Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-03-21
Yfgistellameuns &eadiua.
A STORY OF GEN. MAGRUDER.

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STORY OF GEN. MAGRUDER.
Gen. Shields, of Cerro Gordo celebrity,
has lately furnished correspondents of the
Eastern press some "reminiscences, humorous
and otherwise, of his Mexican experiences
One anecdote see published, wherein Bank
head Magruder, the gallant and convivial,
figures as the hero am reminded of one Of
Magruder's adventures during the campaigns
of 1867, which is familiar to most Of
6cers of the "old army" but which never
remembered to have seen in print. 1t was on
the march from Puebla to the city of Mexi
co that Magruder, who had an artillery COM
mand, on halting for the night, in the midst
of peting rain, noticed, at some little dis
tance, some out.buildings admirably adapted
as shelter for his command. To think was
with him to act, and in few minutes his
men and horses were comfortably housed, end
his pieces and caissons protected by tarpau-
lius from the storm. Scarcely had the gal
liant captain and his suhalterns settled them
selves in snug corner before welcome fire,
when they were disturbed by the entrance of
an aide-de.camp to the division commander,
conveying the untimely order that Magru-
der's command should at once vacate as the
premises had been assigned to division head
quarters Now, the commanding officer was
Gen. Pillow, who had acquired certain fame
by digging the fosse of fortified work on the
wrong side of the parapet, and whose ever re-
curing errors Of detail afforded to the regu.
lars under his command fund Of infinite
jest. Magruder was equal to the OCCASION,
and with bland smile, stare of non, recog.
milton and his own inimitible lisp, he ad-
dressed the aide he had seen every day for a
year: "Thir, do not know you, | never
thaw you before in my life. If Gen. Pillow
wisheth to convey rne any orderth let him do
tho in writing.' The astounded aide retired,
and Magruder and his comrades again set
tied to the coffee and their fire. Shortly the
jingle of spurs and the clang of sabres an
nounced new arrival, and, supported by his
orderly, stalked into the circle the Adjutant-
General of the division, Major -. "Cap-
tain Magruder, these buildings have been as
signed as division headquarters. General
Pillow demands that you shall vacate them
Immediately! They were intimate friends,
had been at West Point together, but Ma
gruder failed to recognize the Major. "There
/ do not know yol. Let General Pillow
convey hith orders in writing" "Why, Ma
gruder?" urged the Major. "Thcre, do
not know you" was the polite response ; and
the discomfited chief of the staff withdrew.
A few minutes more passed by; coffee had
been discussed. and the now jovial party were
testing, from the festive canteen, a superior
article of commissary whisky, when the clat-
ter Of hoofs, the hoarse voice of command
the rattle of many sabres, proclaimed the
approach Of the division commander and his
retinue. Magruder and his lieutenants rose
respectfully as the civilian General, in all his
muddled and bedragged pomp, entered their
humble quarters. Captain Magruder," thun-
der Pillow, "f, in fifteen minutes, your men
and horses are not removed from these quar-
ters I will give you an order that will sur.
prise you, sir!' Magruder shuddered at the
prospect, but ever ready, fired the final shot :
II beg pardon, General. you could give me
no order that would thurprthe me, thin
San Francisco Mail.
HOW THE JUDGE REPEATED THE JOKE.
The Raleigh IN. c. Observer relates this
anecdote of an esteemed North Carolina
Judge: "Some years ago a case was called
for trial in Cumberland Superior Curt
| Among the witnesses on behalf of the State
was to have been one Sara Mooney. She
was not found in the courtroom, and her
name was called in due form from the Court.
house window without effect. Whereupon the
State Solicitor, the late Hon. Robert Strange.
who was fond of a joke, even of a pun, turn
ed to the court and said: May it please
your Honor, the testimony of this witness i,
not material, and we will 60 on with the cas-.
without Saramoony.' Of course, the lawyers
laughed at the pun, but the Judge didn't see
it, and cracked never smile. There were
no railroads in those days, and few stage.
coaches, and Judge and lawyers travelled from
one court to another in McKethan's buggies.
| On the road to the next court, in the Judges
own county, there was quite procession Of
lawyers in buggies following the Judges lead.
The Judge called a halt in the middle of Il
stream to water his horse, and in the thought
full mood incident to that process, suddenly
astonished his brethren Of the bar by burst
ing into laughter both loud and long. He
explained that he was laughing at Judge
Strange's good joke. Arrived at home,
throug Oh with his toilet, and seated at supper,
his wife, as wives will, asked of tie iLcdeuts
of bis journey. There had been nothing of
interest," he said, except the good joke gotten
off by their mutual friend, Judge Strange, at
Cumberland court. "And what was that, my
dear?" "Well, there was case in which one
of the witnesses was named Mary Mooney.
She could not be found, and Judge Strange,
amid shouts of laughter, said, May it please
your Honor, we will 60 on without Mary
Mooney" The good lady pondered awhile,
and said she did not see anything very funny
in that and, after itsle thinking, the JUDI dge
said that he did not either, then, but that he
had seen it while watering his horse"
THE FooT AND THE PoUND.-The foot and
the pound are found in every country, and
have evidently been derived directly from the
Romans But they can claim far higher
antiquity, for Mr.. Chisholm traces their ori.
gin to the Babylonians or Chaldaans, who, as
units of lenth, use both the cubit and the foot.
These we're subsequently adopted by the Egyp
tans who introduced considerable variety, 80
that there is no little confusion between the
different kinds of cubit and foot. The natu'
raj cubit, of about 1S inches, and the foot
which was two.thrds of Shis LENGTH were trans
ferred to Greece, and the cubit having fallen
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