The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-05-22

never hrooked restraint nor tolerated
opposition.
ITO students OF heredity 1t might be
interesting 10 speculate to What ex-
tent the soldier strain OF the Allen
family was tinctured by less noble.
more primitive influences engrafred
into 1t from the maternal side The
mother Of the seven Aliens who are
the middle aged men OF the present
generation was the daughter OF Uncle
Billy Combs. the toughest , old
woodsman and trapper known to the
history or traditions Of the Carolina
mountain border. Uncle Billy died
at the age of l04.
HE tramped the mountain %fastness-
es habitually In his bare beet. the
heels and soles of which had become
so ~callouSed and hooflike that he
thought nothing Of killing diamond
back rattlers by tramping upon them.
Like other mountaineers Of his
day. Uncle Billy not only trapped or
shot the wild beasts OF the mountain.
selling their pelts. but he made a re-
spectacle income by demonstrating the
wild honey bees and by raising droves
of mountain hogs. which. until the ad-
vent OF warm weather, would run wild
and fatten upon the chestnuts and
acorns of the forests"
Judge Bolen remembers Uncle
Billy Combes In his later years, u
recall" said the lawyer. that he once
showed me a spot OF the mountain
where A panther had leaped out from
cover and seized one OF his mountain
hogs as his prey. Uncle Billy went
summoned n or two OF his nearest
~neighbors. For two days and nights
they stalked the panther. until the
dogs finally ran the beast into a tree.
where Uncle Billy shot 1t and skinned
1t for its pelt."
Uncle Billy" Combes stood six feet
three inches tall and was muscIed like
a lion He always wore buckskin
breeches and a fur trimmed round
about jacket. On his head a coonskin
cap Il pOlSSu IdhlSllg. duu uhIll hto
death. about As years ago. he never
was seen without his shot pouch and
powder horn.
Uncle Billy" though phenomenal.
ly strong. was a peaceable man among
his fellows. and died much beloved
and respected. His son Jed" how.
ever, endowed with much OF his ia.
theirs physique was a noted bully OF
the m%ounlainside. Jed" had met and
conquered many rivals. but he had
never iried conclusions with Ike Beam.
er. Ike was. like Jed" a giant in
strength and with sinews OF steel, but
Ike was neither quarrelsome nor am.
bilious to shine as a bully Jed" de-
rermined 10 force him to fight. trump
ed up some imaginary debt and vent
10 Ike under pretense OF collecting 1t.
Jed" knew it probably would give
hin the opening he and his satellites
had been craving Ike listened calm
ly. Then he remarked: Jed. you know
don't owe you no such sum. but folks
Is saying ! do owe you a tolerable good
thrashing. Are you prepared to col.
!ect that debt. too"
Jed" needed no urging. The two
m%ountaineers went at ii, and tradition
says ii was a battle of giants. Time
and again the men. evenly matched.
had to cease from sheer exhaustion.
Then they clutched each other while
they panied for breath. 1t doubtless
would have been fought to a finish.
but friends Of Beamer interfered
Neither man had "squealed." Ac.
curding to the mountaineer code Of pu.
gilism. 1t had been drawn fight.
Beamer had lost the index finger of
his right hand. which Jed" Combes
had worried in his teeth until he chew
ed it off az the middle joint. Ike had
thrust his thumbs so remorselessly into
"Jed's" eye sockets that the bully Was
blinded. and did not regain his sight
until weeks afterWard.