the war was over, and Andrew Johnson became the President, he undertook to control the Govenment independent of Congress, thereby bringing him 
-292
self in direct conflict with the legislative branch of
the same; the result was not only the people of our
own country, but the Government of the whole world
lost confidence in onr ability to meet our obligations,
the result was we had no credit at home or abroad, but
as soon as General Grant took charge of the helm of
State, in unison with the great Republican party
who had achieved so much, confidence became at once
restored and the result was brought about, our credit
began to improve abroad as well as at home; gold began to fall, and our bonds to increase in value and demand, until to-day there is no Government on earth
whose credit either at home or abroad, stands as high
as ours, then why change it, why not let good enough
alone.
Suppose you elect Mr. Greeley, what could he do
with both branches of Congress against him? Do you
want another dead lock between Congress and the President for four years more, as we had under Johnson? I
say God forbid it, rather let us go on under our gallant
leader General Grant who is in full sympathy with
Congress on all. questions that pertain to the welfare of
our country. This argument had the effect that I desired, it pretty nearly shut the mouth of my opponent
as he was unable to answer it.
In his reply he had considerable to say about the
great principles of the Democratic party, saying that it
was principles and not men that his party advocated,
but failed to tell us what those principles were, making
as all who heard him acknowledged, a very poor attempt at a speech. In my reply to him, I asked what
those principles were that the gentleman had been talking about, he certainly having failed to tell us, and I
had many doubts whether he or any other man present
could give us the information, it would be a pretty hard
thing to perform. I once heard an anecdote related on
that subject, which ran thus:
An old minister dreamed that as he went to church 
-293
on Sunday, he met the devil on the road, who accused
him of being selfish in denying that he (the devil) had
any power on earth.  Well I don't believe that you
have, said the miuister; the devil replied I will prove
that I have, provided you will give me credit for it
publicly, after I have done so.  The minister not be lieving that he could do anything, agreed to it.  Now
said the devil I will do any three things that you pro p8se or I will give it up. Well said the minister pull
up that big white oak tree that stands there; he thought
in his dream that the devil took hold of it and pulled
it up as though it had been a straw, and laughed at
the old man. Now for your next job. Well said
the minister, level down this rocky mountain into the
valley and make it smnoothe; the devil he thought put
his arms around it and drew it down into the valley
making it level.  This frightened the old man somewhat, the devil only laughed at him and said c(ome on,
you have one chance more; the old man studied a moment to think of what he should tell him to do, all at
once the idea struck him, handing the devil a pencil
and piece of paper told him to sit down and write out
the principles of the Democratic party in New Jersey.
The devil looked him in the eye for a few minutes and
then began to cry, saying you have-got me there Parson
that is more than I bargained for, and bidding the old
deacon good morning, he walked away; this raised a
good laugh, and concluded my reply by saying that I
supposed that it would puzzle even the devil to tell
what their principles were.
That one debate satisfied them, for they found that
they had no child to deal with when they got hold of
me, I was too well posted on all the political questions
of the day for them to attempt and argue the issues
that were before the people, with me. A few days
after my debate, Mr. Hazelton sent a gentleman to
assist me in Salem county, by the name ol Peck, who
I found to be not only a very intelligent gentleman, 
-294
but a first class speaker. His manner of speaking was
somewhat different from mine, he made very strong
appeals to the finer feelings of the people, showing
strong reason why they should stand by Grant and
the party, while I used my documents and pitched into
the Democrats, using many of my anecdotes to make
the people laugh.
Mr. Peck being a writer of some note in the Washington papers, as well as an employee of the Treasury
department, he was well posted on all of the live issues
of the day, which made him a very agreeable companion as well as a very suitable speaker to travel with me.
Mr. Hazleton knowing this arranged it for him and I
to travel together, which we did for some two weeks,
speaking every day and some days twice. The people
of Salem county as well as through West Jersey are
generally a very sociable as well as hospitable class of
people, the result was Mr. Peck and I had a very
pleasent time while among them, they fed us on the
hest and gave us a hearty welcome wherever we went.
I was so much pleased with Mr. IHIazleton's treatment
while in his district that I hope his constituents will
have the good sense to nominate him next year for a
third term, for I am very certain they could not get a
better man, if they do Mr. Peck and I will stump his
district for him if we live.
I left New Jersey a few days before the election
fully satisfied that our labors would be crowned with
success.
The result of my labors in that district were crowned with glorious success, instead of Hazelton having
two thousand majority as he hod two years before, he
had near seven thousand this time, and his opponent
left the district a few days after in perfect disgust, to
seek retirement in some more congenial latitude. I
returned home in time to vote, pretty much worn down
by my arduous labors for near four months. I have
become old and can't stand the hardships I once could, 
-295
and I often wonder how I have been able to undergo
what I bave. Neither will it ever be known in the
world what I have endured for my party and its principles, and now when I am old and not alle to work
after having devoted all the best part of my life to the
service of my party, many of those who now hold an
office and are enjoying the fruits of my labor, have
tried to deprive me of the smnall place that I have and
thus deprive me in my old days of a means of getting
a living.
Thus it is and always has been with politicians, you
are everything when they want you and nothing when
they are done with you. If it was the last advice that
ever I expected to give to a young man, I would tell
him to beware of a tricky politician, for they are not
to be trusted, and I do assure you, that had I my life
to live over again that I would never be one, but as it
is I expect to devote the few remaining days of my
life to the service of my party. Being too old to com mence a different calling, and having made politics the
study of my life, I am now unfit for any other
business.
And although I have devoted the best part of a
long and eventful life, to the interests of my party and
its principles, without saving a dollar to support me in
my declining years, yet I have the glorious satisfaction
of knowing that I have lived to see, and to aid in the
overthrow of the two greatest evils that ever cursed
our glorious country, viz: the destruction of slavery
and the Democratic party. I was fully satisfied for
more than thirty years past, that in order to destroy
that party, that it was necessary to take from it the
props that held it up, slavery being one of its main
pillars, hence destroy it and the party must fall for the
want of support.
The Democratis party never had but two pillars upon
which to stand, or upon which it has stood for fifty
years, they were slavery aud whisky, destroy them and 
-296
you will hear but little more of the Democratic party.
I have lived to see the one destroyed and have spent
half of my life in helping to do it, and sincerely hope
that I may live to see the day when their last prop will
be knocked from under them.
And now before closing this little narative of my
life and travels, I wish to say that no doubt but that I
have made many grammatical errors, and many very
pleasing incidents have been omitted, having written
this work entirely from memory and it embracing a
period of over sixty years, it could not be expected
that I could recollect every thing that should have
been mentioned in a work like this. And if it had
not been that I have the greatest memory of places,
times and occurrances, of any man living, I could not
have possibly written this book. Being as I was (Ie prived in early life of an education, I was compelled
to depend upon my memory for all business purposes,
it became very sharp, and old as I am I could describe
almost every place that I ever spoke at in the last forty
years; but not being a writer I have left out of their
place very many of my best anecdotes as well as many
pleasing incidents that have occured during my travels.
Many of the anecdotes that I have used in this book,
were original with me, I having used the most of them
thirty years ago, and therefore they may appear stale
to you, having heard them before, but still I was the
author of most of them.
My dear reader I have given you in my own plain
way, some of my political experience, travels and labor in politics, as well as many of the incidents which
have occurred during my eventful life, hoping that it
may not only prove interesting to many of my friends
who may read it, but also be instructive in a political
point of view. It has been my aim and desire in presenting what I have written, to introduce nothing but
the truth in as plain and condensed manner as my
limited education would admit of, and I feel very cer 
-297
tain that all who are personally acquainted with me,
and have a knowledge of my labor for and devotion to
my party, will fully appreciate not only my little book,
but my energy and labor, as well as my motive in
placing this history before the public; for I do most
positively assure them that at my age of life, I never
should have undertaken such a task, if it had not been
that I was poor and although holding a small office,
which at the best is an uncertain means of a living not
knowing what hour I may be dismissed, and supposing
that with this little history, I could make a living the
the balance of my life, I was advised by my friend,
Special Agent Morris to attempt the task of placing
this volume before the public, hoping that it may be
as acceptable to them as my speeches have always appeared to be.
And I will here take occasion to assure my friends
that let my days be many or few, whenever the party
needs my services and I am able to obey their call, that
they will always find me ready and willing, as I ever
have been to assist in the great cause of republicanism, no matter in what circumstances I may be placed.
But before closing this history I have a few thoughts
to give to my young readers, hoping they may receive
it kindly as coming from a friend, for I mean it in no
other than a kind spirit, my first advice is, under all
circumstances and in whatever position you may be
placed, obey and respect your parents, for in doing
this, you not only have the promise of the life that
now is, but of that which is to come. It has been
my experience through life, that whenever I found
a young man who obeyed and respected his parents, he
always succeeded well, and was universally respected,
but onri the other hand, I scarcely ever knew one who
disobeyed and maltreated his parents but turned out
to be a poor miserable wretch, unfit for any other society than the lowest dregs, and nearly always came to
some bad end. 
-298
The best thing for a young man to do, is to learn a
trade and be content with making an honest livilng,
and be sure to let polities alone, for it has ruined a
hundred whereit has ever benefited one, for I do assure
you that but few men ever mad. much money out of
politics honestly, therefore if you wish to lead an hon est and virtuous life, you had b3tter stick to your trade
and let politics take care of itself; it will lead you to
the drinking saloons, where you will contract the hab it of indulging in those drunken brawls that so often
occur in those places, I therefore advise you to make
this the rule of your life, never to touch or taste intox icating drinks of any kind, for I do most positively
assure you that you cannot receive any real benefit from
it. Alcohol, according to the opinion of the most
learned men that ever lived, in all its various forms
and degrees of strength is a poison, and forever at war
with man's nature. It is indigestable and cannot be
converted into a nourishment, but is a highly inflamable stimulant, it is calculated to irritate the stomach,
corrupt your blood, inflame your liver and weaken the
brain, it is a witch to your senses, a devil to your soul,
a beggar's companion, a wife's woe and children's sorrow, and I am very certain that the corner stone of
the first still house that was ever built, was manufactured in hell. Its first production was a liquid fire, a
material devil that has blasted not only the beauty of
many of the fair women of our land, but the prospects
of thousands of the best men the world ever knew.
I therefore advise all young men to shun it as you
would a viper.
I advise you to not only let politics and strong drink
alone, but to make up your minds never to play any
game or games of chance, for it is calculated to lead
you into bad company and bad associations, that may
finally lead you to ruin. I have known hundreds of
young men with a fair start in life, with a brilliant
career before them entirely ruined by allowing them 
-299
selves led into gamnbling and drinking by beginning in a
small and apparently innocent way.  It is the temperate use of liquor that leads to drunkeness and innocent gambling that leads to greater crimes. I once
knew a man of eminence, who was a brilliant member
of Congress, and stood high before the American people as one of the leading men of the nation, but in an
evil hour was led astray, and in less than five years
from the time that he stood high in Congress, he became a poor, miserable, degraded drunkard, and finally
died in one of the Southern cities, far from home and
friends, a beggar. Thus my young friends you will
see that gambling and drinking, (for they are twvin
brothers,) will not only ruin the poor mechanic and
laboring man, but it has ruined many of the brightest
intellects that our country or the world ever produced.
Don't let the example of some friend or neighbor
of yours, who has always been a moderate drinker and
never a drunkard, be the means of misleading you,
although he has escaped the drunkards fate, you may
not be as lucky as him, and before you are aware of
it may fall a prey to its bewitching influences, I there fore advise you to let them alone. With these few
lines of advice to my young friends, I bid you farewell.