Tuesday

                        Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“Music hath the charm to sooth the savage beast, but carry a revolver just in case.”

                                              Josh Billings

Here is a reminiscence:

On my way from Newnan, Ga. to Ballentine, SC on I-20 I passed a Porterdale, Ga. exit on I-20. It reminded me of a time when I was in my early teens.

My fraternal grandfather had a brother named Perry that lived near Porterdale. My father decided to take me rabbit hunting with Uncle Perry but I did not know what to expect because Uncle Perry was nearly 90 years old. In your mind's eye imagine a very small but stout house up off the ground on stone pilings built around the turn of the century and that would be Uncle Perry's house. His wife's name was Aunt Sally and had been with Perry most of her life. They had no electricity, no natural or bottled gas but they had running water and an indoor toilet. Aunt Sally cooked on a wood stove, lighting was by kerosene lanterns and heat was wood in fireplaces and the wood stove. Down the hill was a spring where they chilled a few things like milk and butter. They had a dairy cow, a pen with several pigs and a small chicken coop. I don't remember seeing a car but I remember him telling us that one of his son's came by on a regular basis to check on them. At one time Perry farmed and there was a small barn where kept a couple of mules but he gave that up and the barn was empty...kinda. We got to Perry's house late in the afternoon and we ended up on the porch chatting until dark then we went inside because it was getting very cold.

Aunt Sally had been busy cooking supper of fried rabbit, collards, biscuits, gravy and milk or tea. It was really cold outside but we were warm by the wood stove. After stuffing ourselves we went into another part of the house with a fireplace, Aunt Sally lit a couple of lamps and we resumed story telling. Actually we did not say much because we were all enthralled at Uncle Perry's experiences. He was a grown man when Jesse James was killed. I remember him telling us about that but unfortunately I cannot remember any of his other tales...what rich library that would have been had I written it all down. We did not sit up long and went into a bedroom that was ice cold. I got into bed and there was a blanket and feather comforter on the bed that almost pinned you to the mattress they were so heavy but I was not cold.

The next morning I woke up to the smell of freshly bake bread and coffee. Aunt Sally was already up, had built a fire in the stove and was cooking breakfast. It was scrambled eggs, fried rabbit again, biscuits and gravy and strong coffee. The coffee pot was one that you see in western movies with cowboys outside cooking around a campfire. After Uncle Perry told us to take a piece of rabbit and a biscuit with us for lunch he gave the word that it was time to go hunting. We bundled up and stepped out into really frosty morning.

Uncle Perry began walking down a dirt road and I asked him where his dog pen was and just began yelling and whistling. Remember the barn...several beagles came out of there one or two came out from under the house and we were under way. The dogs knew what to do, they got together in a pack and began hunting. I was wondering what Uncle Perry did for money and I soon found out. He had about 12 “rabbit gums”. These are traps that are used to catch mostly rabbits but other critters are caught also. He skinned the rabbits and kept the meat for he and Aunt Sally, then he tanned the rabbit and other critter hides and sold them to a local hardware store. He was a modern day trapper and he and Sally did not need much money except for a smidgen of kerosene. I don't remember how many rabbits we shot but Uncle Perry recovered three from his traps. We sat on a small hill and listened to the music of that pack of beagles trailing a rabbit...it was a symphony. By the way, he out walked all of us, almost 90 years old be damned.

About a year after this trip Uncle Perry died and within a couple of weeks Aunt Sally was gone too. Sadly, it was the end of an era.

                         This Date in History   May 9

1671 Earlier during the English Civil War and the beheading of King Charles I of England, Irish adventurer Thomas Blood had lost all of his lands and possessions in Ireland upon the reinstatement of the English monarchy when King Charles II assumed the throne. Thomas became known a “Captain Blood” because of his adventuresome spirit. Thomas brooded about his losses for a while than he decided to do something to gain back the assets he had lost. On this date Captain Blood was caught trying to steal the crown jewels from the Treasure Room in the Tower of London. This guy had one hell of a nerve. He and three others approached the Treasure Room with Blood dressed as a priest and the other three kept in the shadows. Blood was able to talk the guard at the Treasure Room to hand over his pistols. After this Blood’s accomplices stormed from the shadows and force the guard to open the door and they began gathering up the Crown Jewels. One of Blood’s accomplices stuffed the Royal Orb down his pants. The Orb is essentially a golden globe about the size of a soft ball encrusted with precious gems. Blood grabbed the Crown and crushed it flat with a mallet and stuffed it down his pants. About then the son of the guard showed up and when he saw what was happening, he screamed an alarm and swarms of English soldiers quickly arrived and surrounded Blood and company. Blood was brought before King Charles II himself. The King was very amused and thought that Blood showed great courage. Rather than punish him, the King gave Blood his lands and property that he had previously owned back to him and made him a member of the Royal Court with a yearly pension. Blood was very popular with the general public and was considered a celebrity. After Blood died in 1680, he had to be disinterred to convince the public that he was really dead.

Here is a profile in courage

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to

FIRST LIEUTENANT JACK LUMMUS
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following
CITATION:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Leader of a Rifle Platoon, attached to Company E, Second Battalion, Twenty-seventh Marines, Fifth Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, 8 March 1945. Resuming his assault tactics with bold decision after fighting without respite for two days and nights. First Lieutenant Lummus slowly advanced his platoon against an enemy deeply entrenched in a network of mutually supporting positions. Suddenly halted by a terrific concentration of hostile fire, he unhesitatingly moved forward of his front line in an effort to neutralize the Japanese position. Although knocked to the ground when an enemy grenade exploded close by, he immediately recovered himself and, again moving forward despite the intensified barrage, quickly located attacked and destroyed the occupied emplacement. Instantly taken under fire by the garrison of a supporting pillbox and further assailed by the slashing fury of hostile rifle fire, he fell under the impact of a second enemy grenade, but courageously disregarding painful shoulder wounds, staunchly continued his heroic one-man assault and charged the second pillbox annihilating all the occupants. Subsequently returning to his platoon, position, he fearlessly traversed his lines under fire, encouraging his men to advance and directing the fire of supporting tanks against other stubbornly holding Japanese emplacements. Held up again by a devastating barrage, he again moved into the open, rushed a third heavily fortified installation and killed the defending enemy. Determined to crush all resistance, he led his men indomitably, personally, attacking foxholes and spider-traps with his carbine and systematically reducing the fanatic opposition until, stepping on a land mine, he sustained fatal wounds. By his outstanding valor, skilled tactics and tenacious perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds, First Lieutenant Lummus had inspired his stouthearted Marines to continue the relentless drive northward, thereby contributing materially to the success of his company's mission. His dauntless leadership and unwavering devotion to duty throughout enhanced and sustained the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.

/S/ HARRY S. TRUMAN

I read an eyewitness account of this action and this is what the he said. “After seeing Lieutenant Lummus absorb all this punishment alone and keep fighting, all of the men of his rifle company were crying and when the land mine finally killed him, they rose up together and with a great shout charged the entrenched Japanese.”

                Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow