Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-19
5000 BEAT TIME
To STRAINS Of
OLDF|DDLERS
Big Crowd at Auditorium Rocks
With Mirth as TantaIizin' Tunes
Move Staid AtIantans.

son, of Milton, was the first nudlef on
the "programmy down to the mo-
ment that the artistic soul OF "Shor-
ty Harper. Of Monroe, Ca, by heckl
moved him to Tallivant to the front
and shake his feet" his hands in MS
pockets and his face open until his
upper lip spoke to his eyebrows ana
his chin explored the first pocket OF
his vest. 40 homespun KubellKs, ma
dlers all, and nary a violinist among
them. held the hearts and souls or
5000 grinning Atlantans in the mol
low of their horny hands
It was at the Auditorium Wednes-
day night the opening night or the
"Old Fiddlers' Contest" which ls pelns
staged under the auspices or the
Daughters of the Confederacy; Ineg
are going to do II again Tonight ana
tomorrow night and Saturday night
provided the floor does not give way,
for the rhythm and swing and general
.'gotcha" qualities Of the "Cacbing
Hen" THE Devils in the wheat
Patch" and similar fiddlistic outbursts
are contagious. and they seem to go
to the feet.
Pattinq Feet shake Building.
When FTddlin' John Carson or VII
lage Cut-up" Gid Tanner yanked their
and bore down whole heartedly on
THE Devils in the Wheat Patch" and
Everybody Works but Father the
building almost shook with the pat
ting of the feet and those who had
corns marked time with their heads.
and with their fingers on the backs OF
seats. And everybody grinned. II
was a regular whale OF a snow from
beginning to end
Everybody liked the fddlers. There
was Colonel William Lawson Peel,
who was one of the judges, and grin
ned and smiled and laughed from
start to finish, reaching such a pitch
of enthusiasm that when Jerry Hud-
son, of Jasper County, fiddled Hop
Light, Ladies'" he felt impelled to call
the figures for the dance, and, what's
more, he did It'll
And Judge Russell. of the Court of
Appeals, helped him. When Colonel
Peel yelled Swing corners!" Judge
Russell chimed in with Balance all!
And then there was Uncle Jim Wood
ward, esteemed Mayor Of Atlanta,
who got as near the stage DIS he could
and began grinning and waiting his
feet when Red Necked" Jim Law
son opened the show with Joe Clark
He was still grinning and patting his
feet when he got downtown Thursday
morning.
staid Old Citizens Moved.
Uncle Jack Smith was therein
fact, he got there at 7 o'clock, so he
could get a front seat; and through
out the audience were scattered
Harry Schlesinger, George Napier. DR.,
w. S. Elkin and others. all grinning
and marking time with their teet or
hands or nodding their heads Eu :
gene Haynes was there. too, and, OF
course. his feet were not still.
Deacon Ludwig was master OF cere-
monies, and very much the master,
too. He informed the fiddlers that
they would be allowed three minutes
to display their talents, and II they
weren't through at the end of that
time he yanked them off the stage and
called loudly for the next. Red
Necked" Jim Lawson, with a post
graduate degree in nddlism, started
the ball rolling. That was when May
or Woodward started to grin.
Then Slim Ben" Day a man with
q straight front face and the solemn
ity Of an owl, stepped forth, with his
straw beater." a man who taps the
neck OF the fiddle with a stick, and
he played 1.-THE Caclxling Hen" a
wriggling. squirming, jigsaw sort of
tune that started every foot In the
house to patting and stamping.
Everybody kept time, and just as the
hen was giving last triumphant
cackle. down the aisle came an usher
and o late couple, stepping high and
keeping time to the music.
"Fiddling John" Stirs EN-.
Then out pranced Kidding John"
Carson. of Blue Ridge. and he I'D
died "The DEVILS in the Wheat
the grins broke out into roar of
laughter, and staid business men
Jumped up and yelled. Wheel"
A Mr.. White, a tall, gangling noun
tain youth, plunked a banjo while Mr.
Carson fiddled-fiddled with his nd
die on his head, with his fiddle on his
shoulder, and with his fiddle swing
ing like a pendulum, And then Mr.
Carson sang about the adventures OF
the devil, in a mixed-choir sort of
voice that filtered through his front
teeth and sent the audience into a
gale of laughter.
And when everybody had worn
themselves out laughing at "F1ddlin
John" and some of the rest, they had
TO start in all over again, for there
was a mighty shout of "Howdy
foiks!" and down the center aisle
came "Blondy" Jim Garner with a
cob pipe IN his mouth. his hat on the
back of his head, red handkerchief
tied about his neck. and great,
dumping boots on his feet.
Springs New contraption.
III one MANU- ne NdAllCQ a suit NdEtY
for he had just got in, and was TAX
ing no chances with city fellers.' so
he brought his clothes right with him.
In the other he carried a guitar and a
wonderful orcestral contraption by
which he could play bell and a tri-
angle with his feet, which he did later
as a member OF the "Simp- foney' Or
chestra from Lick Skillet"
The crowd finally quieted down a
little, and Gid Tanner came on-and
off went the crowd again. Cid is
some fiddler, his pet piece being
Everybody Works but Father
Somebody yelled. Sing it," and he
cid, breaking out with the most re-
markable voice that ever grew in
Georgia II sounded like a .goslin'
voice, but II was even more so. II
was a gymnast and a contortionist
1t leaped from key to key with the
zest and eagerness of a frolicsome
goat. One minute II was a colora-
tura soprano scaling the trembling
haicAfG- he a