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.
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