THE ELOQUENCE OF "OLD ARKANSAW", Smith County, TX ************************************************************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm Submitted by: Doris Peirce - ginlu@home.com 7 June 2001 *************************************************************** THE ELOQUENCE OF "OLD ARKANSAW" "Some Biographies of Old Settlers." Historical, Personal and Reminiscent. Volume I By Sid S. Johnson, 1900: Sid S. Johnson, Publisher, Tyler, Texas Chapter VIII - Pages 36 - 41 Some time in the forties, when Tyler was a very small village and only a few log houses indicated the habitation of men and presented the appearance of a frontier town, a certain young gentleman by the name of Jones, who was related to some early pioneers who had settled in this county on the Sabine river, in visiting Tyler, met with some social friends and used a little too much "tangle-foot." He had become seriously intoxicated. Attention was called to the fact by his winding course and unsteady walk. Jones had become sleepy and concluded he would take an evening nap before he undertook the ride home. It so happened that hewed logs had been laid on the ground for erection of a house on the spot where the business house of George R. Philips now stands. This occurred to the young man as an inviting place for a quiet evening siesta. To the rear and back of the office of Dr. E. Jones, on North Broadway, was a thicket of small trees of oak and a quiet and pleasant place to hitch stock, where this young man had left his horse. Our young hero had quietly laid down and was wrapped in the arms of Morpheus, when along came Alex Holman, O.A. Martin and George Lashley, who were noted for mischievousness and down-right devilment. Anything in the way of sport and fun was one of the characteristics of these young men. Living in this new country the spirit of fun and frolic was the general pass-time of the youth of the early settlers. Jones slept soundly, and the sweet dreams of a pleasant evening were doubtless passing through his brain while sleeping off the morning's debauch. By main strength and awkwardness the logs were placed around this unconscious sleeper until he was completely encaged. It took four or five men to put them in place. One man could not move them. Now, there lived in Tyler one Garner, familiarly called by all, "Old Arkansaw." He had been a man of some prominence before he came to Texas, and his well-founded information, in the early days, was well understood by the old settlers here. "Arkansaw" was addicted to his "cups," and on that occation was brim-full of the Indian's "hot water." It was soon noised in the village that a funeral service would be held on that balmy evening. "Arkansaw" was the master of ceremonies. His funeral oration was said to be sublime. He mounted the logs above the imprisoned man and spoke of the sad occasion that had brought the friends of the deceased together. A history of the departed was given in a brief and concise manner, being, of course, an imaginary one. He traced the lineage of the young man back to the twelfth century. In his veins coursed the purest blood of the monarchy of the old world. This haughty young man had abandoned the glittering court of the old world and from an inclination to travel had penetrated the wilderness of the great Southwest in search of knowledge, with bright hopes of returning home and interest his lordly relatives with the wonders of the new world. The speech of Garner was a masterpiece of elocution, and had the sound that attracted the attention of the assembled crowd of pioneers. The original idea was in a joke, but the eloquence of the speaker and the fascination of his manner and his eloquent words, had so enchanted his hearers that men stood on tip-toe to see his face and catch the inspiration of his words. Here in the frontier, while rustic simplicity was the habit of the people, they listened with amazing wonder at the fluency of a wandering vagabond at a mock funeral as the sweetest morsels of eloquence that had ever fallen upon ears. The speaker was familiar with the orations of Demosthenes and Cicero. The classical expressions of words were compact with "thoughts that breathe and words that burn." He was gifted with fluency of speech and gave the key-note to the human soul. In speech he was soon a recognized master. His learning had captivated his audience. His life was a sad failure, and he could have figured in life with distinction if the moral force of his character had been commensurate with his abilities. The manner of speech was mixed with turbulent strife---with that of the tempestuous ocean accompanied with the swelling symphony of the running brooklet, and he seemed to have been thoroughly acquainted and possessed the accomplishment of ancient and modern history. This remarkable man came from Arkansas, where he had some prominence, but his downward fall was surely attributed to his unfortunate passion for liquor. What a sad commentary here in this man! Of his former history little was known. In his dissipation some words had fallen from him that convinced many of his former standing. Garner drank to excess, and one morning at the breakfast table fell from his chair and expired, with the facts connected with his former history blotted out forever as far as this people ever knew. In speaking of this remarkable man I have neglected to state what had become of Jones. He awoke during one of the happy perorations of "Arkansaw" and remained a prisoner until he was released, which was at the conclusion of Garner's speech at his funeral. He immediately mounted his horse and has never been seen in Tyler since. Where Jones went is another wonder to many who were familiar with the facts. The old settler remembers another character who figured here at that time. I write now of Bony Ellis. He had a peculiar way of talking and lisped in his speech. Bony at one time here held the office of justice of the peace and took great pride in presiding in his court. He had a splendid opinion of the correctness of his legal opinions. He was an honest man, slightly affected with egotism. A certain cause from Ellis' court had found its way upon appeal to the supreme court, and they gave him an attentive hearing. On opinion day Bony was generally present, but upon a certain day, when the court read its opinions, he was absent, and the gifted and knightly Geo. W. Chilton told him that day the court had overruled him. He gave Bony the outline of an imaginary opinion that spoke lightly of his legal ability. Bony became very much exasperated, and at the conclusion of a tirade against the court said: "What in the h--l is a superior court created for if not to overrule inferior courts?" Bony suffered untold agony until he found out afterwards that the higher court had affirmed the judgment of the lower court. At the time the old federal court house fell down here, Bony was drunk at the El Rancho saloon, and learning of that catastrophe he imagined that he was in the fall himself and limped for weeks afterward. But as I will have more to say of that in some future chapter, I defer the particulars for the present.