Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-07-10
A KENTUCKY CANDY PULLING.

mas AMUSEMENT in Kentucky, called Candy Full
ling, in high favor with the lads and lasses of
that state. The incidents which he describes
in the subjoined extracts, took place in 1888, in
the interior of Kentucky. A doctor and alaw-
yer were among the most conspicuous of the
company. The writer premises that, connected
with Candy Pulling, there are two important
preparatory movements-irst a quantity Of mo-
lasses is boiled, no matter how long, till it attains
a tolerable thickness, when il is poured out into
large plates and allowed short time to COOL
I'd, it is cut in sections taken in the hands, and
a system of pulling is commenced, varying in
kind as each one desires He proceeds:
Phil Gaz.
The first one who made an onset upon the
rolls, which lay in abundance on the table, was
the hopeful scion of the law whom We have al
ready introduced to the reader. He seized one,
and giving one end to young lady who stood
beside him-by the bye, it happened to be the
same one whom he threw into melting mood
by his temperance speech in the morning-and
they moved Otto give way for other applicants.
In short time the whole were supplied, and the
most complete system OF tugging was COM
menced that has been seen since the days when
"Greek met Greek" The grand object Of each
person was to get the roll of candy away from
his or her antagonist. The lawyer was seen
struggling as If at the wrong end of cause,
with the same unrelaxed longitude of counte-
nance he had worn through the whole evening,
occasionally turning his head aside to disbur-
den his mouth of its gushing contents, while
his fair opponent making the walls echo with
her laughter though she might have wept over
the graphic pictures Of intemperance he had
drawn, she was yet iaughter-loving creature,
and much more active than he,-managed to
preserve her grasp in spite of his stronger mus
cles. At last, by dexterous twitch, the roll
was broken off close to his hand, and she sprung
away through the crowd and re commenced
the play with modest young man, who was
pulling the right hand against the left in cor
ner, to the manifest discontinue of the man of
"said and aforesaid"
Our doctor. too, was not idle. Indeed he exhi-
bited strong symptoms of having his hands full;
for he was unfortunately linked with the large
lady in whose company We left him, and still
unfortunately had grasped roll somewhat too
massive for his hold but around which the
lengthy digits of the lady were firmly clenched
The struggle was long and doubtful. 1t was
certainly one of the most difficult cases which
had occurred in the doctors practice, and soon
attracted the attention of the company, who
ceased operations to follow, as well as they
could, by short cuts and heading, the devious
course the diminutive NJ. ID. was forced to ma
vigate Round and round, here and there, back
wards and forwards, and sideways, he was un-
mercifnly dragged by his more powerful an
tagonist. In vain did he brace his heels against
the floor in vain did he pull back, as ifhe were
dragging at refractory tooth; the lady was an
over match for him, and he might have been
performing nameess evolutons to this day,
had not the roll suddenly parted in the middle
A universal burst Of laughter followed this
termination of the Doctors set-to; for the impe-
tus he had received precipitated him over a
small rocking chair, from beneath which rose,
simultaneously, the agoniZed anu heart-rending
squall Of psaceable puss; and by a sudden turn
Of his body. seated himself plump in capacious
tub-not of lrater, gentle reader-but warm can
DIV, which was very patiently waiting the inroad
of the company. Now the contents were not
exactly hot but of temperature sufficiently
high to make contact with them what might
be called not comfortable. At least, so thought
the doctor; for with the return OF his scattered
ideas he scrambled forth certainly the most
candi(e)d man in the company, and the very
decentralization of insulted dignity. As he stood
upon his feet again-his clothes literally plas-
tered with the adhesive substance, which drip
ned i'm strings from them, in every direction
his hands held away from his body, like an ur-
chin's who has been soused in gutter; and the
skirts Of his invisible green frock coat, his new
frock coat gathered up into an indescribable
mass, and self sustained, standing out "ingens
infornie" from his back, spirit Of laughter un-
governable, and outrageous to the doctors SEN
Sibility prevailed and burst forth in pealing ca
chinations, which to his astounded ears, seemed
the kne of his dignity and responsibility forev-
er. At length he seemed fully awakened to the
horrors of his situation, and with stern and
measured gait dispensing odoriferous sweets
on all around" he made good his retreat.
This effected, and the merriment somewhat
subsidized, the struggle was resumed with un-
abated vigor. Restraint was thrown away, and
fun and jollity reigned supreme in every breast,
and shone in the laughing expression Of every
countenance. If comb happened to fall from
q lady's head, setting loose her luxuriant ring
lets, there was no hand to replace it; or, if shoe
CHANGED to slip from the delicate foot ofts own
err, she went without it, for her fingers were en-
cased as within gauntlet All the rights OF
nseum and tuam, as regards elbow-room were
forgotten, or, by common consent abrogated;
and the room, for the space of an hour, present
ed the most animated picture of hilarious en-
ioyment have ever witnessed. Old bachelors
and old maids, who, par pdrenthesa, seemed to
be constantly pulling against each other; young
bachelors, ain the full tide of successful expe-
rinent" on the hearts of the young bellies; and