The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-02-14

favorably known IN the Olden time, both
in this city and in the county OF Wake,
as any man of that day. For long tire
was noted for his faithfulness iG attend
ance, and more especially for his courtn-
ness and dignity of manner, in the dis
charge of his duties and in his inter
course with the bar and bench, as we'll
Everybody liked the Captain, OF which
fact he was well aware, and was proud OF.
The Captain was a great politician and
prided himself upon being Jacksonian
Democrat as he said, 'of the first water
Andrew Jackson, as everybody ought 20
remember, was known in his day ana tlnc
as "Old Hickory and SO it Became tue
custom with the Democrats during Prest
Dental campaigns to raise hickory poles
on which to float their campaign flags.
Martin Van Buren, was the Democratic
candidate, and inasmuch as he was known
to be General Jackson's choice, as his
successor for President. OF course hlckcry
poles were raised by the Democrats. One
had been raised here in Raleigh and Cap
tain Woodall helped to do it.
Enthusiasm ran high, when the pole
went up, and the Van Buren, flag foated
out on the breeze, and the Captain de-
clared inasmuch as he could not be in
town every day to gaze on that pole and
flag that he would have a pole and flag
of his own, right in his yard, ana so he
told his wife that night when he went
home, and told her, furthermore that
instead of raising pole, it was his inten-
ton to cut the limbs off of very beau
tiful hickory in the front of his door,
and hang his Van Buren, flag on chat.
Mrs. Woodall, so the story was told,
tried to dissuade the Captain from his
purpose, but his mind was made up. and
his Democratic blood was hot, so, no
amount of reasoning on her part could
change him from his patriotic purpose.
Sure enough the next morning he made
rope and some pulleys, with which TO
hoist flag, and with these, as we'll as
saw in his hand, he climbed the tree rs
high as it was safe to go, and oegan his
work Saving off the top he fixed his
rope and pulleys with which to raise his
flag, and then, starting from that point
ne went down saving off limb after hr.b,
bringing the ends of his rope with him
until he reached the last limb. Into that
limb his saw went, he standing on it, and
soon limb, saw, Captain WoOdall and all,
hit the ground in heap, and Mrs. Wood
all, who had been watching as we'll as
cautioning the Captain, from the time he
sawed off the first limb, until his fall
ran out and tried to lift him up, saying
as she did so: Captain Woodall, are
you hurt? / told you not to climb that
tree. And then to think you went and
sawed off the limb that you we're standing
on. I'm astonished at you!''
.That proves, Mrs. Woodall, how little
you know about politics. said The Cap
tain, by which time he had gotten his
head out of the brush, and was feeling
for his snuff box to take pinch of snuff
which was a constant habit with him.
This is the story the Captains friends
used to tell on him; whether true or false,
the Captain would say, while the crovG
would laugh and he'd take a pinch OF
snuff; 1T amt everybody that Fan raise
hickory pole all by himself" l have
heard several versions of that old story,
and all of them embodied about what !
have written. The Captain has been dead
number of years, but he has many de-
scendants still living who are, as he was
while living honest and upright.
In one of my letters I had something
to say about the visits the Oak City
Guards made to various places, but l
failed to speak of an excursion which
that company and the Independent Guards
made to Haw River in 1857. Cen
eral Trollinger had opened hotel at Haw
River, and to popularize it, suppose, hi
invited the two Raleigh companies au6
the Orange Guards of Hillsboro, to have
grand parsda fhora and IN ma fol af
barbecue: and the invitation, as We uh-
derstood it, q was member OF the oaf
City Guards), meant that the mllltar!
companies would be his guests Whlt
there. OF course our ranks were 1uli,
for who wouldn't go to war When the
only enemy to be met was barbecue
and free entertainment Tor a nlget, VIII
supper and breakfast thrown IN? Arriv'
al at Haw River the three companies
looking their best, were drawn out IN me
to be inspected by our host, and admired
bv the hundreds of ladies who graced the
occasion. There was not soldier there.
from the captain down to the lowest man
in ranks. who did not feel his Importance.
and try to look his very best, for we were
not only hotel guests, but We were on
historic soil, very near to where IN the
cause of freedom men had lost their lives
in other days, and of course we wanted
to make it appear that, if not chips off
tie old blocks, we were chaps that would
make chips, sometime.
The hint was thrown out that, after
little while spent in drill, the military
were to march to the warehouse. stack
arms and have hand to hand fight with
that barbecue, of which SO much had been
said in the papers, and of which we were
thinking while on parade. Every Tins
We wheeled in the direction OF that ware
house we got hungrier and hungrier, but
still the signal was not given by the
General, who had requested the officers
to keep us in ranks until by signal he
should announce. that dinner was ready.
Sometimes we would march very close
down to the warehouse, and we'd think
surely the signal will come now. but it
didn't; instead would come the command:
Right about, march," and up the hill
we'd go again. And thus we paraded for
az least two hours. AT last the signal