Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-04-24

"
known several instances in which Fol-
befriended the injured, and also the
weaker party, making all the scienee,
GOODNESS, and confidence of the profess
SIGNAL duellist of no avail in the ISSUE
One especially remarkable case I will re-
late to you; but first another glass of
wine, if you please" We drank to each
other in that straw-colored and hook
favored madeira which, with the jovial
generation of Carolinians by whom. it
was imported, is rapidly sinking to
the dregs, to become like "rare Ben's "
canary, and Shakspeare's "sack," an
antiquated cripple" fairy wine of the
past.
Having somewhat pensively emptied
his glass, the Judge proceeded:
In 1925 resided in st. Paul's par
ish. My plantation was situated about
thirty miles on the other side of the
Ashley river, not very far from the small
hamlet of Willtoun's Bluff The par
ish at that period was thickly settled by
opulent, educated, and decidedly cxclu-
sive gentlemen. The society among
themselves was charming. Every per-
son occupying a certain social position
was intimate with his neighbor; and
what with club-dinners, whist7gather-
ings, balls, and hunting matches, thewin
as I have said, we were aristocrats in
both feeling and practice. Any new
conner, desirous of pitching his tent "
in st. Paul's was well aware-if he knew
anything whatever of us-that admis-
sion to our notice and friendship was
not to be dreamed of, unless his creden-
tials in regard to birth and breeding
were of an unexceptionable character.
No French noble, under the reign of the
Fourteenth Louis, could have been
charter on these points than we were, or
more disposed to look de hGut en- bGs
upon those we had reason to consider
our social interiors. This principle of
exclusiveism, however, was destined to
receive a shock. A fellow named John
ellis. who for years had acted as over
seer upon different plantations near
the Edisto, and whose wealth-by no
means scrupulously acquired-was re-
ported to be enormous, came to reside
in st. Paul's, some time, think, during
the winter of '26. He came under the
worst possible auspices for, in addition
to the general bad opinion of his char
acter, he forced the sale of the finest
plantation in the parish (after having
one of our friends), and, finally, SO
manuvered as to possess himself of the
entire estate.
"He had scarcely been settled therein
a month, before, with unparalleled au-
dacity, he sent his name in as candi-
date for admission to our club. The
magnates of that association stood
aghast. For my part, couldn't help
laughing at the mans impudence, but,
Of course, I joined the others in black
balling him.
"This rejection, instead of abashing,
merely infuriated Gillis. He took ad-
vantage of the circumstance that moth
ing had been absolutely proved against
his character for honesty and upright
dealing, to assert his claims to be re-
seived upon an equal footing socially,
in the most aggrayiting and offensive
manner. .
Perseverance, backed by unlimited
cheek Ito borrow a slang phrase), are
capable of accomplishing great deal.
''It so happened that one of our
young men-the 'bluest '-blooded per-
haps of them all-got into a personal
difficulty with Gillis, who, being COM
bative as game-chicken, and brave as
julius Caesar, Immediately challenged
him to the field of honor. The youth,
in his anger, accepted the challenge, and
was shot through the lungs for his con-
descension. He did not die, but his
health was permanently injured.
"The consequence of such a meeting
was necessarily to weaken, if not de-
stroy, the efficiency of our taboo. A
man whom one of our. comrades hao
fought, we Git was maintained) could not
continue utterly to ignore. True, oul
club doors were shut against his admis
sion as stringently as ever, and in botE
Our individual and collective capacity
We refused to associate with him. Never
theless, the shrewd rascal comprehende6
that, on one essential point, he had us,
as Bassanio says, upon the hip, 4
fastidious number of our circle had es
tablished a precedent it would scarcely
be en- reqLe to violate. In extreme cases
therefore, Mr.. John Gillis was to enjo,
the privilege of popping away at ou
honorable carcasses-a concession whlcl
I alone opposed as foolish and demor
alizing.
'Thus the resolute 7oarUenu endeav
ored to force his way upward, pistol il
hand. Every year, for three years fol
lowing, he was 'out with some membe
of our club, and on every occasion h
had succeeded in 'winging his adve1
sary. We began rather to respect hi
pluck and GOODNESS, and to be carefu
about giving him unnecessary offense
when certain occurrences took plac
which ended in ridding us forever of MI
| Glis and his pretensions.
"There lived at 'Willtoun's Bluff
gentleman of considerable property
whom everybody in the parish liked fo
his free-handed, liberal ways, his jovis
temper and his proverbial generosit
and unselfshness. Arthur Wilson was
in some respects, Falstaff, withou
Falstafrs vices. Like the hero of Cad
hill, he was physically a tun of a man
and he resembled him likewise in h
superabundant wit and humor. Blu
poor fellow he had been destined
suffer from terrible 'thorn in tt
flesh His wife, dried up little Gre
ture one could hardly see in her hu
bands gigantic and overpowering pre-
ence, ruled him nevertheless with
sway absolute, despotic, and admittir
of neither appeal nor modification.
was the most ludicrous thing on cart
to observe this man mountain, wa
of whose hand would have half ann
hilated his tiny consort, shrinking Wi
: the dread of a school-boy from the me
} sound of her shrewish voice, or depr
eating her displeasure by elaborate gen