Newspaper Page Text
6
GEOtifilH SCENES.
Sy Judge Augustus Sa Id Ivin Longstreet.
THE GANDER PULLING.
In the year 1798 I resided in the city
of Augusta, and, upon visiting the
market-house one morning in that
year, my attention was called to the
following notice, stuck upon one of the
pillars of the building.
“advurtysement.
“Thos woo wish to be inform hearof,
is hearof notyfide that edwd. Prator
will giv a gander pullin, jis this side
of harisburg, on Satterday of thes pres
ents munth to All woo mout wish to
partak tharof.
“e Prator, thos wishin to purtak
will cum yearly, as the pullin will be
gin soon.
“c. p.”
If I am asked why “jis this side
of harisburg’’ was selected for the
promised feat instead of the city of
Augusta, I answer from conjecture,
but with some confidence, because the
ground chosen was near the central
point between four rival towns, the
citizens of all which “mout wish to
partak tharof,” namely Augusta,
Springfield, Harrisburg, and Campbell
ton. Not that each was the rival of
all the others, but that the first and
the last were competitors, and each
of the others backed the pretensions
of its nearest neighbor. Harrisburg
sided with Campbellton, not because
she had any interest in seeing the
business of the two states centre upon
the bank of the river, nearly opposite
to her, but because, like the “Union
Democratic Republican Party of Geor
gia,” she thought, after the adoption
of the federal constitution, that the
several towns of the confederacy
should no longer be “separated” by
the distinction of local party; but that,
laying down all former prejudices and
jealousies as a sacrifice on the altar
of their country, they should become
united in a single body, for the main
tenance of those principles which
they deemed essential to the public
welfare.
Springfield, on the other hand, es
poused the State Rights’ creed. She
admitted that, under the federal com
pact, she ought to love the sister
states very much; but that, under the
Social Compact, she ought to love
her own state a little more; and she
thought the two compacts perfectly
reconcilable to each other. Instead
of the towns of the several states
getting into single bodies to preserve
the public welfare, her doctrine was,
that they should be kept in separate
bodies to preserve the private wel
fare. She admitted frankly, that, liv
ing, as she always had lived, right
amid gullies, vapours, fogs, creeks,
and lagoons, she was wholly incapa
ble of comprehending that expansive
kind of benevolence, which taught her
to love people whom she knew noth
ing about, as much as her next door
neighbors and friends. Until, there
fore, she should learn it from the prac
tical operation of the Federal Compact,
she would stick to the oldfashioned
Scotch love, which she understood
perfectly, and “go in” for Augusta,
live or die, hit or miss, right or wrong.
As in the days of Mr. Jefferson, the
Springfield doctrine prevailed, Camp
bellton was literally nullified; inso
much that, ten years ago, there was
not a house left to mark the spot
where once flourished this active,
busy little village. Those who are
curious to know where Springfield
stood at the time of which I am
speaking have only to take their
position at the intersection of Broad
and Marbury streets, in the city of
Augusta, and they will be in the very
heart of old Springfield. Sixty steps
west, and as many east of this po-
sition, will measure the whole length
of this Jeffersonian republican village,
which never boasted of more than four
dwelling houses; and Broad street
measures its width, if we exclude
kitchens and stables. And, while upon
this subject, since it has been pre
dicted by a man for whose opinions
I entertain the profoundest respect
(especially since the prediction), that
my writings will be read with increas
ed interest a hundred years to come;
and as I can see no good reason, if
this be true, why they should not be
read a thousand years hence with
more interest, I will take the liberty
of dropping a word here to the cu
rious reader of the year 1933. He will
certainly wish to know the site of
Harrisburg (seeing it is doomed, at
no distant period, to share the fate
of Springfield) and of Campbellton.
Supposing, then, that if the great
fire in Augusta, on the 3rd of April,
1829, did not destroy that city nothing
will, I select this as a permanent
object.
In 1798, Campbell street was the
western verge of Augusta, a limit to
which it had advanced but a few years
before, from Jackson street. Thence
to Springfield led a large road, now
built up on either side, and forming
a continuation of Broad street. It
was called Campbell’s Gully, from the
name of the gentleman through whose
possessions and near whose dwelling
it wound its way to the river. Fol
lowing the direction of Broad street
from Springfield westward, 1347 yards,
will bring you to Harrisburg, which
had nothing to boast of over Spring
field but a warehouse for the storage
of tobacco, then the staple of Geor
gia. Continue the same direction 700
yards, then face to your right hand,
and follow your nose directly across
Savannah river, and, upon ascending
the opposite bank, you will be in the
busiest part of Campbellton in 1798.
Between Harrisburg and Springfield,
and 1143 yards from the latter,
there runs a stream which may
be perpetual. At the time just
mentioned, it flowed between banks
twelve or fourteen feet high, and was
then called, as it still is, “Hawk’s
Gully.”
Now, Mr. Prator, like the most suc
cessful politician of the present day,
was on all sides in a doubtful con
test; and, accordingly he laid off his
gander pulling ground on the nearest
suitable unappropriated spot to the
centre point between Springfield and
Harrisburg. This was between Har
risburg and Hawk’s Gully, to the south
of the road, and embraced part of the
road, but within 100 yards of Harris
burg.
When “Satterday of thes presents
munth” rolled round, I determined to
go to the gander pulling. When I
reached the spot, a considerable num
ber of persons, of different ages, sex
es, sizes, and complexions, had col
lected from the rival towns and the
country around. But few females were
there, however; and those few were
from the lowest walks of life.
A circular path of about forty yards
diameter had already been laid out;
over which, from two posts about ten
feet apart, streched a rope, the middle
of which was directly over the path.
The rope hung loosely, so as to allow
it, with the weight of a gander attach
ed to it, to vibrate in an arch of four
or five feet span, and so as to bring
the breast of the gander within bare
ly easy reach of a man of middle stat
ure upon a horse of common size.
A hat was now handed to such as
wished to enter the list; and they
THE WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
threw into it twenty-five cents each;
this sum was the victor’s prize.
The devoted gander was now produc
ed; and Mr. Prator, having first tied
his feet together with a strong cord,
proceeded to the neck-greasing. Ab
horrent as it may be to all who re
spect the tenderer relations of life,
Mrs. Prator had actually prepared a
gourd of goose-grease for this very
purpose. For myself, when I saw Ned
dip his hands into the grease, and
commence stroking down the feathers
from breast to head, my thoughts took
a melancholy turn. They dwelt in
sadness upon the many conjugal fe
licities which had probably been shar
ed between the greasess and the grea
see. I could see him as he stood by her
side, through many a chilly day and
cheerless night, when she was warm
ing into life the offspring of their
mutual loves, and repelled, with chiv
alrous spirit, every invasion of the
consecrated spot which she had se
lected for her incubation. I could
see him moving with patriarchal digni
ty by the side of his loved one, at
the head of a smiling, prattling group,
the rich reward of their mutual care,
to the luxuries of the meadow or to
the recreations of the pool. And now,
alas! an extract from the smoking
sacrifice of his bosom friend was des
ecrated to the unholy purpose of mak
ing his neck “a fit object” for Cruel
ty to reach “her quick, unerring fing
ers at.” Ye friends of the sacred tie!
%
judge what were my feelings when,
in the midst of these reflections, the
voice of James Prator thundered on
mine ear, “Darn his old dodging soul;
brother Ned! grease his neck till a fly
can’t light on it!”
Ned, having fulfilled his brother
Jim’s request as well as he could,
attached the victim of his cruelty to
the rope, directly over the path. On
each sid/3 of the gander was station
ed a man, whose office it was to lash
forward any horse which might lin
ger there for a moment; for, by the.
rules of the ring, all pulling was to
be done at a brisk canter.
The word was now given for the
competitors to mount and take then’
places on the ring. Eight appeared;
Tall Zubley Zin, mounted upon Sally
Spitfire; Arch Perdew, on Hellcat;
James Dickson, on Nigger; David
Williams, on Gridiron; Fat John Ful
ger, on Slouch; Gorham Bostwick, on
Gimlet; and Turner Hammond, on
’Possum.
“Come, Gentlement,” said Command
ant Prator, “fall in. All of you git
behind another, sort o’ in a row.”
All came into the track very kind
ly but Sally Spitfire and Gridiron.
The former, as soon as she saw a
general movement of horses, took it
for granted there was mischief brew
ing, and because she could not tell
where it lay, she concluded it lay
everywhere, and therefore took fright
at everything.
Gridiron was a grave horse; but a
suspicious eye which he cast to the
right and left, wherever he moved,
showed that “he was wide awake,”
and that “nobody better go fooling
with him,” as his owner sometimes
used to say. He took a sober but
rather intense view of things; inso
much that, in his contemplations, he
passed over the track three times be
fore he could be prevailed upon to
stop in it. He stopped at last, how
ever; and when he was made to un
derstand that this was all that was
required of him for the present, he
surrendered his suspicions at once,
with a countenance which seemed to
plainly say, “Oh, if this is all you
want, I’ve no objection to it.”
It was long before Miss Spitfire
could be prevailed upon to do the
like.
“Get another horse, Zube,” said one,
“Sal will never do for a gander pull
in.”
“I won’t,” said Zube. “If she won’t
do, I’ll make her do. I want a nag
that goes off with a spring; so that,
when I get a hold, she’ll cut the neck
in two like a steel-trap.”
At length Sally was rather flung
than coaxed into the track, directly
ahead of Gridiron.
“Now, gentlemen,” said the master
of the ceremonies, “no man’s to make
a grab till all’s been once round; and
when the first man are got round, then
the whole twist and tucking of you
grab away as you come under (Look
here, Jim Fulger! you better not
Stand too close to that gander, I tell
you), one after another. Now blaze
away!” (the command of an onset
of every kind with people of this
order).
Off they went, Miss Sally delighted
for she now thought the whole pa
rade would end in nothing more nor
less than her favorite amusement, a
race. But Gridiron’s visage pronounc
ed this the most nonsensical busienss
that eyer a horse of sense was engag
ed in since the world began.
For the first three rounds Zebley was
wholly occupied in restraining Sally
to her place; but he lost nothing by
this, for the gander had escaped un
hurt. On completing his third round,
Zube reached forth his long arm,
grabbed the gander by the neck with
a firmness which seemed likely to
defy goose-grease, and, at the same
instant, he involuntarily gave Sally
a sudden check. She raised her head,
which before had been kept nearly
touching her leader’s hocks, and for
the first time saw the gander in the
act of descending upon her; at the
same moment she received two peal
ing lashes from the whippers. The
way she now broke for Springfield “is
nothing to nobody.” As Zube rushed
the road, the whole circus raised a
whoop after him. This started about
twenty dogs, hounds, curs, and point
ers, in full chase of him (for no one
moved without his dog in those days).
The dogs alarmed some belled cattle,
which were grazing on Zube’s path,
just as he reached them; these joined
him, with tails up and a tremendous
rattling. Just beyond these were
three tobacco-rollers, at distances of
fifty and a hundred yards apart; each
of whom gave Zube a terrific whoop,
scream, or yell as he passed.
He went in and out of Hawk’s Gul
ly like a trapball, and was in Spring
field “in less than no time.” Here
he was encouraged onward by a new
recruit of dogs; but they gave up the
chase as hopeless before they cleared
the village. Just beyond Springfield,
what should Sally encounter but a
flock of geese! the tribe to which she
owed all her misfortunes. She stopp
ed, suddenly, and Zube went over her
head with the last acquired veloc
ity. He was up in a moment and the
activity with which he pursued Sally
satisfied every spectator that he was
unhurt.
Gridiron, who had witnessed Miss
Sally’s treatment with astonishment
and indignation, resolved not to pass
between the post until the whole mat
ter should be explained to his satisfac
tion. He therefore stopped short, and,
by very intelligible looks, demanded of
the whippers whether, if he passed be
tween them, he was to be treated
as Miss Sally Spitfire had been. The
whippers gave him no satisfaction, and
his rider signified, by reiterated
thumps of the heel, that he should
go through whether he would or not.
Os these, however, Gridiron seemed
to know nothing. In thq midst of the
conference, Gridiron’s eye lit upon the
oscillating gander, and every moment’s
survey of it begat in him a growing
interest, as his slowly rising head,
suppressed breath, and projected ears