the most exciting
that ever took place in the State before, or that have ever taken place
since.

At that time the General Assembly elected the governor, the people
selecting members favorable to the candidates they preferred. As the
result of the first campaign between the Clarke and Troup parties,
General John Clarke was elected by a majority of thirteen legislative
votes. When Governor Clarke's term expired, he was again opposed by
Troup, and was again elected, but this time by a majority of only two
legislative votes. In 1823, Matthew Talbot represented the Clarke party,
but was defeated by Troup. In 1825, General Clarke again entered the
contest. The election was no longer in the hands of the Legislature, but
was by popular vote. Governor Troup's treatment of the Indian question,
and the firm stand he had taken in favor of the rights of the State, had
materially increased his influence, and he was elected over Clarke by a
majority of 683 votes.

Curious to relate, the old Clarke party became the Union party, and
in 1840 was the Democratic party. The Crawford party became the States
Rights party, and in 1840 was the Whig party. Such was the evolution of
parties in Georgia.

A QUEER CASE.

[Illustration: A Queer Case 241]

A very queer, not to say mysterious case, was brought to trial in Jones
County in 1837, at the April term of the Superior Court. It has had no
parallel in Georgia before or since, and had none in any other country,
so far as the present writer is aware, until the celebrated Tichborne
case was brought to trial in England a few years ago. The Bunkley case
created quite as much excitement, and caused quite as much division in
public opinion in Georgia, as the Tichborne case did in England.

Jesse L. Bunkley belonged to a good family in Jones County, and when
he came of age would have fallen heir to an estate worth forty thousand
dollars. An effort was made to give him all the advantages of education,
but these he refused to accept. He was a wild boy, and was fonder
of wild company than of his books. He went to school for a while in
Eatonton, but got into some scrape there and ran away. He was afterwards
sent to Franklin College, now the State University, where he entered the
grammar school. Such discipline as they had in those days was irksome to
young Bunkley, and he soon grew tired of it. He left the college, and,
after roving about for a while, returned to his home in Jones County.
In