Mohave County miner., 1889-01-12
OLD TIME TRAININGS.
BILL ARp's DESCRIPTION or AN
OLD FASHIONED MUSTER
THIS Colonel with His CockRde Hat and
Dazzling Epaalets-Iieviswins the MI
aitis- Kettle Drum and sqasaky Fife.
A fiat aud Skull Fight.

Dfun g4SG6hf Ehes
A fiat aud Skull Fight.
RillArp thus discusses old tunes In Georgia
and the old fashioned training day scenes:
An old fashioned muster was equal to a
modern "Nardi Gfas" The governor was
the commander chief, but as he could not
be personally present the militia were re.
yie.ei by proxy Every county lad an aida.
de-camp with the rank oi colonel lie held
his rnnk and title as long as this governor
held his Office, and he was expected to holler
for him aud talk for him and boom hia. and,
II necessary, he must Sight for him on a suit
able occasion II the goYerner failed Of re-
election. these coionsis bad 10 retire too, and
new SET we're appointed, but tile old set
never hat their title, sad 60 the state in
course 1f tiais got prc.ty full of colonelS
On Muster day the colonel wore cockada
hat and red plume aud epaulets and q
long brass swo,d aGd bag bfazs spurs, and
horse pistols In the holsters OF his saddle, and
he aud his personal stalr rode up and down
tbs lines reviewing the militia, who were
drawn mp ia double crooked straight line
In great big field that was full Of gullies
and broom sage. Some wore coats aud some
didn't: some wore shoes and some didn't; but
none wore boards, for III those days none
wore boards but gamblers Some were
armed with shotgIns aud some with rifles or
muskets, but most Of them carried sticks and
cornstalks and umbrellas, and they stood up
or squatted down at pleasure, and about half
the time were holiering for water.
THE COLONEL AND HIS STAFF.
The colonel and his staff rode up and down
the lines OH fine horses that danced and
pranced like there were tacks under the sad
dies. The roll OF each company was called
and every man answered to his name whether
be was there or not Then the colonel took
central position and faced the long audience
and waved his glitteriDg sword and ex.
claimed: Attention, battalion! Shoulder
arms, right face, narchf' Then the kettle
drum ratified and the fife squeaked and some
guns went of half cooked, and the militia
gave three cheers for the colonel and were
disbanded until the next muster. Old man
Brooks was the chief musician In my day,
and would not have exchanged this Office
with the king Of England. He always played
BROOKS March, for the militia to locomote
by. They never marched or kept step by the
music, but they got along somehow by walk.
ing and trotting and pacing and fox trotting
by turns.
Old father Brooks played his part well in
the drama or farce, or Whatever 1t was He
nmgnified his Office. He loved music He
said his fife was his life and his fiddle
was his riddle On his last bed he sent for
my father to come and see him. Old and
wrinkled and cadaverous, be motioned to be
pfopped up in his bed, and then, with an in
yersed chair behind his pillow, he pointed to
his fiddle that lay upon the shelf near by,
and it was handed to him. Hugging it to his
old bosom he smiled amid his tears and whis.
pered: IL wish that | could play you one
more tune" That night the old man died,
with his left hand closed hard and rigid
around the neck Of his violin
After the muster was over then came the
horse racing on quarter nags aud horse swap
ping, and Of course some pugilistic exercises
in front of the groceries
FISTS, SKULLS AND FINGERS
Jim Bowles was the center OF a crowd
from his beat, and stripped to the waist no
pranced around and popped his fist in the
palm OF his hand, and jumped up and
cracked his heels together three times before
they struck the ground, and gave wild In,
JUN whoop and exclaimed: ''rm the best man
IN Pinkneyville district" About that time
big Jim Robinson jumped up in the center
of another crowd and yelled: "I'm the best
nan in Ben Smiths sdeestrict, y and Nick Raw,
Inns screamed like a panther from another
.Towd, and gritted his teeth and shook his
hair and yelled: Gentlemen, my Betsy Jane
sIys I'm the best man in Hockbridge dees
trsct, and reckon she ought for TO known
Il was just like gamecocks Growing in the
barlsyard, and like the cocks two Of them
soon got together and went to fighting, and
everybody stood around and shouted, "fands
OIL, gentlemen; stand back, gentlemen.
Hands of; let 'em fight fair ard square
and they fought hard and fought long, and
when one Of them got TO be the bottom dog
in the fight and holIered enough" the show
vas over. unless the victor dared TO crow
again, and had to tackle another rooster. l
have known Nick Rawlins to whip three
brag men in one evening, and Nick was no
bad man eithsr. Everyb body liked Nick. He
had fit and fout and fought until he had lost
o finger and snip out Of his nose and q
piece OF his left ear, but he was never mad.
Nick told me not along ago that he never did
love to fight, but when no courted Betsy
Jane she lowed that when she married a
man he had to be man all over. inside and
out, and so he got to fighting on her account.
But these old times are goDe-gone never
to return. Even the preachers who used TO
take off their coats ia the pulpit have con-
formed TO more polite customs Their sing
song sermons are heard no nore--for the
nasal attachments that were something be-
tween shuttle and snort Cd Father
Dannelly and his wooden Leg sre dead and SO
Is old Barry Pace, who said to the Rome
girl who vent out to hear him just for the
fun Of the thing: 'If that town gal with the
green bonnet on her head and the DEVILS
martingales around her neck and bis stir
rups in her ears, don't quit her giggiin,' I
will pint her out TO the congregation" We
have more manners nov, though our morals
may be at a discouut.-Biil Arp In Atlanta
Constitution. ~
Don't Learn to Carve.
MT