The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-09-26
OUR aRANpFATHER,s R1FIE.
Bill Arp Disconrses About the Old
Time Flint and Steel Gun and the
Improvement I'm irearm

NoAtotAtuthohs 4
The ages have their names historic
prehistoric. There r the stone
age, the bronze age, the iron age, the
golden age and the dark ages, but the
age in which we live may well be called
the age OF invention. Never before in
the history of the world has there been
an era of wonderful invention and
contrivances for the use and comfort
and c~onveniences of mankind. And it
does not stop or even call u halt.
Every year brings new surprises, and
now when we hear of some bold, in
comprehensive proposition we do not
dare to say 1T is impossible. There is
no advance in literature or painting or
architecture or oratory or many other
arts That require the highest order Of
that we no more have @ Shakespeare
or Milton or Goldsmith or Burns or
Tom Moore /; no more a Raphael or
Michael Angelo; no more q Cicero or
q Burke Or Webster. Ripe scholar
ship has declined, and this generation
has neither time nor taste for it, but in
everything that lessons labor and
cheapens the necessaries and comforts
OF life we are far ahead of our ancestors.
l was Illuminating about this because
L happened to come across an old-time
rifle with 4 flint lock and [ handled it
with reve ''ce, for it had fired and
fought H. iackson's war at New
Orleans, an, was still preserved and
honored by the great-grandsons of the
soldier who loaded it behind ths cot
ton bales and waited to see the whites
OF the enemies's eyes before he pulled
the trigger. The name of this rifle
was etched in a rude way upon the
barrel, and it vas 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 q lock is
q curiosity now. A to~wn-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 last
British war and the Mexican war and
made many an Indian bite tho dust,
many a deer and turkey give their
meat to the hunter.
l used to sell these locks when I was
a boy clerk in my fathers store, and
could talk ~huently about the hammer
and frizzen and roller and tumbler and
the dog and the pan. We sold Rints
by the score-hints that were warrant
ed 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 u flash in the par" and that was
all. If the flint did not make a spark,
then the rule was to "pick your flint
II try it again" The powder in the
little pan was called the printing, and
If 1T 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. Sometimes we
still hear a backwoodsman say "now
cut your patches" which is an express
sion 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 sometimes 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 bullets were all nodded at home,
and II h necks were not cut off very
smooth, it made them defect u little
and miss the gunner's aim. This de-
lection was very bad until rifles were
invented. Rifles mean little spiral
OrnnVaS avfnnlinr f,Dr, ~. L.
the breech. They give the ball q
rotary motion before it leaves the u
and keeps that motion in its flight, and
even If a ball is a little one-sided or
irregular 1T will go straight to the mark.
The gun took its name from the O
that were called rifles. For years and
years o. man by the name of Rogers
made rifles in Augusta, Ca, and thew
T. celebrated all over the South.
The equipments of a rifeman were
many and peculiar, and were all home
made. His pOwderhorn was Il cows
horn, that had been boiled and scrapcd
and filed until it vas thin and clear
and translucent. The charger was q
small tube, made of a turkey bone or
.possum leg or boar's tusk, and held
just a 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 a lip on II side. The powder
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 be-
tween his teeth. The frizzen was shut
down and Betsy Jane was loaded.
Ihe shot pouch vas made of deer
skin or coon skin and ornamented
with the tail Of the animal and some
times with beads and embroidery. 1t
contained 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 q part OF the household as the
baby. J. used to trot after one of these
old r1flemen and carry his squirrels
and sec him walk round the tree or
watch and wait until the little fellow
sly'y exposed his head and crack went
the gun and away sped the ball into
his eye. a good rifloman never broke
a bone in the body of his game. l
now now who will shoot q chicken
or a guinea in the eye at sixty yards
off hand. When his wife wants one
for dinner he takes down Betsy and
stands in the piazza until one comes in
sight.
But the old locks passed away when
the percussion came. Then l got to
selling caps instead OF hints. And
now the caps have almost passed away
and the muzzle-lOaders are going.