The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1898-12-30
BILL ARP'S WEEKLY LETTER.
PAT MADE HAPPY BY A RELEASE
FROM THE CHAINGANG.
WAS WILLIAMS CHRISTMAS GIFT.
Barlow Man Worked Diligently In Be-
half OF the Unfortunate and
Was Successful

Pat Banks is just common man
typical of large class that form the
laboring yeomanry of this mountain
country. He is combination man
half horse and half alligator-half
Irish and half Anglo -Saxon-and works
when he is obliged to, and frolics
when he can. Pat does not drink nor
gamble, but is very social in his ma
ture, and dearly loves to stand around
and talk with the boys. He is an un-
skilled laborer, and jobs it around,
but does not like solitary confinement,
and hence does not like to pick cotton
for living, hut works we'll in brick
yard or Mt anything where he can talk
to the boys. The Irish predomina ates
in his nature, for he is quick to resent
and enjoys fight when he thinks he
is imposed on.
Last June Pat had been working
faithfully for John Hilburn in a brick
yard, and made good hand, but one
Saturday there was to be baseball
game in the suburbs of our town, and
Pat told Hilburn he wasent feeling
very well, and would like to take
day off. Hilburn wasent crowded
with work, and as he liked Pat, he
gave him the day and Pat went to see
the jubilee. He wasent one of the
nine, but it seems that there was a
missing man, and Pat was invited to
take his place. A strange man by the
name of Weaver, from Atlanta, was
the pitcher, and while Pat was at the
bat Weaver pitched foul and Pat
complained of it, and they had words
and used language very lisrespectful,
and finally got together. Pat him
murderous blow with the bat and
knocked him to his knees, and Weaver
was taken from the field "hors du
combat" or words to that effect.
Now, it appears that Weaver, who
was bull-dosing youth from the great
city, had some kinfolks around here
who felt aggrieved, and they had PAT
arrested and bound over to court for
assault and battery. But Weaver
wasn't as much hurt as he thought he
was, and was up and about the next
day. At the July term of our court
Pat was arraigued and tried and found
guilty. The witnesses were stocked on
Pat and his lawyer didn't know it.
Even the judge was surprised, and
tab4t lh'rafu atuprfp uhrf xqqnldn't punish him il he
and do his fighting on the Standards
Pat didn't have much time TO reflect
and accepted the condition. The rc.
cruiting officer took him down to
.iri1hn and Pat was duly enrolled. A
lew days after he got there n train
came along with sick and wounded sol
d'ers from Cuba. They We're an nwful
hard lot, and as Pat looked at them he
became Mortified, and that night he
departed those coasts and walked oll
the way back to Cartersville-ov.r n
hundred miles. He said he was will
ing to fight anybody who imposed ON
him, but he had nothin' agin the Span
iards and didn't think that countrv
was healthy.
And so Weaver's friends got the
sheriH after him again and brought
hlm up before his honor and he was
sentenced to the chaingang for tweIya
months--not so much for the fight.
but because of his desertion from the
army. Poor Pat had no friends and
was forced to acquiesce in the hard
ShlPs OF the law. For five months he
worked in the county chaingang and
nitifnI " sold enhg. But there is n
.u' sequel to thls story
a. mas wife and three cbi,dron
'ys.,aged five and seven and a.,
hn h' enid at its mothers breost n
in tL aged father who was n soI,l;a
uor sui"f army before tbe .;,.;i
WI "''" mother who ia bed.r;1,
'"" mas not walked step in ,'"eh .
ears. All these co: stitutc pot,s zen
~; ana 1t is hard work TO keo, 49,
'oit from the door, and s;nco pa.,' 80.
:, "ir' lSoimeht they have suffered
"nere" from hunger and cold. Th,v
ave Sneiter IN John Hilburn's l;t,i.
ouse. but John is poor himself anI
as they say. twelve or thirteen cl;II
ell nearly all of siz and nil no oar
ior rats family is to let them st"n
ms honse and pay no rent Ths
'o ilttlr boys can't pick moro than
'Veh'y' five pounds Of cotton. and th"t )
~ |pon' 80 cents day. This is
""! income OF the family. How j
m rn"t Tor poverty, my brethren,
wen, now that poor wife and moth
10 pra'e little woman, and wben
came to orr Louse and toIJ ham
Dry TO my wife and daughters. ond
water glistening in her great hin
eS' ana she asked for work ard so;d
was ashamed to beg. and wban
D talked about Pat and sai1 bo Lo'I
lai,ing' hnt was always good to
ana the children and helpcd 70
rSe his good old mother, the fears At
nc III my wlfe's eyes, and after she