The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-07-16
A WILD CAREER.
a sketch of the L,fo OF an Athaas Raised
hoy.
.1Mens, Ga, Banner.

Athens, 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 80 far
been written up by dime novelists. We pro-
pose, In this short sketch, to give tho
and educated in our little city, aud whose
character for plain, unvarnished rascality
and recklessness would shame tho 70.
nowned John A. Murrell and "Tbree
Fingered Jack" the pirate of the placers
and the marauder OF the mines In the
gold diggiug days of California, would be
eclipsed and pale into inaignificanee.
Our hero has no fancy, high.soundiug
name, but the simple name Of George
will do TO give his history and his many
little freaks and escapades during tho
days of the late rebellion. When wars
dread alarm was sounded In 1851, George
was @ mere stripping of o youth, with a
Handsome face, good address aud slight
mustache. While the balance Of tho
young men of tho South shouldered their
muskets and went to the tented field,
George ahouldered his sword and did moet
of his fighting at the hotels in Richmond
and other cities. The writer's first no.
tiee of George was at the American hotel
in Richmond, W here he was sporting o
handsome Confederate Brigadisr Gener.
aPs suit, aud was the friend and boon
companion of the officers that etayed
around tho Confederate capital He had
O. suit of rooms where his friends were
always welcome, and would treat them
to wine and cigars that were too coetly
for any one not drawing large ealary or
having a good backing ut his home.
George made the acquaintance Of the
best ladies in Richmond and was on
familiar termH with the President and ell
of the cabinet officers. He had on Inn.
aginary command on the front lines with
Stonewall jackson that he took particu.
lar pains never TO 60 aud see about.
George finding his cash running short.
dressed himselfup In a captains uniform,
went down in Rockets, o place where all
/, 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 paynaster'B depart.
ment and drew three months pay for
his whole company. The next, We
heard of George his cash is again ohort
and he made bold dash and drew
money three times in ono day: first as
Colonel George, next as Major George
and last az Captain George. Finding
things we're getting rather hot for him in
Richmond after be 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 for
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 q 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 q basket Of
wine, to be drank as soon rs the party.
reached Atlanta, that he cnuld read every
mans passport on the train. One Of the
officers accepted the bet and told Cap.
tain George to start with him, ns he als
certain that he had NO authority " MAKE
hip produce his passport. George de-
manded the passport and Tho officers
refused and demanded hss 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 ERw that Captain
George had him, produced his passport
and paid the fine. George took quarters
In Atlanta, and by his fancy dress, good
-,
soon made friends In that city. He ran
until one day, while In the zenith Of his
Bragg, then in command at Chattanooga,
to his headquarters In irons. The order
was shown to Captain George aud he
insisted that the handouts should not
be put on him that there was O mistake,
and that as soon as he could see General
Bragg he would mako it all right and be
psck in Atlanta in day or two. He
was such good tasker that Co!cnel Lee,
then commanding the post In Atlanta,
cent him up to General Bragg, head.
quarters without O guard, and George
out.taiked General Bragg and was soon
hack la Atlanta st his old tricks. Gem
.eral Bragg sent! another order otter him,
and he again went to see General aud
explained everything satisfactory. Cap.
tain George cut O big dash la Atlanta.
,He always had plenty of monty, dressed
better than any body and kept Rines and
cigars at his rooms that d king might
envy. At last q shadow came over this
young man. IL was whispered around
that he had neyer had d + c0nmission
from the Confederate government, and;
he was arrested on aome Kind Of charge
and lodged in the bsfracks at Atlanta.
l.,gh6 Confederate Gesartefs and yankee
prisoners Were oil in the same stockade,
with only o plank partition dividing
them. The writer had occasion to 60
ont TO the atockade one evening to f6yn-s
tifyf o prisoner who had been put In for;
hnbhRhack ring, and who ahonld he find on
the: tn3ide Of tho ckade but GenttSItaI
George, there phorn OF his handsome
aStillery uniform and dressed mp Ike n
common gold dier. George as once aecost.
ed tho writer aud informed him that he
WIS fsH there as "a detective, to keep tho
Yankees Snd Conf aeFatss from trading
tagether. he next sdHy 81 Gentleman
George Sas ssesH coming :betssenS aiyo,
guards to the old NJ ashingto hal, ,IHheSe.
the Markham houSs now ittands. He
told The guards that his vii ., ,Whon he:
claimed iwas very reality was satopping
.at The Washington hhll, and asked D tie,
guard to walt ostsido willis he went lin;
The room 10 see his. imaginary Wifd.A
Tho H unst,ipe ting guards waited lfora