The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-02-06
COUSIN SALLY DILLARD.
Who She Was and Where She Hailed
From.
From the Petersburg Wa.l News.

lard" has long been attributed by
North Carolinians, and / doubt not
to the late Hamilton @. Jones,
of Salisbury, a celebrated humorist, a
lawyer, and for years the
reporter of the supreme court of that
state.
"He was fellow of infinite jest, of
most excellent fancy" He has made
us laugh Z" a thousand times" but he
,Uas not the author of "My Cousin Sal
" Dillard," for I often heard it told
more than sixty years ago, and before
the inimitable North Carolinian was
old enough to relish joke, or to ap
preciate a well conceived tale.
Be it known, therefore, by every
North Carolinian and Virginian, and
by call the rest of mankind" that the
late Richard Claiborne, formerly of
Dinwiddie county, Va, who lived near
" Gums HILL" on the road leading
from the courthouse of the said county,
to Harper's bridge, on the Nottoway
river, was the veritable author of this
celebrated narrative of a scene which is
said to have been witnessed in the old
district court of Brunswick county, in
this state, in which Judge Tucker pre-
sided.
MIR. Claiborne was an uncle of the
father of your townsman, DIR. J. Her
bert Claiborne, and was a member of
the bar in attendance on that court at
the time of the examination of the wit
ness who afforded so much merriment,
on the occasion which he has made
memorable by recital of the incident
by which it was distinguished. It hap
pened in this wise:
An individual was prosecuted in that
court for can assault with intent to
kill" The witness in question was
called on to tell what he knew of the af-
fair, and he proceeded thus:
"Well, you see, there was a treat
gin over at Capt. Rice's, and my wife
and my cousin Sally billiard they
wanted to go, and my wife she axes me,
she did, if my man Nose mought go
along with her, for there was a creek to
cross on log, and my wife she could
never walk a log in her life, so she
wanted me to let my man Nose go, so
as he could hope her over the log. And
so tells nv wife, seeing as how that
my cousin Sally billiard was going,
suppose that I must let my man Nose
90, though the crap was powerfully in
the grass, which my man Nose was the
foreman in the crap. So off they starts,
and when they gifts to the creek, my man
Nose he hopes my wife over the log ;
and my cousin Sally billiard she offs
with her shoes and stockings, and ups
with her petticoat, and wades across"
The judge becoming impatient at the
circumlocution of the witness, inter-
rupted him by saying 6 Ne do not
care to hear how your cousin Sallie
billiard got along, or whether they ever
reached the place at all. Tell us what
you know of the assault, and nothing
else"
ooh, yes" said the witness.
"Well, SIR" said the Judge, "pro-
coed with your statement, and confne
it to the circumstances of the assault"
''Well, as 1 was telling an We, you
see there was treat gin over at Capt.
Rice's and my cousin Sally billiard
was at our house"
"Stop, sir!" said the Judge, "did not
tell you to confne your statement to
the circumstances of the assault ?"
"Oh, yes" said the witness.
"Well, sir" continued the Judge,
d" let us hear no more of your wife and
your cousin Sally billiard. Begin at
the commencement of the assault, after
you arrived at Capt. Rice's."
ooh, yes," said the incorrigible wit
ness. "Well, as / was telling an We,
you see there was a treat gin over at
Capt. Rice's, and my cousin Sally Dill
lard was at our house"
Sit, down, sir" said the Judge, and,
appealing to the attorney for the COM
mOmweaIth, who had introduced the
witness, he told him that he thought it
unreasonable that the time of the court
should be consumed by the testimony
of such a simpletoD, and that he would
not hear him further.
May it please your honor, replied
the attorney, 81 regard the ev dence of
this witness as very important, and hope
that in Justice to the commonwealth,
you will allow him to proceed"
"Stand up" said the Judge. "Now,
sir, tell what you know of the assault
and nothing else, and if you go on as
you have done, to say anything about
your wife or your cousin Sally billiard,
I will send you to Jail for contempt of
court. Begin, sir, and say nothing
of what occurred before you reached
Capt. Rice's."
ooh, yes" was the inevitable reply
" Well, you see, as was telling an We,
there was a treat gin over to Capt.
Rice's, and cousin Sally billiard was at
our house"
Sheriff." said the judge" "take
that witness to Jail"
Here the commonwealth attorney
again interfered, and assured the court
that he expected to prove by that wit
ness a most important fact in connec-
ton with the assault. and one of which
no other person who had been sum-
moned knew anything nothing less, in
short, than threat by the accused that
he intended to beat the injured mans
brains out when they should meet at
Can't, Rice treat. ct think, sir, :"
continued the attorney, eff you will al
low the witness o proceed in his own
homely way, that he will come to the
point in a short time.
81 think if mighty strange" said the
'tbat you made me come hero
TO tell Won what / know about the fight,
aud won't let me tell you, neither. "
After further consultation between
the court and the commemorative at
.o1ney, the former relaxed its ruling,
and once more ordered the witness to
20 on, and to confine himself strictly to
what occurred after he reached Capt.
Rice's.
ooh yes," replied the witness.
80 Well you see, as l was a telling an
ye'-and going through the "thrice
old tale" that his cousin Sally billiard
vas at his house that she and his wife |
wanted to go to the treat that his wife
lsked him to let "my man Nose" go,
% help her over the log; that his cous-
m Sally billiard off with her shoes and |
stockings, up with her petticoat and
waded across the creek, he proceeded |
Well, you see, we all got over |
The creek and went straight along, that |
s as straight as the path would take us,
and got there, as nigh as could Judge, |
lbout half-after one o'clock in the after |
noon; don't you think that was about |
= e time, Mr.. Sturdivant? Which l |
udge it was about that time of dav. or |
/ ar Ibouts, cause my old horse Ball |
re won't move a step to the pillow after /
le thinks twelve o'clock has come and |
had Just had time to take him to wa
er and feed him, and then TO put on
nv tother clothes. when we sot off |
o Capt. Rice's; and think lit tux rus
ligh about hour an half or thara-
,Uuts, arter old Be II stopped, to fly up,
md git thar. Well, you see, we had