The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-09
NOIsI- OLD TINE CHRIsTMAS.
IN Missouri Every Man Joined q March with
q Horn. Cur or Drum.

MACON, Mo, Dec. 5.-You ant awaken
any enthusiasm over Christmas among the
graybeard pioneers Of Missouri nowadays.
To them the occasion has d~egenerated into
a sort Of play party for women and chill
dren and they cam help thinking of the days
when Christmas gave a larger measure OF
thrills for the money.
The first thing was the election OF n
captain, a man who would lead the way
into a bear den, If necessary said Joel
II. Wright, who went on his first Christmas
frolic ia 1872. His word was law that
night. He gave the orders for a siege N
III alone could raise it. Every man en-
listing under his banner had to bring with
him something calculated to disturb the
peace and dignity of the State. Lungs
alone-whiIe good in their way-were not
sufficient.
There were fowling pieces of Revolu-
tionary character and disposition; blunder-
busses, double barrelled pistols, horns, CROSS
cut saws and sometimes a big drum. When
all these instruments were popping on at
the same time ears were useless. l don't
SUPPOSE any man could describe the noise
by any words in the dictionary.
Il can tell you, though, how it impressed
one OF the old residenters who lived in a
log cabin along u route Philip Ever
hardt was an early day Christian who
honestly beloved the world was becoming
40 degenerate that the final cstaclysm
was almost within arms reach. We struck
his house about midnight and the first thing
we saw was Uncle Pills flying form hiking
across the prairie. His wife and children
stood in the doorway awaiting the insur-
r~ectioniSts,
The captain finally comprehended that
Mrs. Everhardt was in great distress and
the noise was stopped. She explained that
Uncle Phil had been aroused by the blowing
of the horns and the roar OF the guns
insisted thai it was Gabriel footing the last
trumpet. He had jumped from bed, put
on a few articles OF clothing and skedaddled
out without waiting TO kiss her and the
children good-by.
m~errymakers in they made life a tribuiation
for him ami hs folks. One fellow lived out
Of the road in a little log cabin in the midst
of a clearing. He had announced some
days before that If the Christmas gang
came to his house they wouldn't get a very
pleasant reception. So we encircled his
domicile and piled core wood around the
doors and windows clear up TO the roof.
Then we got "A couple of cats, tied q rope TO
them and let them down the chimney.
Next We took his sheep up into the barn
loft. where they sang 10 their masters the
balance OF the night in the way sheep sing.
All the while the crowd was marching
around the cabin footing their horns and
firing guns. I dom know how the nan
stood II, but as / never heard OF any deaths
in his family l guess they got through alive.
1T was very seldom, however. that the
fron,iersmen objected TO receiving the
Christmas party. The truth j. most OF
them would consider themselves limos in-
suited IL the riders didn't call the night be-
fore Christmas aud demand something to
eat and drink. They were not fastidious.
Apples, ginger cake and whiskey were all
they lacked. Every householder had sew
eral dcmijohns Of liquid enthusiasm fresh
from Kcnttcky and a. il WAS very cheap
everybody drank. II was used about like We
use cider nov.
Sometime the Christmas eve route
would embraces u circuit Of twenty milek
Tho houses were far apart and IL was neoes-
saTy to do much travelling in order to avoid
sighting any body. The custom OF the
time was that " the householder caught
sight OF the army OF invasion first and shot
az them before they did any shooting the
tables were turned and the visitors had 20
set EN-, up. OF course. the guns and pistols
contained no bail, but sometimes they had
pretty good sized wads In them, and u fire.
ausntiy happened hat In q 1kirrnAsh the
tsrti~s were badly powder bnrnsd.