PRICE MATTHEWS
1890 - 1962
Add and Price Matthews
Written by Bud Slagle
Nephew of Price Mathis (Matthews)
Add Matthews and friend
Price and Add Matthews were twins and they stuck together like glue. Where you saw one you were likely to see the other one.
They were pretty much famous in their area for pulling pranks on everyone and they usually pulled these pranks as a team – and then they would take up for each other when anything bad started happening.
At one time Price was the Constable of the Fifteenth Civil District of Lawrence County in West Point, TN. One day Add and a colored fellow (now we all say African American) guy got in an argument down by the creek. Later that day Add saw Price and told him about the argument and about two hours later Price went into Noblet’s store in West Point. The man that Add had the disagreement with was sitting on a nail keg in the back of the store.
Price approached him and said “was that you that talked smart to my brother down yonder a while ago?” The young man mumbled something not quite clear enough for Price to understand and Price asked him what he said. The black man said “I don’t chew my tobacco but once, and then I spit it out”.
Price chose the quick method to settle this dispute, pulled out his pistol and shot the black man in the mouth and said “chew on that a while”.
The bullet came out his jaw and he had a very bad mouth – so to speak – for quit a long time, leaving some permanent damage. But he did live, and later moved to Lawrenceburg where he had a hot dog stand in or near the county court house for several years. Some of Prices kids still talk to the man at his hot dog stand in Lawrenceburg.
Price had to serve a year in jail for shooting the man. Price, being well acquainted with the local sheriff, got to be the jail trusty and he could sit out on the front porch of the jail or even walk up to the square and sit around up there.
Sometimes he would have some of his friends slip him a little moonshine down to the back yard of the jail. He would drink a little and sell the rest. He made more money that year up at the jail than he would have made if he had stayed at home.
Price later moved to Wayne County TN (about 1934) where he spent the remainder of his life, passing away in 1962.
They were pretty much famous in their area for pulling pranks on everyone and they usually pulled these pranks as a team – and then they would take up for each other when anything bad started happening.
At one time Price was the Constable of the Fifteenth Civil District of Lawrence County in West Point, TN. One day Add and a colored fellow (now we all say African American) guy got in an argument down by the creek. Later that day Add saw Price and told him about the argument and about two hours later Price went into Noblet’s store in West Point. The man that Add had the disagreement with was sitting on a nail keg in the back of the store.
Price approached him and said “was that you that talked smart to my brother down yonder a while ago?” The young man mumbled something not quite clear enough for Price to understand and Price asked him what he said. The black man said “I don’t chew my tobacco but once, and then I spit it out”.
Price chose the quick method to settle this dispute, pulled out his pistol and shot the black man in the mouth and said “chew on that a while”.
The bullet came out his jaw and he had a very bad mouth – so to speak – for quit a long time, leaving some permanent damage. But he did live, and later moved to Lawrenceburg where he had a hot dog stand in or near the county court house for several years. Some of Prices kids still talk to the man at his hot dog stand in Lawrenceburg.
Price had to serve a year in jail for shooting the man. Price, being well acquainted with the local sheriff, got to be the jail trusty and he could sit out on the front porch of the jail or even walk up to the square and sit around up there.
Sometimes he would have some of his friends slip him a little moonshine down to the back yard of the jail. He would drink a little and sell the rest. He made more money that year up at the jail than he would have made if he had stayed at home.
Price later moved to Wayne County TN (about 1934) where he spent the remainder of his life, passing away in 1962.
Add and Price Matthews
Told by Bud Slagle
Add and Price Matthews were twin boys, the sons of John Huston Matthews – known by his friends as ‘ole Huse Mathis’. Huse owned and operated a sawmill near West Point, TN, on Shoal Creek.
Add and Price were born in January, about 1890 and started working for their dad at the sawmill when they were just boys. They were regular Monkey’s, full of life and full of fun.
They were always pulling pranks on their friends and family. Sometimes it was just to get a good laugh and sometimes they were getting into some real mischief. They would try just about anything.
One day they did something to irritate a friend and when they started laughing about it the friend got mad. They then had a serious disagreement and told the friend they would meet him down by the creek on Sunday afternoon and they would give him a good whipping. Is that kind of like the old ‘shooting at the OK Corral’?
They met at the creek about 1:30 on Sunday afternoon – several people had heard about the fight that was going to take place – you know how fast bad news travels – and were gathered around to watch the boys Big Fight.
Their friend was a great big fellow and Add and Price were both pretty small. Price told Add to let him try the big guy first. So they fought until Price was just worn out. Then Add said “let, let, let me try him awhile”. Add was a stutterer. Add fought until he gave out and Price took over again. They fought back and forth this way afternoon. Finally, both of them jumped on him at the same time and got the best of him. I guess you can’t say the Matthews twins never gave up.
Add and Price were too famous characters in that area and in the Matthews clan. Maybe they should have been on the television show “Hee Haw”.
Told by Bud Slagle
Add and Price Matthews were twin boys, the sons of John Huston Matthews – known by his friends as ‘ole Huse Mathis’. Huse owned and operated a sawmill near West Point, TN, on Shoal Creek.
Add and Price were born in January, about 1890 and started working for their dad at the sawmill when they were just boys. They were regular Monkey’s, full of life and full of fun.
They were always pulling pranks on their friends and family. Sometimes it was just to get a good laugh and sometimes they were getting into some real mischief. They would try just about anything.
One day they did something to irritate a friend and when they started laughing about it the friend got mad. They then had a serious disagreement and told the friend they would meet him down by the creek on Sunday afternoon and they would give him a good whipping. Is that kind of like the old ‘shooting at the OK Corral’?
They met at the creek about 1:30 on Sunday afternoon – several people had heard about the fight that was going to take place – you know how fast bad news travels – and were gathered around to watch the boys Big Fight.
Their friend was a great big fellow and Add and Price were both pretty small. Price told Add to let him try the big guy first. So they fought until Price was just worn out. Then Add said “let, let, let me try him awhile”. Add was a stutterer. Add fought until he gave out and Price took over again. They fought back and forth this way afternoon. Finally, both of them jumped on him at the same time and got the best of him. I guess you can’t say the Matthews twins never gave up.
Add and Price were too famous characters in that area and in the Matthews clan. Maybe they should have been on the television show “Hee Haw”.
