Imperial Valley press., 1918-02-22
TRUE STORY OF
THAT CHERRY
TREE EPISODE
BY W.B. SHELDON
Ell Centre Man Repeats Details of the
Southern Traditional Story Which
Seems to Refute the Allegation
That George Washington Never
Told a Lie.
The True Story of George Washington
and His Little Hatchet, as Told in
the South.
BY w. B. Sheldon.

the South.
BY W. B. Sheldon.
This is not an original story, but
one | have never seen in print, al
though l heave heard it oftimes re-
peated, especially near the approach
Of George Washington's birthday. 1t
is story that is current in the South,
as many of Joel Chandler Harris sto-
ries about Brother Rabbit and Brother
Fox were not original with him, but
were often repeated many years be-
fore he put them into book form, in
his stories of "Old Folk Lore
1t was customary for the weather.
people, in the South, owning slaves,
during the time of George Washing
ton and before the Civil war, for each
boy of the family to be given lit
tie negro boy of about the same age
as his young master, who became his
body servant and constant companion
through life. Many of them followed
their young masters to the war and
were inseparable from them and per
formed many heroic deeds, Drawing
shot and shell to rescue their masters,
when wounded, from the battlefield
Which reminds me of the story told
of Gabriel Tooms, who was a brother
of General Robert Tooms of Geor-
gia.
At the Battle of Chickamauga, Ga
briel looms fell wounded on the bat
tlefield. Added to the horror of the
situation, the grass caught on fire
and was swiftly making its way to
the spot where lay Gabriel Hooms.
When his body servant, a powerful
NEGRO, STROBE out in front of the ranks
of both armies and made his way to
his young master. With no regard
for his own safety or suffering or
the danger of his own life. His cloth
ing was nearly burned from his body,
and he was burned and wounded from
ia bullet, but he placed Gabriel across
his shoulders and bore him in safety
back to the Confederate lines amid the
cheers of both armies who had wit
messed the deed of valor and heroism
But l digress.
Colonel Washington, Georges faith
Ier, presented George with little
negro boy, whose name was Ike, and
who became Georges playmate and
body servant.
One day Colonel Washington was
going to town and asked George what
he would like most for him to bring
him on his return. In those days of
construction, people were mostly en-
gagged in clearing land, making i'm
provements on farms and building log
houses and cutting timber, and many
woodsmen were in evidence, so nat
lurally the first thing that come into
George Washington's head and the
thing he most desired was an axe. A
Juvenile axe. 1t wasn't hatchet at
lall, but an axe, so he said:
"Father, please bring me an axe;
not large one, but small one"
Colonel Washington smiled as he
drove away that morning, but when
he returned this evening there was a
package for George from the hard
ware merchant, which he handed over
to his expectant son, who lost no
time i'll opening it, and, sure enough,
there was the most beautiful, new,
shiny, juvenile axe ever seen to de-
light the heart of q boy. Just like
the big ones the woodsmen used, only
smaller.
George was very proud of his new
axe. He ran his fingers down the
sharp edge, fondly caressed it and
that night slep with it under his pill
low,
Bright and early the next morning
he slipped out of bed, hurriedly
dressed himself, took his precious axe,
Itiptoed out of the house and ran down
to the negro quarters and outside
Ikes cabin called Justify for Ike, who
soon made his appearance, rubbing
his sleep eyes. George said:
Look, Ike, what father brought rae
last night. It's real axe, and isn't
it beauty?" Ike said:
"Marse George, what you gwine to
) do wifi dat axe?" George answered
land said;
"Never you mind what l am going