The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-07-16
A WILD CAREER.

A WILD CAREER.
Sketch OF the Life of An Athetis Raised
Boy.
Athsns, Ga., Banner.
Athens has furnished as many bright
| minds to the world as any other little
CITY in the United States. She has never,
however, had many heroes that have so far
been written up by dime novelists. Wepro'
pose, in this short sketch, to give, the
history of young man who was born
and educated in our little city, and whose
character for plain, unvarnished rascality
and recklessness would shame the re-
nowned John a. Murrell and "Three
Fingered jack" the pirate of the placers
and the marauder Of the mines in the
gold digging days of California, would be
eclipsed and pale into inslgnlhcaInce.
Our hero has no fancy, high.sounding
name, but the simple name OF. George
will do to give his history and his many
little freaks and escapades during ths
DAYS of the late rebellion. When wars
dread alarm was sounded in 1861, George
was mere stripping of youth, with q
handsome face, good address and slight
mustache. While the balance of the
Young men of the South shouldered their
muskets and went to the tented field,
George shouldered his sword and did most
of his fighting at the hotels in Richmond
and other cities. The writer's hrst no,
tice of George was at the American hotel
| in Richmond, " here he was sporting a
handsome Confederate Brigadier Gener-
als suit, and was the friend and boon
companion of the officers that stayed
around the Confederate capital. He had
"a suit of rooms where his friends were
always welcome, and would treat them
to wine and cigars that were too costly
for any one not drawing large salary or
Having a good backing at his home.
George made the acquaintance OF the
best ladies in Richmond and was on
familiar terms with the President and all
of the cabinet officers. He had an i'm
aginary command on the front lines with
lStonewall Jackson that he took partlcu.
liar pains never to 60 and see about
George finding his cash running short,
dressed himselfup in captains uniform,
went down in Rockets, a place where all
1.-The wharf rats of Richmond lived, got
up company of forty men, made out
his pay roll and marched his COM
pany up to the paymaster's depart.
ment and drew three months pay for
his whole company. The next, we
heard of George his cash is again short
and he made bold dash and drew
money three times in one day: first as
Colonel George, next as Major George
and last as Captain George. Finding
things were getting rather hot for him in
Richmopd after he made the draw, he
left for better climes around Atlanta.
AS soon as the paymaster's department.
| in Richmond found out that they had
been duped they sent dispatches and
detectives on every road to arrest Gentle
man George and bring him back Tor
trial, but he was never caught, and the
Lext time we hear of him he is travelling
on one of the railroads coming into At
lanta, with party of officers. Gentle.
man George was dressed in handsome
artillery captains uniform, and made
himself very agreeable to his newly made
friends. Captain George made bet
with one of the officers of a basket OF
wine, to be drank as soon as the party
reached Atlanta, that be cnuld read every
mans passport on the train. One of the
officers accepted the bet and told Cap.
tain George to start with him, as he was
certain that he had no authority to make
him produce his passport. George de.
manded the passport and the otlcers
refused and demanded his authority.
Captain George went down in the side
pocket of his handsome captains uniform
and produced papers with authority from
Jeff Davis, General Lee and everybody
else in power, and informed the officer
that unless his passport was forthcoming
that he would be arrested and put IN
chains and carried to the nearest mill
tary post The officer saw that Captain
George had him, produced his passport
and paid the fine. George took quarters
in Atlanta, and by his fancy dress, good
looks and lavish expenditure of money
soon made friends in that city. He ran
as passport conductor on the West Point
until one day, while in the zenith of his
glory. an order came from General
Bragg, then in command at Chattanooga,
to arrest Captain George and send him
:. to his Headquarters in irons. The order
was shown to Captain George and ne
insisted that the handouts should not
be put on him that there was mistake,
and that as soon as he could see General
Bragg he would make it all right and be
back in Atlanta in day or two: He
was such good talker that Colonel Lee,
tLen commanding the post in Atlanta,
quarters without guard, and George
out-talked General Bragg and was soon
back in Atlanta at his old tricks. Gen
eral Bragg sent another order after him,
and he again went to see General and
explained everything satisfactory. Cap
tain George cut big dash in Atlanta;
He always had plenty of money, dressed
better than anybody and kept wines and
cigars at his rooms that king might
young man. 1t was whispered around
that he had never had commission
from the Confederate government. and
he was arrested on some kind of a charge
and lodged in the barracks at Atlanta.
The Confederate deserters and yankee
prisoners were all in the same stockade,
with only plank partition dividing
them. The writer had occasion to 60
out to the stockade one evening to iden-
tify prisoner who had been put in Tor
bushwhacking, and who should ne lind on
the inside of the stockade but Gentleman
George, there shorn Of i.llaa his a handsome 3iEa
common soldier. George at once accost-
ed the writer and informed him that he
was in there as detective, to keep the
Yankees and Confederates from trading
together. The next day Gentleman
George was seen coming between two
guards to the old Washington hall, where
the Markham house now stands. He
told the guards that his wife, whom he