Houston County Researchers: For the past 3 years, I have been compiling a book entitled: EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA 1821-1871: Copyright 2000 by William A. Mills. I thought I had this book finished last year, but I keep finding more interesting items to include in it. By the time that I actually print this book, it may be too large to contain in one volume. But, there is no need to keep all of this good info hidden away. I stumbled across an original story written by a man who was born in 1826, and resided in Perry, GA for several decades. This story was supposed to be published right after the Civil War, but I cannot find any evidence that it ever was. I've checked everywhere that I can, and no one has ever heard of it before. ================>>> Portions from Chapter 14: "In my poor mind it is most sweet to muse upon the days gone by; To act in thought, past seasons o'er, and be again a child." Time and space will not allow me to speak of all my school and classmates. John Smith graduated before I entered, and I am therefore ignorant of his characteristics as a school boy. He, doubtless, like those who succeeded him, had his "tiranglements". Among those over whom my first teachers wielded the rule and the rod, were: Bill Brown, Bill Royal, John Gardner, Calvin W. Felder, Tom Salter, Smith Davenport, Guilford West, John Laidler Jr., and Alden Hall, who were nearly and quite grown. Of those nearer my own age and size: Jackson Pattishall, Eph. Mann, Hick Oliver, Alcimus Allen, John C. Staley, Ed Felder and Barsh Felder, Sanders D. (Rooks) Outlaw, Fort Morgan, Seab Reese, Seab Engram and Dick Engram, Thea Nichols and Bill Nichols, Ike Kent, John Chain, John Mott Dunn, John Guerry, Bill Guerry, and Canada Guerry, Abb Knight, Joshua Payne, Gus Whitehurst, James A. Spivey, Sam McLean, George Scott, and others. Alden Hall had no fingers, and never shut his eyes or mouth. His ingenuity and skill in the use of his fingerless hands was remarkable. Being accomodating, cheerful and witty, he was a favorite, learned rapidly, and upon leaving school, was elected and served as bailiff of the town district. The perquisites of his office, and what he made by repairing clocks, yielded him a support. Sam McLean contended with the master, that if the world turned over, the water would spill out of the ponds and the crockery fall off the shelves. He once administered by (snuffing and inhalation) a dose of Scotch snuff to a school mate, who is now a member of one of the leading business firms in Savannah, and he, doubtless, remembers the effects of it until now. Why Sam was not punished for that, I never knew; perhaps Jo was as much to blame as was Sam. Gus Whitehurst got along smoothly with all his studies but geography. He could not remember from one recitation to the next, the direction of north, south, east and west. Cain Guerry was a fighter until Bill Nichols gave him a very severe thrashing. Fort Morgan was an expert in getting up mischief and avoid the penalty. He was a graceful speaker, and the "ladies' man" of the school. Fort, Sanders, Hick and Jack were chronic cases; and the master's only remedy being the rod and rule, it was administered in large doses frequently, especially by Igdeliah Wood. Dunn Guerry was the best boy I ever saw, unsuspecting, easy and good, if possible, to a fault. He was once punished unmercifully by a teacher for an offense perpetrated by some bad boys who managed to shirk out of it by falsely accusing and proving that he did it. Dunn's affection for his sister, and scupulous obedience to his parents, were prominent. And his usefulness and prosperity since then, up to the time I received his last friendly greeting, and doubtless until now, and during life, is and will be the fulfillment of the promise to all who honor father and mother as he did. Although true, it is painful to remember the sad fate of some whose failure to obey "the first commandment with promise", and their non-attention to their sisters, were as marked and as noticeable as was Dunn's obedience and attention. John Laidler poked fun at and teased our crowd, and on one occasion, we rallied our whole force (about 40) armed with strings and determined to hamper him. "At him boys!" was our captain's command, and at him we went gallantly and with a shout, but were repulsed. A second and third onslaught were followed with the same result. Desks, chairs, benches, books, slates and urchins were hurled and scattered in every direction, and for the simple and only reason that we were obliged to, we proclaimed him victor and master of the field. Our code of honor required that, and we adhered to it. We had a show (a circus) in the woods nearby; had a first-rate clown; Hick Oliver was ring master, Ike Kent door-keeper, and Alcimus Allen, Canada Guerry, Bill Nichols and Sanders Outlaw were the riders; price of admission, two buttons, children half-price. Just as this show proved a success, the master caught us in the midst of a performance and added an afterpiece which killed it. Strong efforts to revive it proved a failure, and we fell back on shinny, which, with town ball, cat, leap frog, racing and jumping, were our principal games and amusement. The only style of our coats was the roundabout. We wore only osnaburgs and domestics, wool and palm leaf hats, russet brogans and stitch downs in winter, and went barefoot in summer. No departure in quality of goods or style was admissible. We wanted store-bought clothes and gallouses (suspenders), but couldn't get 'em, and therefore, being in the majority, we resolved our crowd into a kind of aristocracy, and determined that we would allow no infringement of our inalienable right to wear osnaburgs and round coats made of home-made good. Innovators were toled to the old clay hole, and its contents applied freely to them, or in some other way, we compelled them to leave, come to terms, or stand off. Ab Knight strutted up one morning with a new suit made of bed ticking. We lifted him forthwith, and that night, his papa came practically to the conclusion that it was economy for Ab to wear home-made truck to school, and save his fine (?) clothes for Sunday. Fort Morgan wore a frock broadcloth coat once, and the master saved us the trouble of disposing of that turnout, by riddling it with his hickory. A silk stove pipe hat appeared, and we joked and laughed it off the fellow's head and out of sight, in short order. Eph Mann wore a wide stock with ear-lifters, and old man Quinn made a single remark about it, when Eph's collar wilted and stocks fell. The first pair of boots had red tops; the owner took offense at a number of us for trying 'em on in a corner, just to see how "young America" felt with boots on, that was all. And we had to let 'em alone, and did. After a while, "go it boots" would ring out every now and then, and there was no proving who did it; brogans and stitch downs whipped that fight shortly. Our games were played just in front of the academy, and witnessed by the girls from the door and windows. They were often quite exciting, and when a well-contested game ended, a throwing up of hats, a hearty "three times there" rang out from the victorious party, and their sympathizers who were lookers on, and the girls waved their white bonnets and handkerchiefs from the door and windows. Bill Guerry and Jackson Pattishall wrestled, Fort Morgan and Hick Oliver ran a race, Jackson and Fort were victorious. And the honors conferred upon the young Corsican immediately after his first victory in the streets of Paris, nor those of proud England paid to her coming Iron Duke when he first triumphed at Soringgapatam, were not more grateful than were the honors won by those boys. Jennie's and Julia's smiles and bouquets thrilled them. Seated by them, they were richer than the Rothschilds and felt more highly honored, doubtless, than Albert did when he first sat by his royal bride, or Clovis by the side of his beautiful Clotilda. Their imagined future, too, skirted with evergreens, dotted with sparkling fountains, strewn with flowers, and arched with domes and spires of magnificent air castles, can be better imagined than described. Listen, ye boys and girls who are now where Jennie, Julia, Fort and Jackson were. Their love scrapes and vows were not sealed as they desired and intended them (at the altar). For their school days soon ended, they separated, and their future experience practically contradicted what is said to be the language of true hearts in the last, and verified the truth of the first lines of the following familiar quotation: " 'Tis said that absence conquers love, But oh! believe it not." The next chapter will, for the present, at least, conclude these reminiscences. ~~ TO BE CONTINUED ~~ _______________________________________ William A. Mills Perry, GA [email protected] ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.