The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1913-08-28
MORE ROCKCASTLE COUNTY
FRIENDS
A Pioneer Election Scrsp-Eagerness
for knowIsdge-Chureh and School
Founded
Geo. Candee.

- how ! wish I could recall all
their names aud the locations where
they lived. ! see them Just rs they
vcrr. Cant realize that the older
ones have gone beyond aud that
many Of the lads and lasslcN have
grown gray.
remember the Burdctlcs. | have
seen some of them since the long
ago Indeed one of the most no.
the most heroic deed ever Witness
ed vas performed hN Jo" Burdrito.
~ the frs election at Hackney
Corner where the B"rcans did
their voting after the cN-SlaNcs
were cufranchsrd band of forty
men. supposed to be- ku kluN
armed with shot guns, paradrd
around The voting place all day, SUP
po~rdlN lu brighten culurrd and
white abuliltuuISt. away from the
polls NlIrr HE polls were closed
and most uf the Borca voters had
returned home thus scene occurred.
The mott rem" 20 force \ few
Prrcau- o. ! was among
them uu, ...,dru forty miles
from nay appointment the day be-
fore. to Not" and To- strengthen the
.rouragr uf any weak ones 10y my
example. would not then show the
white feather by Fastening away
from that mob.
! | was sitting quietly behind big
OAK tree when heard loud talking
on the other side The talk grew
more huistcrous and threatening
and soon concentrated into a Wet
Gus false accusation and emphatic
denial. You did. II didn't" You
dld' II didn't When got up to
see who It Was and what II meant
| saw McCullum standing with
his back lu he tree. he had been
sitting against It. entirely surround
ed 10y that shotgun mob. stout
man ~ his right with great
hickory cane IN his hand and his
arcuscr at his face, burly sperI-
men oi the poor white trash. who
had probably never earned or owned
"A Jack knife of his own. nov
armed with an immense bright I'M
shcalhcd. shining bowirknlfe M one
hand and great colts revolver IN
, the other trying to provoke McCul-
, lum to give HIM the lie, which
, was tn" Kentucky signal for him
slanilN ~ tins cOnflah seemed to
approach the climax Joe Burdritc
Sprang through the ranks into the
ring of that mob with revolver IN
his hand, crying To them To- drsISt
from their assault upon his brother
ln-law. In an instant the whole at
icutIou Was turned from McCullum
tu Burdctlr. In the same instant a
heavy blow was struck, with that
, heavy hickory club. at McCullum
. which hc lodged I'm the moment
when the attention of the mob was
diverted from him ia Burdrttr he
skipped away unframed,
There we're two things that saved
Rurdcltc from being shot to pieces.
He Was surrounded by members of
= the moh and they could not shoot
him with their shotguns without
Shouilng one another Another
, thing that saved him was the inter
cession of gentle little constable
I think of that precinct from Be
rca, who also sprang into the ring
and plead with them to deSlst.
While he was engaging the mob's
attention, Burdcttc also skipped
away. The last | saw of him that
day Was when he was slipping thru
, rail fence like Jack rabbit into
the bushes just back of the crowd.
did not see McCullum again that
day. did not wait tu see what be-
came of the mob.
This story is an rplsod of post
hellum days and is of my present
plan To Civ" ante-bellum history.
But what welcome received
in the old mountain home Of the
Burdcttcs | think out beyond
Boones Gap on the Round Stone
was it?
Then further on, on my way 20
/ the Cummings appointment, where
used to stop. lived man by the
name of Green who interested me
much He was sample of many
mountain people who thirst for
knowledge. Tie could not read, and
Mas So distressed To see others
reading to themselves that he would
get up and 60 out of the house
rather than endure the depriyat ion
of not hearing them read. lie once
said To me-pointlng To small
sized backlog, - would rather stand
and hold that log on my shoulder
and hear a man read than SIT and
see him read to himself" enjoyed
reading Ia him.
a., ~ ..u,.,,l,er ,kn,t h,, F,r,f