Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1884-10-09
UNCLE JOSHUA LAWS.
THE PATRIARCH OF AePLE-RAIS-
EIsS AND PRINCE OF Bib
LICAL POI1Ed1CS.

LICSAlx POA~EA2tS.
j.. r,sxc. SLetet, Of Wilkes County's Most
Eccentric Mountai.,eer and Phenom-
-caal Disciple of Mnexnosyne.
Spseials lsCoseespondenoe'o5f Tie Sentinel.
Mt. AERSSN, N. C., Oct. 4, 1854
Away up in one of the widest coves
of the B-ushy Mountains, Immediately |
under the-shadow ofPeor's Knob, and
almost n4ItaasaY between Taylorsville |
and Wilkesloero, lived, in ante be1t"na
days most remarkable individual,
Familiarity known to his wilderness
neiehhors and his wider circle ofb busi-
ness acp1aiatances throughout the
limits of three .mountain counties, as
Uncle Joshua Laws Hatless and
coatless habitually for the most part ;
dressed in Unconventional homemade
suit of linsey shunting-shirt, fox-skln
vest, 'coparas speeches., and deer
hide moccas;ns; dwelling in the plain
est of legscahns, buried low down IN
the hollow of dense thicket of hun
dreds upon hundreds of apple and
'cherryttrees, yet was he undoubtedly
wealthy, from the extensive and
shrewdly-managed sale of the products
of his orchards to the neighboring
towing: and beneath his hearth-rock
were reported to have been secreted
goodly:treasures of silver and gold,
TiEaIlirg and surprising in quantity
and .snlendor the total assets Of many
a wildcat city bankers safe. Far re-
mote ff-ena the macademized highways,
of knowledge, and utterly oblivious
though The was to book and newspaper
fame, (a stray patent almanac, Dill
worth's Spelling Book, Murrays
Grammar and Bible being the pre-
cious aggregate of all the literary
treasures that had ever crossed his
thrssheld); scorning indeed our petty
maths of information, yet was he self
instructed and trained in the high
school Of the prophets, apostles and
martyrs, and more learned than any
of us in biblical lore-he could actu-
allF repeat the whoLe Bible from mem
cru, and could argue from its contents
by the day or week with any unfortu-
nate clerical controversionalist who
xss so benighted and fool-hardy as to
dare to cross rapiers with him.
In politics an old line Wing, though
practically Tom Benton bullionist
of the severest ilk in religion Prim-
itive Baptist of the strictest sect,
though never thanking God that he
aEdn't know letter in the book a
hearty hater of all Sons of Temper
ance, as well as all members of the So
ciety of Constitutional Topers; and a
dear lover of genuine peach brandy
for its own sake, woe betide the hallu-
scinated Locofoco, Pedobaptist or Pro.
hibitionist, that sought favors pecuni-
ary, personal or amicable from him,
much less essayed to enter the lists
polemical against this Bible-clad
knight, who could knock all antago
elists and isn,s to flinders with a tongue
more ready and voluble than the swal-
lows wing or tho lightning's flash
Yet no man was ever kinder or more
hespitable to those he liked; no man
when he wanted to, could be better
neighbor, a warmer or truer friend
But you Just had to mind when com
ing in contact with him, never to over
set his darling hobbies, arouse hi
slumbering prejudices, or tramp OF
hs ancient argumentative corns
These dangerous and unwarrantabl
liberties would throw the old fello,
Into a seething cauldron Of bitteres
rage, in which Jove's lightning ant
Demosthenian Phillipics would com
down in real cyclone fashion of releni
less fury upon your devoted head.
And he had a most able help-mee
and eoadjutrix in his well-intende
warfare against new-fangled error i
the person of his aged partner, Mr.
Laws. Though tender-heartec
raotherly soul, when she loved yo,
she.could be speedily metamorphose,
on occasion, into one of the very stu
disst of Amazonian warriors that eve
was seen. And she was So we'll verse
in ':Unele Josh's" tents, and so 10y
to her lords stupendous prejudice
that it was eminently unsafe to ven
ure to meddle with her at cross pu
poaes. Be it said to the everlastir
hsGor and credit of both these o.
people, that they were as honest al
trathfui as the day was long tn
thay really had no special or heino
faults; but lacked opportunities of e
tsasive worldly information and we
the curious victims of natural and
xepressible eceentricities; that tn
raised most industrious and respe'
;able family of children, and contriv
4hrough many self denials and han
ships, to send some of their sons To-
enough to distant schools to ma
chem intelligent men of business. V
hoxx 9nfo t,6 ua
purity of motive was the prime cat
of their zeal and dauntlessness in Z
fence of what they deemed to be rigl
Then they were often set upon al
jeered by conceited college boys W
imagined a mountaineer could I
know anything; and this made th'
sore of contradiction, soured their te
,pers, and filed them with wolfish S
,picion of all strangers.
Professor Foote, in travelling
tween Wnkesboro and Taylorsvil
was belated by an accident to his bu
gy, and called at their door in t
night, and asked for lodging. He v
abruptly halted and catechized mu
after the manner of the partisan SEQ
id the days Of Francis Marion:
1.who are you and where do you b
froml. i .sls.s.
"My name is Foote, and live in 7
lorsyille."
? z