The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-18
THE STRONG HAuYTo1A
Some or the Craolina Stories About
 Them.


 Some or the craolina Stories About
 Them.
 Letter to New orleans Tfmes- Demo
 crat.
 The days of "coffee and pistols foF rwo'.m may be over. but the spirit which prompts uqick retaliation for insult given is not by other means quenched among the old regime of the South. ae the following incident will show.
 A few days ago at 0eorgetOwn, es c. d party of men were sitting aroun4 a dinner table at the one hotel In tn0 place. As usual under such .circuu1-, stances. there was variety of meu and conversation. One man from tho West-an expression which represente n particular type. but no parucuIar lacation--had been very free in hie opinions regarding the people Of the South. The opinions were not compii- mentary.
 'They talk dang sight about re- sentin' things, and courage and all that but I ain't seen any of it yet and dang if don't believe there's . lot ok blow among 'em."
 There were two or three Northern men In the crowd. and the rest were native Southerners. They treated tho 1 westerner. tall. hurly creature. with great tolerance; but several noticed a| dangerous light gathering in the eyes uf a young fellow who had not said much. He was himself fully six feet. broad -shouldered, a weii-knit figure, . low voice and a face as handsome As an Apollo's. He was sitting across the table from the Westerner. His whole figure breatfed conscious strength and centIeness He did not interrupt tho hurly talker.
 "Yes." the man from the fieecy plsins went on. this talk of the bravery ot the South is all tommyrot. Now. there's General Wade Hampton" and here an abusive epithet followed. But no sooner had the name passed his lips than the young man with the Apollo face leaped clear across the | table and caught the Westener by tho throat. He pounded and beat and cudgelled him until the others tried to | interfere.
 No" said the Apollo, leave him to me; won't kill him. I'll just finish | him."
 And he did. When he had pounded | him to his satisfaction, and to the sat. lsfaction of the crowd, he gathered up the writhing figure and quietly threw | him out of the window.
 l The man with the soft voice ana | Apollo face was Frank Hampton Has, kell. grandson of General Wade HaMp- ton and son of Colonel John c. Has, kell of Columbia, s. c. He has in- herited the bravery and chivalry of l his South Carolina blood and the splendid physical strength of the | Hamptons, and this same prowess seems to belong to the name Frank | Hampton. General Hampton had an | uncle and a brother noted for their l great strength, whose mantle seems to have fallen on the present young hero- l I have often heard General Hamp- ton tell the following story of his | uncle:
 1 My uncle." he said. was noted for | his powerful strength. Once he was at fl country tavern when a big country l fellow insulted him. He said nothing, but stepped to the fireplace. picked up l an old fashioned iron poker, put lt l around the mans neck and twisted it so that it was impossible to remove 1 it. The man begged like doE. "On another occasion, at dinner Tn | Charleston. a gentleman remarked that l no man could knock down another man the same size.
 ! "oh, yes my uncle said T can A large negro man, an attendant of one
  a great favorite in Charleston ana was roted for his strength. He heard my urcle's remark, and said:
 "'oh, no. Mas Frank. you cyant knock me down
 Let him try, let him try. Argyle.
 My uncle resisted for time, put at last stood up, extended hls arm and let 1t fall on top of the negro l head. The man instantly fell. to the astonishment of the crowd. and then, to their horror, he was found to pc dead. None was more astonishea or grieved than my uncle. He had not used half his strength. he said"
 There are several stories of General Hampton's own wonderful strength.
 Once. before the war. when out bear hunting in Mississippi, hls dogs at. | lacked a COW, an animal which grows very dangerous when allowed to run wild in the swamps. The COW took .Sef- uge in a small lake nearby. General Hampton, not liking such anomalous game for his pack, jufnRed from his horse and drove the dogs on. He was making for his horse when the COW walked out of the lake. passed him then suddenly turned. and. with tail erect and head lowered. came beliow- ing plunged toward him. He barely had time to jump behind a small tree, and here for some seconds, in game of hide and seek. eluded the infuriated animal. But he knew that such ruse could not last long. Springing out. he caught the COW by the horns. threw her on her side. and. putting one knee on her neck, struck her lower horn into the ground. Before she could extrtcats herself he had reached his horse and made good his escape.
 It was no unusual thing for General Hampton to take up from the ground. without dismounting. full-sized buck or corn bear and put 1t on the back of his horse.
 Malone has said that General Hampton was the strongest man in the army of Northern Virginia" but to this General Hampton always says:
 That's all nonsense. I was not" l nxR....irnn. Dana Haxxa RnnIln.