The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-12-11
BILL ARP'S CHAT.
Bill Arp Talks about the Late Unpleasant
ness,
atlanta Consultation.

cents a day. These bills were called
seven thirties, because the interest on
them was $3.50 year. They were print
ed on the best of bank note paper, and
had John G. Calhoun's likeness on one
end and Miss Liberty on the other. Cal
houn was dead, and Miss Liberty died
too, about 1865. The kind lady who
sent me the bill wrote that she found il
among her fathers old papers, and, as my
name was on the back of it, she sent it tc
me. l don't know whether I endorsed il
or not, though il does look like my sigma
ture. don't know whether she holds me
responsible or not, though freely admit
that I was one Of the fellers who raised
the racket. Nevertheless, / will pay the
note according to contract when it falls
due, which is to be six months after q
treaty of peace has been made between
the United States and the Confederate
States. It has not been made yet, and
the note is not due, but it is drawing in
terest, and ought to be very valuable, 70,
the money kings do say that the longer 8
note or bond has to run the more valuable
it is. This note may run on forever, and
there is no telling how much it is worth
This Confederate promise to pay revives
many sad and sweet memories. They
were sought for with esgerness by those
who had a surplus of common currency
and wanted to invest it. Our folks did
not want any more negroes, nor any more
land, and so they bought these interest
bearing notes, and hid them away. ]
expect old Major Gill bought this one
from me. But the smart men, who did
not abound in patriotism, did not want
any kind of confederate money or bonds,
and so they invested in lands at enormous
prices. A common farm, that was worth
50, 500, would bring $4,000. A big pile
of money will tempt most anybody,
whether the money is good or not. One
of our patriots, who had faith like grain
of mustard seed, sold his farm and stock
and negroes all in lump for $3.50, 900 in
confederate money, and filled trunk
with it, and would take it out and count
it once month: Later on be put it in
bonds of 81 900 each, and be loved to
count them and look at the coupons and
figure up the interest, and long after the
war was over he believed that those bonds
would be good some day, and be redeemed
with the cotton or the gold that he said
MAS over in England. AS the months
rolled on and the Yankees were closing
their anaconda coils around US, and faith
was weakened and hope was turning to
despair, our confederate money would
hardly buy anything. In the spring of
65, it took S100 to buy load of shucks,
or a bushel of corn. and $3.50 to buy a
pair of cotton cards. I saw man pay
s5, 1000 for pound of opium that had run
the blockade, and he sold it to the opium
eaters on the sly for $40 in gold and felt
rich. The money got 80 bad that it took
sight of it to carry on the limited CON-
merce of the country, a1d so the govern.
ment at Richmond kept on rolling it out
of the machines and dident take time to
count it, and Mr.. Memminger couldn't
tell whether he had issued 300 millions or
5000 millions. As the wsr nearcd its
close the money business was like school
boys playing tag. Nobody wanted to be
the last man caught with it. Il was
played around fast, just like young folks
play thimble at q party. And all this
time the soldiers were paid off in the
same currency at $40 month. The $40
wouldent pay for tin wineglass half full
OF red liquor. You see, the glass tum.-
blers were all played out, and the liquor
men used tin ones made of scraps. Ten.
penny pals were worth 81 a piece I
know a wealthy man who built nice
fence in front of his house and pinned
the palings on with pegs because be could
not get nails. The soldiers saw that con.
federate money was even fit to put up as
an ante at a game of seven up. A $40
bill dinn't make the game interesting
They were ashamed to send their month.
ly pay home to their families, for it would
not buy anything and would just be an
aggravation.
But the boys kept on fighting, and the
home folks kept on suffering and dividing
until there wasent any ything left to divide,
for Sherman had been along here and
made a war path fifty miles wide,
and gobbled up every horse and mule
and COW and sheep and chicken, and
shook his ramrod at the buzzards. When
my folks got home from rummageing
there wasent but one COW in the county,
and she was hid out in canebrake, and
it took s., 1000 in money and an old exc
cution for $500, and thirty yards
of factory shirting to buy her.
After the war that execution was collect
ed with all its interest, and so the cow
seller lost his confederate money, but got
about $500 in greenbacks for her and she
wasent q Jersey, either. Those ante.bel-
lum debts were awful hard to pay after
the war was over--I know it by expert
ence. When the wer broke out owed
about s:3 900 and was mighty good for it.
During the war wanted to pay it in
confederate money, but my friends would
not take it, and after the fuss was over [
couldent, and it took me ten years to get
rid of the load. I always thought that
Colonel Fort was right, for be said we
were all ruined, aud ought to wipe out
the slate and burn up the notes and ac-
counts and mortgages and let everybody
begin anew and start even with the world.
Fort was sorter like myself-he owed
about as many SO he dident owe, and had
nothing to pay with. Just think of g
thousand millions of money wiped cut
ia month. Think Of IL, 900 .0O0 people
without currency. When the collapse
came, had SIS in greenbacks, and was
next to the richest man in town. Bob
Hargrove had SO, and he strutted around
like 4 bloated bond holder, and opeoed a
store and had half box of rotten tobacco
and six punches of factory yarn aud four
bolts of brown shirting and some jugware
for his stock. The jugs were for sorghum
moasses, | suppose.
But everybody went 10 work. The
soldiers brought back some old worn out
army stock. The refugees soon began to
return and brought along some cattle aud
hogs and chickens and dogs, and our folks
in Shernan's belt got a start on the up
grade, and ever since then they have been
multiplying md replenishirg iu an indus.
trious manner. The memories Of the war
are fading away, for most Of Them who
fought it are dead Old father Time has
smoothed over the strife and weare max
ing friends aud our old soldiers will soon
be drawing pensions and back pay all the
same as theirs. | reckon they will, for
time softens the heart and tenders the
feelings of the bitterest foes.
a I7..l..,j a,IJ:o~ 80, -, D,,,, -, ,