The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1888-10-18
ANTIQUITIES OF MARIETTA.

gamers up MS traps Tor pastures
new. 1t is much the same with the
''scribbler," he has little penchant
for new fields when he is in the
midst of one that is ripe for the har-
vest. We were compelled to stop
short in our last, just where we i'm
agine the reader was led to expect
something more. Gen. Mills was
not without his failings, but to his
credit it can be said that from pen
ury, of the real razor-back stripe,
he rose to come as near being the
first citizen of Marietta, as any that
ever laid claim to the honor-was
the bona fde IF. T. "" of the Old
Dominion. lie was careful of his
speech and had just enough reserve
to wear his Importance with an easy
grace. But dignity gets into close
quarters now and then. Like the
Helmet improvised by the Knight
of La Manche, it should not be put
to too severe test, as we shall soon
see. There had been general
muster and the militia were Just in
from Campus Martius,' called then
the parade ground, out by the late
Judge Kirkpatrick's. Mills had re-
Gently been elected Colonel of the
militia, corn juice flowed in tempt
ing profusion, and the boys from
the rural districts were more or less
mellow. The loquacious and ire
pressible Joe Gault, was at his best
and in his glory. Shouts of ap-
| plause greeted his ''bodlein library"
of story and episode. He said some
thing that reflected on Mills and
words ensued and both waxed warm,
when Mills picked up, we'll, some say
a frying pan and some, pot or ov-
en- lid, or it may have been the ira
ditional campaign Skillet" that was
"toted' around with such potent ef-
feet afterward by the sage of Liber.
ty Hall, anyway he threw the uten
sill at Gault's head and missed his
mark, quick as thought, Gault, who
was standing near the door of MAJ
Hawthorn's grocery, reached anc
secured ID shot gun, that some brave
militiaman had placed there prepa
| tory to drinking bumper of "red
eye" to the health of Gen. Jackson
When Mills saw that murderou,
''gattling" brought to bear upor
him in the hands of the wicked
Gault, but one thought pervaded
his soul, and that was discretion
prompt and vigorous. Just here,
we venture to say that shotgun is
by no means the most fatal weapon
extant, in fact it is rather mild in
its infections, but it provokes a
wonderful amount of prudence, from
the fact that from the breadth, scope
and freedom of its range it always
"gits thar" or tharabouts. Gault
leveled and sighted like a man Of
vengeance full While Mills, in
the language of the faceteous Twain,
hunted for solitude. 1t is even said
that he zigzaged as he ran, hoping
that Gault would make line shot
and find him at one or other extreme
of the panel. But the gun, on ex.
animation, was found to be without
lock or load, only fit for military
purposes, ,whereupon the amused
and chagrined Gault beloved
, ''There goes pretty MALTA colonel
, running like a scared rabbit from
an empty shotgun" Our hero was
somewhat ratified by the occurrence,
but said that he could "bandy pot.
lids and frying pans on provocation,
though when it came to facing q
chOI5uA Az buC uduuo VI dS Dlg u
fool as Joe Gault he begged to be
excused" Mills was rare Judge
of human nature. He once bet ten
dollars with old Tom Akin, a sub
stantiai saw-mill man on Soaps
creek, that he, Aiken, couldn't get
credit in Marietta for 800, and
won it. Akin went round and ira
ded for what he needed with the
merchants until he was in debt
about $35, when he told Mills to
take the $40 as he wouldn't buy S65
worth of stuff that he didn't want
for $40, the very thing Mills was
betting on. We passed the general
more than thirty years ago on the
streets of the city Of Memphis, the
last we ever saw of him. He seem
ed to have sounded the bass string
of humility. His thoughtful, sad
face made one think of nobleman
In exile. His mien was still males
] A