out much mind, brave, and
vindictive, and nursed the most intense hatred of Crawford constantly
in his heart. The long absence of Crawford from the State, and the
secluded retirement of Clarke, had caused to cool in the public mind
much of the former bitterness of the two factions in the State, but now
it was rekindled. There were very many young men, who had been too
young to take any part in these factions, but who were now the active
and ambitious element in the State. Many persons, too, had immigrated
into the new-settled parts of the State, who were strangers to the
feuds which had once divided her people, and which now began to do so
anew. Each party sought to win and secure this element. Every newspaper
in the State, every judge upon the bench, every member of Congress was
in the interest of Crawford; and yet there was a majority of the people
of the State attached to the Clarke faction. He and his friends had
long been proscribed, and they pleaded persecution. The natural
sympathies of the heart were touched by these appeals, and it was
feared the State would be lost to Crawford in the coming Presidential
election. Every effort was now to be made to defeat this faction
against him, headed by Clarke. The election of Governor at this time
was by the Legislature; and it was not anticipated that there would be
any difficulty in the re-election of Rabun, and, consequently, there
had been no agitation of the question before the people at the recent
election of members of the Legislature. Scarcely a tithe of the people
had even heard of the candidacy of Clarke when his election was
announced; and, at the time, so little interest was felt on the
subject, that very few objected to his election. Clarke was a man of
violent passions, and had been, to some extent, irregular and
dissipated in his habits. When excited by any means, he was fierce; but
when with drink, he was boisterous, abusive, and destructive. Many
stories were related of terrible acts of his commission--riding into
houses, smashing furniture, glass, and crockery--of persecutions of his
family and weak persons he disliked. This had aroused in the pious and
orderly members of society strong opposition to him, and at this time
all his sins and irregularities were widely and loudly heralded to the
public. The preachers, with few exceptions, denounced him, and those
who did not were very soon with him denounced. Very soon after his
inauguration, the celebrated Je