five hundred miles west of the summit of the mountains was another, called Nashville. All else was wilderness and the home of Indians and wild beasts.

Andrew Jackson, when twenty-one years old, was appointed public prosecutor for the district of Nashville. It was an office without honor, with but little pay, and hazardous in the extreme. Few men that had anything else to do would accept it. It was Jackson's only opportunity.

At that time there was gathering at Morgantown, the frontier settlement of North Carolina, a company of emigrants for the wild country of the west. Jackson joined this company. They were mounted on horseback, and carried all their goods and luggage on pack horses. They followed an Indian trail in a long cavalcade, camping at night in the open air, stationing pickets about to give warning of the approach of Indians. A few days' journey took them to Jonesborough, a village of about sixty log huts. Beyond this all was wilderness for two hundred. miles, to Nashville, the western limit of settlement. At Jonesborough they waited for several days the arrival of other parties of emigrants, and for a guard from Nashville to escort them. Something like one hundred men, women and children were in the company.

The second night out, after the women and children were all asleep in their tents, and the men wrapped in their blankets by the side of the fire, Andrew Jackson sat up, quietly musing, when he heard now and then unusual noises. He listened, and soon became convinced that there were Indians about them. He crept to the nearest men and awakened them. Soon the whole company was awake, and moved on toward Nashville as fast as possible. An hour afterward a party of hunters came in sight of the fires, and gathered about them and went to sleep. Before daylight the Indians sprang upon them and killed all but one.

The emigrants reached Nashville the last of October, 1788. These emigrants carried the news of the adoption of the new constitution, and that Washington would probably be chosen the first executive of the new government. This outpost of

civilization felt the joy of an organized government under the paternal administration of Washington, and anticipated the time when the long reaches of the great wilderness between them and their friends in the East would be settled with thriving communities. It was estimated that there were in and about Nashville some five thousand people, clearing up the wilderness and planting homes. The dangers from the Indians were great and constant. Men carried their rifles wherever they went. Stockades were made for all the people to flee to in case of an attack.

JACKSON THE LAWYER.

Jackson soon determined to make Nashville his home. There was but one lawyer there before him, and he had fallen into the hands of the roughs and the delinquents to the merchants and land owners, and defended them. He set up an office, and at once had an immense amount of collections put into his hands. He made out some seventy writs the first day. The merchants and land owners had been unable to force their claims, and they welcomed a new lawyer. The roughs sought to intimidate and drive him out of the place, but his imperious will and fiery temper soon taught them that such a course only endangered them. He never shunned a fight; often had personal encounters; was fierce and fearless, wiry and powerful, and withal, so much of a man that he was not long in conquering a victory, and forcing the respect of the delinquents and bellicose men of that hitherto lawless community.

With his energy and push, and the monied portion of the community as his clients, his business flourished. His official business as prosecutor took him frequently to Jonesborough and other settlements far apart, which journeys he made on horseback, and with constant danger from the Indians, and exposure to storms and floods.

When he first went to Nashville, he found a boarding, place with a Mrs. Donelson. She was the widow of Colonel John Donelson, and was much respected. She lived in a cabin of hewn logs, which was then the aristocratic style of a house. She

had a married daughter, Mrs. Robards, the wife of Lewis Robards, of Kentucky, and her husband living with her. Their marriage relation was not happy. He is said to have been a man of whom not much good could be said. His wife was beautiful, sprightly, a lover of mirth; and a woman of excellent natural ability. He was jealous of her, and greatly annoyed her by it; and once left her for a time, before Jackson knew them. Now that Jackson had come into the family as a boarder, who had agreeable manners with women, and a fund of anecdotes and entertaining conversation, Robards became jealous of him, and made it exceedingly disagreeable for him. He sought to talk with him about it; but got only abuse.

The matter grew into a scandal, and Jackson concluded to leave the house; but so uncomfortable had Mrs. Robards become, that she determined to leave the place, and go to Natches, into the family of Colonel Stark; an elderly gentleman and friend of the family.

The way was dangerous on account of Indians, and Colonel Stark invited Jackson to go along as a protector, who had become known and feared among the Indians as "Sharp Knife." This did not mend the scandal.

This was in the spring of 1791. Robards left, and applied to the legislature of Virginia for a divorce. This was granted, provided the supreme court should see cause for a divorce. It was reported, and became the universal belief in Nashville that Robards had obtained a divorce. Mrs. Robards came back in the fall, and was married to Jackson. The marriage was a happy one, and gave them both great joy through their whole lives.

After they had been married two years, Robards obtained a divorce in a court in Kentucky; then Jackson saw that he had been married two years to a woman who was legally another man's wife. To make their union legal, they were married again.

But happy as was their marriage, the unfortunate circumstances, the suspicion and the scandal always greatly marred their peace. Jackson's enemies always used it against him; and many of them, no doubt, believed that he broke up a family to get

another man's wife. His past manner of life; his lawlessness and imperiousness, and passionate nature, did not do much to prove his innocence. But his friends believed him every way pure and worthy in the whole transaction. It is worthy of note that no reproach was ever cast upon him for any misconduct toward women, save this; which goes far to prove him what he always seemed to be-magnanimous, just and true to her.

While practicing law in Nashville, he soon began to get hold of land; and in a few years became an extensive land owner. This he sold to settlers at advanced prices, and became wealthy for that region of country. Loving agriculture, he practiced it more or less. He was always a careful business man, thrifty, efficient, successful. With his law business, his much journeying, his extensive land and agricultural business, he became a man of affairs.

THE LEGISLATOR.

In January, 1796, the territory of Tennessee, then containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, had ripened for admission into the Union. A convention was called at Knoxville to frame a constitution. Five delegates were sent from each of the eleven counties. Andrew Jackson was one of the delegates from Davidson county. They met in a shabby building outside of the city, which was prepared for the convention at an expense of twelve dollars and sixty-two cents. Each member was entitled to two Collars and a half a day; but they voted to give one dollar of it to pay the secretary, printer and doorkeeper, reserving only a dollar and a half a day to themselves. A constitution was formed, and in June, 1796, Tennessee became the sixteenth state in the Union.

The new state could have but one member in the United States House of Representatives. Jackson was elected to that position, and took his seat in December, 1796. He rode on horseback from Nashville to Philadelphia, a distance of eight hundred miles. Albert Gallatin thus describes him as he appeared in the house: "A tall, lank, uncouth-looking personage, with locks of hair hanging over his face, and a cue down

his back, tied with an eel-skin, his dress singular, his manners and deportment those of a rough backwoodsman."

Mr. Jackson took his seat near the close of General Washington's administration. He heard the farewell address of "The Father of his Country" to his people. A committee drew up a complimentary address in reply. Jackson was one of twelve to vote against that reply. He would not say that Washington's administration was "wise, firm and patriotic."

Jackson was an intense democrat-a disciple of Jefferson, an admirer of Bonaparte, a lover of France, a hater of England, a slaveholder who saw no wrong in slavery-nothing undemocratic in buying and selling men and women and working them for their pretended owner's profit; yet he could vote in censure of Washington's administration.

Tennessee had gone into warlike operations against the Indians without authority, and contrary to the policy of the government. A proposition had been made in the House to refund to Tennessee the expenses she had incurred in this unordered Indian expedition. Jackson advocated it with great zeal, and the proposition was supported. This made Jackson still more popular in his state; and a vacancy occurring the next season, he was elected United States Senator. But he remained in the position but a little while, resigning in 1798.

JUDGE JACKSON.

Soon after his return from the United States Senate, he was chosen judge of the supreme court of Tennessee, at a salary of six hundred dollars a year, which office he held for six years.

At the time Jackson was a judge, John Sevier was governor of the state. They had had a personal difficulty, and Jackson had challenged him for a duel, which Sevier had declined. At an accidental meeting in the streets of Knoxville, unfriendly words soon began to be bandied between them, in which Jackson spoke of his services to the state. "Services !" rejoined the governor, "I know of none but a trip to Natchez with another man's wife." "Great God!" shouted Jackson, "do you mention her sacred name?" and in an instant drew a pistol and fired