Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-04-18
THE RING.TAIL R0ARER.
SPEECH OF GEOR G Il
NSON,
OF Edgefield to Troops and Citi-
zens at Florence During the
Late and Never to be For
gotten Unpleasantness.

Specially reported for the ADVERTISER by ont
who was there.
Decidedly the pet of the regl.
ment to which were assigned the
Edgefeld troops, was George John,
ston, colored, commonly known as
the Ring-Tail Roarer of the Bache-
lor's Protective Union. When
George heard that there was
trouble in Darlington and Florence
and that the "Cap'n" and some
more Of his friends were there he
went to Capt. Mays and made ap-
plication to 60 along with the
Edgefeld boys to "tote luggage and
do any fghtin' that was necessary"
George went, and the Edgefeld
boys soon had him the pet of the
whole brigade. At Darlington and
at Florence as we'll as along the
railroad where the train stopped a
crowd would cluster abou! him and
call for a plantation yarn or a
speech which was always forth
coming. One of the most amusing
occasions, however, was at Florence
where on the sidewalk standing
upon an old kerosene barrel he ad-
dressed probably a thousand citi-
zens who gathered about the armory
as much from curiosity as any,
thing else. The militiamen backed
him up while he spoke substan-
TALLY as follows:
"Feller sogers, men and women:
1, The fust thing in order is a
drink. Widout drink man is
always widout elcquence fittable to
de occashun. I dereforo in justis
to de great subject upon which I is
about to deliver myself call upon
tho Mayor er any uther patriotic
citizen to hand re up about er
gallun." Great laughter.
A quart of stuff which in an
emergency might be called whiskey
was quickly forthcoming, 1t was
soon outgoing. The orator was put
in a weaving way. The audience
cheered; the speaker again begun
to speak:
''You see before you at this mo-
ment, feller-citizens and jaiggers, a
man who haz never yit failed to
respond to the call Nv his country ;
I am here as a patriut to perform
a patriutic duty"
Good natured cries from the
populace of "Take him down."
''Cut his throat" "Puil out his
whiskers." The soldiers rallied
around their favorite to boost him
up and cheered Justify. One long,
lean, lank Ethiopian in rear of the
crowd brayed like ajack-ass. That
was too much for George and be
thundered out:
"Oh you kin bray loud, and you
can bray long, but you will never
git to jhe fodder. Laughter. And
I wanter say right here, niger, dat
ef you insults me agin I'll not be
'sponsjble fer your early deeese."
Somewhat of a sensation possessed
the audience when the speaker, i'll
order to impress upon them the
importance of his remark, stuck a
six-shooter in a secondhand leg
ging that encased his right leg.
George then told them that he was
there for business. He "was fifty
feet front and rear to the river.
There were some people before
him." be said, "who didn't have
patriotism enough about them to
keep the breath warm in four
year old child"
"What about the soldiers?" ex-
claimed George in a loud voice
eyes, what about us sogers? Eff ii
hadn't been fur US that great Amer
lean eagle that haz flewed so long
and kivered our iuvenil' years
with his wings-that eagle, fellel
citizens, that sleeps on the ragin
tornado and warns hisself in dc
sun-that proud and glorious eagle
would long ago have had his tai
feathers stamped out" Great ap'
plause, followed by a flight of hats
and caps in the air.
"We is here to uphold the Law
To cling to de constitution till il