Butts-Upson County GaArchives News.....REMNISCENCES April 1, 1897
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Don Bankston http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00024.html#0005864 April 26, 2005, 11:36 pm

Jackson Argus. Week Of April 1, 1897 April 1, 1897
An Interesting Letter From Charlie Beauchamp, At Thomaston

Special to The Jackson Argus

Thomaston, Ga., March 29, 1897

Saturday the republicans of this county met at the court house to nominate a
candidate for ordinary.  Mr. L. D. Locke of Moon made a stirring republican
speech to quite a crowd.   After the speaking they nominated Mr. Sollenbarger, a
prominent republican and farmer, for ordinary, against Col. J. E. F. Mathews the
democratic nominee.

Learning that Mr. Sollenbarger ws once a resident of Jackson, your correspondent
found him and had the following interview which will be interesting to the
residents of Jackson and Butts County:  Mr. Sollenbarger who is a very fluent
talker remarked: “Do you see that big scar?” pointing to a large dent on his
forehead.  “I received that in an accident in Mr. Asa Buttrill’s well (now owned
by Capt. L. D. Watson) in 1870.

“Suppose you give the readers of The Jackson Argus an account of it?”

“Well,” said he, “the land around the place is very rocky, and Mr. Buttrill had
some trouble in trying to get enough water.  Hearing of my successful work in
various bad wells in the county, he secured my services to dig the well deeper.
 Mr. Taylor Buttrill, then a young man, assisted me in my work.   Going down in
the well I found I had to do a great deal of blasting.   On the 12th day of
November, 1870, about half past one o’clock I went down in the well again to fix
some explosives, while getting ready to have a big blast, there happened in a
flash a premature explosion, which shattered my leg, and  a large hammer made
that dent in my head.   I remember nothing that transpired after that.    Dr.
Ellis was hastily sent for.  I was unconscious for many hours, part of my skull
had to be taken out.   It was published in all the newspapers at the time that
not enough of my body was found to bury me, but you see I am the same John
Sollenbarger.”

“What size place was Jackson at the time you was a resident of the town?”

“There were only a few people living in the village, woods all around town.   I
boarded at Mr. William Swann’s, there being no hotel in the place.   East, west,
north and south from the square were in dense woods, several stores in town.  At
that time Butts was without a courthouse, the old one had been destroyed by
fire.   As well as I can remember Messrs. Byars and Mallet had the contract to
build a new one, some of the material was on the ground.”

The following were the county officials as remembered by him: Ordinary, Mr.
Wiley Goodman; sheriff, Mr. G. W. Thompson; clerk superior court, Mr. Wm.
Bankston*; treasurer, Mr. Wm. Settles; representative, Hon. Thomas Harkness.  
One by one he enquired if they were living, and as I told him all had passed
over the river, he hung his head as he recalled some incidences and strong
friendships connected with each of the above named gentlemen who served the
people of old Butts twenty-seven years ago.  

Mr. Sollenbarger is a native of Defiance, Ohio, and came to Butts from this
county (Upson) and remained in the county some time.   He received Saturday the
unanimous vote of the republican party which has a good following in the county.
  He is also a member of the G.A.R. and resides on his farm two miles east of
Thomaston.
The populists nominated Saturday Mr. J. W Pilkinton as their standard bearer on
April 28, when an election is to be held for ordinary, made vacant by the death
of Judge J. C. Williams.   They succeeded in electing one county officer last
election.

The Thomaston times, quite a newsy paper, is edited by Mr. Charlie F. Douglass,
a Butts county boy, who was reared at Flovilla.   Mr. Douglasss is very popular
in this county…

Charlie Beauchamp

*Wm. Bankston - This is William R. Bankston


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