The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1899-05-30
TWO "FORRESTERS.'

TWO ~"F0RRESTERS.'
In Georgia in the fork of the Coosa
wattee and Connesauga rivers live th
Forester families. They have beel
known for many years as the "Fightini
Forresters" because of their propensit,
for pugilistic encounters. Old Hiram
Forester had for a long time beel
known as the "Bu1l of the Woods, " AM
had never been licked by an antagonist
He had two sons Bill and Ben For
roster, who inherited much of their ia
theirs love for fighting. Bill was abou
10 and Ben a year and a half younger
but the brothers were pretty event,
matched in size, Bill being five feet 81,
and weighing 100 pounds, while Ben
vas five feet five and weighed but
few pounds less than his elder brother
Both were bull necked, blue eyed ant
sallow compiexioned youths, will
shocks of fiery red hair covering thei,
bullet heads. Slow in movements, afte,
the n Of the typical Georgi;
mountaineer, they were also quiet ant
slow of speech, and neither was eve
known to betray the least excitement
no matter what the emergency.
One day | was passing through tn,
settlement, when, sitting on a stuml
by the roadside, / saw Ben Forester
with his big slouched hat pushed back
nibbling a straw in a meditative man
ner, as if revolving some serious prob
lem in his mind. One eye was blackenet
as if by a blow, and his right hand wa
bound up in a piece of rag.
"Hello, Benz" said l, drawing rein
''You seem to have been in a scrim
mage"
"Yaas, jest had a little scrap"
"Why. I didn't take you for a fight
err"
81 hain't ben tell this mornfn."
"Who have you been fighting I"
"Jest fit Brother Ben"
"Whatl Fighting your own broth
er % / said in amazement. s'Tell me
about it.
"Wull hit war this way: Me al
Ben's alters ben the best Nv frien's
Pap has tole us time an ag'in that W.
didn't have no spunk. He says that by
the time he war our age he'd licked ev.
cry Teller NV his size in the settlement
But we hain't nuver tuck to fightin tel
this mornin.
eve war out in the fel' knocki1
round, when Ben, he perches himself or
the fence an looks so burned indepen' ent
down on me as l stood leanin ag'in 8
tree that hit suddenly come into my
min that he thought he war a better
man than me.
" Look a-here, Ben, says /, dom
look at me in that kin nv a quizziki,
style
I'm look at ye as I please, an yt
can't hep yerse'f,' says Brother Ben.
(" Then p'raps ye think ye're a bet
ter man than me- l said an felt my
dander rise at the very mention nv his
brightness.
EFF ye don't think so, p'raps ye'd
better try me-, says Brother Ben.
"'Jest crawl down off'n that ere
fence, an I'll show ye in bout three
shakes Nv a sleeps tail which air the
best man, says ].
"No sooner said than done. Ben he
lipt down f'om the fence an Topped his
VIKINGS an crowed like a rooster. Wull,
that jest sot me afire all over. I~squared
myself an let drive, an Ben staggered
back ag'in the fence. l made fur i'm,
an he kotched me under the eye, ar
then we went at it in good yearnes'
Hit wus blim, blim, blim. fur bout
two minits, an we didn' neither nv us
have much the vantage.
"Then we stopped to blow a bit, an
Ben come at me ag'in. l met i'm hal
way, an the way we fit war a caution
to the Jews. Finally we clinched, an
Ben tripped me up, an we both come
down kerwhollop, Ben on top.
"sThat's onfair to trip, says /. with
my mouth ha'f full nv dirt an leaves.
'Lemme up an fight fair
"Ben turned loose, an we riz a-pufir
an a-blowin like two young bulls in the
spring Nv the year. Finally l hauled
away an struck Ben a lick under the
chin while he war off his gyard, ar
he reeled back ards; then, bowin his
neck, he made a rush at me, an | could
see the Ole Scratch in his eyes.
1--WE scufied and shufied round an
tore up the groun' tell we wal both wet
with sweat, an still neither one nv us
didn't have no vantage over t other.
But l seed that Ben war a-gittin winded,
an l struck out ag'in- He lodged, an
l run jam up ag'in the fence, an Ben
fetched me a reg lar maulin lick on the
side Nv the head.
THAT made me good an mad, an ]
turned round an peeled him one on the
nose that fetched the blood. 'Hoorayl'
says /, 'fust blood's mine.
"Ben wheeled round, an l pasted him
ag'in, but that didn't stop him a bit.
Re jest come at me with both hans, an
we clinched ag'in, an down we went in
a pile an laid thar pantin an clinchir
fur about a mint, when l thought I'd
give him another trial, so l let go, an
we both staggered to our feet.
"'Got 'nough2' says l.
"'Not ha'f, says he.
"'Do ye still think ye're the best
MANI
"'I'm a better man than ye eve,
dared to be, says he.
"'All right, says /, spittin in my
hans, here goes to prove it, an at il
we went ag'in. Ye know Ben's arms /!
jest a leetle but longer'n mine, an ht
could tech me afore l could git in a lick,
when we stood square up to each other
So Iswung round my lef' han, an as he
flung out his right to ketch the lick
peeled him side NV the head with my
right an knocked him into the middle
nv the road.
"He stood thar sorter dazed fur a ha'
a mint. an then he charged ram sheer
fashion an butted me in the stummick
an the lick knocked the breath out'r
me-. AS / sorter doubled over from thu
lick he struck me a sorter glancin blow
on the head, an | ducked an ketchet
him round the middle an flung hin
over my head.
"'Purty good fur you, Bill, l hear
some I'm say, an, glancin round, / seet
pap settin on the fence a-grinnin from
year to year. While l had my 'tentiol
drawed to the ole man Ben tuck thu
vantage Nv me an give me a lick in tn
burr Nv the year that made me see sch
en- stars.
81 wheeled round an peeled him ii
the mouth an knocked two nv his teetl
out. He stopped to spit, when l lit int
him fur all he war wo'th. Ye see,