Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-01-25
Miseetlaneu'1s &eading.
For the YOrkyille Enquirer
"REMINISCENCES OF WESTERN YORK.


For the Yorkyille Enquirer.
"REMINISCENCES OF WESTERN YORK.
In 1s49, Mr.. Merideth Shurley
taught school in log cabin, built
for that purpose, about one-fourth of
a mile southwest of Hickory Grove.
He was one of the old issue of teach
ers. Here we learned to read and
write. His rule was "to take" up as
soon as the scholars could get there
in the morning, and many an even
ing his school was not dismissed
when the sun went down. In his
day he was first-class teacher. He
was splendid penman. The Bible,
Webster's spelling book, Walkers
dictionary, Pike'sand Smiley's arith-
metics, were the principal text books
used in his school. Most of the ad-
vanced scholars set down their sums
ina manuscript" The headings Mr..
Shurley wrote himself, in his fancy
style. This was generally his Satur-
days work. He had his rules written
down and read them every day or
two. He was good hand to promise
a whipping, many of which he never
paid; but when he did so there was no
balance still due. The writer speaks
from the best neutrality-suspicious..
Ee has had as many as forty schol-
ars on the floor spelling at one time.
His rule was for all the scholars to
spell or read out in learning their
lessons. l haye seen bench ten feet
long crowded with flaxen-headed,
barefooted boys, all swinging their
feet and heads backward and forward
and spelling at the top of their voices.
The old man, when he got a chance
to make himself heard, would say:
"Hurrah boys; that's the way"
Then they would all break out again,
Joined by as many more, and the
whole neighborhood would be alarm
ed by the noise. Nowadays such
conduct would insure call for
jury to inquire into the lunacy of
both teachers and scholars. NotWith-
standing all this, some eminent schol-
ars and men grew up in that neigh
borhood as we'll as other parts of the
county, that were the students of
Meredith Shurley. In these remin-
iscences I shall have occasion fire.
quently to refer to my school days
and teachers.
In all matters arising in and about
Hickory Grove requiring such an
officer, Uncle Thomas Wylie acted as
umpire. His views were generally
accepted, or seldom antagonized.
Uncle Tom kept a pack of hounds
and had horn nearly two feet long
that could be heard for miles on a
cold frosty morning, while the yelp-
ing of his faithful hounds has cheated
many an overseer out of a full days
work by the hands stopping to listen
to the canine music. Our esteemed
friends, Messrs. S. G. Brown, Theo-
.dore Byers, E. G. Byers, William
Caldwell, and a host of others we
might name, would frequently take
part in this exhilarating sport. The
late and lamented Nathaniel P. Ken
nedy was also a central figure in this
amusement. This good man died on
the 18th ofMay, 1858, and was buried
at Beersheba church.
Frequently these gentlemen would
go 'driving" to Kings Mountain,
and bring in a deer or two. On these
occasions each one would have pack
of dogs. In the several packs togeth-
er, perhaps, they would have one
hundred hounds. On these trips
many a poor sheep went "Where the
woodbine tWineth."
Among the jolly fellows that made
Hickory Grove a pleasant resort in
ante bell,na times, were John j. Wy
lie, Alex. Harbinson, George Cobb,
Chess Mckinney, Thomas Berry and
others of less note. These men were
known by the travelling public from
beyond the Blue Ridge to Columbia
and Charleston. If stranger or
greenhorn came along he was merci-
lessly sold out by some one, if not all
ofthem. Frequently they would play
their tricks on Uncle Thomas Wylie
or one another, few Of which we
may mention in these "reminiscences
as we proceed with them.
Whenever a new song was intro
duced all the poetical genius of the
country was brought into requisition.
While 1.-The other side ofsJordan"
was running the gauntlet, Aunt jim
cy Cobb bought a very old negro
woman at sale of some of the Wal
laces on Clark's Fork, for which she
paid the nominal sum of twenty
cents. Bill Blackwell was the first
poetaster to come to the rescue. He
said:
Old aunt Jincy's getting all the gold,
And buyin' up "niggers' accordin;
Twenty cents head, when not worth
their bread,
And they are cheaper con the other
side of Jordan"
Bill was a man with brains, but
his misspent life must end in the
Lunatic Asylum, where he has been
for several years.
jim Hill was another rhymester of
note. One one occasion Alex. Ram
sey was sick. Jim didn't like Alec,
so one day he stopped at the gate
and called Aunt Poll, (Alec's man.
MAJ to the door and said:
Tell Alec if he's in wreck,
Or feeling sick and puny,
Just bile little root of sassafruc,
And sweeten it with honey.
Alec got well at once after that
message.
Pete Westmoreland was another
of Western York's noted men. He
was an honest, hard working man,
but never enjoyed life so well as at
some "brier patch" muster ground
when the chivalry of the "Hoosiers"
was on exhibition. Sometimes these
scenes would be continued until after
dark. Then you might listen for Il
long list of casualties. On one Occa-
sion, at the "Brier Patch" muster
ground, near Smyrna Church, some
of old man Lewis Bolin's boys under
took to whip big Wash Childers
(Abe's Wash). The affair assumed
considerable proportions and several
took hand in the "fair fight"
among them Pete Westmoreland,
George Morgan, Jack Wishart and