Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-01-28
nLLL ARp. TEE RonAN RrNAaEE.

BILL AIR. THE ROMAN RUSAGEE.
THE following letter, as its date indi-
/ Gates, was published before in the At
lanta CO~afe7erdcU, now defunct, but as
il Is q necessary prelude to an original
/ one now in our hands from Bill Arp"
we give il, the better 10 enable our read
ers 10 appreciate and understand the
communication which viii appear IN our
next issue. The subjoined letter refers
20 a character well known in Georgia as
" Big john who is, 10 use a familiar but
expressive phrase, "a regular trump"
The original letter which, as we stated,
shall appear in the next number Of the
Record, viii refer more al length TO this
celebrated individual. and also relate how
Bill Arp returned 20 Rome, his eXpe-
rience and that Of the Arp family on the
wav, and what be saw and did when he
arrived in the Eternal Citty."-Ed.
ATLANTA. May %, 1854
Mr.. EdHlv: Remote, onfrended, mel
ankoIly. slow as somebody sed' ] am
now seekin a log in some vast wilder
ness, a lonely rOOst in some OkefeenOkee
swamp, where the fowl invaders cannot
travel, nor their pouuO0n bridges phl0at.
If Nj. Shakespeare were kOrrect when ne
writ that sweet are the juices OF adver-
sity,n then it are reasonable 10 suppose
that me and my fOaks and many Others
must have some sweetnin to spare.
When a man is aroused in the ded Of
night and smells the approach Of the
fowl invader, when he feels constrained
10 change his base and Dekum q runagee
from his home. leavin behind him all
those necessary things which holds body
and soul together; when he looks, per-
haps the last time, upon his lovely home
where he has been for many delightful
years, raisin children and chickens straw
berries and peas, lie soap and lnyuns,
and al sick Injuries Of this s~ublunary
life when b. imagines every unusual
sound 10 be the crack Of his earthly
doom: when from sich influences he be
| gins a diCnifed retreat. but soon IS k0n-
strained TO leave the dignity behind, and
git away without regard 70 the order Of
his going-f there Is any sweet juice in
the ike of that, I haven't been able to
see H. No, Mr.. EdiUur, SIGH scenes never
( happened in Bill Shakesyeer's day, or he
wouldent have writ that line.
I don't know that the lovely inhabi-
tants Of your butiful sity need any four
warnins TO max. 'em avoid the breakers
upon which our vessel wrecked; but for
fear they should some day shake their
CORY locks al me, I will make pubik a
brief allUsion to some Of the painful sirk-
umstanCes which lately Okkurred in the
regions ofthe eternal sitty,
Not many days e the eveFlastin
Yankees may they live always when
the devil gifts EN-, made a violent as
sault upon the sitty Of the hills-the
eternal sattT, where a hundred years
Injun rivers have been blendin their
waters peacefully tOgether-Vhere the
] Choeklaw children built their hutJer
/ mills, and toyed with frogs and tadpoles,
while these majesjick streams were but
little spring branches, a 5abplIu along
| their sandy beds. For 8 days and nights
/ our valyunt troops had beat bak the
| fowl invader, and saved our pullets from
| their devoUrin jaws. FOr 8 days and
nights we babe farewell 10 every fear, |
luxuriating upon the triumph Of our
arms. and the sweet juices Of Dur straw
| berries and cream. For 9 days and
! nights fresh troops from the South poured
into our streets with shouts that made
the welkin ring and the turkey bumps
I rise all over the flesh Of our people. We
! felt that Rome was sate-sekuFe against
the assaults Of the world, the flesh, and
| the devil, which last individual are sup
posed to be that horde If fowl invaders,
who are seekin to phlank Us CIT C.. both
l bread and existence.
But alas for human hopesI Man that
is born Of woman and there are mother
sort that I know Of has but few DAYS
that amt full Of trouble. Altho the
troops did shout, altho their br~ass-bouud
musk sVelled upon the gale, althO the
turkey bumps rose as the Welkin rung, 1
althO the cOmmandin General assured
Us that Rome was 10 be held ateyGry haz-
ard. and that on tomorrow the big
battul was 20 be fought, and the
fowl invaders hurled all bleedin and
hOwlih 70 the shores Of the Ohio,
vet il did t-Tanspire somehow that on
Tuesday night the military B~TakuatiOn
Of our sitty were peremptOrily ordered.
No note If warnin-nO whisper Of alarm
no hint Of the morrow came from the
muZzled lips Of him who had lifted our
hopes 50 high. Calmly Ond cody we
smoked our killy kinick, and surveyed
the embarkaaoa Of troops, konsrruin it
20 be some grand hanover Of military
strategy. About ten o'clock we retired
to rest 70 dream of tO-mOrrOw's victory.
Sleep soon OverpOwered Us like the fog
that kiyered the earth, but nary bright
dream a kuE, uary vision Of freedom
and glory. On the KontTary rest
were uneasv-strawberries and cream
seemed 70 be holdin secession meetins
within our corporate limits when sud-
denly in the Uwiuklip Of an eye
a friend aroused Us from our
slumber and put a new faze upon the
situation" Gen. Johnston was re-
treatin, and tbs blge-nOsed Yankees were
to pOllute our sakred soil th8 next mornin.
Then came the jug Of war. With hot
and feverish haste We started out in
search Of transportation, but nary trans
.,rF .,r1l ho had Time hnHsr-l friend
ship, past favors shown, everlastin graft
TODD, numerous small and luyely chill
dren, kunfederate kHrreucY new iSshOes,
bank bills, black bottles. all an induen-
ces were urged and used 10 seizure a kOr-
ner ia q kar, but nary k0rner-toO late
too late-the pressure for time was fear
fl and tremengiOus-tho steady clock
moved ONO Joshua about % leu-then
out the night. no rOliin stock, no steer,
no mule. With r0luktant and hasty
steps we prepared 70 make good our exit
by that overland line which Rail Roads
do not control, Eor A. Q Ms impress.
With our families and a little cloth
ing We crossed the Etowah bridge
about the broke of day on Wednes-
day, the seventeenth Of May, eigh-
teen hundred and sixty-four, pre-
zakly p year and two weeks from the 7
TIME MNEL AEIs ENLLGoL AAA4NA4I1 ia III
umph through our streets. By and by
the bright rays Of the morniH sun dis
persed the heavy fog which like a pail
Of deth had overspread all natur. Then
we're exhibited u our afflicted gaze a
highway crowded with wagins and
teams, Katie and hogs, niggers and dogs,
women and children, all mOvin in dis
beyelled haste 10 places and parts IN
known. Mules were brayin, cattle were
hogs were squeelln, sheep were
blatin, children were crying, wagginers
cussin, whips were poPpln, q horses
but still the grand kavan moved
Everybody was k~ontinualya lOokin
and drivin before-everybOdy
wanted to know everythin, and nobody
nothin. Ten thousand wild ru-
mors filled the sirkumambient air. The
everlEstin kayalry was there, and as they
70 and fro gave false alarms OF the
enemy bein in hot pursuit {
About this most kritikul junOiur8 or
ONE philanthropik friend passed
by with the Welkum news that the =
bridge wer burnt, and the danger all
Then ceased the park then
the peaceful Gains OF heroes after
the strife Of war Is Over then exclaimed Z
Frank Rails, my demOralized friend y
"thank the good Lord for that. Rim q
return thanks, and stop and resf '
Bows, let me git out and lie down. I'm a p
humble as a ded Niger. ! tell Won tbe '
truth. I sung the long meter dozology .
AZ I crossed the EtOWah bridge, and IeT-
pekred 70 be a ded man in fifteen min
ntes. Be thankful fellers-let all De :
thankful: the bridge Is burnt, and the j
ie three miles deep. Good sekes, q
do YOU rekun them Yankees kan swim? ,
Get up, boys-iets drive ahead and keep p,
mOvin. Itch you, there's no ekkountin :
Cor anything with blue cloths on these
days. Dinged, if amt Altered Of a
blne-tailed hy." {
With most distressin fow Of language, {