Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-18
OLD TROUpVILLE.
How the Boys GhtTRi of Drunken
Characters-Rough Practical Jokes.

How the Boys Got Rid of Drunken
Characters-RouEh Practical Jokes.
'"Little Rieer" IN Tid6Str Tikss.
Among the odd characters who fire.
auented old Troupville was old Gen. De
! Loaeh. His rule was ''red eye" first, bust
ness afterwards. The business was
swearing tuat he could whip the best man
in the State, getting down on his hands
and knees, believing and paving up dirt
in imitation of bull. The General was
once put in jail for some offense. lie was
a sufferer. The boys gathered around
the Jail window to tease him, and saws he:
'B-bOys, c-can c-crow b-but l can't fifty
down."
Another humorous character was Bob
X. Uncle Billy Smith was noted far and
wide for his excellent table. The boys
had a nabit of occasionally paying the
fare for some famous eater like Carter
Newsome and others to have them clean
out Uncle B. Bob was on one occasion
EN- 0loyed for this purpose. Well fortified
with ''red eye'' Bob fulfilled their expec-
tations, but the red eye and the feast
proved too much for him, and Uncle Billy
had to wash his floors. The next dav he
called on Bob for extra damage, which he
settled under protest, and in retaliation
sang at all the street corners the follow
ing:
"old Billy Smith, that good old man,
! meier shall see any more.
He charged the Kendrck seventy-fve cents
For spewing on the floor"
Jesse Pipkins would come to town and
stay for days drinking. Finally the boys
got tired of him. and one Sunday morn
ing Jesse was found cOoped up in a big
crOckery crate hanging TO the limb of an
oak 20 or % feet from the ground on the
public square. he begged hard to be let
down, and having got sober was afraid to
make the least movement. Jesse declared
that it was 80 feet to the ground.
Another drinking character, Tom NJ,
would remain in town for weeks together.
Circumstances favored the boys in getting
rid of him. One dark night Tom was
talking with some one in front of GOdfrey's
bar. A buggy was standing In the street
near by. 1t was only short distance to
the river, and there was high and steep
bluff close by the bridge, fringed at the
waters edge by stout trees covered with
thick branches. The boys saw their OPP
portunity. While the rest hid behind
trees and houses, one of them called Tom
off for a private talk and going
towards the buggy for convenience
they took a seat IN it. Now a
half dozen or more of the BOYS
rushed from their hiding places, some got
between the shafts and some behind the
buggy, and race for the river began.
Tom was too drunk to jump ont, but on
the way his companion jumped out into
sand bed. just before they reached the
edge of the bluff all hands turned loose.
On went the buggy. The shafts stuck in
the ground, capsized the buggy and threw
poor Tom headlOng on and through the
branches of the trees into 10 feet of water.
The buggy was left hanging and
dry among the trees. All was quiet
for few moments and then Toms head
was soon above the black waters for an
instant only, and then disappeared with
gurgling sound. The frlghttul truth
then flashed upon the boys that Tom could
not swim, besides being too drunk TO even
float. Here the point of the Joke was
broken off and matters had become seri-
Gus. OFF with coats and into the cold
black water plunged several of the boys,
and they pulled out poor strangling Tom.
He was never seen in Troupville again.