Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-01-18
do it efter nightfall. The boys en-
joyed themselves greatly in these

guitar, but cards were strictly pro-
hibited, as all the families were
strong Presbyterians and "Old Boss"
would have been Mortified beyond
measure if he had found deck of
cards among the boys. Neverthe-
less they were there all the same,
but the boys had to be very sly
about it. as it was dreadful hing
to face that awful frown, piercing
gaze of "Old Boss" who abhorred
even the very appearance of evil as
the devil hates holy water. One of
the tricks that the boys were given
to was to capture one of "Old
Miss" chickens and have roast in
the cabin at night, preparations hav-
ing been made by each Of the boys
slipping some biscuit in his pocket
at the supper table. The chicken
would be taken to nearby swamp
and killed and skinned, all the skin
and feathers being buried in the mud
tor more effectual concealment.
And what feast they would have
with that chicken, some of the other
boys from neighboring places having
been invited to be present. The
chicken would be missed, but it
would never be known what became
of il.
At times there would be about 100
young men attending this school,
nearly all of whom would be study
ing the classics and higher mathe-
matics. The academy stood in a
grove of large oaks and was sur
rounded with the primeval forest.
1t was two-room frame building
with chimney at either end. The
building was not large enough to
accommodate all tho students, 80
studios were built on the ground for
each set of boarders with chimney
to each, where the boys studied in
the winter. In the summer they set
out under the trees within sight and
call of cold Boss" 1t was the prac-
tice to open school with reading the
Bible and prayer and we'll do l re.
member the stentorian tones with
which "Old Boss" would call out,
"Come in all" for worship, and
equally so when he would call out
"Recess" and "To Books" when the
recess hour was ended. And what
sport we had with "town balr' and
''bull pen," and how cold Boss"
would sit in his chair under tree
and enjoy it and keep order. He
was emphatically "the monarch of all
he surveyed" and no one in the
school or out of it thought of calling
his authority in question. This was
true equally in the church and in
the neighborhood, not because he
asserted it, but because everybody
recognized him as kingly man.
He was veritable prince of men.
If | were asked what was the secret
of his power / should say it was his
rigid discipline, combined with his
sense of justice, his lofty sense of
honor and his unfailing courtesy.
He was Chesterfield in his manners
and out of the school room he passed
no student without lifting his hat.
And yet when reused he was veri-
table lion in the path. No student
of his can ever forget that terrible
black eye with its eagle glance. and
the drawing down of the eyebrows
was something awful to behold. 1t
would strike terror into the bravest
heart, and many boy has quailed
before it. Being man of COM
manding presence and of magnificent
| physique he knew no fear and did
not hesitate to intlict corporal pun
ishment upon any offender when he
thought it deserved. He seldom
used the rod and never upon the
larger boys, his usual mode of pun
ishing them for grave offences being
with the hand, and a slap of his
hand was no slight affair. The boys
used to say that instead of Shutdown
that section ought to have been