University of Virginia - Corks and Curls Yearbook (Charlottesville, VA)

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H3 : -, x l wa mewwm befof But the Visitor continued to press Alonzo for a more definite answer as to the purpose it served, in reaction to which Alonzo leaned away forward on his Moses-like, long staff and gazed off into inhnity to his left, then slowly turned and in a like manner gazed to his right in profound thought. Then, nonplused as to what the hell purpose the building did serve, with eyes bleared more by the toll of years than by the bell he rang, he looked up wistfully into the face of his per- sistently inquisitive Visitor and, in a voice meeker than that of Moses, said simply: iWell, we just uses it as a Rotunda, ,i Gotts declared that although he had only seen half of a year, there didnit seem to be as many characters around as there once reputedly had been. Gotts then be- gan to talk about that noted professor of Bumology, Tim Murphy. tiThat bearded old burn, a veteran of several navies and the Spanish-American War, took his chair, or better, his lwalll on the high railroad wall that extends by the steam plant and behind the Corner. From that perch he could successfully elude pursuing cops and watch for itouchesf After spotting such a kindly person, Tim would leap from the wall and shout ishoot-me-out: begging not for a bullet, but for a cigarette. His antics soon became well-known, yet because of his homey philosophy, exciting sea stories, and exotic South Sea girls, Tim was never without Cigarettes or money. Figures on his weekly income were never known, but some say that it never fell below twenty dollars a day. Moreover, his clothes were al- ways the Finest. Tweed coats and grey flannels that had seen duty on Madison Lane came his way from time to time to keep him clothed in the Virginia man- ner. iiOften Tim was chased by the watchful local authorities from his perch on the railroad wall, through the grounds, and finally into the sanctuary of Tim,s second perch, Fayerweather Hall. It was in F ayerweather Hall where Timis ihorrible trage- dyi entered his life. Caught by a group of students he was hauled protestingly from his slumber, scrubbed and washed, and suited in clean clothes. Never felt so bad in my whole life; the old salt protested. ttTim was always a welcome iigure at University functions. There was the time during Easter Week when Tim posed as an alumnus to the guests at a certain fra- ternity house. It is further rumored that the ldainties, served at the Presidents re- ceptions were not unattractive to Tim and that he was often the uninvited, but welcome, guest. His last colorful appearance was at the Carolina pep rally in ,42 when he threw a flaming tar baby from the second floor of the old Cavalier to get the procession underway and headed the parade as it wound through the Lane and down Whiskey Alley. iiBut old Tim caught pneumonia while sleeping on the wall perch in late July of 1943, and died a week later. His funeral, in the University cemetery, was a quiet one, but a few interested faculty members and students, who gratefully remem- bered Timis antics, saw his last remains laid away and erected a headstone on the spot. Still standing, the stone recalls Tim and the University,s lost department: Tim Murphy 1870-1943 Professor of Bumology University of Virginia Vanderslice, spurred on by the stories of the others, decided that he would tell another, if only so that his narrative technique would not get rusty, or so he told himself. iiThere was a character commonly known as iCharlief but whether he was a very light-colored colored man or a very unwashed white man remained a mystery to

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stood up and salaamed everyone in attendance. The revelers most likely would have remained in this stooped position until sunrise had it not been for a daring member of the society. This member slipped out and awoke a Judge who out- ranked iReddie, Echols. The Judge and the escapee sped to the gym whereupon the former freed the relieved guests from their spell and proceeded to salaam iReddiei for the remainder of the evening? At the end of this story, Rhett Cleghorne took advantage of the silence to begin his own. iiMaybe you all are a little tired of hearing me mention my grandfather, Rhett Cleghorne, the First, who lived in the Mudway Swamp in lower South Carolina. Anyway, he was a law student here in the 1890,s and was really fond of the old janitor and bell ringer at the University, iUncle Henry, Martin. In fact, he talked about Uncle Henry whenever the University was mentioned. When Uncle Henry died in 1910, the whole University turned out to attend his funeral - he was sort of a living legend then, since he had served since the 1830s at the Uni- versity. Uncle Henry was born a slave to Jefferson and was acquired by the Carr family in Charlottesville, while still a baby, when the Jefferson estate was sold in 18283, Richard Gotts loudly commented that the story sounded like an old wives, tale. This brought on a five minute argument. Cleghorne finally got under way again after mentioning some Jefferson family manuscripts in the library which were supposed to verify the sale of Uncle Henry. iiActuallyf resumed Cleghorne, Tithe Carr family used Uncle Henry to wait on the students who boarded 0n Carr,s Hill, and hired him out to cut and carry wood to the students on the West Range. During The War, when the enrollment at the University fell from about six hundred students to fifty, the Carrs couldn,t use him here so they hired him out to a merchant in Richmond. He was really miserable when he was sent away from the University and according to legend, he escaped in the guise of a Confederate uniform and walked back to Charlottes- Ville during the middle of the War. The Carrs then hired him to the Confederate hospital director here in Charlottesville. After The War he continued to work for the University from 1866 to 1910 and missed only two days in ringing the bell for classes during this whole time. The students used to remove the clapper so often from the bell in the 1880,s that old Uncle Henry had to keep a spare one con- stantly hidden in the Rotunda basement. , nUncle Henry was always ready to apprise any and all Visitors disposed to en- gage him in conversation that he was a direct descendent of Mr. Thomas Jefferson, and how it came about, and his story bore an altogether clear and con- vincing ring. Visitors used to like to inquire of him the names and locations of various buildings about the Grounds. A common inquiry related to the location of the rooms occupied by Mr. Poe and Mr. Woodrow Wilson. Uncle Henry was proud to relate that he remembered Mr. Wilson very well and could testify to one and all what a line gentleman he knew him to be. He admitted however, that Mr. Poe was a little before his time but he had idone heerdl a right smarti amount about how Mr. Poe had a weakness for strong drink. In a whisper he confided that some folks had said Mr. Poe sometimes got downright drunk, but he suspected those stories were exaggerated ilak people do, iiAnother Character of a later era, Alonzo Barbour, also enjoyed answering the many questions Visitors had. One Visitor posed the question: iWhat is that round building right up there? Alonzo would reply in subdued reverence, idat is de Rotunda, Then the question: iWhat is its purpose? iHits purposeli exclaimed Alonzo iwell Mr. Jefferson done built it, and it cotched fire in 1895 and burnt up, it were awful, I member it well, and dey built it back, but not zactly lak it was 1m 1101'

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WM one and all. Anyway, he earned an honest livelihood through the utilization of his two most consequential earthly possessions, a somewhat undernourished horse named iGeorge, and an old spring wagon that listed badly to starboard because of a lack of uniformity in the intactness and function of its springs and other sup- porting structures. iiThe conveyance of luggage, trunks, suitcases, etc. between the railroad sta- tions and the places of abode of students constituted a quite sizable part of Char- lieis trade. He transported baggage for people, other than students, about town too. Then, in his spare time, he hauled items other than luggage, and, aside from the mystery as to his race, Charlie was distinguished upon two counts: one, his taciturnity when there was no cause for agitation or dissatisfaction, and two, his abandon in the use of profanity When irritated. iiOne day Charlie was hauling a load of apples up iVinegar Hill, enroute to a cider mill when the tailgate of his spring wagon came unfastened and apples began gradually to roll out. Because of the noise of his iron tires as they passed over the sort of corrugated bricks with which Main Street, at that time, was paved, Charlie couldnit hear the rumble of his apples escaping from his wagon, so he continued serenely up the hill. People along the sidewalk however, were quick to sense the situation and also quick to envision the kind and vehemence of the reaction that would be displayed when Charlie discovered what had happened. So a numeri- cally increasing group of people followed in close pursuit to hear the Vitupera- tion they assumed to be inevitable. iiAs the vehicle neared the top of the hill Charlie noted the ease with which George was breezing along. This prompted him to look back to check his cargo, but he was barely in time to see the last apple leave the wagon and also some ap- ples still bobbing along on their downhill course. He therefore pulled George over to the curb, got up from and stood on the drivers seat, took off his hat, scratched his head and, looking forlornly down at the curiously expectant gather- ing, simply said Gentlemen, I just ainit equal to the occasionf Cary smiled in a patronizing manner at the last story and began to speak in the soft tones of a native Richmonder. iiWell, character stories are Hne, but poli- tics has been the thing which has interested me most at the University. just about the only thing, judging from your gradesf remarked Vanderslice. iiIn fact, Iid go so far as to say that comic strips have more appeal than College presi- dents. As a matter of fact, a few years back, there was a poll taken to decide which comic strip the Cavalier Daily would publish: Peanuts or Liil Abner. As it turned out, more students voted in this election than had voted in the contest for the college presidency, and Peanuts cornered about three-hundred more votes than Liil Abner in popularity. The potential political power wielded by Charlie Brown is staggering? iiBe that as it may, politics is a unique aspect of the University? interrupted Cary Randolph, iiand some of our most colorful stories are those of the honorary societies. Itis interesting how many have come and gone while the essential struc- ture remains like it was more than Efty years ago. I have a picture from the Corks and Curls which shows five students around a fire in a room on the Lawn, as we are tonight, with the emblems and symbols of their societies around them a Eli, Tilka, Z, 13, the Hot Feet, P-K, German, and the 7 Society? Phelps had been thinking for the last few minutes how cold it must be outside. The respon- sibility inherent in the decision to move. Icicles might fall and crack open the head. The decision decided itself into action. Phelps rose from his armchair, opened the door to the sink, turned on both faucets, and stood there with his back to the others, hands on hips, for perhaps a minute or two. An unspoken tra-