Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-12-18

THE OLD TINES.

CEsToRs THAT FOUGHT THE INDIANS,
&c, &c. &c.
You would like to have been there Satur-
day when that old musty trunkin Architect
Oltman's office fell open and dropped out
records Il century old, wouldn't you? But
you weren't, and now you've got to listen
to what we have to tell you about it. The
first thing we struck was the day-book of
a hotel in Staunton kept in 1914-15, pro-
badly the "Wayne," Washington or
the "Bell.'' The way the old boys lived in
those days was a caution. They were
those hearty old bucks who could take
their tod and blow their old noses on their
red bandanas, and take seat in the split
bottomed chairs in the sanded bar-coom
Sand remark, GAS | was saying,' all day
long. and never be whit the worse fol- it.
You don't find those old boys nowadays,
and that makes it all the more important
we should preserve their memories. They
kept the record in
SHILLINGS AND PENCE
in those days, and some of the charges
we find put down against some of the best
and most prominent men of the day. We
find Mr.. Erasmus S5ribling set down for
SO grogs at Is. Cd and MI. Nicholas
Kinney for lone snack and one grog, Is.
3D." For lone glass French brandy, with
bitters," Mr.. Jas. Fuller had to pay S.,
and for one sangaree he had to hand over
Is. Cd. MI. David Patterson, the esteemed
tpio
for his share of q ''club in porter paid Is.
3d., and for breaking q tumbler Sd. MI.
Balls Anderson paid for zone cruet whis
ky" 9d.-they used to call a flask 'scruet"
in those days. Nh. Jno. Merritt, for Zone
Sglass of bitters,n had to pay Is. ID, and
Mr.. VIM. Kinney, for lone cruet French
brandy" paid IS. Sd. A cruet of gin was
Is. 3D., pot of beer Is. 3d., vine bitters
were Is. 3D., cider 3d., a milk punch IBID,
rum and sugar Is, julep Is. 3D., a bottle
of porter As. 3d., a jorum of punch As. 3D.,
julep (they used to drink juleps in Janu
ary) was As. Cd. These high-priced drinks
were made of French brandy, which was
scarce article in those days. Thatwas the
time Of the war, and it was a h I'd matter
to get the fluid through the British block
ade, While the war was going Oh there
were several officers ia StauntOn, and
among them was Ensign Boughton, and
he was soon joined by Lieut.. Fuller and
other officers, and they appear from the
books to have had jolly time-indeed, so
hilarious that we find some small charges
for breaking tumbers. Doubtless the re
turn of peace eXhileraTed them, and the
charges got so fast on the bartender that
we find he had several times to say ITO
grogs sundry times, ?" and ITO sundry
cruets of whisly.n But he never got so
hard pressed that he lost his eye to the
main chance, seeing that he had time to
charge one OF the gallant officers with ITO
CASH LENT YOU
to get buttons, IS. 4d.''
The board at the hotel was $40 month,
and during the time We see some new az
rivals, one being Nh. e. R. Downing from
Richmond. It appears by the books that
our Eastern Virginia friend commenced
on cider, but III company with Easlgn
Boughton and the other ''boys' he soon
got to cruets OF whisky with the rest OF
them. Christmas in 1Sl4Was a royal time,
in which the Ensign was well to the front,
and in which our Richmond friend disap-
reared suddenly from the books. Evil
IDENTIFY the Ensign had been too mneh for
him. At that gay period the "Thespian
Society of Staunton secured the parlor at
IS. a night for three nights, and things
were so lively that in some cases we find
the oyerWorked bartender caught up by
putting down some charges as missed
setting down. The morning after Christ
mas we find some Of the boys, among them
Mr.. Jno. H. Peck, taking ''Wine bitters"
at Is. each, and ''millz juleps'' at Is. Cd.
each Think of a
MILK JULEP
Shades of Otard and Hennessy, think of
it At the end of the book the bartender
has put line, ''When this you see, re-
member me'' We will, oh long departed
toddy mixer The lips you have furnished
cruets Of gin and milk juleps and grogs TO
wet. are long since dried III the dust OF
death. and the arms that rested compla-
Gently Oh your bar are long since folded III
the grave. but you and your patience will
long be remembered. Your name we can
never know, but the. patience with when
Won must have waited OH Ensign Bough~
ton and Lieut.. HopeWel! and the other
impatient warriors and no less impatient
citizens will long be remembered to your
credit.
AND STILL FARTHER BACK--AMONG THE
SOLDIERS.
In the other book we find the muster roll
of the Augusta county militia running
from 1743 to 1857. and the court martial
proceedings held in that time. The hrst
court-martial recorded WAS ''held for AL
ousta county the 10Th day Of September
1913. being the next day after the General
MUSTER present Col. James Patton and
Captains John Smith, John Buchanan,
Jno. Christian, Peter Scholl, Jno. Wilson,
James Cathey, Samuel Gay, James Gil,
Hugh Thompson and Jn0. Mcdowell, and
the absent ones were the historical Capt.
Andrew Lewis and Capt. George Robin
son. The Officers of the court were sworn
to 'sdo equal rights and justice to all men,
according to the militia laws OF the colo
nv.'' The gravest case before the court
was that of Solomon Moffett, who ICON
temptuously refused in open court to serve
as corporal. for which he was fined 20
OF 5O0pounds Of tobacco and Robt. Turk
and ThoS Turk, who failed to appear at
general muster, and were fined IS sh}illngs