any further toward California that year. His excuse was that the Mormon war being on hand the trip would be a hazardous one. We regretted to be again baffled, but he having spent about fifty dollars of our money we determined to postpone our trip one year and get our money back.
Jim engaged to teach a school in the country. We applied for the school in Unionville. Being a mere boy and a stranger the directors paid but little attention to us. We had about concluded that our application was in vain. Having called one day to see a Mr. Bradshaw, one of the directors, and getting but little encouragement we concluded to go into the country and try to get a school. We stepped into the store of Davis & Simpson, leading dry goods merchants. Some one called our name, an elderly gentleman arose and called for the man of that name. Learning that I was a son of Uncle Ben, of Wayne County, Kentucky, he spoke of my parents to those present, and gave the family such a recommendation that Mr. Davis went immediately to see the directors. Mr. Bradshaw came immediately and told me that I could have the school.
Our school in Unionville opened with one hundred and twenty-five pupils. It was taught in the court house, which was a log building, one and one-half stories high. It had two rooms, a lower and upper room. The lower was the court room, the upper room was the clerk's office. William Shelton, a young Kentuckian and three years my senior, had charge of the upper room. During the school term, except when court would be in session, we had full control of the lower room. As Mr. Shelton was from the same part of Kentucky that I was, and our parents had been associates, we were soon intimates and confidants. He was the only one that I counseled during that school term. He willingly assisted me all that he could. One thing he seemed to conclude that I did not need assistance in, and that was the use of the rod.
I soon found that I had a herculean task on my hands. I was told that a public school had never been taught in the town, that one or two had been commenced but the boys proved to be master of the situation. One thing I saw had to be settled first of all; namely, would I or those boys prove to be master? There were two or three ring leaders. One of these was in his seventeenth year. I was aware that they were secretly armed. I kept my eyes on them, and determined to give them no advantage. I talked to them till it was evident that words were of no avail. After school one evening I visited a brush patch, secured a good switch and placed it convenient to my place in the court room. At an early hour the next morning the sixteen year old began, as usual, a disturbance. I spake to him, he replied, "Sir, I'll let you know I will do just as I please." I replied, "We will see." Taking my switch I walked to him, he rose and placed his right hand in his bosom. I halted at a proper distance and taking hold of my switch with both hands I let him have it with all the power I could summon. Soon his hand dropped from his bosom
