The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-09-27
BILL ARP,
The Old Rifle That Did Good Service In
Our GraudfatAer's Time.
atlanta Constitution.

age, Lne DrOnZe aye, Gue lIolI dScj Ulo
golden age and the dark ages, but
the age in which we live may we'll be
called the age of invention. Never
before in the history of the world has
there been such an era of wonderful
inventions and contrivances for the
use and comfort and conveniences Of
mankind. And it does not stop or
even call halt. Every year brings
new surprises, and now when we hear
Of some bold, incomprehensible propo-
sition we do not dare to say it is i'm
possible. There is no advance in
literature or painting or architecture
or oratory or many other arts that
require the highest order Of intellect.
Indeed, it is to be lamented that we
no more have Shakespeare Or Milton
or Goldsmith or Burns or Tom Moore:
no more Raphael or Michael An
gelo no more a Cicero or Burke or
Webster. Ripe scholarship has de-
clined, and this generation has neither
time nor taste for it, but in everything
that lessons labor and cheapens the
neoessaries and comforts of life we
are far ahead of our ancestors.
I was Illuminating about this because
I happened to come across an old time
rifle with flint lock and [ handled it
with reverence, for it had fired and
fought in Jackson's war at New Or
leans, and was still preserved and
honored by the great grandsons OF the
soldier who loaded it behind the cotton
bales and waited to see the whites of
the enemies eyes before he pulled the
trigger. The name Of this rifle was
etched in rude way upon the barrel,
and it was Betsy" All Of them had
names in the olden times-feminine
names, such as Betsy or Betsy Jane
or Betsy Ann or Susan or Polly or
Mandy or Kalline. Many Of these
old-time rifles are still in use, but the
old flint lock has gone. Such ] lock
is a curiosity now. A town-raised boy
has never seen one. The hardware
stores have ceased to keep them.
The gunmakers have ceased to make
them, and yet these are the locks that
did the work in the revolution and the
last British war and the Mexican war
and made many an Indian bite the
dust, many deer and turkey give
their meat to the hunter. [ used to
sell these locks when l was a boy
clerk in my fathers s store, and could
talk huently about the hammer and
frizzen and roller and tumbler and the
dog and the pan. We sold Aints by
the score-fints that we're warranted
sure fire. The flint was made fast
between two clamps in the cock or
hammer, and when the hammer was
projected forward against the steel
frizzen the contact made sparks to fall
and they fell into the little powder
pan that was attached to the touch
hole. IF the touch hole was stopped
up there was Clash in the pan"
and that was all. If the flint did not
make e spark, then the rule was to
"pick your flint and try it again.
The powder in the little pan was
called the priming, and if it was not
securely covered by the frizzen and
got wet in the rain, it would not ignite
and hence the soldier was enjoined to
"keep your powder dry" These old.
time expressions are still familiar and
historic. Some times we still hear a
backwoodsman say "now cut your
patches" which is an expression Of
defiance and comes from the manner
of loading a rifle. A small piece OF
cloth or rag was laid over the muzzle,
the bullet laid upon it and pressed
down into the bore just enough to
clear the knife and then the cloth or
patch was cut off smooth with the top
of the gun. The patching had to be
just thick enough to make the bullet
go down tight when forced by the
ramrod; some times it went too tight
and would get lodged hard and fast
and had to be blown out by putting
powder in the touch hole. The bull
lets were all nodded at home, and if
the necks were not cut off very smooth,
it made them defect little and miss
the gunner's aim. The DETECTION was
very bad until rifles were invented.
Rifles mean little spiral grooves ex-
tending from the muzzle to the breech.
They give the ball rotary motion
before it leaves the gun and keeps
that motion in it's flight, and even if a
ball is little one-sided or irregular,
it will go straight to the mark. The
gun took it's name from the grooves
that were called rifles. For years and
years a man by the name of Rogers
made rifles in Augusta, Ca, and they
were celebrated all over the South.
The equipments Of riheman were
many and peculiar, and were all home
made. His powderhorn was cow $
horn, that had been boiled and scraped
and filed until it was thin and clear
and translucent. The charger was a
small tube, made Of a turkey bone or
'possum leg or boar's tusk, and held
just charge for the gun. A charge
of powder is just enough to hide a
bullet when in the open palm of the
hand. The charger held that much
and had lip on one side. The pow
der was carefully poured in the gun
and then the patchin was next in
order. Now put on your ball and cut
your patchin and ram her home. Then
the frizzen was thrown back with the
thumb and the touch-hole and the pan
were filled from the powder horn,
while the gunner held the stopper
between his teeth. The frizzen was
shut down and Betsy Jane was loaded.
The shot pouch was made Of deer skin
or coon skin and ornamented with the
tail Of the animal and some times
with beads and embroidery. It con-
tanned various things besides the
bullet molds and the bullets and the
patchin. There was grease for the
lock and gun wipers and fints and
screw driver and a wire for the touch
hole. Betsy and her turnout was as
much part Of the household as the
baby. | used to trot after one of these
old rifemen and carry his squirrels
and see him walk round the tree Or
watch and wait until the little fellow
slyly exposed his head and crack went
the gun and away sped the ball into
his eye. A good riheman never broke
bone in the body Of his game. |
know one now who will shoota chicken