Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1858-11-20
MISCELLANY,


hibited scene long to be remembered by
all who witnessed it. TO the enlightened
and we'll Informed it was grand, awful, sub
lime; but to the ignorant and superstitious,
overwhelming and terrific.
Such countless number of metcors new
or fell from empyrean in SO short space
of time before or since, the theories of Hum
bolt aud Captain Iwining to the contrary
notwithstanding.
a few weeks after this grand display, of
fire works Jim Franklin, or Uncle jim"
as he was most generally called, was seen
hobling about on crutchcs, his lower cx-
tremitics covered with II supcrabundance of
red flannel. Jimss early educational ad-
vantages had been limited. His learning
from books aud schools was oontrasted to
the acquisitions of "a few months, by mind
not at all inclined to study But he had
prospercd in the world and by raising cot
ton in the Hatwoods of Elbcrt, where he
lived, had accumulated snug fortune
He was a general favorite in his neighbor-
hood, and but for slight habit of indul-
ging sometimes too much in the " ardent"
might be termed an unlcarncd, snrewd,
exemplary man.
jim was sitting with number of gen
tlcmcn in the Petersburg Inn, his feet nice
ly adjustcdin another chair with his crutch-
es across his lap when some one inquired
why he was working himself in shafts p
Whereupon he cxplaincd " You see We
had at our house, the other night, small
sprinkle of what VIC honestly tuck to be the
"day of Judgment? 1t turned out we
were slightly mistaken but [ assure you
if / am any judge of small matters, it was
right good counterfeit of that day, when
they say there is to be a general smash-up.
Many one of us, for awhile, thought it
was the genewinc coin, and as the masons
would say, Z" conducted ourselves accord
ingiy.' | took the wrong shutc at the
start Now they say, Man purposes and
God exposes" this may or may not be
good Scripture at the latter end of my ex-
pericnce would call it good sense
"I was suddenly awakened outcn sound
sleep. not by Gabril's horn, but a voice
mighty nigh as loud, if not hearn SO fur
wife, children and niGgcrs were screaming
and holerin', the day of Judgment was
come, the stars wur fallen" the world
was burning up?" sprung up, and look
cd at the heavcns-never seed sich proce-
denotes thar before Thar being no noun
tains or rocks convenient to call on to hide
nc, / took Decline with average ingnc
speed for the we'll which would say is nine
ty-two feet deep in the clear. It's the
deepest hole in the ground knowcd any
thing about When | got thar found
Bob and Sam, two of my nigger boys, on
gaanlary which two of the elements to
chuss Bob, bright malatter was for wa
ter; Sam, an onmixcd African, was for
turning Salls-mandy, end facin' the mu-
sic. Says 1, Boys clear the track and take
hold of that windlass, and let me down into
the bowels of the yerth as soon as the ma
tur of the case will admit of; the outside is
getting sure 2" Then, with
out hat, coat, vest, pants or shoes, got in
the bucket and started they had not turn
ed the windlass twice when / holercd to
'em to slip the britching and let me slide.
No sooner said than done, when / whircd,
cur-slash, nigh onto three foot into the wa
ter. No man could have made the trip
sooner, ceptin he had fallen in, and he
would have to tuck far start at that
"Abont the time the water had settled
round me, / felt fre-proof, and calculated
they would have to burn low to get me
Now they say a man in deep well in the
day time, can see stars, / allow them is fix
ed stars The ones saw from that we'll
that night was travellers, certain! Besides
if there was any fixed stars that night
nevcr seed 'em. Some said they watched
the morning star, as long as that stuck they
had hope.
~ e mads the boys draw me several times
to see how things war conming ON: but
when one ofthem big blazing meturs would
dart toward me, would whirl down to the
length os my cable. / soon foun' / had
gone bcyant what was conf trtable / got
tired of ploying bull bull sfssog left the water,
and felt Xix taking the fire, no matter in
What quantity or whar 'front.' I'lljust say.
right here ifany man should have hydro
foby again fire, aid will put himself through
my performances in that well, aud ain t cur
ed, his disease is too deep for lIydfopathy.
! put on .gy clothes, tuck stew of wills
key and red pepper, but TOO LATE the ru-
iiatics had mel SO, in biacing agin FIRE /
got busted on watcrl
81 wasn't the only man excited on that
occasion bya long jump. My neighbQ,
Sam Stuart, cum over next morning and
exed me how We stood the racket? lie
looked solem as a preacher; said his dwell
lisg E7as iscySr been 3 house Of prayer be.