Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-05-08
Straps uf gutal Aistorg.
"REMINISCENCES OF YORK.
BY DIR. MAURICE A. MOORE.
From the Yorkville Enquirer. 1870.

BY DR.. MAURICE A. MOORE.
From the Yorkvile Enquirer. 1870.
In 1922 or 1923, Paddy Carey came from
Rogersville, East Tennessee, to Yorkville.
He was printer, and was brought on to
South Carolina by Rev. Robert Davis, to
print the Lectures on the New Testament" }"
written by his father, Rev. VIM. G. Davis
the founder of the sect called Independent
Presbyterians.
After his residence for while in York
vile, Carey conceived the idea of publish
ing weekly newspaper, as private enter
prise, for at that time there was no paper
printed in the State, above Columbia. The
undertaking was generally encouraged and
promised to be success. Carey got up a
subscription list, fixing the price Of the pa
per at three dollars per year, to which many
readily signed their names. There was
much debate about the name, Carey asking
and rejecting suggestions of different appel
lations, until he made it quite village top
ic We all thought he had decided on call
ing it "The Spirit of 49," when 10 one
morning "THE PIONEER" surprised us by
it's modest presence and all had to confess
the suitability of it's title and good omen
so happy hit. The first issue Was about
the size of a foolscap sheet of writing paper:
The type was set by little boy named
Smith, The other hands were too busy
about the book to be able to spare time for
this new work. 1t grew in size gradually,
and in its maturity was paper of respecta-
BILE dimensions and much merit. James
Edward Henry, after its enlargement, be-
came valued contributor to the Pioneers
columns. His was "the pen of a ready
writer" and his articles much enhanced the
popularity of the paper. One of his stories
"Myra Cunningham, tale of the Revolu-
tion," was pleasant little nouvelette much
admired, and ran through number after
number for several months. However, one
of his best pieces almost got Carey into a
serious scrape. The relation will serve to
show how we'll Major Henry painted every
day pictures, and how much human nature
is alike the world over.
On the Fourth of July we had q ball in
Yorkvile. It passed as sucl Uhings usually
do, with its naodic,tn, Of compliments and
cuts-a pleasure to some, disappointment
to others, and it was over; but the next is
sue of the Pioneer had ga Description of a
Fourth of July Ball, ," under the new and sim
gular non de plume of "The Wasp" and it
had sting, for it was surely ''our ball" de-
picted. Home actors were certainly drawn;
and so we'll, too, the take off could hardly
be called burlesque. "Maj. Doublehead," ="
was undoubtedly meant for Major Darwin ;
"Becky Bitter" was true portrait of one of
our village beauties, whose tongue, alas
many of us knew to our cost, 'cut like two
edged sword" The Misses Eggleston, ad-
mirable young ladies, was deserved com
pliment to the Misses Mcmahon as too, was
the description of an accomplished young
gentleman of very fine manners and ap-
pearance, which was certainly Donom
Witherspoon. "Mr. Fudge" was Charley
Coggins, and no one hesitated, it was so
plain who was meant, to say that the vim
egar faced little girl described as "Betsy
Cruit," was Miss Betsy Chambers. GAS
good little thing, if she was sour looking"
uncle Ben Chambers swore, "as was in
town." and no one could put her derisively
in the papers with impunity-he'd break
every bone in Carey's trifiing carcass"
Carey had put forth one wasp and found
himself in nest of them. More than one
by personalities so pointed. In vain he
declared the article was sent to him two
weeks before the ball, and he had delayed
it's publication. He got no credence. The
verdict twas that he was lying OUT of the
matter"
In the midst of this "tempest in the tea
pot" a gentlemen from Chester rode into
town. In giving the news of the day from
Chester, he mentioned that the Pioneer had
been received little while before he left,
and the people were quite indignant over a
description it contained of their "Fourth of
July ball." He then began to enumerate
the different individuals with whom Carey
had taken the unwarrantable liberty of
showing up in ludicrous light to the pub
lie. Chester, too, had "Maj. Doublehead,' y
The excitement at hand began visibly to
decline. We were forced to subsde and
believe Carey's statement, and felt very
sheepish that we had been fitting caps on
our neighbors.
20 wad some power the giftie gle us
TO see ourses as others see us!'
Carey, fortunately, had lodged Ben Cham
bers until the denoument, and saved sore
bones if not broken ones.
Paddy Carey was fond of his cups. Alas
they wrought his ruin, and over them he
was apt to grow pot valiant. One night
Carey and Alternately were in Joe Martins
Office. A decanter and glasses had been
put down on the table, and as they socially
drank, they busily talked. From their ac-
counts, they certainly had not held the doc
trine of Hudibras, that
"He who fights and runs away,
Will live to fight another day );
for Carey told of difficulty he once got into
while he lived in Tennessee. 1t was during
the war of 1S12-he said-a recruiting officer
was stationed at Rodgersvlle, and some
men he had were good deal disposed to
bully the citizens. One day three of them
Carey said-got into a dispute with him,
tried to "hector" it over him, but he told
them he was not man to take anything
off of any man, much less their insolence.
With that, one of them made at him, and
Carey sad-he just took him a cuff on the
butt of the ear with his fist that made him
turn a somersault equal to a circus man.
him such blow in the chest that he didn't
draw long breath in week. The third
soldier, seeing his comrades getting such
rough handling, sprang to aid them, but
Carey said-he boxed him right and left till
he learned him manners to his betters.
"They" were all-concluded Carey--"big-
ger, heavier men than 1 was, but / taught
them a lesson that day, don't think they
forgot soon."
Abernathy said that Carey's fight re-
minded him of one he had about the same
time. He was in service-he said-in the
war of 1912, and part Of the time, or duty
at Point Peter, Georgia. While there he got
into row with some sailors. There were
four-he said-in their party, and he was
alone. They all came at him at once, out he
clubbed his gun and knocked two into the
sea but his gun breakingin two, he dropped
the pieces and caught one Of the other sailors
by the throat with his left hand and choked
him into an appoplexy, and with his right
hand gouged the other follow till he cried
enough" in right good earnest.