FIGHTS. There were very few. I was a good stout boy nearly a man, when I and a neighbor boy got to fighting at acorn shucking. Out fathers were both present. They separated us. They had divided the piles and the hands, having a corn shucking match. He began to throw corn from his pile to ours (sic) side, and from that, and each of us got at it, and from that we got to knocking. I don¹t know who got the best of it. I thought I did. I had a fight in Pike Co. Mo. with a man by the name of McGowan. He had abused his daughter, and she had come to my house because of his bad treatment. He came over to abuse her, and he abused my wife. I was not at home. The first time I saw him afterward, I accused him of abusing my wife. He denied it, gave me the ³lie², and I downed him and pounded him well. He had me arrested with a ³Forthwith² and taken before the Justice of the Peace. When I was walking upto the ³Squires², McGowan, with other men, was standing before the Justice¹s office. I said to him, ³McGowan, you have a black eye, what¹s the matter with it?² I have forgotten the reply he made. We went to trial, had jury. He was fined five dollars for abusing a witness, and had the costs to pay. I never had any difficulties about the girls. LOVE SCRAPS. I will now record my love scrapes. I was a very bashful boy. We had a neighbor, in Kentucky named George Redding, who had a daughter named Rebecca, about my age. We lived within a half a mile of one another and grew up together. My elder brother used to hire her to hug and kiss me, when we were six or seven years old, and it used to plague me awfully. When I was fourteen or fifteen years of age, my father moved into his new house, on the opposite side of his farm, considerably increasing the distance between our house and Mr. Redding¹s. Rebecca came over to our house about a month after we moved, to pay the family a visit. I found out she was in the house, and I expected my brothers to resort to the old habit of getting her to annoy me. I walked about the yard, considering what I ought to do in the premises, and considering how I could, most successfully go through the expected contest in the evening. I found a resolution and went immediately into the house. After supper, when we were all settled comfortably around the fire, my brothers, just as I had expected, suggested to Rebecca that, as we had not met for some time, she ought to kiss me. She looked at me archly, and seemed to be asking herself whether there was any impropriety in it or not, and before I had time to think about it she was sitting on my lap trying to kiss me. Quick as though, I now carried out my resolution, previously formed, by running my hand in her bosom. It was her turn to blush, and to attempt to get away from my other encircling arm. She never tried to kiss me again. She afterwards became the wife of my elder brother, William Holliday. The first girl I ever loved was named Jane Edgar, the sister of the Presbyterian minister who lately died in Nashville, Tenn. She married after I did. (To the question, ³How many girls did you ever love?², he answered, ³I can not tell you that, My dear!²) S.N.H. POLITICAL OPINIONS. I was first a Republican candidate against the Federalists. I believe I voted for a President before Jackon¹s time, I have voted the Democratic ticket all my life, and have no reason to regret my course. I was very much opposed to the Know Nothings, and I do not regret that. I believe they had a great deal to do with bringing us into our present troubles and civil war. I never ran for political office, and never desired any. My neighbors have asked me to run for justice of the peace but I do not desire such honors--I have always declined. USE OF TOBACCO. I began to chew tobacco, when I was about twenty years of age, chewed about forty years, and have not taken a chew since. I have smoked ever since I have quit chewing, except about six months. I quit chewing three or four times, a year or so at a time, one time I quit for three years. I cannot say that the use of tobacco has ever injured me, it has been a great luxury to me. SWEARING. I never swore an oath in my life to my recollection. WHISKEY. I used to take my drams, but never was drunk or gaggy groggy. I have not tasted liquor for more than thirty years. I never kept whisky to drink, but would get it for ³gatherings,² log-rollings, corn-shuckings, house-raisings, and the like. RELIGION. I professed religion when I was about twenty five years of age, and joined the old Presbyterian Church, and continued a member of that church, until I came to Missouri. Three or four years after I came to Missouri, I joined the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and have remained a member of that Church to this time. I have tried to live the life of a true Christian. I have a hope in Christ. That grows brighter as my hair grows whiter for the grave. I have never been before a Church session but twice, that I recollect. I had a kind of a trial for hitting McGowan. I went before the session myself, of my own motion, and told them what I had done, and, that I was not sorry6 for it. They agreed that I was justifiable. I was up before the session again, at the instance of a neighbor named Gip Crim. He charged that I had told Peter Brammer, on one occasion that if he would come out, I would give him, Brammer, a thrashing. I got Brammer to go to the session to testify and he said that there were not a word of truth in Crim¹s statement. I was triumphantly acquitted. MILITARY. When I was about twenty years of age, I was elected Captain of Militia Co., and was Captain for several years, until I left Harrison Co., Ky. During the time I volunteered, as mounted rifleman or Dragoons in Dick Johnson¹s Regiment, from Ky. in 1813. We volunteered for three months. Brother Samuel was out before we were. He went from Indiana, not far from Pendleton. He was an infantry officer, and was out when peace was declared. My brother William and myself were in the battle of the Thames, in Canada, in Oct., 1813. Both of us were actively engaged in the battle both close together. Our platoon was the first platoon behind Johnson, in centre Co. James Coleman was our Captain. He was nearly scared to death. He backed--backed over the swamp during the fight. He ordered the men to go back over the swamp, and many of them went. I did not go. I stuck it out, my dear. About one third of the Co. gave back over the swamp, by Coleman¹s orders, they were the timid portion of the Co. but the bravest talkers. Coleman himself, used to be always blaming Gen. Harrison for the way in which he carried on the war, saying that if he were General, what he would do, but I never heard him say a word against Harrison after that battle. Harrison was a soldier, I know that. He passed along the line not two minutes before the Indians gave way. Johnson¹s orders were to crash through, but the Indians were still all around, in the thickets, behind old logs, stumps, and trees, all around us. Johnson gave the orders to light and give them ³Indian Play². We jumped off and got behind trees. I shot twice, at Indians both times. I think I killed one I saw him loading. They don¹t get behind the biggest trees, but about the size of a man¹s body. Clem Jennings ran to Moravian town, two and one half miles. Lieutenant Logan, a brave man, was wounded and died eight or nine days after the battle.------------Guthrie was shot twice, and lived only eight or nine days. He was the son of the author of Guthrie¹s arithmetic. When Coleman gave his orders to go back over the swamp, my brother William turned to me and said, ³Let us go over the Swamp². I told him ³No². He went back, and he thought I was killed until after we got to Moravian town. He was sick. I got my horse the second day after the battle, he ran back five or six miles. Tecumseh was killed in this battle, Johnson did not kill him, I saw Tecumseh¹s body, the day after the battle. The soldiers had cut off a great deal of skin, to make razor straps. My ³Mess² were William Phillips and myself, all of them came to Missouri, except James Trimble, and his widow came. Thomas Hurd did live near Florida, Monroe Co., Mo. He is now (1863) dead. Hiram Phillips, now called ³Judge,² waited on me when I was married. He resides six or seven miles from Columbia Mo., Boone Co. The widow of James Trimble lives in the eastern part of Randolph Co., Mo. Hiram Phillips was Orderly Sargent (sic) of our Company. The Orderly Sargent has the most troublesome duties in the Company, and he ought to get twice as much wages as are allowed him. The next summer after I came to Missouri, I was appointed Adjutant in the Militia, and so remained until I was elected Major. Am called ³Major² to this very day. My wife¹s grandfather, William McCune, was a prisoner with the Indians, three years during the Revolutionary War. He saw sights, my dear. He was ironed frequently, hand cuffed. His wife never heard from him during this time. His wife¹s father used to quiz her, about setting out, after her husband returned. RESIDENCE. I was born in Bourbon Co., Ky., afterwrds cut off, as Harrison Co., as I said before, I lived there until 1817, when I came to the territory of Missouri, and settled on Ramsey¹s Creek, now in Pike Co., then in St. Charles Co., I lived at Ramsey¹s Creek one year, and then moved to Spencer¹s Creek, one mile from Elk Springs, now Pike Co., Mo. and resided there until 1837, then I moved to Monroe Co., Mo., about eight miles west of Paris, where I now live.