The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-03
SHERIFF TELLS HOW HE STOPPED
CAMP MEETING DISTURBANCES
Bad Bill
other Yarn o Courthou

fhe inevitable political discussion as
to who would win out in the coming
subernatorial race had been threshed
out for the fiftieth time without any
satisfactory conclusion being reached.
a debate between a Baptist and Meth
odist as to the quantity of water nee
essary to salvation was happily ended,
when the crowd of idlers was aug
mented by the coming of the justice of
the peace, who had been down to the
lower end of the county to marry u
couple. He was warmly greeted.
The Justice of the peace reported
abundant rains and a big protracted re-
ligious meeting in progress in his
neighborhood, which latter had been
disturbed by some bad young men.
After going into details of the char
acter of the interruption of the serv-
ices and threatening to go before the
grand jury with the case, the justice of
the peace turned to the sheriff for ad =
vice. That stalwart official hitched him
self in his chair, spat at an intruding
fly and delivered himself of remarks
as follows:
Il dunno, son. as I'd pester the grand
jury with the fool capers of them boys.
There is other remedies which will hit
the spot a heap quicker. When L was
a big chunk of a young man 1 tended
camp meetin' over on Peckerwood reg
ular. IT wasn't because I was seek
in of religion to any great extent, but
mainly because Sallie Ward went to
the same meetin'.
Called Her "Angel Puddin'
1.-THE way l adored that gal made
people plumb tired. / was the biggest
fool about her you ever seen in your
born days. l would ride my pony to
death any time just to get where she
was, and l was as tender of her as IL
she was billed custard. Used to call
her Angel puddin," In them days l
had no special bad habits, except Gus
sin. horse racin'. drinking Ticker, fight
in chickens, lynchin' niggers, chawin
terbaccer gamblin' and other little in
firmitics liable to infest a full-blooded
gent in the hills, but [ had a powerful
respect for the gospel
"That there camp meeting had its
troubles in the person of Bad Bill
johnson and his gang. Bad Bill had a
unholy yearnin' to pose as terror.
He wanted people, TO think that he'd
eat em alive. His main stunt was to
act like a bully and a outlaw in this
here civilized country. and he disturbed
that meetin a. whole lot. His cuttin'
up got worse and worse, until finally
] sorter assisted in the regeneration OF
Bad Bill and added him to the fold
unanimous. Johnson had a gang foE-
lowin him composed of sots and toughs
all of 'em boot lickin' him, ready to
do any devilment he suggested. They
looked up to him, worshippin him as
the king pin. the jigadier brindle, the
boss bad man and the monarch of all he
surveyed. and this here adulation make
a puffeck fool of Bad Bill Johnson.
Bad Bill Would Arrive
The pious folk attemdin camp meet
IN would come there bringing gals
old ladies. chillun and my gal Sal
lie would be there, too, as large as
life and twice as natural. When every
thing was sort of getting ready to get
sot for pure and undeftled worship Bad
Bill and his crowd would get to per-
vadin' around scandalous, skeerin' folks
out of any chance of getting religion.
The people slept in tents and had serv-
ices under big bush arbor-that is
10 say, they would try to have serv-
ices there when Bad Bill would let
'em, which wasn't much often--as that
outcast would fill up his hide with lil<-
ker and go TO sashayin' around with
his mob, whoopin and laffin' and mock
In the songs and prayers
AT night when folks wanted to sleep,
Bad Bill and his gang played cards.
spoiled good whisky, fit and fought, and
carried on reedkkerlus, with fuss. shoot
in of pistols. runnin' hawses and other
deVNment to the extent that folks talked
about breakin up the meetin and going
home.
"The gray haired Parson and COM