Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-09-27


From the Gastonia Gazette, Sep, 26.
"Came in to tell you about Brit
Bolin," said a venerable citizen Of Cas-
tonia as he dropped into The Gazette
office the other day. KNEW the family
well when I was a boy" said our well
come visitor, who is now somewhere
between IS and SS years Of age. We
were glad to have him recount his
recollections Of this noted York county
hunter and his remarkable family, and
have written down for our readers with
some degree of care the "reminiscences
of our entertaining visitor. They were
as follows:
I read the account which your paper
copied from THE YoRKvILLE ENQUIRER
about Bolin's great strength. That in
cident may be true, but I think 1t Is
partly a mistake and has been confused
with another incident, Of the truth Of
which there is no doubt. My mothers
uncle, Robert Floyd, once went on
hunt with Bolin. There was snow on
the ground and 1t was cold winter
weather. From a long chase that would
have tired out ordinary men, they were
returning home, each carrying deer.
Toward nightfall, Uncle Robin gave
out-too cold and tired to carry his bur-
den further-and wanted to sit down to
rest. But Bolin wouldn't allow 1t.
Night was coming on and there was no
time to rest. Bolin had his deer tied
by the feet and swung over one shoul-
der like a shot pouch. He tied Uncle
Robins the same way and swung 1t
over the other shoulder. I well remem-
ber the saying attributed to the old
deer hunter: why" said he, II can
carry both deer better than could one;
for they balance each other and keep
me steady" With Bolin bearing both
burdens, the hunters completed their
Journey home. suspect McGill's name
became interviewer with the incident
from the fact that after his wife died
the Bolins took his little girl to raise,
thus bringing the families into close
relations.
In Brit Bolins family were himself,
his wife, three boys, and two girls.
They were all stout people. powerful in
frame and body. The oldest boy was
named Ross, and he weighed lS5
pounds. But all of the others weighed
so much above 200 that they referred to
Ross as "the runt."
Joe was the second oldest. The barn
was about as far from the house as
from here to the Falls hotel Q50 yards.)
The wheat was carried in sheets hold
ing 10 bushels. The sheet was tied by
the corners, a pole thrust through and
carried by two men. Joe said, II can
carry sheet full myself" So the sheet
was set in the barn door. Joe backed
up to it on the ground below and said
to John, the youngest Of the brothers,
"Sort O. ease it over on my shoulders
John" John did so. and Joe carried
the 10 bushels Of wheat to the house.
Joe could also strike powerful blow.
In those days the wheat was trodden
out on the barn floor by horses and
mules. One mule was headstrong. He
would tramp around until the air be-
came hot and dusty and then make for
the door. And the mule would go out
too. One day Joe squared himself IN
the door to stop the mules habit. He
declared with an oath that If the mule
tried to get out at that door he would
knock him in the head. Presently the
mule made a break for fresh air. Joe
had nothing but his fist, but he let the
mule have that with all his might right
between the eyes. The bones of his
knuckles cracked against the bone or
the mules skull, for the skin on both
was laid open by the blow. The mule
fell backwards on it's launches and sat
there like dog.
The whole family was fond OF FUN
and frolic. They liked to hunt, frol1c,
work and eat. They went to frolics
far and near. The boys were quiet,
however. and never got into trouble.
When asked If they were not afraid or
getting into trouble at frolics the an
swer was: I'VE are not going to get
into trouble where people know us, and
YOU have never known one Of us to go
alone to a frolic out Of the neighbor-
hood" And it was so. When 1t was
likely that anybody might undertake
to impose on one of the Bolin boys there
were two of them along, and two were
enough.
The girls, too, were strong and ac-
tive. One of them could stand in half
bushel and shoulder two bushels OF
wheat. Though weighing over zoo
pounds she was an expert dancer. One
of the tests was to dance on a dinner
Mate turned face down on the floor.
This she could do skillfully without
breaking the plate.
Speaking of rifles, I've seen Bits
hunting guns often. They were not
rifles. but muskets, and they were
loaded with buchshot. One of the boys,
Ross, had a rifle. That was away back
in the thirties. Deer and turkeys were
plentiful, but 1 do not remember any
bear
I've seen the time when I just liked
to go to Brit Bolin's. Have eaten
many a bit of deer meat there. Bolin
lived on the north side of the south
nrong of Crowder's creek, two miles
north of Bethany church. I well re-
member that in the yard near the
house stood a sycamore tree with an
apple tree growing out Of limb on the
sycamore some twenty or thirty teet
above the ground. 1t had been grated