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About The Weekly banner-watchman. (Athens, Ga.) 1886-1889 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 1888)
_ (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
