In the book “Johnny Once a Hillbilly,” written by Steve Venables — who put together the life stories of Woodlander Johnny Newsom — there is tale about the time four thugs set upon Newsom.

In the book’s prologue, Newsom was out walking, wearing a gold chain with a solid gold America-style eagle suspended from it. The three “hoods” came at Newsom who fought back hitting “the first young man with a left hook, hard enough to knock him down,” according to Venables quoting from a short story in The Daily Democrat.

“A second man then attacked him suffering the same response. He was sparring with a third man when the fourth guy snuck up behind him and hit him in the back of the head with an aluminum baseball bat knocking him to the ground.”

Newsom was conscious enough to see all four running away without the necklace. His wound required 17 stitches. He was 86 at the time.

There are other stories like this, which make for good reading. Some are repetitious, all are the best of American historical literature. I was most fascinated, however, by his earliest years of growing up in Possum Creek, Tennessee, an actual location on the Cumberland Trail that is now the site of a major cemetery.

His home was little more than a shack that could barely keep out the wild animals, with a dirt floor so packed down it was like cement. As Newsom put it, the animals should have been more afraid of the family, since they had so little to eat.

Other stories are about his time driving trucks or serving in the Marines, boxing (where he got the nickname “Jawbreaker,” moving to Woodland, his “hillbilly kinfolks,” and family life. There’s a lot to read and it’s not just Newsom’s stories but the stories of America and how it has changed over the decades.

I’ve known Newsom a long time — as have many people. I’m sure some have seen him jogging in the city wearing his customary boxing gloves (and sometimes a “loud” sombrero).

Today Newsom is 90. He suffered a stroke in February, but when I saw him this past week during a book signing at the Woodland Library he was articulate. But he remembered me, even though we hadn’t seen each other since 2010 when he came by The Democrat to talk about his 15-foot-tall bean plants.

I first “met” Newsom when our family bought a house on El Dorado Drive in the early 1990s. I was a runner and would often see the native-born Tennessean jogging in front of our home. He would often head out toward County Road 98 and turn south.

He tells the story of being shot while doing his roadwork on CR-98. Newsom called 911 and was soon met by a police officer and firefighters who took him home because he didn’t want to be hospitalized during the coronavirus pandemic.

Later the same day, Newsom resumed his run and heard something fall out of his sweatshirt. That’s when he noticed more bleeding. Newsom figured the bullet must have popped out. He later got treatment, but only after finishing his run.

“Jawbreaker” speaks to America’s determined spirit that we today can only hope to aspire.

UPDATE: In a May 7 column about Emil’s Shoes and Ed Schmauderer, I noted I couldn’t find out who “Emil’s Shoes” was named for. Leave it to the readers to have an answer. Laurie Ferns — whose roots in this community go back generations — reported Emil was Ed’s father, who had immigrated from Germany.

And, according to my husband, grew up in Woodland…” She said Emil was “a big, friendly, helpful guy with a heavy German accent.”

Jim Smith is the former editor of The Daily Democrat, retiring in 2021 after a 27-year career at the paper.