Southern pioneer, and Carroll, Choctaw and Tallahatchie Counties advertiser. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1840-1842, 1841-02-20
FRoa THE INV ORLEANS PICAYUNE.
"a POCKET FULL OF ROCKS"
ran 0tthe Hot Springs of arkansas.

Among the thousand and one cant terms
and alafee; expressions used Ia the Mast and
Southwest, there is no one that has obtained
a greater celebrity than that which heads this
article. 1t comes in play more frequently, is
more significant than any other, and when we
hear man say, "tIere am IA town with
pocket full OF rocks we know, TO use another
common but cant phrase, that he is "on hand"
for almost any thing. If a man has money TO
settle demand, his "pOcket is full OF rocks"
if he is willing TO undertake periIouS enter
prise, hiss "pocket is full of rockS;' should he
express himself well TO do in the world, equal.
~ ready for business or pleasure, he has
"pocket full of rocks" and The thing is perfect
ly understood. If TO this he adds, "GRd no
poor relations then his credit is fully estab
li~hed. Having said this much TO define the
expressions, we will now give It's origin
Several summers since there was assembled
at the Hot Springs of Arkansas, large num-
Der of gentlemen from the different Southern
and Western States. The utmost good fell
lowship and harmony prevailed among them,
until the arrival of two men, opposite TO each
other in manners and habits. in all save one
thing-thev both contrived t render them
selves extremely annoying and dlsagreeabte
10 the rest of the vi>iteis
tive of the Emerald Isle, whom we shall call
O'Whack-a bullying fellow, always Dragging
of his knowledge of the art and mystery OF
knocking his fellow men down according TO
the latest and most approved methodS-ln
other words a scientific man." He was the
sole owner and poS,esSor of quarter nag,
named Cham Tightening, and was always
ready to make up match wherever he was
sure OF winning.
The other ind vduaI we shall "hand down
with the cognOmen OF Major Buster SO far
as the title goes he was "Sure enough" ma
ior who had fought, and CALAMITY too, in the
last war. He was a very small man, but pug
nacinuS IN the eXtreme--aiwayS engaged IN
some fight, and commonly out OF his element
unless he was IN quarrel. He wore hick-
DRY bark coat--so called from lis being color
ed with a decocton from the bark of that tree;
which was very long and had deep pockets in
the sides. He was always Dragging of his
skill in finging rocks, of which there are a
plenty in the vicinity of the Springs, and he
really could throw them with force and ac-
curacy which was astonishing. He, too, was
posseSsor of a race nag named Pepper.
Strangers to each other, O'Whac and Blus-
ter were not long in forming an acquaintance,
such as ii was, with the gentlemen of the vii
lage. BY their intrusions, they soon got the
i'll will of every body, until at length NEE
ting was called and measures taken to rid the
neighborhood OF their presence. Buster wa,
dangerous character, as ne occupied posi-
ton which gave him the standing of gentle
man, but O'W hack they cared nothing about;
he could be driven off at any time. a COM
mittee was finally formed whose bushes, 1T
was TO wait upon the latter. They told him
he must do one OF the two things-either clear
out the major. or clear out himself-there was