New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-02-05
Bill Arp, the Roman Kunagee.

Bill Arp, the Roman Kunagee.
fThe following letter, as its date indicates was
published before in the Atlanta Confederacy, now
defunct, but as it is necessary prelude to an orig
naI one now in our hands from q Bill Arp,' we
give it, the better to enable our readers to appre
ciate and understand the communication which
will appear in our next issue. he subJoned
letter refers to a character well known in Georgia
as Big JOHN who is, to use familiar but ex.
pressve phrase, " a regular trump" The original
letter which, we stated shall appear in the next
number of the Record will refer more at length to
this celebrated individual and also relate how |
Bill Arp returned to Rome, his experience and
that of the Arp family on the way, and what he
and did when he arrived in I" the Eternal
City."-[Me Metropolitan Record.
ATLANTA, May %, 1864
Mr. Edt,u'-" Remote, onfriended, melancholy,
slow" somebody sed am seekin' log in
vast Wilderness a lonely roost in some
OkeefeenOkee swamp where the fowl invaders
GaInot travel, nor their Pontoon bridges P9hat;
If Mr.. Shakespeare were correct when he writ that
=" sweet are the juices of adversely" then 1t are
reasonable to suppose that me and my toaks and
many others must have some sweetnln to spare.
When a man is aroused in the ded of night, and
smells the approach Of the fowl invader: when he
feels konstrained to change his base and bekum
runagee from his home, leavin, behind him all
those necessary things which hold body and soul
together when he looks perhaps the last time
upon his lovely home, where he has been for many
delightful years raisin' children and chickens,
straw berries ana peas, lie soap anu u!is
SIGH luxuries of this subunary life when he
imagines every unusual sound to be the crack OF
his earthly DOOM when from SIGH influences he
begins dgnitfed retreat, but soon Is constrained
to leave the dignity behind, and git away without
regard to the order of his going-if there is any
sweet juice in the like of that, haven't been
able to see it. No. Mr. Editur, SIGH scenes never
happened in Bill Shakespeare day, or he wouldn't
have writ that line
don't know that the lovely inhabitants of your
butiful sitty need any fourwarnings to maxi EN-
avoid the breakers upon which our vessel wrecked;
but for fear they should some day shake their CORY
locks at me, will make publike brief alluslon to
some of the painful circumstances which lately
okkurred in the regions of the eternal sitty.
Not many days ago the everlastin Yankees (may
they live always when the devil gifts em) made
violent assault upon the sty of the hillshe eter-
nal sitty, where hundred years the lnjun rivers
have been bendin their waters peacefully together
where the Chocktaw children built their flutter
mills, and toyed with frogs and tadpoles, while
those majestick streams were but little spring
branches, a babhlin along their sandy beds. FOR
DAYS and nights valyunt troops had beat bak
the fowl invader and saved our pullets from their
devourin jaws. For days and nights we babe
farewell to every fear, luxurating upon the trl
umph of our arms, and the sweet juices of our
strawberries and cream. For days and nights
fresh troops from the South poured into our streets
with shouts that made the welkin ring, and the
turkey bumps rise all over the flesh of our people.
We felt that Rome was safe-sekure against the
assault of the world, the flesh and the devil, which
last individual are supposed to be that horde OF
fowl invaders who are seeking to phlank us out of
both bread and existence.
But alas for human hopes Man that is born of
woman land there are no other sort that know
of has but few days that amt full of trouble:
Altho the troops did shout, altho their brass bound
muskits swelled upon the gale, altho the turkey
bumps rose the welkin rung, altho the COM
handing General assured us that Rome was to be
held at every hazard, and that on tomorrow the
big battul was to be fought and the fowl invaders
hurled all bleedin and hOwlin to the shore of the
Ohio, yet it did q lspire somehow that on Tues
day night the military evakurtlon of our stty
were peremptorly ordered. No note OF warmth
no whisper of alarm-no hint of the morrow came
from the muzzed lips of him who had lifted oul
hopes so high. Calmly and cody we smoked oul
kiy kinick, and surveying the embarkation oil
troops, konstruin it to be some grand hanover 0
rest to dream Of to-morrows viktory. Sleep soor
overpowered us like the fog that kyer S,d the
nary vision of freedom and glory. On the
kontrary, our rest was uneasy-straw berries an'
cream seemed to be hodin secession meetns with
in our corporate limits, when suddenly in thu
twinkn of an eye friend aroused us from on
sumber and put new faze upon the " situation.
General Johnston was retreatln, ana the plue
nosed Yankees were to pollute our sacred u sol
next mornin Then came the jug OF war. Wit
hot and feverish haste we started out IN search o
transportation, but nary transport could be mad
Time honored friendship, past tavors shown, ever
laStin gratitOOd, numerous small and luVey chi
dren, kunfede ate kurrency, new isshoes, ban
bills, black bottles, all, all influences were urge
and used to seizure kOrner in kar, but nal
korner-too late-too late--the pressure for tim
was fearful and tremengious-the steady cloc
moved on-no Joshua about to lengthen out tn
night no r0llin stock, no steer, no mule. With rt
luktant and hasty steps prepared to make goo
our exit by that overland line which railroads d
not control, nor A. g. Us do not Impress
With our families and little clothing we crosse
,>.2eAE towah bridge abont the broke of day We,
hesday, the 18th of May, 1864, prezaky yes
and two weeks from the time when General 70
rest marched in triumph through our streets. B
and by the bright rays of the mornin sun dispense
the heavy fog which like a pail of deth had owe
spread all natur. Then were exhibited to OF
afflicted gaze a highway crowded with wagins ar
teams, Katie and hogs, niggers and dogs wome
and children, all movn in disheveled haste
places and paris unknown. Mules brayil
cattle were lowin, hogs were squeelin, sheep wei
blatin, children were cryin, wagginers cussl
whips were poppin, and hoses stalln, but still til
grand kavan moved on. Everybody was konti
ually a lookin behind, and drlvn before-ever
body wanted to know everythin, and nobod
knew nothn. Ten thousand wild rqmors filled til
cirkumambient air. The eyerastin kavary W.
there, and they dashed to and fro and gay
false alarms of the enemy ben in hot pursuit.
About this most kritikal juncture of affairs, son
philanthropck friend passed by with the welkul
news that the bridge were burnt, and the dange
all over. Then ceased the panik then came IL
peaceful Gains of heroes after the strife of war
over then exclaimed Frank Rails, my demoralize
friend, thank the good Lord for that. Bill, let
return thanks. and stop and rest Boys, let n
git out and lie down; I'm as humble as ded MI
ger. I'll tell you the truth. sung the long metz
doxoogy as crossed the Etowah bridge, and
expedited to be ded man in fifteen minutes. /
thankful, feers-let's all be thankful; the brldg
is burnt and the river is three miles deep. Goo
sakes! do you rekun them Yankees kan swim
Git up, boys-let's drive ahead and keep movin.
tell you there's no akkountn for anything wi
blue close on, these days. Dinged If amt afeere
of a blue tailed fy.'
With most distressin flow of language, he ko
tnued hi> rhapsody of random remarks.
Then there was trump of good fellows. b
John-as clever he is fat, and as fat as old Fa
staf-Mith indie fatima BILE lilinencn he had snl,ure