Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-08-08
OLD VIRGINNY.
Extinct Charaeters-PeeuIiarIties Of
the Past.

Richmond Wing.
before the war Virginia was lannon's for q
great number OF marked and queer charac-
IeTs' lhey aoounded Throughout the State.
Livery city, every town, every county, and
every neighbOrhOod had them. TLev were
worthy to adom and illustrate comic alma
macs. Not only were they queer in their
dispositions, manners, notions and tall. but
they were queer in appearance. Eceentrici-
/ " was expressed on ever part Of them
Many of them had such faces as arr
seen on Old-fashiOned door knockers
or umbrella handles. If the whole num-
Der e0Qld have been taken in a group they
would have formed a collection that would
have been the wonder Of the world Some
had hooked noses, hollow cheeks, sharp
eyes, and pointed ehins. Some had noses
like BardOlph and months that could take
IN whole dish at a mOUJhful If it was 10
their taste, just like the old Virginia coun-
Try ire places, that could take in a half
cold Of wood at a time. Some were so fat
that they might have sat for pictures Of
talstah. They "larded the lean earth as
they walked However variant in ap-
Pearanee, nearly all Of them had two
things in cOmmon-the love Of LIQUOR and
the love OF country. We put liquor first
because the inspirations Of patriotism were
generally the results of liquor. The writer
has before him as he writes the picture OF
seven such characters that he once saw at 4
hsh-fry-all living within a range Of five
miles. They were indeed q strange lot.
Some OF them had considerable property, |
others had none, but lived upon their friends.
When they tired Of one house, they would !
60 TO another; and they went TO no houses |
that did not furnish good grub and plenty /
of liquor.
But there were queer characters Of diff |
terent sort, who cared nothing for high Il
llTlnS-men who had some pet theory that
they were eyerlastingly preaching up.
Then there were the news-mOngers, who
would 90 TO the country store, gather up all
the news OF the neighbOrhOOd, and start eff
10 give 1t circulation. There were men who !
did nothing but fish all day long; others |
Who spent their time in hunting squirrels |
and other varmints. There were people |
Who went through a range Of counties
nending clocks, who abOunded in gossip.
Ihe peddlers were universally distFustec,
lut as universally welcomed, for they had |
he very articles that were needed in every |
household and that could not be procured |
u the neighbOring store. Every neighbOr- |
ioOd had its pet beggar, as we'll established |
g was Edie OchiltTee, ''the Kings bedes-
man,
Nearly all these odd characters have dis
ppeared. In those good old times Of which
re apeak, almost everybody twas well OF,
nd society could afford 10 maintain 4 small
rmy Of these queer people, who afforded
eneral amusement. They were like .
trolling players, going from place to place,
nd welcomed wherever they went.
Where are they how? IL is the rarest
hing to see one nowadays. They have j
lsappeared and no one can tell where
hey have gone They certainly were not
lied IN the war, for they were nOn-cOm-
atants. Perhaps their accustomed grub
'iled them, and they died Of starvation and
rOken hearts-"fraCted and cOrrObOrate," Z
) Pistol said of Falstaff.
such characters are the products of a
lethora Of prosperity, Of the "canker Of a
'ng peace" In times of difficulty and | v
overly there is no place for them War
nd trouble eradicate eccentricities, smooth | =
OWN sinuOsitieS, and reduce people TO a
'mmOn level. Those who cannot under
} the process Of assimilation pass out Of
GIT and die of. There is no room for | Z
lem.
The time may cOme-We hope it will
hen some Of those characters NAV reap
ar. They break the mOnOtOny Of life,
Id some Of them are not only embellish-
ents to society, but supports to it. o.
One character, higher than al the reSg =.
andS out from the canvas character
lite common a hllf a century ago, rare
s. anterior o the war, and now extinct- -
at Of the real old Virginian, the cock Of
G walk in his neighbOrhOOd, whose viz
Is we're integrity, hard-headedness, and
Te OF State, and whose characteristic en-
llishments were 4 rufIled shirt, a gold (
AIDED cane, blue coat with brass but | e
ns, and bud WaistcOat. Those respect L
lie and influential old codgers we're auto
ITS. They We're generally magistrates.
quenily members OF the Assembly, and
re authority in all neighbOrhOod and
unity matters. They had true grit,
d would have died before
~ would have surrendered their Sriebts
the Territories" 'sThey believed in the
oldtiOns Of '9S-99,' drank the best
indies and wines, and ''chaWedn excel
It tobacco. Their pTejudices and
niOns were immOFable, and their self =
lance and self-respect were such that | tic
y would scarcely have deferred to | of,
ngs. As politicians they were as AM
ter as SCOT. Some were Wings mi
I some Democrats. The former read nj
Richmond IJqtig as they did their he
Die, and believed every word it con n
ned. The latter swOre by the Richmond m
qltirer as the great sheet anchor Of the da-
ntry. Those good, brave, hard headed. If
pitable old gentlemen have become ex- fas
Ct, like the mastOdOn and the dOdO. Va