The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-12
An Ex-Preacher as Bartender and
Master of Ceremonies.
LUDICROUS SCENES AND INCIDENTS.
A Running Horse a Creased Head and
a Variety of Mishaps.
NEWTON. Ala. Dec. %, 1878.


accomplishments consists not alone of steam engines,
printing presses regulation Congressional speeches
and elevated railways but is largely shaped by the
great social question What will we do to kill time
This question is asked by the peted darlings of for
tune by the recluse in his hermitage aud by the
general. who paraphrases the question by calling
for "Blucher night but all this tendency
10 monopoly by each person does not pre-
vent the butternut from asking the same
momentous question and solving 1t III his
own sal geaeris way 1t has been well known
quite an age that the American backwoodsman is
a queer specimen of compound Independence, good
sense. folly, generosity and loyalty to convictions
One has but to flush his acquaintance at the coun-
try cross road grocery the shooting match to see
all the aboriginal pecuares of each person stand
ing out openly obtruded as the "quills upon the
fretful porcupne,' and as likely to prick super
sensitive people. Cooper has left his statue Of the
frontiersman standing clearly against the back
ground of his age with outlines softened by that
prejudice that kills half of truth in the tran
sition from life to history until it a veil Of
poesy and romance. Whatever may be said of the
truth his portraiture of the of his day it will
be readily admitted that the frontiersman or back
woodsman of to-day is cast in different moulds.
UNIQUE INVITATION.
Such thoughts Us the above were il my mind on
Christmas Day. 1 rode along the public road
toward country grocery situated at the forks of
two roads in what is popularity called by politicians
the 'wregrass' section of Alabama. had been duly
invited by an ex-parson, who kept the grocery and
dispensed tough leg aud .'old Robinson County
whiskeys the tpers of the neighborhood to attend
revival OF a pastme once prominent in the
sport of North Carolina 100 years ago-a ''gander
pulling" His invitation ran as follows:-
My DEARLY BELOVED SUR
Thou respectfully invited to attend ancestral
der pullin. at my premises ON the 10Th inst. dc.
That expression, ancestral gander pullin' struck
me. ana when was assured by neighbor that they
would have a "rale riproarng time" concluded to
PECULIAR CROWD
As SOLITARY horseman" wendell my way toward
the of this queer celebration of the birth of
the Man of Nazareth Upon my arrival about eleven
O'Clock in the forenoon. l found a crowd Of some
fifty gathered around blazing fire of pine knots in
front of the GROCERY and scattered over the prem
sropr.o eioore was the way they disposed Of their
hands. They either whitfield left their hands to
repose with sublime placidity deep down in the pro-
found my steries of their trousers pockets. When
approached the group around the pine knots score
of voices greeted me with
Hello, Squire, come to pull the gander?' "Come
up and warm Give Teller your paw, and the
like, followed by handshaking as universal as
Kearney' denuncation of the 'bloaed bondholdcr,"
each one followed by plunge of the hand back into
the profound depth of the pantaloons pocket. The
air was damp, heavy and chilly, and the wind drove
the black, SCOT adened smoke from the knots in
eddying puts in all directions and it drifted heavily
away among the pine boughs. From all directions ci
gems were coming in all on horseback. and after
hitching to the trees and sapngs i'll the vicinity,
discussed the chances of the pullin they called
it. Old men. young men and boys, white and black.
there and all seemed absorbed in this great
question and for the time forgot their hands. which
reposed safely in their deepest pockets
Ex-REvEREsD BARTENDER.
Passing into the barroom in the presence of
the functDnary of the place and the occasion. The
room was rude affair being the smallest of single
pine log huts, clapboards top cracks ceied with
the same. rude fireplace. in which pile of knots
blazed and roared; box at the other end and behind
this place of devotion-a kind second altar US it
d
He was tall lank, doxology-looking individual with
a small wisp of prayish whiskers three inches in
length hanging downward from the point of u
chin belonging to an otherwise cleanshsven face
of more than usual solcInnity Two dead oyster
looking eyes martyred the feeble gljmmer of
animation struggling for existence along the outline
of an aquiline nose, while his mouth, with dropping
corners seemed to be chief mourner at the funeral,
and was always asking pardon for presunng
that much His hair was long. and on this damp
day hung dank and strngy behind his ears. When I
entered he leaning the counter his chin rest
ing in both hands while he elaborated Oh the rules
OF the "pun " to half dozen contestants, most of
whom were seated upon empty barrels. tobacco and
cracker boxes. OF course / welcomed and then
day. which he had framed in has own style. As the
rules are worthy of production here / sandwich
them in between the comments of the ex-parson:-
GANDER PULLING.
my dear friends, gander's head is ofui hard to
fetch" he sad land the teller what gifts il will yearn
what he gifts; but don't say this to discourage any
OF you want you all 10 pull and show your spunk.
II will add 10 the of the puln to have you
all in it, You want to hear the rules? Well. here
they are:--
Fea-Thou shalst not pull at the gander till thou hast
SeonJ-Thou slsst ride each his boss and each
IiGi-Thou shast pull the gandcr II thy boss is
fort1ibou shast have five pulls the sauder for
quarter.
fmIf thou FULLEST of the he'd Of the said gauaer thou
lsird-The he'd of the said gander shall be creased.
Now these is the rules to conduct this pullin'.
II makes feel young agin to lie at u gander
pullin'. 1t reminds me OF my carly days in old
.ll..l
every Christmas and sometimes Fourth of July:
but all them things fadcth away, Us the PsalInist
says like the grass that groweh up and Is cut down.
All my friends we only sees such times once in this
vale of tears.
lie was boring tor a tear and got 1t. He struck
water--or whiskey. Any way it was a tear.
These ''rules" are an exact copy of the original
sheet taken by me under prctcnce OF desire to ill.,
troduce them at the first ''pulin' got up.
GROUND.
Near the groggery old field from around
which the fence had been removed. and thither the
congregation" the ex-preacher styled the crowd
repaired at twelve to indulge in this novel psstime
fork had been set in the ground, into which long
pole had been placed, end of which was nailed
to stump and the other projected about thirty
degrees above the horizon and many feet beyond
The fork. This end was smaller than the
other and timber, and hung about hve
feet above the head of man ON horse
back. AS all eager for the sport an
Anticipated gander was immediately swung to the
hbcr end Of the pole BY the feet. head downward,
renty as tough United States Treasury report.
Judge armed with whip. with which TO accelerate
tue speed on any horse which was TOO SLOW, took MS
stand the gander, who. for the first time In life,
was TO be truly dramatic, aud blend with his Quack
quack" the glamour of martyrdom.
THE CONTESTANTS.
The parson. who was master Of ceremonies read
3ut the rules the list of contestants east lots for
position aud formed them in row one behind an
'tler lie again read the rules to the motley
hrung among whom son of "Africs sunny
CLINE, mounted upon lnea descendant of Balaain =
ass Many rough Jokes flew back and forth, aud Peter
came in for guody SHARE to which he only grinncd
anu exhibited "a hand whose grip was too well known
"A
Die rival for the honor OF the decapitaon. Fourteen
wefs IN line, headed by lank, rcd
headed ex-candidate tor sheriff, mounted upon
gaunt and sptefui sorrcl mare. His stiIrups
were at least four inches short. and hence his
hh.es pVted out to the front with painful angu-
i"rlty Whle between the tops OF his socks-now down
over the quarters Of his shoes-and the hem of his
yellow jean pants elapsed space of bare, blush.
req shln glcAuing bleakly IN thu raw wind, As one
at the Dy islanders Remarked lo .r,, 49,. ,.t a.