The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-09-29
THE OLD TIME MILITIA IN
THE DAYS "BEFO DE WAH"
The Periodical "Musters'' and How the Letter of the
Law was Observed=-Some Excursions of
the Oak City Guards

New Bern ard other places, and as re-
member, the duties on those occasions
were light, while the inequalities were
immense and varied. Al New Bern. on
the occasion OF the completion Of the At
lantic and North Carolina Railroad to
that town, companies from Raleigh. Fav-
e~ttevIlle and Wilmington We're in the big
street parade and partook Of the hcspitali-
ties Of that most hospitable city. It was
a big occasion and the festivities which
the good people had arranged for, were
so numerous that a visitor could not help
finding a place to suit his taste. The boys
were having Il good time, for a uniform
was 4 passport and an open sesame
wherever seen, and the danger was that
one would be foundered or made drunk.
Indeed, | heard before | left the town.
that the order had been issued, from
headquarters, that no one was to leave
the town hungry or sober, and that if a
fellow wouldn't drink he must be founder-
ed. | guess there was some truth in the
report I heard, for, as | was going from
the depot, at night to the CASTOR House,
| was rudely halted, at a pump, near the
old Washington Hotel, by a man with a
gun III his hands, who said: Consider
yourself under arrest" by whose au-
thority?" l asked. by order of King
Alcohol he replied, at the same time
pushing me toward an open door, through
which came the noise of a struggle inside.
and a voice saying: Funnel him. funnel
him. l took in the situation in a mo
ment. and, as the man who had arrested
me, was getting into position to assist in
the funncling process Git was Joe Arey, of
Fayetteville, they had stretched on the
bed) l broke and ran. and under cover Of
the darkness made my escape. ! saw my
friend Arey the next morning and he said
they split enough Whiskey over and about
him to make an elephant drunk, but they
did not get any of it into his mouth.
Col. John L. Whitford. the wholesouled
big-hearted President Of the Atlantic and
North Carolina Railroad. was the moving
spirit in getting up that great occasion.
The boys had their fun while there, and
had the chance to have become drunken,
over and over again, but our Captain, the
late Major r.. S. Tucker, often remarked
afterWard when speaking of the occasion,
that amid all the festivities he did not
have a man who drank to excess, while
many drank not at all. AS / think of
that occasion and remember that forty
six years have followed, and that most
Of those who participated IN the scenes
and festivities of those April days, are
sleeping beneath the sod, I can but think
how true it is, that life at most, is but a
span.
Our company went on another eXcur
sion-it was to Weldon-to meet some dis
tinguished guest. do not remember whom.
l did not go, out furnished a substitute,
who, when the roll was called, answered
to my name, and SO, while I was not along
with the boys my name went; and, it so
happened, that when my name was called
one morning, after the boys had been
feasted and toasted, the night before, the
man who wore my uniform was missing.
A search being made it was found that
my substitute was drunk. Being a tenn
perance man myself, it was a good joke
the Boys had on me when they returned,
that L got drunk by proxy. During the
war many a poor fellow who went out as
a substitute Jared even worse than did
my substitute. He came back, but they
did not.
1 ought TO have said, when telling above,
of the funnellng business in New Bern,
that General John Winslow, Of Fayette-
vile, a man who loved fun and would
have a good time, was the instigator OF
il. and it was all done at his head quar-.
ters.' as he termed his room
General Winslow was an old time Wing
and when the political fight was on. he
did as good service for his man and his
party, as any other speaker; (and he was
an orator., but, when the fight was over
he rejoiced with the side that won. say
ing, IF we are not happy our Democratic
friends are, and so wei help them to re
joice." 1 happened to be in Fayetteville
on the occasion OF a great torch-llght pro
cession and speaking, with which the
Democrats celebrated the election OF
Pierce and King. At one point where the
crowd halted for a speech, who should
step forth but General Winslow, amid the
shouts of the thousands who stood around
with torches in hand. The General began
bv saying it was one of the %proudest oc-
casions of his life, for the reason that, III
the recent election, he foresaw that oul
people were soon to be OF one mind and
one political faith, as evidenced by the
fact that Pierce and King had received
254 electoral votes, while Scott and Ora
ham-Scott the hero, and Graham, the
statesman and honored Ex-Governor OF
this proud old CommOnWealth-had only
received AZ votes About that time d
voice from the crowd asked: "General
are we Wings beaten as bad as that?
To which he replied IN a very solemn
tone: I'm sorry to tell you, my friend,
that everything has gone Democratic
from HI to Texas when the crowd
moved and the General, amid shouts ana
laughter. retired.
AS 1 am IN Fayetteville just now, vii
tell the reader how the town used to look
TO p country boy, who went there with {
load of cotton, or other produce, IN the
DAVIS when. from Mt. AIRY, Greensboro
Asbeboro and Salisbury and all intermedl
ate points, wagons went by scores aht
hundreds. carrying to the head OF naVlga
ton corn. wheat. cotton and other pro
ducts and CARRYING back salt, iron, mo
lasses. sugar, cheese and other groceries
which came up to Fayetteville on boats
from Wilmington, our principal sea port
It will not be a stretching OF trutn t'
say that from the foot OF m Z
-, l-;l~o nXNar ('HmDDoIIOWI