Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-02-05
LIMBER-STICK TOBE.
A "Reminiscences of a Georgia
Gold Town.
BY JANIS MAURICE THOMSON

In those days struck out fair from the
shoulder with as good right arm and as
solid fist as ever interfeIed with the
lschrymsl duct OF jOlted the Adams apple
of any fellow. l don't know that par
ticulsrly liked fighting, but somehow,
without much trouble, | got a heap of it
to do. Practice and much careful study
of the worlds way of rolling along had
given me clear insight inso the manner
of disposing of a chap so as to gain the
greatest possible fame. My greatest &C
cOmplshment in the matter of fighting
was my laugh. IF & fellow insulted me |
didn't fly into roaring passion Snd curse
and swear at him, nor did rub my fist
under hisuose. That would have been COM
mon. lsughed-tee-he-he he ha-ha-wa-a-a
that way. put on very pleased
look and sided up to my man-so. Then
l tapped him with my finger on the
shoulder, and said to him, ''DOn't you
love me, honey2" ''Not that l know of,
you red.healed, cowardly son of rain
bowl said he. "Let me kiss you, now,
won't your" said l. 'cNot by a gourd-
ful, " said he. "But 4 must" said l,
smiling, and just about then he got
choked on six of his teeth, and q splinter
done about, round in certain districts
where law don't have half show. Ar
kansas, Texas, California, and Missouri
are ready examples. 1 suppose I've VOL
lOped fifty men in each one of these
States, some of them four or five times
apiece. Guess I've told you about most
of my scrapes but one, and that one was
q curious affair. Didn't think I'd ever
tell you about it at all; but it's been so
long ago. Let me see, alb, yes, nigh on
to twenty-eight years-nay be more.
Guess it has. No difference about dates.
Twas long time ago, any how, long
time ago. wouldn't tell you now, but
somehow I don't feel ike sitting here
smoking always with nothing to talk
shout, when it does seem so much like
living life over again to talk up these
old sGrspes. Seems like this tobacco
burns too fast; give me some of yours
Thank you. Yes, this is bette. Burns
slow like
Couldn't tell you how first came to 60
TO Dahlonega any more than if the wind
had a blown me there. Somehow or
other l don't keep in mind inst the year l
went. Fact is it's good deal like a
dream, sll dim and misty like, just as
you've seen mountains away off in In
dian Summer when the wind was not
blowing any of account, and everything
seemed doing. l didn't go to Dahlonega
to dig gold at all, though for that matter
they were scooping it out right lively
then. Dahlonega is down in Georgia,
you know, and there'sa government mint
there. Reckon / went down there TO
fight, don't know what else, though, as
old you, l can't say that particularly
liked fighting.
When l went there Dshlonega was,
just like almost any gold mine town, a
huddle of shsnties, and in most of the
shanties they had more or less liquor to
sell Greatest place for corn whisky
ever saw, unless it was the DuCktOwn
copper mines in East Tennessee.
The first evening after l got there
had four fights, and licked four men, and
can't say got even a scratch. Of course
this gave me a reputation at once, for, as
It happened, had whipped the four bull
lies of the south end of the town all in
one evening. One of them, remember,
Knocked into mortar pit where the
mud-mOrtsr was a foot deep. That's
what he got for coughing in my face.
The other three l don't mind now what
mauled them for. think, though, thai
one of them caught his mess for asking
me for g chew of tobacco, and when
handed hin my plug he put corner OF I
in his soldering mouth and bit OF
piece instead of cutting it with knife
amt clear about it, but think l kicked
him clean over a pile of bacon in Sypes
grocery. Never did like for man t
bite my tobacco.
1t was IN the spring that | went down
there to DahOncga, and that hill country
of North Georgia is a nice place to be a
IN the spring. Sea breezes and mountain
winds blow through the land in 3 gusty,
careless kind of way, making solemn
moaning and roaring in the pine tops tina
nowadays touches a tender place in my
heart, setting memory 10 work rummag
ing over a little heap of things put away
in my bosom as holy. All, maybe you
never thought ! had q real tender heart
always beating under the iron-llke nus
Giles of my great rugged breast but
guess may be have. Here, fill my pipe
tobacco burns faster than common some
how.
was going on to tell you that on
morning l was dragging LATE Owen
across the street 10y the hair of the head
punching him on the nose little, so tina
next time he wouldn't be apt TO call me
hoosier, when suddenly ! came face
face with ayoung woman. LATE wa
bawling ont "NufT! huff" (meanin
enough,) and shootin' it to him jul
about nv best hicks, and the blood q Fly
ing. looked right into that girls eye
befors I knew II. and right there drOI