The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-12-08
Boys! see pretty new Suits
ust received by WATKINS.
Fun at g. "Spelling Bee.


Raleigh had a spelling bee few
nights ago, when our good friend Mr..
j. j. Allen of Franklin county, cleaned
up the crowd. He not only vanquished
all the learned ones but astonished
them by his familiarity with words and
the ease with which he spelled the
most difficult ones. If the Raleigh
people had known friend Allen as well
as we do they would not have been
surprised in the least at his remark
able performances. The News and
Observer says:
There were many good features,
including the gymnastic exhibitions,
but the event of the evening was the
spelling ''bce." Prof. Morson, Prof
Moses and DR.. r. II. Lewis were in
charge. DR.. Lewis announced that
many who had consented to spell had
backed down at the last moment and he
would be forced to call for volunteers.
Six or eight gentlemen only went up
and then DR.. Lewis began to call for
recruits by various professions. He
called for the ministers, the teachers,
the judges, the lawyers, the journalists
and others. A good number responded
and when the curtain rose on the class
there were about thirty of our promi-
nent and well known citizens in line,
all looking as smiling and mischievous
as school boys. Then the fun began,
Prof. Morson putting the words. Some
were counted out on the first round
amid great merriment. A certain
authority on the word ''bursted" was
forced to succumb to the meaning of
that harsh corruption of forciblc verb
when the word perennial struck him.
One by one the spoilers dropped out
amidst great fun in the audience.
Among the spoilers was Mr.. Allen,
of Franklin county, who came to
participate in the bee" by special
invitation. This gentleman was inter-
esting, amusing and astonishing. No
photographer has ever gotten up an
arrangement of letters that Mr.. Allen
hasn't seen. He has not only seen all
the words, but knows just where they
are. For instance he can tell, with
out moments hesitation, the page,
line and number in the line at which
any word in the old "blue back"
spelling book may be found; and he
can tell the derivation of any word
that was ever derived from anything.
The contes. was quite spirited and
stubborn and finally all but four or five
had dropped out. All these seemed to
have a rock ribbed determination to
stay till the last; and Mr.. Allen
mutely, but very forcibly announced
his determination by deliberately going
for chair and sitting down as if to
say "I'm here till this thing ends"
He stayed too. Words of most labyrin-
thine and entangling qualities were
offered and freely taken by the spoilers,
but it wasn't long before Mr.. Allen
was the only man seen on the stage,
and he was declared the victor of the
very interesting and hilarious contest.
After receiving the prize, he turned
monitor for a while, and rained a
shower of spiral-pointed, double-back-
action words at Profs. Moses and
Morson, who had been fusilading the
spoilers with dictionary charges
These gentlemen stood the battery fol
/, SEINE time, and then went down amic
| the cheers of az admiring and enthu
siastic audience. There has ieyeI
been SO free and happygo-lucky al
entertainment as this o!.e of last even
ing, and it is very probable that tn,
'.spelling bee'' will become the rage