Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1911-08-17
Childhood "reminiscences.
BY ST. JOHN BYER.

Among the queer old characters which
gave this quaint old town piquant ye
perhaps unssvory notoriety, was a loud
stormy gentleman who lived on the marsh
which may account for his being an ole
soak, though it was not pure marsh wa
ter that he imbibed so persiStently, bu
the cheap comfortable old Virginia rum
like the law, made and provided for suct
cases and plentiful hereabout. He hac
married small farm near Billmyer'S Mill
which he worked rather desultoily, anc
when tired out with the monotony o.
farm labor he sought little variety and
spice OF life by filling up with the afore-
said comfortable blue ruin, and riding tc
town on an old gray mare as triumpha
procession of one, yet making the noise
and racket of long train, as he came in
singing at the fortissimo of a stentorian
voice, with the determination to paint the
town warm Indian red and have war
dance therein. His lurid advent was the
signal for every denizen to herald to the
next man or boy-"Mountz in town
Lookout for fun" and he was helped by
the boys on the alert for mischief to Stir
up some dust and disturbance to wake
the sleepy old hollow from its Slumbers.
81 am George Washington Mountz
with the voice of the thundercloud," " he
would roar out as he posed himself de-
family to make harangue. 1t was his
great ambition to get an audience al
which he might fire off his thunderouS
declamations. This would never be
wanting, for men and boys would soon
gather armed with stale eggs, old cabbage
or soft potatoes and especially snowfall
time was a windfall of ammunition for
them. After some furious pronuncia-
mentos the orator would generally lind
"things coming his way" for his old
Chimborazo stove-pipe hat was the spec
ial mark for the missiles of applause with
which he was greeted. He took it in
good part, for when his top was knocked
off, then found and kindly handed up to
him he took it politely as matter OF
course and held bravely on, like the great
Athenian-" Strike but hear me-" All he
wanted was to blow off the steam through
his large red face; this accomplished, he
was satisfied to have fulfilled his mission.
He was full ofscraps of political harangues
and spread eagle speeches so he was al
ways in evidence at the 4th OF July cele-
brations. II must be recalled that on
these occasions Billy Sheetz, a quiet, pl-
Gus, demure old Lutheran, would resur-
rect his fife, Mart Yontz, sexton OF the
church and maker of fine Sausages in
porkpacking time, would bulge out with
the bass drum. And George Humrlck-
house, a gentleman OF such quiet, easy
going pace that mile day would be a
great feat for him, would beat up the
nerve-exciting snare drum. These wor-
thies would march around summoning
the patriotic and pot valiant to join the
ranks and march out to the Big Spring
where the celebration and soup were to
be pulled off. The patriots all armed
themselves previously with pint cups
made for the occasion by Uncle John
Shindler in the basement shop on the
corner under what is now the Reformed
parsonage. He had two small basement
window peepholes looking out on each
street, and the bad boys said he could
peep out of both at the same wink, one
eye looking out OF each window. No
doubt he approved the 4th of July cele-
brations-patriotism is a good thing when
it brings in a few tuppences.
As aforementioned, Mountz and his
gray horse joined this martial procession
out to the place where Jake Entler and
Jim Rickard had concocted big kettle OF
soup-out of God knows what ingre-
dients, don't ask what all went in it, but
the hungry hero armed with his tin cup
and half-dollar, could, after he had
gone through the tribulation OF hearing
the Declaration of independence" read,
likely by the schoolteacher, John Peirce,
and for which he didn't care a kreutzer,
then get his fill of aforesaid soup. After
he had made transfer OF this from the tin
cup into his own capacity, he could rinse
out the cup in the spring, and make a
precipitous charge on the free and easy
tub of whiskey punch, and there fill him.
self to the brim with renewed spirit, pa
triotism and punch. For this onset there
was no need of any forced CONSUMPTION,
every man bravely volunteered as tor
lorn hope for the punch tub. 1t was the
glorious fourth of July and they got glo-
riously fuddled. II was a legal drunk
and only sober people might be lawfully
arrested on that day.
Our g. w. was duly called on for a
speech, to which he responded with
cheerful alacrity. He perched himself at
the stepping stone crossway ofthe spring,
foot on each stone, with the stream OF
water running beneath him. He had
been supplied with lineup full OF inspi-
ration, which he held in one hand while
he waved the other in grandiloquentges-
ture, his great linen duster coat wrapping
down about his spindle like a Roman
toga, and while he took sip OF his in