Newspaper Page Text
_ (Afflr.
Bis Tow Through Elbert and JZ'ZZZ
THE ELOQUERCE AMD MAGNETISM OP
THIS YOUNG ORATOR.
How His Speeches Were Received Ml
Tie Whole County Enthused With
THE IMMENSE CROWOS THAT MET HIM
• p rnn«l<*f.t iinel
i v. ill hot p.
today v( i-ning a ptrtv of Atlie- J
■on-i.tingi.f Hon.II. II. * irl- •i|' 1 „rw1«y at»w
r. II. < . Whit..a,4r„pt. w. I>. 1 the form of Hon. W. II. Mattox,
II mcDfr. Grady aw) hi,friends I In Klhert county, where another big
Ills party eonsi-t' d of about crowd and an old-fashioned barbecue
Hogenth imo.-i, includingpham-1 awaited ui. Ilare there was more
-in... I,.-ii and capftallata of I speaking from Mr. 6rady aud bis
ami a...uiml!!.-of letlaUtera, friend*,
n special parlor car. At Toe-
Prof. If. C. Whftt made a splendid
tatlou of tin* term.
Grady wreathed l»i. brow v
laurels and did l»ih friends j>ro
He captured the heart of tl
C/f tv'o Mtatea, and hi* visit
preen spot in their in.-morv a
iiiitory I
THohowIio have read M
spccehoM in print cn
conception of the h
guape and hit eloiiiu-nei*
hear Hie words fall from hi* o<
feel the electric thrill hi* eloijm
nIuccm, and watrli the carm *t, i
and convincing face ami »*xpre
t’.ie speaker to receive the full 1
studying the
the car window*, and ai
rat visit of a large major!
hey expressed great de-
our train was boarded by
ion from Klbcrton and
ell, and until our destination was
J it was one triumphant tour. At
every -tation crowds of people met the
train with cheer*, while the road* were
Hoad with every manner of vehicle
M11-■■ i uh people bound for the speak-
the hotel, wher
for Grady, wli.
)rds of thanks.
ornlnj
ecial train
der charge of that po|>-
1 Tl!! 11m i,V','lm.°of ,,1,n to 0,rer th,lr congratulations, and
ai io ini pica ure wi l4 w.t,u ,t. n <ii*innUi'.
... , it wa* with the greatest dlfUcnlty that
I l,o party wore angaged c0|lW t,«rhln!ielf away.
captur
Bl«t h<
child tin
continued
inpli. Ila
with him
man, woman and
nth the sound of III,
"ice, and lie lia, made of them ciulur-
ng friend*. The pimple felt them,elves
iom.ro.1 hyhUvMt.and to add to the
\ ut Ion every ctoro and workshop wa*
lic-d, tho fanner deserted hi, plow,
nd the busy housewife her domestic
f«ct, the whole country, Mr
hirty miles or more, turned
out m mu -V to * ch-eme and do honor
to till, brim,lilt young orator. There
Wa, « friendly rivalry between Georgia
to which Hate should
tender Idii
W<
of Grady a, a Geor-
8*011 and a Southerner, but we were
doubly proud of him as a native of Ath-
e»*.
We know whereof we »|>cak when wa
f iy that Henry W. Grady It not a can
didate or an aspirant for any office.
'J'nc tour, that he I, making have noth-
lug to dowlthtolflih ambition, lie has
n high, r and nobler duty to perform
th in that of a politician. He wants to
lip aud develop Georgia, to meet
"pie fact to face and study their
and see their resource. This
10I0 aim and ambition, and a no-
nl more praise-worthy one wat
assayed.
ut of one thing we are assured,
ouever Henry Grady want, promo-
ami* of hi, people he will
an almost unanimous
him loos* tu
tho people face
is not living
Before hi,
well-known
would
•cycle.
v
.\ t Elberton iiciiriy the whole city we*
lit the ill-lint to meet Hr. Grady and hi*
friend,, who were placed in carriage*
ami conveyed to the Globe Hotel, where
Iction and hand-,linking
until the hour for the
•d, when the visitor,
•d In carriage, and con-
to tlie .Tame, grove, where a
ad scats had been erected, and
rrniigumcnt mado for tho com-
d entertainment of the large
nd including a splendid dinner,
tern wa* a dense mass of humanity
, and ail tile morning and until late
le afternoon they listened to clo-
it speeches from Sir. Grndy and his
nIs, including lion. II. II. Carlton
l’rof. 'White, of Athens. Cipt.
ton paid to Sir. Gr.tily one of the
t eloquent tributes wo have, ever
pad Co. . — *-
ie hospitable people of Elbert turned
lb.ms,.Ivc, loose, on till* occasion, and
a liner or more bounteous dinner was
never set before a more appreciative
crowd. Hon. Tom Glenn, mayor of
Atlanta, not enlycovered himself with
glory on the rostrum, but also at tho
festive board. Ho wa, one of the most
popular men on the ground, and car
ried Elberton by storm.
address, which carried the people by
Fridry there wa< a Mg Alliance din
ner at Flat Wood*, to which th« party
was driven in carriages. Mr. Grady
made a short speech and had tojeave to
catch the train, but Cape. Carlton re
mained behiud*and delivered a splendid
address of an hour and a half. At It*
conclusion hi* friend, flocked around
This ended one of the most delightful
trip* It baa ever been our pleasure to
make, and one, too, that we believe will
do great -hltig* for tbl* section of our
Htstc.
We will to-morrow give a descriptive
of our Journey dowtl the Savannah
river.
| FROM WKDXKSbAY’* I>,It.T. 1
Camping Out—Grady', Wonderful Memo
ry-Wtlrd Music.
Few people know thstour Slate ha, ,o
beautiful and picturesque a stream as
the Savannah, which river, ‘ while the
dividing line between Georgia ami
South Carolina, Is the property of the
former State. While the writer wa*
born and reared within almost the sound
of its roaring waters, and ha* crossed
it hundreds of time,, till, was our first
excursion upon It for any considerable
length, and like all of the party we were
surprised and delighted toaeeanch mag
nificent ahoals and lovely scenery. Our
party embarked on three old-style cot
ton boats, covered with awning to pro
tect them from the aim rays. These
boats will comfortably Mat from fifty
to seventy-ttve persons each. They are
propelled by oars, and manned by from
six to eight sturdy blacks.
Our place of embarkation was Amler-
sonvllle, 8. C., and before leaving its
hospitable shore* we will give a brief
description of the place. Here the
Tugnlo and Henaca meet and blending
tiwir waters form the Savannah river.
On the penlusul* between these streams
once stood a flourishing town that bid
fair to rival Augusta as a trad* centre.
One of the finest schools inCarolina was
located her*, ami teveral manufactories
But the hand of time has literally swept
this town from the face of the earth,
and now a Carolina gentloman, Mr,
Earle, tills the lands that once echoed
the treat Y>f a commercial popula
tion. Mr. Earle has a lovely home,
erected on an eminence overlooking the
Mr. Orady’a speech was principally two rlvara on hi* right and left aa they
z « dressed to the farmera. Ho spoke of
thu dangers that threatened the coun
try In the shape of trusts, and aalil the
Alliance movement svac the only organ
ized cll'ort to combat thisevl). His pic
ture of home life on the farm was beau
tiful beyond description, and when he
closed by saying that "In the homes of
the people rests the Ark of theCovenant
of my country,” the applause was deaf
ening.
After tlie speaking the citlaena of El
berton took the visitors In charge and
entertained them at their homes. Mr.
Grady wa* * guest of Hon. 1* W. Davis.
At A o'clock Thursday morning the
Orady party embarked on a special train
for Hartwell, .where a breakfast had
been prepared tor them by the cltlsens
of that town at the Bobo nouse. The
enterprise of Elberton and Its blg-heart-
cd hospitable people were discussed urn
til their destination was reached.
At Hartwell the visitor* were met at
the depot by a band and a large dele
gation of clttaens, and escorted to ta
ble* loaded with all the good things of
the season. Hartwell threw wide her
every door, and her kindness and hos
pitality wer* unbounded.
After breakfast a long line of carri-
ages awaited the party to take them to
Anderaonvlllt, In South Carolina, where
an Inter-*tats recaption awaited thtm.
It was nine miles distant and the drive
a delightful one, through a fresh and
fertile country with the flneatcvop* the
eye ever rested upon on each side of
the road.
Wa were ferrred aero,, the river in
old-fashioned lists, and met on each
hank by delegations of gentlemen from
the Palmetto State*. Andersonvllle I,
owned by Mr. Earl*, a wealthy and
prosperoua farmer. It I* located upon
the peninsula formed by the confluence
of the Tugalo and Seneca riven, and
was one* a town of considerable
Importance, Of the beauty of this spot
we will speak in another article. Here
w* werednet by one of the largest crowds
we ever caw together. It I* impossible
to estimate the number of people pres
ent. Some assert they exceeded 11,000.
The speaking took place in a
natural amphitheatre formed by bills
upon three aid**, so that every one
could witucs* the speaking. Mr. Ora
dy here made the crowning effort of his
meet and blend their waters Into one
stream, "A tlower-hordered walk leads
down from his residence to the tlver'a
brink, while In the middle of the stream
is a lovely little green Island that T'rof.
White royal, a reproduction of El
len’s Isle, In Loch Katrane, rendered
famous hr Sir Walter Scott.
Our party'Was divided among the
boat*, In one of which had been stored
our commissary, which even embraced
a cooking store. Tto this latter attach
ment Mr. Orady entered a vehement
protest,claiming that he wanted his
rations prepared after the manner of
our forefather#. We had scarcely quit
ted the hospitable shore* of Anderson
vllle, tmld the applause of the great
crowd upon the bank, and tlie waring
of hundreds of hankercblefs, when we
turned a bend In the river, dashed Into
a shoal and in a twinkling our boat was
fastened upon a rock. Orady was the
tint man to come to the rescue. Be
fore any one was aware of his Inten
tion the orator of the day and honored
guest of the occasion, who had just
held a dense mass of people spell-bound
by his uloquence, had divested him
self of all his apparel except one single
abbreviated garment, and wasap to his
middle In the water struggling with the
boat hands and helping them to get u*
afloat again. Grady afterward* told ua
that he had been having chills regularly
for some time and that the last Imjunc-
tlon his physician gave him on leaving
Atlanta da* not to get even his feet
wet under any circumstances. We will
here add tha£by dlsobeylnglila doctor’s
direction, Mr. Grady affected imperma
nent cure.
After the battle of Selkirk, when
Lewis’ household troops of young gal
lants signalised themselves by going to
battle with their disarranged night
garments, the fair dames of the French
capital adopted that style of dress, and
it wa* known aa tho Selkirk. History
repeated itself in this case, and before
many miles had been traversed the Ora
dy costume wa* all the rage *nd the
party war soon in fltting raiment for
adinluitm to the Garden, of Eden—and
several visiter* made bold to affirm that
it was located* somewhere In Elbert
county and on the Savannah river. It
wa* certainly a Jolly party and a royal
good .time wa* had. A flotilla of bat-
teaux and every mannerof river craft
followed In our wake, and aa ahoals
were frequent and the pilots inexpe-
- „
. of tlie pilot and the
log answer of the steersmen—end tw a
centre pieco for the picture Henry
Orady sitting upon the bow of
m lit beat, clothed in manly nature un
adorned.
At Brown’s ferry, a few mjjcs below
Andersoaville, Is where three Yankee
soldiers were shot and thrown In the
river by a party of men from Anderson
county, 8. C. They were guardiug
some cotton that the government had
seized, and which belonged to private
parties. * The soldiers Ii ul been Induced
to enter the flat, when one of them
called one of the men by name. To
protect themselves from dl-iovery tho
Yankees were all killedand their bodies
thrown overboard. The parties who
did the bloody work tlrifn took the sol-
diers' horses and left for part* unknown
The Federal* afterwards recovered the
bodies of their dead companions, and
arrested several innocent parties who
llred near the ferry. Two of thcae were
tried by a court martial, and sentenced
to death. President Johnson com
muted their sentence to Imprisonment,
and after Mrvlng Mr several year* on
the Dry Tertugaa, they wer* pardoned
and returned home. Afterward* the
men who did the killing returned, but
no evidence could be had against them.
One of the men was at the 0 rally meet
ing.
ThisMetlon lathe home of that gal
lant and desperate Confederate soldier.
Mans. Jollv, who it la said killed thirty
Yankees after the anrrender, and was
the Jeader In tfTVs Brown's ferry massa
cre. Jolly feared neither man nor
derll. He raptured and ran off seven
ty-lire hone* from tlie Yankee soldiers
stationed at Andenon, anil wlieu a re
ward of f MO was offered fur him, dead
or alive, he rode up to the Federal Col
onel’s tent when he wa* surrounded by
soldiers, announced his name and ile-
fliil the regiment to take him. He then
deliberately rode off. • It I* reported
that Jolly was afterwards drowned in
Texas, but few beUeve this. Tlie story
of hia death waa circulated to keep the
government from Marching for him.
The flrst night we pitched our camp
at Park’s ferry. In Hart county. There
were plenty of mattresses abroad,which
the men spread beneath a large oak on
the river bank, anil soon the scene was
lighted up by a rearing Are. Again on
land, all baud* turned themselves loose
for enjoyment, and they bad a royal
good time.
While supper was being prepared we
arcompauledO rally to an old farmer’s
house about half a mile up the roail, os
tensibly for tlie purpose of getting
some water, but III truth to let our
guest relieve hltnMlf of an unnatural
desire that had Mired upon him to steal
a meas of roasting ears, Mr. Grady ex
plained that he felt as If he hail made
hla trip for naught dhl lie fall to put in
practice some of hla boyhood memories,
for stolenroastingearsaud watermelons
(as wall as pleaaiue,) were always the
sweetest, But Jiist as Orady was pre
paring to begin Ills depredation, a far
mer and hla faithful yard dog loomed
up III the dim moonlight, and at once
all evil designs vanished from the mind
of our companion like mist before the
noonday sun. Mr. Orady took water
In liis’n, and entered into conversation
with his horny handed visitor, who
proved to Mr. A. ft. Parke. Ami here
we witnessed an instancefif that wonder
ful memory for which Mr. Grady is fa
mous. On introducing our companion,
Mr. Park expfetsed great delight at
seeing so distinguished and |>opular a
gentleman, and grasping Grady by the
hand remarked:
“Why yon know me, of course? A.
It. Parks is inr name. Why, 1 hare
been taking the Weekly Constitution
for six years, and reading after you I
Of course you’ve seen uiy name on the
books and remember met"
W* looked at Orady'* face, who in
turn was watching the dog.
‘•Why, don't you remember me—A.
It. Park,—who has been taking vour
paper so long! Surely you do!” and the
old man looked like hia feelings were
getting hurt.
All at once Mr. Grady’s puszled brow
began to clear sway, and hit face light
ed up with one of tlmse pleasant smile,
that have won to many heart,. Grasp
ing the honest hand of bis old acquain
tance Mr. Gradv replied:
“A. It. Parks! Why, of course I do.
I have noticed your name a hundred
times on ourbwks, and always had a
great sleaire to meet you. Why, this is
an unexpected treat!”
Whether the sudden recollection was
produced by tlie neglected and Injured
expression on the old man’s fare, the
growls of the dog, that detected some
displeasure about hi* master, or Is an
illustration of Mr. Grady’s wonderful
gift of memory, to recollect a weekly
subscriber when lit, is only one amoug
12fi,000 names, is a conundrum we leave
with our readers to wive.
On our return to camp we found sup
per prepared,and Mr. Grady U*v drank
the first cup of coffee that ever passed
his lip*, lie tells ns that water Is his
only beverage,but of this lie uses a
great quantity. He ha* never tasted
tea or milk. After supper the crowd
turned themselves loose and a great
time was had. Grady collected the ne
wer* frequent and tb* pilots inexpe- time was nau. unsft»umrau»«i- —
rience this high up the stream, we of- gro boat hand* and kept them until a eq>
ten found our boats stranded on a 1 late hour singing old plantation melo- he
By peep o’ day Thursday morning
our camp was stirring, and after a has
tily prepared breakfast tlie boats were
floating down tho river. Mr. Grady
aoon had thp pleasure of witnessing
great natural cu>losity—hi* flrst aun-
rise. He was charmed wish the specta
cle, but said that of qonrse while - tho
sunrise* over here were not to One as
those of Atlanta, at the same time it
was a sight worth tailing the trip to see,
Orady aloe stated that last night wa*
the first time he ever slept out of doors.
To this Ike McCall* remarked, In a cas
ual way, that he always beard “Atlanta
had a mighty vigilant police force,"
when Grady tubalded and turned the
conversation to the scenery along'the
hank*.
Onr next stopping place was Mat
tox’s mill, at the head of Cherokee
Shoals. As on the previous day, a largo
number of little boats shot out from tlie
banks and followed its, wflile every far
ry prcMnted an animated scene. Hun
dreds of man, women and children had
stood for hour* on the banks patiently
waiting t* Me the boats pass and wave
them a greeting.
It wns certainly a novel and enter
taining sight. Sometimes the bolts
Were all alongside, each trying to pass
the other, and more than one desperate
naval engagement took place. One of
tbcM ended in a rival crew stealing the
rudder from Capt. Grady’* boat) that
left it at the mercy cf the rapids just
ahead. Tills gallant but vanquished
commander,seeing surrenderor a duck,
ing were tlie only alternatives, with a
patriotic devotion to comfort, at once
tore from Ills person the only garment
that stood between Ills body and the ap
plauding crowds on shore, and waving
it aloft, at once surrendered the ship
and placed himself at the mercy of the
victorious vessel, commanded by Capt.
Carlton. Mr. Grady aim discovered
that during the combat the enemy had
captured bis sou, Henry Grady, Jr.,
and held Mini securely bound a, ■* lios-
tage.
At other times one of the boats would
get.faatened on a rock, when with a
heartless indifference tlie other vesMl*
would pas, cheering, without stopping
to render assistance. More than one of
our party remarked the reMmblance
of our boats to .tlie pictures of those
used by Stanley In Ills exploration of
the rivers of the Dark Continent.
It was about noon when we reached
Col. Mattox’s farm, where an old-fash
loncd Georgia barbecue awaited us.
Here we found a large crowd assembled
from both Georgia and Carolina, but
before landing among them it was de
cided advisable to dlMmbark In the
woods on the Carolina side, where Mr.
Grady and his fellow tourists might
blend art with nature In making up
their apparel. Graily had not Men a
barber shop in Mreral days, but an lm
promptn tonsorial artist was discovered
among the boatmen, who undertook the
job. Here was p resented another fine
picture: Grady sitting on a log, his
head bent back against a tree, while a
(WrkVy with a razor as full of gap**, a
mountain chain was pulling at hi,
beard. “Hold still, boss,” replied the
coon, as Grady manifested a desire to
climb backwards up the tree. “DIs
razor am a little dull, but ef de handle
don’t broke de beard am bound to
come!” All this time the crowd acrow
tlie river were almost splitting their
throats yelling for “Grady I”
This ferry is a noted spot In the his
tory of the hot-blood and chivalry of
the Palmetto and Empire states, for it Is
a famous ante-bellum duelling ground.
Only one encounter has taken place here
since the war—between Capt. James
Burch end Mr. Mark Knight, of Elber
ton—which duel the writer witnessed.
Mr. Knight, at the second fire, wa* shot
through both thighs. 8everal othyr
fights occurred on the Carolina basks
between Georgian!, while the South
Carolinians used an island just above
the ferry for their duelling ground. A
little sandbar, on the extreme southern
point of this island, lias drank up the
blood of more thanoue brave man.
But duelling has now been abandoned,
to the regret of all brave and honorable
men, for It Is the only satisfactory man
ner in which gentlemen can Mttle their
difference,. It places the weak and the
strong on an equal footing, and wa* be
sides a check to strife—for if a man
knew that be would be held accounta
ble with hi* life for an inault to an
equal, he was very careful abont what
said or did. This can truthfully be
from what la f
bloody and barb*
another good result i
was the best |
for the mali|
only settle hi* slander L,
fore the pistol of her nearest
friend. A man who would t
insult a lady Is a coward at 1
while the Code wa* In
class kept a bridle upon their
Our party spent Mr
enjoyable hours of their trip with
friends here—had a fine din
teiicd to Mveral good t
aseTery where else, captured the crowd.
It waa here where Prof. II. C. White |
made such a magnificent s
hearer* were enthused, enlij.
and delighted, and the retult i
brief speech will be aeeo f»r
come. II* gave the audience
practical,sensible talk— u
and pregnant with sound
poke of the magnificent river that ran
by their doors, and uld he had Dover—
in his travels over the Old World and
through tlie greet Xorthwest of Amer
ica—seen a stream that in beauty ul
scenery or the magnificence of Its
shoals and rapids, to compare with the
Savannah—that were tliia river In Eu
rope or the North, it would be made
famous by poetry and song, and every
summer its bed covered with tourists.
Prof. White did not roy this country
was the richest in the world, for that
would not be the truth; but he did as-
sert it had the finest water and climate ' .
on the globe, and should be the garden
spto of America. It was In the i>ower
of tnan to make a soil, but only God
could ms'.’e aclimate.. We would like ■.
to reproduce this splendid address in I
full, for It waa overflowing with sound <
sense and good advice.
About 3 o'clock otir party again took
to their boats to eml their Journey on \
the river at the foot of Trotter Shoals,
about fifteen miles distant. A party
of Indies accompanied us through Cher
okee Shoals, where is found tho only
ford on the Savannah river. The stream
was very low, but we had experienced j , k
pilots and were safely carried through ]
the breakers without an accident. Our
fair companions du voyage were landed
on the river bank about a milo below
Mattox’s mill, when the boats resumed
their Journey. For several miles wo
had tranquil waters’. Several large Is
lands were paased, some of them con
taining more than a hundred acres, and
tlie .rop* In the Mississippi bottoms did
not surpass thOM growing thereon. Col.
W. If. Mattox owns large landed pos
sessions here, and Is one of Georgia’*
largest and moat successful planters, as
wel' as most honored, enterprising and
intelligent citizens. We passed by the
shores of tlie historical I.aSeur, or Hu
rls, island, rendered famous aa the hid
ing place of Gen. liobt. Toombs when
the Yankee soldiers were scouring the
eountry for him. Tills Isa wild and
rugged spet, with dense woods and pre
cipitous hills, almost equalling moun
tains In height. Here Gen.Toombs re
mained concealed for several weeks,and
Mr. L. H. O. Martin, who was one of
the party that carried this distinguish
ed fugitive across the Savannah iu a
battcau at night, pointed out to us the
place where Gen. Toombs waa enter
tained. He had juat left the home of
Col. Martin, In Elbert county, when it
was surrounded by a body of Federal
troops, who had received Information
of his presence there. While General
Toombs wa* concealed on LaSenr'e
lend, he we* guarded by Carolinians
and Georgians on both shores, who bad
boats and horses hid out ready to trans
port him to a place of safety were hla
residence discovered by the pursuers.
After the beat of the pursuit bad some
what subsided, Gan. Toomba was con
veyed to Elberton, where he was initia
ted Into the Masonic lodge in the dead
hours of night and by the flickering
light of a tallow candle. From there
be waa carried to the Jarrett place, and
afterward* escaped to Cuba. Mr. L.H.
O. Martin, of Elbert county, and Mr.
Tuck Irwin, of Washington, were bis
guards and guides. V
At the head of Trotter Shoals: we
passed the home of a famous character
Mr. James Edward Calhoun, brother of
Carolina’s greatstatesman, and an old
naval officer. He Uvea alone on the
banka of the Savannah, surrounded by .
princely possession*. Mr. CalbomfTiad ,
pitched hia tents and made gre# prepa- a 1
rations for the receptionand entertain- I
1
rarnt of the Grady party, and appeared'
on the banka surrounded by all of hi*
dependent* to receive and welcome ua.
But by this time a, torm waa rising and II
it was with regret that we bad to tlie- I"
appoint him, for our pilot said that it | I
was a matter impossible to pass through I M
. .
ii
i
