Brother Caldwell, [Editor] I intended to redeem my promise. To do that I will have to give names.

When we arrived here we found a few families that had been here from one to three years. Among them was one man named Burress Brewer and another named William Raulerson, more commonly called "Old Billie Raulerson. "

Brewer lived on Big Creek at the place where the Rev. T[homas] Jefferson] Greene was living at the time of his demise [in October 1898]. Raulerson lived where Corinth church house stands [eight miles north of Lake City]. They were neighbors living three miles away from each other. Brewer was a sharp man and could see away down the stream of time, and at the beginning of the war of 1812, men was very scarce and wouldn't volunteer, and had to be drafted and made to fight their country's battles. Brewer was subject to the draft, and he put Capsicum in his eyes, (red pepper you know,) and was rejected, and remained at home, and never did fully regain his sight. His eye balls was as red as fire, and the lids sore till the day of his death yet he could see how to get round pretty well, any way he could see well enough to execute his nefarious plans.

If you doubt my word, you just keep your eye on him till the second Sunday in June, 1834, and let me hear from you again.

Columbia county was the finest cow range I ever saw in my life, the panhandle of Western Texas to the contrary not withstanding.

Nearly every man that moved here fetched a few cattle. Brewer being one of the first settlers had as many cattle as his neighbors, but wanted to be the biggest toad in the puddle, and have it said that Brewer was the richest man in the country in the cattle line. Now comes a problem; he wanted the cattle but didn't have any money.

How he put his wits to work and hit the nail on the head as the sequel will show.

Daniel Stewart was an orphan boy, raised by Tasset Douglas. When he was twenty one years old he went to work for himself. He is now twenty three years old. He had bought and paid for a whole stock, brass mounted, flint and steel, snapping, plantation rifle, powder-horn and shot bag; that covered his mundane affairs. He was the man Brewer was looking for and said to him, "Daniel, I want you to farm with me next year and we will run two plows. You and Edward to do the plowing and I will give you one-third of everything made on the place, also furnish you board, lodging, making and mending." Let me tell you who Edward was; he was an orphan boy that Brewer had raised; his name was Edward Mobly [Mobley] and he was about 18 years old.

The bargain is made and Stewart was to commence work on the first day of January and did so. At the end of the first week Brewer says, "Daniel, how would you like to have a pretty little wife and three hundred head of cattle?" Daniel says, "I would like that proper well." "Do as I say," said Brewer, "and you will have a wife and the cattle."  "How is that Mr. Brewer?" "You Marry Nancy Emery, you know her, she has three hundred head of cattle; she is an orphan raised by Martin Hair, and he has the cattle. The cattle is to be delivered to her when she is twenty one, and in the event she should marry before she is twenty one, the cattle is to be delivered to her at the time of marriage. Now is the time for you to take a wife."  "Mr. Brewer I never talked with a gal in my life, and don't know what to say." "Turn the case over to me and you will be married in two weeks."  "I'll do it," said Daniel.

Brewer goes to see Nancy Emery, "Nancy, I am a friend to you, also I am sorry for you and I want you to marry so you can have a protector."  "I never talked to a young man in my life nor never went to church, nor to school. Now who could I marry?"  "Marry Daniel Stewart, of course," said Brewer. "I would, if he will have me," said Nancy. Brewer says, "leave it with me and I will have you married in two weeks."  Nancy says, "I will be governed by your advice for I believe you are a friend to me."  Brewer says, "I am."  "Goodby Nancy." "Goodby Mr. Brewer."

Brewer goes home. "Well Daniel, she says she will have you."  "Good," said Daniel, "its all in luck if you fight a goose." Brewer has both sides of the question and is master of the situation.

The next day is Tuesday. Brewer goes back and tells Nancy that Daniel is ready to marry her at any time and set the time for Thursday at high twelve; returns home and tells Daniel to be in readiness, and be at the time and place appointed to receive his bride.

Daniel says, "Mr. Brewer, I am not ready to marry just now."  "Why not?" said Brewer.  "Because I have neither money nor sustenance to take care of a wife. We must put it off"  "No need of that. I only have four in family and you can bring her here and she shall have her board and lodging without money and without price, and she can assist the old woman in cooking, &c., and then its only five in family."

The last objection is overruled by Brewer and there is no alternative but to marry. (Watch Brewer.) Thursday 12 o'clock Mr. Stewart and Brewer put in appearance, and the twain was made one flesh.

Dinner is the next thing in order. After dinner Brewer said, "Daniel, get up your pretty little wife and let us go home." He did so.

Now 1 will give a discription of Mrs. Stewart. She was about four feet ten inches high, weighed about one hundred and thirty pounds, eighteen years old, blue eyed and looked like she was made one-half tallow and the other half bees wax, and was bald headed. Notwithstanding all that, she was the prettiest wife Daniel ever had.

Friday Brewer said, "Daniel let's go and fetch your cattle home." "Allright," said Daniel, and done so. Imagine Brewer's feelings when he saw three hundred head of cattle shut up in his pen. You know what he thought.

Everything ran smooth till the second Sunday in June. Now the crop is made, the fodder housed and the corn nearly ready for gathering.

Men in them days done their own tanning and shoe making. Deer skins when taken out of tan were relieved of the ooze, rolled up and placed in the shade till nearly dry, then they were dressed up ready for use. That was the way in this case. After breakfast, second Sunday in June, Daniel took one of the skins out and was picking the pelt [off of] it.

Brewer says, "Daniel to day is Sunday and I don't work on Sunday, nor allow it done on my premises." Stewart says, "Mr. Brewer, I don't call this work, but I will quit and put up the skin." Brewer says, "you have violated the Lord's day and got to leave the place." Daniel offered an apology. Brewer says, "no excuse will do and picked up a hand spike took it in both hands, saying, `leave at once, or I will kill you. (Could not have the Sabbath day violated, but could afford to glut the earth with human gore. Oh, consistency thou art a jewel.) Daniel took his gun, powder horn and shot bag and said "Nancy let's go. "  "Go," said Brewer, "or I will kill you."

About twenty yards from the door there was a rail fence, about four rails high, that was the going out place from the house. Before they got to the fence Daniel saw Brewer was following him with the hand spike in a striking position, saying, "I will kill you if you don't leave." Brewer was bare headed, Stewart told me afterwards that he took aim at Brewer's forehead and the gun snapped. He lowered the gun and thought as I haven't killed him I won't do it, he crossed the fence about twenty feet and says, "If you cross the fence I will shoot you." Brewer knew Daniel to be a good shot and had just seen him snap the gun at him. Why he didn't stop was a mystery to me, but he crossed the fence and when he did Daniel fired upon him, the bullet entering a little to the right of the center of the breast, passing direct through his body. To quote Daniel he said that "Brewer fell and hollowed very loud, `Oh, God, Oh, God, Oh, God,' like he thought his God was a long way off and if he did not call loud his God would not hear him." Daniel left.

Mrs. Brewer and Edward Mobly ran to Brewer. He couldn't walk and they couldn't carry him, so they dragged him to the house.

Now we return to Old Billie Raulerson. Edward went for him. He went notwithstanding he never had seen a wounded man in his life. After examining the front wound, "now let's se[e] your back, oh, yes, I see where the bullet is, get the whetstone Ed." He whetted his knife. "Now Ed, you set down on his legs and help me hold him still till I cut the bullet out.”  Ed done as directed. Old Billie commenced cutting as though he was cutting up a beef. Brewer screamed and begged for mercy and tried to get up. Old Billie would say, "hold him down Ed, I will get the bullet directly." At length he got the bullet and then said, "all right Brewer, I got the bullet and you will soon be well." The next thing was to dress the wounds, so he took equal quantities of pine gum and tallow and dressed his wounds.

Raulerson gave Brewer his undivided attention for four days, then quit using the turpentine and tallow plasters, using nothing but bandages and cold water.

In fifteen days Brewer was again about the premises saying he was all right. Raulerson discharged his patient, saying he was all right with good care. In sixty days Brewer was driving nearly five hundred head of his own cattle to the cow pen, saying they were his own.

Now, lets look after Daniel. He done like the fellow's bullock, he broke the impannel of the impound exlofisticated all over the forest and landed in Ware county, Ga., nearly seventy five miles from home. That distance appeared as far to the people of that day as the Indian Territory [of Oklahoma] does to us now. He remained for several months, but not hearing from home he came back on the sly, expecting Brewer to be dead and buried. Instead of that he found him in good health.

In a few days Brewer and Stewart met and spoke friendly to each other. Brewer says, "Daniel you hurt me very bad when you shot me and for my suffering and loss of time I charge your part of the crop and Nancy's three hundred head of cattle."  "All right," said Daniel. Brewer said "we have always been friends, except that little trouble, and that wasn't worth falling out about, so lets continue to be friends."  "Good" said Daniel, and they remained friends ever afterwards.

The compromise made by Stewart and Brewer went over Columbia county as though it went on the wings of the wind. The fall of Richmond, Virginia, [during the Civil War] didn't create any more excitement, according to the population, than the Brewer-Stewart compromise did.

The commotion was great and the excitement ran mountains high. Give us law, give us law, was all that we could hear. We have had one rough and tumble flight, one man shot, and another robbed of $250 worth of farm products and one woman robbed of three hundred head of cattle, worth $150(and not a scrap of law in the Territory of Florida. We have no protection for life, liberty, nor property; we must and will have code of laws and routine of officers.

In a few days Isaac Daniels, the father of the great [J. E.] Berry Daniel [a desperado in the 1870s,] was appointed justice of the Peace and Robert Payne was appointed constable. The people were as wild as rabbits, no fighting, shooting, nor stealing going on; Squar [Squire] Daniels was called and notified to be at Andison [Anderson] Gilletts the next Thursday at 12 o'clock to discharge some of his official duty in a matrimonial point of view.

Ransom Par[r]ish and Sookie Morgan were to be married at 12 oclock The hour has arrived and all parties interested was present. We were called into the house, every one except Bill Locklar [Locklier] went in, (Watch Bill Locklar.) He took a position in the door way. Now the happy couple stand before Squar Daniel, as he was called. He throws himself back on his dignity "My beloved friends; we have assembled here in the sight of God and in the presence of these witnesses to unite in the holy bond of matrimony, Ranson Parrish and Sookie Morgan, and if you, or any of you have, or can show just cause or impediment why this couple should not be lawfully jointed together, after Gods ordinance in a holy estate of matrimony, you will now speak or else for ever hereafter hold your peace. (All is silent) I charge you as you will have to answer at the great day when the secret of all hearts shall be made known if you or either of you know just cause why you should not be joined together in wedlock you will now make it known. As there is no objections join your right hands. Do you take this woman who you hold by the right hand to be your lawful and wedded wife, to love, cherish, honor her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, cleaving to her only so long as ye both shall live?["] "I will." "Do you take this man that you hold by the right hand to be your lawful and wedded husband, to love, cherish, honor and obey him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others cleaving to him only so long as ye both shall live? Answer, `I will. Bill Locklar shook his head at her. She says, "Mr. Locklar, if you will have me I won't have Mr. Parrish," and jerked loose from Parrish and went out of the house.

Several of the women followed her and in a few minutes they returned saying she said that she never would marry Parrish as long as water run and grass grew; and she kept her word, for she married Joe Wilkinson [Wilkerson], and you bet she made him pay for eating rags.

After the women made their report Parrish busted out in a big boo-hoo cry and he cried like he had the contract to cry for the neighborhood, and left the place, and if I ever saw him again I never knew it. We ate the wedding dinner and each one went home.

++++++++++++++

Edward Mobley married Judia (Judy) Scott 25 Apr 1839 in Camden Co., GA. Ceremony performed by Richard Ryan, J.P.

++++

1840 census Camden County, Georgia
The Saint Mary’s River and settlements near it.
Burris Brewer 1 m 40-50, 1 m 15-20, 1 f 50-60
Next door:
Ed Mobley 1 m under 5, 1 m 20-30, 1 m 40-50, 1 f 10-15, 1 f 20-30