In his own inimitable manner Wiley began to recite, and this was the poem he delivered:
“Joe Beall ’ud set upon a keg,
Down to the groc’ry store, an’ throw
One leg right over t’other leg,
An’ swear he’d never had a show.
‘O, no,’ said Joe,
‘Hain’t hed no show;’
Then shift his quid to t’other jaw,
An’ chaw, an’ chaw, an’ chaw, an’ chaw.
“He said he got no start in life,