The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-23

i istration certificate exchange were In
| tended for republican undoing. and he
| made no concealment OF the fact. Most
purchases were made from negroes. and
a good many Of them were conducted
on the syndicate plan, There were al
ways men In all parties, with no dis
| tinctions as to race. color or previous
conditions Of servitude," who Were
wheel horses. pen wetneLs. iora nign
politics and carried votes around in
their vest pockets. II not voters In their
overcoat containers. They always had
a club. a committee Of q hundred. a
society or something OF the sort. which nc
negotiations. numerous and sundry kegs
of beer, jugs OF whisky. watermelon
feasts and perhaps barbecues were abb
solutely essential to keep the hen on.
1t was largely from brethren OF this ilk
certificates III blocks OF ive," of a
dozen, of fifty. he was not very par
ticular. Charley Stanley. and NUM-
Der Of other active, practical politicians
Of the "au riggs{ stripe" a. sd John p 81. Il
an inkling into the doughty Caps"
modus operandi, and rugged him up .
truly rich haul. They arranged with >
colored man of the right type and pre-
tentions, to hover around the Elliott
and act more so. but to be tough
and devilish sly till the right moment
came for Barkis to show himself willin'.
In other words he was to play the cap
tain for q considerable anxious period
erful tempting BAIT fairly tarFalize him
with mystery and the pleasures of an
ticipation. until he became SO eager that
he would be ready to swallow bait. hook
and sinker. In fine,, 1t might 10 said
Of the really diplomatic so-between.
Ills hook he Daited with dragons
tail, rl'r
And sal, upon rock and bobbed for
whale"
Caught a Fish.
He finally caught fish which goes
by another name. but a good sized
specimen OF his genus. He made 1t
appear to Elliott that he knew where
a whole blamed trunk full of registra-
ton certificates. placed for safe-keeping
in the interest of large number of
voters, could be stolen in bulk, and he
knew how to arrange the grand coup.
provided Gross my heart and hope to
die" secrecy could be assured; Eniott
the trade was finally negotiated. Elliott
paying highest market price for the
largest collection of darned radical GER
tificates ever put upon the market. He
was SO proud of his achievement that 1t
was kept secret almost as well as the
or eighty dozen bottles Of beer would
be kept secret II you placed them out
on Main street and told fourteen or fif-
teen thirsty victims downtown about
the cache.
It got into the newspapers. and then
1t straightway got out. like the pro-
verbal cat loosed from the metaphorical
bag, that every last one of the certifi-
Gates which had cost SO much trouble
and SO much money. which was even
forged to a nicely and printed to order.
likewise secretly marked SO that COM
plete identification was mere matter of
a moment. Talk about the bitter bit,
the boomerang. the recoii. bareback.
= rebound, I e coun t,n reperGH;is s
come home to roost! This |
decker with Lee p. Elliott was all of
them rolled together and administered
rs pill, and a pill grim 1t was Of a |
1t nearly drove the cap" to |
rink again, but he finally went into |
and exhorted sinners to re-
oent. under canvass.
Attention, oId-Tlmers.
want whole lot of old-timers to |
stand in a row before me like a class. |
md let me ask them some questions.
III members OF the Pioneer society. in
,luulhs AoIt a. hullSah anu I!til
irst place, do you remember A: IA.
rohnson7 Yes, guess you do; that's
,asy. Well. then, do you remember
John w. James? Yes. Of course you
Ven th how w about John r. s
member him7 Johnny Howard is
meant, II that will help you any. Don't
emember Johnny? Go to the foot OF
he class.
I. Barnetty Wen. while you are think
ng about it, II you don't remember Joe
GU Jolly well ought to. don't we
now?" But I'll give you something
asier. All of you who remember Jesse
|. Hargraves hold up your hands.
iethodists look as II you had found
you want to shout about.
Veil, you have heard partial roll call
( the waterworks personnel, when the
umping station was down at the river.
omewhere between Broad and Pine
p on Cameron hill. situated on the
pur known as Reservoir hill, and over
,oked "Stillhouse Holler." Mr.. John
on was president Of the Lookout Water
from its organization to the
nd of its career, doubtless. John w.
Toward was bookkeeper. and we. all
new him. Joe H. Barnett was collec-
Or, and we all knew him; couldn't help
J. Jesse A. Hargraves started pretty
lose to the head coming up from MUIR
ay county, Georgia, where he was born,
r perhaps Immediately from Dalton,
here he attended school with Seth NJ.
Walker, VIII N, Hardin and Charles B.
reeman as schoolmates.
In Company's Service.
He started in service of the company
lay 8, 1880, and they treated him with
reat generosity, furnishing pick and
novel with which he at once essayed
gging up the old pipes which had
cen laid as war measure, corner OF
edar and Seventh. He kept right on
himself and being promoted,
EFT, then Joe's successor. and finally
cad of the trouble department under
resent management. The superintend-
ut declares that our good friend
rother Hargraves in his shock alb
,rber." That is all had in mind to
~ about Mr.. Hargraves at present
1T something else has occurred to my
ind. He came here in 1876, and en-
red the service of Capt. ]. F. Wright.
leading brick manufactures, and con-
actor for brick work. His daily wage
as so cents. He went to work sub
quently for John w. Wells, another
lick man, who had the contract for
Hiding our first courthouse on the
'esent site. Hargraves helped to tear
,wn the little cottage that stood
here our present courthouse stands"
his was probably the one time resi-
,nce of Col r. l.. (Dick) Watkins,
lougii IT. may have been a building
,longing to Rev. H. H. Sneed, in which
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