Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1912-12-23

| w ooiiA "oiub w ydlI HdIuSE,
Bob Garner, Geo. w. Vanzant, Will
liam Dickson, Edward Honea, John
M. Dowis, VIM. 'Dubock, Donney Du-
book, Pick McAlister, Dave McAlis-
ter, Hollis Rochester,, Duck Roches-
ter, B. w. Burns, VIM. Dunn, Thos.
Fitzgerald. There may be some 9TH
ers whom l cannot remember now.
l have called the roll Of the old COM
pany They have all crossed over
the river except one-D. S. Hull,
who Is now past 80 years old.
When the war of 1851 called for
volunteers these men responded
promptly to the call and went into all
branches Of service In the Confede-
rate Army. Many were killed, many
were wounded, and but few returned
to loved ones at home. This famous
company had six-pound cannon,
branded on the barrel "1776." 1t
was splendid army piece. These ar
tillerymen would fire salute on their
muster days and also at the general
muster ground near where Capt. A.
II. Ellison now lives. They would al
ways fire salute to the Gov
ernor Of South Carolina. Thir-
teen times this old cannon would
make the everlasting hills and dales
resound and again resound in honor
Of this occasion. Some time during
1854 the Governor, II. w. Pickens,
or the Adjutant General, ordered
this cannon to be sent to Columbia.
My mother got word that they want
ed the gun sent to Columbia and she
had our faithful old slave, Ransom
Dendy, hitch up pair Of oxen, and
Uncle Rams carried the cannon up to
Walhalla and it was shipped to Co.
lumbia or to the seat of war, and
that was the last we heard Of this
famous old gun. 1t is sad to think
that the old company, the old can
non, these good, old fellow-citizens
and soldiers have passed down the
stream Of time, and are no more.
My brothers and sisters and 1
would often climb to the top rail Of
the fence and watch this old company
drill. AS soon as Capt. G. w. Alb
bott would have the company dis
missed they would begin to shoot
their fiint-lock rifles for beef and
turkey. l can still see old Aunt
Abby Mcdonald and Aunt Swofford
with their fine display of the best
ginger cakes that hungry man or
boy ever ate or ever will eat. There
Is no ginger cake in this day and
time like those made by these good
old mothers. Nearby the "cake and
cider wagon" sood Uncle Nat Hulls
wago1 with fifty gallons OF good
peach brandy, and close by his wagon
stood Uncle John Dowis with fifty
gallons Of good old corn whiskey and
25 gallons Of apple brandy, all in
line-half-pint tin cups to drink out
Of, big, long, seal-brown ginger
cakes for five cents, with plenty Of
cidei Or beer to mix. with it; fifty
cents gallon for fine brandy and
fo'ty cents a gallon for corn whis-
key. These are facts and figures. /,
with others, would climb up trees
and look with wonder and astonish-
ment, as all barefoot boys will do,
and see these artillerymen have
good time In their own way.
Now I see the men making a ring,
five to eight steps wide, and an old
fashioned flst-fight would begin. I
see two men with coats off, sleeves
rolled up-Uncle Dick Lumkin and a
man named Sisk-go into this ring,
and they "ft" and fought up and
down, beat and gouged, banged and
battered each other. Before this
light was settled | see them make
ring No. 2. Alb Hyde says he Is "the
best man on this muster-ground," >"
and Uncle Billie Jaynes says, CAB
! Hyde, you are not the best man on
the muster-ground." They were
friends just few minutes before,
but coats were soon off in ring No. Q.
l have never seen such f1st fight in
all my life. No man would dare to
cross the line till one or the other
man called enough" They were
both game to the end; blood was on
! both OF them; >they we're we'll