True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young. Page: 165
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HOUSTON AND HOUSTONIANS 165
ing manner. I remember quite a number of very funny ones he
told, but about the best was one he used to tell on himself.
, He said he was in one of the fashionable barrooms in Austin
with a number of friends one evening when he noticed two
rather seedy-looking fellows eyeing each other keenly. Finally
one advanced to the other and said:
"Was yo at the battle of Gettysburg?"
The other seedy fellow said he was.
"When yo rebs drove the Pennsylvania troops back, going to
Little Round Top, did you pick a wounded Yankee boy up and
put him behind some rocks?"
The other fellow became much agitated and said he did.
"I was the boy you picked up and I knew you as soon as I
saw you come in and have been trying to place you."
With that they fell into each other's arms and embraced warmly,
after which they shook hands over and over. Finally each
dug down in his pocket, but found nothing. "If I had any money
with me," said the Yankee, "we shore would have a drink over
this."
The captain said it was all very touching. He had been a
soldier himself and knew what such meetings as this meant,
so he slipped the Confederate a dollar and told him to treat
his friend. But the other gentlemen who had witnessed the
scene were also touched and became deeply interested and insisted
on buying an unlimited number of drinks for the two old
war horses, with the result that the two got so drunk and
boisterous that the saloon man had to put them out.
The captain said that a month or two later he was in Dallas
and went into a saloon for the purpose of getting a drink.
There was a crowd near the bar and as he entered he heard a
familiar voice say:
"Was you at the battle of Gettysburgr?
fHe looked and saw the two old "heroes" go through the same
scene he had witnessed in Austin. Then he realized that they
were two old bums, who had invented this plan for getting free
whiskey from a sympathetic crowd. It worked, too, just as it
had done in Austin, and as it no doubt worked in every place
they visited.
I think Captain Faulkner was the only man "Uncle" Dan
McGary ever took off his hat to. "Uncle Dan" held him in the
highest regard and esteem, because he knew him. He had
served in the captain's company during the war. The captain
also had a warm place in his heart for "Uncle Dan." He said
"Uncle Dan" was one of the best soldiers he had and one who
could always be depended on. He told a story of an old fellow
who was a Union sympathizer and who refused to sell anything
to the Confederate soldiers. The old fellow had lots of corn, but
would not give or sell any of it to the'Confederates, and as he
was a fiery old chap and backed his refusal with a double-barrled
shotgun there were only two things to do: kill him or give UP
all hope of getting corn. One day Captain Faulknet told 'Unele
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Young, Samuel Oliver. True stories of old Houston and Houstonians: historical and personal sketches / by S. O. Young., book, 1913; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth24646/m1/165/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.