The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1865-10-12
From the Louisville Sunday Journal.
Bill Arp's Last.
HIS LETTER TO ARTEMUs WARD.

are bekaus you are about the only man I
know in all Goods country" So-called.
For sum several weeks hav been wantin
tu say sumthin. For sum several years
we rebs, so-cazled, but now late of said
county deceased, hav been tryin nifty
hard to do sumthin. We didn't quite do
it, and now it's very painful, assure you,
to dry up all of a sudden and make out
like we wasn't thar.
My friend, 1 want to say sunthin. I
suppose there is no law agin thinkin, but
thinkin don't help me. 1t don't let down
my thermometer I must explode my
self generally SO as-to feel better. You
see I'm trying to harmonize. I'm tryin
to soften down my feelins. I'm endeav-
oring to subjugate myself to the level of
surroundin circumstances, so-called. But
can't do it until am allowed to say
sumthin. / want to quarrel with sum
Body and then make trends. I amt no
giant-killcr; I amt no Norwegian bar
I amt no boar-constrkter, but I'll be
hornswaggled if the talkin and the writin
and the slanderin has got to be all done
on one side any longer. Some of your
folks have got to dry up or turn urfolks
loose. It's blamed outrage, soScalled.
Amt your editors got nuthin else to do
but to peck at us, and squib at US, and
crow over US? Is every man that. what
kan write paragraf to consider us as
bars in cage, and be always jobbln at
us 10 hear us growl? Now you see, my
friend, Traits what's disharn,onious, and
do vou jest tell EN-; one and all, c pluribus
unnm, so-cazzed, that if they don't stop it
at once or turn. us loose. to say what we
please. why we rebs, so-called, have unani-
mously and jointly and scverally resolved
to-to-to-think very hard of tiff not
harder. =.
That's the way to talk #, 1 aint a
gwinc to commit myself. j know when
to put on the brakes. aint agwinc to
say all L think like Mr.. Etheridgc, or M.
Addertq, so-caled; Nary time. No, sur
But I'll jest tell you, Artemus. and you
may tell it TO your show: If we amt al
lowed to express our sentiments, we can.
take it. out in hatin and hatinru runs heavy
in my family, shurc. I hated a man SO
bad once that all the hair cum of my
head, and the man drowned himself in a
hog-wallers that night L kould do itagin,
but you see I'm tryin to harmonizc, to
acquiesce, to bckum calm argl sereels~
Nov I suppose that poetilally' 'spcakin,
"In Dixies fall,
We sinncd all.''
But talkin the way I see it, o big fcller
and little felIcr, s0.called, got into afte,
and they fout and fout and fout a long
time, and everybody all round KEEP holler-
in hands off, but KEEP helpin the big feller
unit finally the little foller caved in and
hollered enuf lie made q bully ite |
tell you, selah. Well, what did the big
feller do? Take him by the hand and
help him up, and brush the dirt off his
clothes? Nary time! No, sur! But he
Kicked him artorhe was down and throwd
mud on him, and drug him about and
rubbed sand in his eyes, and now he's.
gwine about huntin up his Toor little
property. Wants to konfslzate it, So
called. Blame my jakot if it aintenuff to
make your head swim.
But I'm a good Union man-so-calted'
1 amt agwine to fte no more. I shan.t
vote for the next war. I amt no gurril:-
la. Tve done TUX the oath, and I'm
gwine to keep it,; but as for my bein sub
ioogated, and humilyated, and amalgama-
ted, and enervated, as Mr.. Chase says, 1t
amt so-nary time. aint. ashamed OF
nuthip, neither, aipt repentiin, amt akin
for no one-hoFz.es, ahoft-windod pardon.
Nobody needn't be playin priest around
IL
me. 1 amt got no twenty thousand dol
lars. Wish 1 had; I'd give. it to these hes
poor widers and orfns. I'd fitton my
own numerous and intercstin offspring in
about Two minits and half They
shouldn't eat roots and drink branch Wa
ter no longer. Poor, unfortunate. things!
to cum into this subloonary world at slch
a time There's four or five Of 'em that
never saw a sirkus nor monkey show
never had pocket-knife, nor a piece Oh
cheese, nor reesin. There's Bull hun
Arp, and Harpers Ferry arp, and Chika-
hominy Arp, that never seed the pikters IN
a spcllin book. 7 tell you, my friend' we
4,o oros+ ,,eo,,lh on the face Of the