The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-01-17
AN oLD-FAsHIoNED MUSTER.
The Colonel with His Cookade Hat and
Dazzling Epau u-ets-Reviewing the
II litia-Gottle Drum and
Sqleaky File.

|
holer for him and talk for him and
boom him, and, if necessary, he must
fight for him on suitable occasion. II
the governor failed Of reelection, these
colonies had toretire too, and new set
were appointed, but the old set never
lost their title, and so the State in
course of time got pretty full Of COLO
nels. On muster day The colonel wore
a cockade hat and a red plume and
epaulets and long brass sword and big
brass spurs. and horse pistols in the
holsters of his saddle, and he and bis
personal staff rode up aad down the
lines reviewing the militia, who were
drawn up in a double crooked straight
line in great big fed. that was full Of
gullies and broomsedge. Some wore
coa;s and some didn't; some wore
shoes and some didn;u; but none wore
boards, for in those days none wore
boards but gamblers. Some were armed
with shotguus and some With rifles or
muskets, but most Of them carried
sticks and cornstall.s and umb- e:!as,
and they stood up or squatted down at
pleasure, and about ha!fthe tine were
hollering for water.
The coLeNEL AND HIS STAFF.
The colonel and his staff rode up and
down the lines on foe horses that
danced and pranced l:se there were
tacks under the saddles: The roll OF
each company was called and everv
man answe-ed to his'name whether he
was thee or not. Then the colonel
took central position and faced the
lolg audience and waved his glittering
swo:d and exclaimed "Attention,
battalion! Shoulder arms: right face,
ma cn!' Then the kettle drum ra,.led
and the 63e squeaked and some guns
went off hal cooked, and the militia
gave three chee-s for the coio1el aud
| were d:sbanded until The neSo muster.
Old man Brooks was the chief musician
in my day; aad would not have ex-
changed this Office with the king Of
England. He always played "E1ooks'
Mafca" for tae militia 10 locomote by.
They neves marci:ed or kept step by
the music, but they got along somehow
by walking and trot;:rg and pacing
and fox s;ag by Guns.
Old father E:ooSs played his part
we'll in the. drama or farce, or wha,ever
it was. He magoifed his Office. He
loved music. He said his fife was MS
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, he movioned to be
propped up in his bed, and then, with
an inverted chair behind h:s pillow, be
poin.ed to his fiddle that lay upon the
shelf near by, AID il was handed to
him. Hugging it to his old bosom ne
smiled amid his tears and whispered
II wish that I could play you one
more tune.' That night the old man
died, with his left hand closed ha d
and igid around the neck This violin.
After the muster was over then came
the ho;se rac:ng on quarter nags and
horse swapping, and of cou So some
pugilistic exercises in front Of the
groceries.
FISTS, SKULLS AND FINGERS.
Jim Bowles was the center ofa crowd
from his beat: and stripped to the
waist he pranced around and popped
his fist in the palm of his hand, and
jumped up and cracked his heels to-
gether three times before they struck
the ground, and gave wild 1njun
whoop and exclaimed: I'm 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 man in Ben
Smiths deestrict," and Nick Rawlins
screamed like panther from another
crowd, and gritted his teeth and shook
his hair and yelled: "Gentlemen, my
Betsy Jane says I'm the best man in
Rockbridge deestrict, and I reckon she
ought for to knew"
1t was just like gamecocks growing
in the barnyard, and, like the cocks
two Of them soon got together and
went to fighting, and everybody stood
around and shouted, Hands off, gen.
tlemen. Hands off; let 'em fight fair
and square" And they fought hard
and fought long, and when one Of them
got to be the bottom dog in the fight
and holle1ed enough" the show was
over, unless the victor dared to crow
again, and had to tackle another roos-
ter. I have known Nick Rawlins to
whip three brag men in one evening,
and Nick was no bad man either.
Everybody liked Nick. He had fit and
,fout and fought until be had lost a
finger and snip out Of his nose and a
piece Of his left ear, but he was never
mad. Nick told me not long ago that
he never did love to fight, but when he
courted Betsy Jane she lowed that
when she married 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 gone-gone
never to return. Even the preachers
who used to take offtheir coats in the
pulpit have confo1med to more polite
customs. Their sing-song sermons are
heard no more-nor the nasal attach.
nents that were something between g
shuttle and snort. Old father Dan.