Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1919-08-23
THAT FIDDLERS'
CONTEST AT BEREA
Writer In Berea Citizen Describ-
es 1t In Way To Make Your
Feet Want To Shuttle


his description of the Old
Fiddlers' contest which was held
there by the Progress Club. He
said.
Fifteen royal fddlers, the pick
of the covey, were in the ring.
They were culled from the whole
tribe of worshipers of the horse
hair, from Pine Mountain and
Hell-fer-Sartain to Joe's Lick
and Pilot Knob. Berea turned
out in merry masses to hear the
hddling, and they were not dis
appointed. No one except those
whose musical sense has been
revolutionized by a course in a
conservatory could have failed to
see the fun.
Hiram Bother, an artist of the
first water from the Sturgeon
and Wild Dog country, set all
the toes a-wiggle with "Billy in
the Low Grounds" After that
for more than two hours scarcely
foot could be kept still. E.
L. Cox, who knows more horn.
pipes than highland piper, fol-
lowed with "Jurang's Hornpipe.
Then came M. A. Moody, our
neighbor from Big Hill, the man
with the delicate touch and ex-
quisite tone, who did the Irish
Gallop" as few can. Alex Lure-
ford, from Hog-Skin Creek, a
prince among the old-timers,
who never plays a piece badly,
touched a responsive chord in
everybody's heart with that fine
old fddelized Negro Melody.
"The Ways of the World"
By this time feet had begun to
slow down a little but were all
set a-wiggle in high glee by
Millard Ramsey with the crack
dance tune, "Adeline," on his
famous Black Nancy. When the
people of Clay want a fiddler
with pep-and some of them are
the finest dancers and the merri-
est ever-Millard is usually their
choice,-either Millard or Alec
Lunsford. Millard is bit reck-
less with Black Nancy, but the
instrument is a queen among
fiddles, and when she speaks
corns cease to ache and a merry
thrill creeps into every toe.
Dude Freeman appeared next
and gave us "Forked Deer"-did
it well, too. Dude wants no
"fotch-on' fiddle, thank you, but
made his own instrument. And
he made a good one. 1t sounds
better in the parlor than in a
large hall for the tone lacks
carrying power, but only first
class man could make a fiddle as
good as that. Chester Thomas,
second to Monkey" John Gadd,
followed with "Waynesburg."
Then came another neighbor,
John Will Johnson, who flung
out on "Forked Deer" on Old
Bill Gates fiddle. This jolly old
instrument has caused more peo-
pie to dance into a merry old
age than any other in many miles
around.
Rev. Baker made all the old
folks feel young again with that
old favorite of our grandparents,
Niger Inch Along" There
came to my mind that splendid
thought expressed in homely
way in one of the famous old
negr songs:
Oars an ole inch-worm des a.
inchin' along,
Des a inch at a time, but inch
at time
Oars an ole inchWorm des "a
inchin' along"
Chester Nolan, second to E. l..
Cooper, from the Big Splash
Dam, on Buck Fork, sent our
thoughts to the barnyard with
"Cacklin' Hen" Jas. Daugherty
made all the corns dream dreams
of sweet peace with callahan. !"
This is one of the famous shindig
tunes of the countryside. When
ever band of highland lads and
lassies come together at neigh
bors house to go a-tripping it
Callahan" is most likely to be on
the boards.
Doe Roberts, second to S. F.
Wright, the man who wins, drove
way the rheumatism with "Wag-
oner," This is one of the difficult
old sbreakdowns and only trained
fingers can execute it we'll. Big
Hiram Begley, noted for his
fiddling at house-warmings in
the Hell-fer-Sartain country
didn't arrive. His place was
taken by c. H. Agee with "Billy