Prize money it tubitontiol. but most players otlend
ibe tournomeni» to tee old friends ond Kove
о
good
time. The competition lost» for three day».
A North Carolinian, Cothenne Perkin» of 8eor
Creek, it the current champion ond it the first
woman to win the Notionol Open Here (in flowered
skirt), the owoit» her next opponent
Carolina became one of more than a
dozen states to hold a state cham¬
pionship (others include Alaska.
Hawaii. Illinois. California. Connec¬
ticut. Florida. Minnesota, and Tennes¬
see). The first N.C. Open was held in
Fayetteville last April, and the 1984
edition is tentatively scheduled for
Southern Pines. This tourney, like the
one in Wilmington, draws fewer than
100 players, making it a fun. informal
means for new players to become ac¬
quainted with tournament cribbagc.
ACC Membership
If you play cribbagc. or know some¬
one who does, membership in the
American Cribbagc Congress (a non¬
profit organization) is a worthwhile in¬
vestment. The ACC sponsors a youth
program, maintains a national player
rating system, runs its own cham¬
pionship tournament, and even pro¬
vides a SI 00.00 prize to any member
who scores a 29 hand in a sanctioned
tournament. And the $3.00 annual
membership dues barely covers the
cost of mailing out your monthly issue
of Cribbage World, which contains,
among other things, the schedule of
upcoming tournaments. To join, write:
ACC. P. O. Box 48893. Niles. IL
60648-0893. And to get on the mailing
list for the 1984 National Open in Ra¬
leigh. write: National Open Cribbage
Tournament. Box 12800. Raleigh. NC
27605.
You don’t need to be a genius to
attend a cribbage tournament. Anyone
can win. and everyone has fun. The
prize money may be substantial (in¬
cluding consolation tournaments,
more than $20.000.00 was awarded at
the 1983 National Open), but most
players will tell you they attend tour¬
naments to see old friends, to make
new friends, and to have a good time.
And if the cards happen to run their
way. well, all the better!
The Restless Career
of Archibald Yell
Л
unique .Yorlh Carolinian — in flitk tradition of
Jackson. Houston. Crockett and Kou ie — whom his¬
tory lias somehow neglected.
By JLSTL4 JAY WELL
"Discontent is the first step in the
progress of a man or a nation." These
profound words, spoken so many
years ago by the famous Oscar W'ilde.
might well have been spoken to best
describe the character of Archibald
Yell, an eighteenth century born North
Carolinian, who. driven by discontent,
rose to prominence in a variety of en¬
deavors.
Archibald Yell was born sometime
in August of 1797 in a log cabir. in the
wilderness surrounding the little town
of Waxhaw. North Carolina. Not a
great deal is known of his early years
and even less is known about his par¬
ents. It is known that his parents did
come to North Carolina before the
start of the Revolutionary War. They
lived in a small cabin and farmed a few
acres of land to scrape out a simple
existence. Young Archibald worked
on the farm for many years and the
difficult times of trying to eke out a
living more than likely planted the
seeds of discontent in him.
Friend of "Old Hickory"
When he was a little over sixteen
years of age he left his parents’ farm
and migrated westward to Tennessee
in search of a new. adventurous life.
To find adventure he joined Andrew1
Jackson’s army in Tennessee and was
involved in many skirmishes with
marauding Indians. He fought with
"Old Hickory" at the battle of New
Orleans. It was during this time that he
became a friend of Jackson, and they
were to remain friends for many years.
After the war with England was over
he began to study law. was eventually
admitted to the bar in Tennessee and
practiced law successfully in Fayette¬
ville. Tennessee. He returned to North
Carolina to spend some time with his
parents after once again being per¬
suaded to join Andrew Jackson in his
struggles against the Seminoles in
Florida. During his slay in North Car¬
olina his parents tried to convince him
to stay in North Carolina and practice
law there. The seeds of unrest and dis¬
content were beginning to surface and
he went off to join Jackson in Florida.
Fearless Fighter
He distinguished himself in the
Seminole wars, and as a reward for his
meritorious service he was offered two
appointments by Andrew Jackson.
The first was the governorship of
Florida and the second was a federal,
territorial judgeship in the territory of
Arkansas. He chose the latter sensing
more opportunity for adventure in Ar¬
kansas than in Florida, as the Seminole
wars were now ended. He served the
position of judge well and indeed he
proved he was just as fearless on the
bench as on the battlefield.
Many humorous stories found their
origin during his judgeship. One of the
best known tales of the time was when
a wanted criminal was drinking in a
local saloon. The citizenry, out of out¬
right fear, refused to form a group or
posse to capture him. Furious at such
THE STATE. FEBRUARY 1984
12
