The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-17
Early Days In
Vest Tennessee
BY W. v. BARRY.

AM@" -
Having been born and partly reared
In McNairy or Snake county, West
Tennessee. where my father. the late
Dr. Daniel Barry, praetlced medicine
from 1852 until nearly 1896. with two
periods Of residence In Memphis be-
tween those dates, ! have. long had q
.hankering'' TO write something of
events which occurred in my wi know
ledge and others Of which | was told,
that transpired In that county and the
town has long since been wiped clean
from the map,
The first subject | shall attempt, will
be in connection with the Chamness
family, of whom "Old John was the
pioneer in that county, In the very
early days OF McNalry count, II mas
been handed down In tradition that old
John ran down a wolf, on foot, and
killed the animal with a pocket knife,
During the civil war Of iS6i-lS6b. 1t was
said that time and again he bet and
won the liquoy on the wager that he,
on foot. could beat an average horse In
q race OF two or three miles.
l do not intend to cast any reflections
on any Of the family who may be living
today. but those who talked to me in my
your ger days, telling Of happenings IN
the career Of old John Chamness, did
not give him a very good name-tor IN
stance: In a certain community. II Was
said that a man named Riley Hastings
left home, went to preaching with his
family and, as the ~neighhorhood was a
quiet one, Notwithstanding 1t was var
times, they left the doors to their home
unfastened, Having TO go back home
alone. for some reason, Hastings, as he
approached the house, met old John
Chamness carrying on his back a pack
OF the Hastings household goods.
Hastings wRs so enraged that he
knocked old man Chamness in the head
with a rifle that he llasting( carried,
breaking the gun In two at the hreeeh,
and he told 1t afterward that he
punched the breechpin Of the broken
gun into Chamness' skull, left him for
dead and went off TO get help to bury
his body, When he came back with the
help TO assist In the unexpected fun
eral, Chamness was gone-and the pack
Of goods with him Afterward Cham
ness was really killed and the party
who did the deed, having heard OF the
Riley Hastings incident cut off Cham
ness head, stuck II up on a stump and
said, Now, damn you. you VIII not
get away this time"
One day while Old John had a small
sawmilI and grist mill on Little Snake
creek, a few miles east Of Purdy, my
father came by the mill, and down the
road. below the mill, on the hank OF
the creek, he saw Old John sitting and
~enquired what was the matter with him,
to which Chamness replied. Doc, see
that big sawlog lying down there in
the creek? Well. ! had cut down the
tree from which that log came, up on
the hillside, and was trying to get II
down to the road to take II up to the
min. without letting 1t roll into the
creek, when the props give way and
the damn thing rolled over me from
head TO foot and made me sort O. sick,
Another day my father stopped at a
church some three miles east OF Purdy
and while he was talking to some other
men, old John came up and asked him
II he was going 10 Purdy, to which my
father replied that he was, and old
John. said, II believe. | will so with
you" Father said, IAN right, get your
horse" LAughingly but seriously
Father said, You can't keep up with
Frank for Frank was a famous sad.
dler; but old John said, "Ill bet YOU thC
whisky to the crowd at Joe Walker
grocery that | can beat you to town
Daddy said, AN right" and Old Johr
walked on. Father started directly
turned a bend in the road-and no ole
John was IN sight. He made FRANZ
pace, then made him gallon. and whe'
on the top OF a big hill on the east sid,
OF Purdy, he saw old John walk into tn
DduiiN Sludltt Iidk III Itilt anu Ehlu III
could imagine he heard him give a yell
Notwithstanding he was too far away
TO be heard. The size OF the crowd a
Joe Walkers grocery, when the dOCto.
reached there, can be imagined.
One day in Purdy, during the turbu
lent times when there was organized
what was called a Brownlow Militia
composed OF negroes. and Charlie Cham
ness had been well but not very favor
ably known, after Charlie had heel
sick for some time, the word came from
bis home on the east side that Charli
had died. Present in the crowd wherJ
the news was delivered, there stoo,
Anderson Jones. the local barber ant
! fiddler--a negro who would not stea
and who would fight anything tina
wore hair-as the boys used to say
When the supposedly sad announccmen
was made. Anderson remarked II wisl
Aunt Locky Hurst had known tina
Charlie Chamness was going to die
and on being asked why. Anderson re
Piled. THAT was the finest chance t
send q letter to he'll since | have live,
in Purdy.' BY way OF explanation,
will say that Aunt Loeky was tn
estimable widow OF the notorious Co
Fielding Hurst, who during the civ
war, burned, slew and robbed to hi
hearts eontent-but in justice to tn
Col Il has been said hat the begin
ming Of that historical unpleasantnes
between the North and South. he wa
In sympathy with the South but wa
driven to the other side by persona
persecution.
One other and | am done with Nh
Chamness family, of whom remeJ ?
Taylor as . real good fellow: