The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-03-06
THE STORY OF "OLD HOOK ,,
Bill Arp Writes About Good
Old Englishman in the Confed-
crate Artrv
crate Army.


Old Englishman in the Confed
crate Army.
| Atlanta Constitution.
Or coursc-of course 1t was Tom
Moore. How came l to say that Burns
wrote that pretty ballad beginning
"And L know by the smoke that so
gracefully curlcd?" l know better and
the editor should have corrected it, for
he knew better, too. What is an editor
Tor it ho does not correct a "lapsus
pennac' like that? But am glad
made the mistake for it has brought me
three letters and postal kindly cor
rcctnS me, and proves that the people
who read the old-timc authors are not
all dead. The last line of that verse
always reminds me of good old man,
comrade, Captain John HockcnhuIl,
an Engllshman by birth, but Georgia
rebel who used to recite poetry for US
around The camp fires in 1862 and 1868.
We called HIM "Old IIocko and every.
body loved him, for he was a cockncv
and dropped the his where he should
not, and vice versa. There is ALWAYS
charm III broken English and to muir
der the Kings English is no great Of
tense. "Oid Ilo,k' knew IA good deal
OF Tom Moore and Burns and Hood
and Campbell, and il was a treat TO
hear him say:
"The cart that is tumble might 'opc
for il 'erc.n
lie knew that other sweet ballad of
Anne Crawford:
Kathleen Mavournccn, the gray dawn
is breaking,
Tho horn OF the hunter is heard on the
hill"
And he always said "Thc 'orn of the
'untcr Is card on the ill" The "Exllc
OF Ern," which he called the "IIcxilo
OF llcrin," was another of bis favoritics
lie learned these poems from his sweet.
hearC while he was all apprentice in
London-an orphan boy bound for
seven years to hard master, brewer,
and his daily service was to carry the
Jars OF malt from the cellar up a light
VI STONE steps to the floor above. lie
never had kind word from his master.
and one day he trippcd and fell and
broke jar and was bitterly abused for
1t, and told that he had forfeited the
.t2O that he was to get when his term
was out. He was then eighteen and
had yet three years to toll at his hard
monotonous work. That night he
poured out his heart to tho girl he loved
and declared he would run away and
go to America on the first sail vessel
that left the port. That he would
make some money here and send it to
her If she would promise TO c)me to
hlm, and then they would marry and be
80 happY-and she promised.
Within a week the opportunity came.
He told one Of the sail )rs his sad story
and the sailor told the mate, and the,
took him aboard by night and hid hln
down IN the hold of the vcsscl unit
the good ship had weighed anchor ant
was far out TO sea. "Old Hook" told
it all to us one cold night at Manassas
and how sad and sweet was his last
kiss, his last embrace, his last good
bye. lie chokcd up sometimes and the
tears glistcned in his eyes, but 1T was a
pretty story AMI Dickens could have
built upon it and made tender ro.
nance. This was away back in the
torties when our State was building tho
Western and Atlantic railroad and
wanted laborers and had sent a man tO
New York to hire immigrants as they
landed at Castle Garden.
"Old Hook " did not have TO wait q
day, but was hired and shipped to At
lanta and from there to Allatoona
where he did his first work. He said
he did not feel safe upon the ocean
voyage or in New York harbor, for he
feared he might in some way be caught
as fugitive and taken back, but when
he got to AllatOOna and saw the woods
all around him and the high hills and
deep ravincs and mingled with good
kind-hcarted men and women, he felt
safe and free. | never knew wat
freedom was before, and you IIamcrl-
cans ave no hidca wat blessing it is.
The good woman were l boarded and
her daughter were 80 kind and gentle
to me that | would 'avc 'ugged them
if dared, but thought all of the time
of the girl had left behind me and It
nerVcd me to good 'oncst work and the
contractor soon raised my wages, and
in six months | 'ad 'undrcd dollars
in bank and got a good man to send it
to another good man in New York, and
he found the same captain came hover
with and he took it to my sweetheart
and she came back with him, and
while | was every day looking fol
letter she took me by surprise one
morning and brought the letter with
her, and we just fell in to beach
hothcr's harms like likc-likc-m Jon
hcxcusc me now, | must go and look
halter my 'oss." He had named his
fine mare Emma, so that he could cal
her llcmma, | reckon.
But we made him finish the stor,
afterwards and tell how one good friont
volunteered to go after the license
and another after the preacher, ant
his landlady and her daughter bakct
some cake and got up a hcxtra supper
and they were married that night a
her 'onse, and all he remembers abou
what the preacher said was: " Whom
God 'ath joined together, lot no ma,
| put hasuhder." "Oid IIock" was
patriot, a good, honest and true man
Ills neiShbors at his home in Dawson