Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-02-06
The Masked Ball at the Planters Ho-
tel..Thc Grandest thing Of the Kind
Ever Seen in kiugusta.

.wasa a grand Masquerade and Fancy Ball last
week. We had the honor of an invitation, and
did ourselves the high pleasure of accepting it.
And whom wesay "tho honor" wo do not utter an
idle phrase; for consider it rsre privilege to
baro been present on On occasion SO splendid,
enlivened as it was with tho ardor of youth,
gracsd with the charms Of beauty, cnnobled with
the dignity Of genius, and adorned With the rir-
tues of refined menanhood and chivalrous man
hood. ,a.,. s.9....a
This Bah MAS brilliant, crowded, and gener-
ally splendid affair; nor is its complete success
to lbo wondered nt, when one calls to mind that
it was gotten up by SO many gentlemen and ladies,
not only of the highest sscial position; but of tho
,nost elegant and cultivated ts,tc.
Augusta, always renowned for its beauty, never
presented more brilliant scene to the oyo OF tho
bsho,der than wss exhibited at the Planters Ho-
! 'el on Thursday night last The scene of the
pageant Was the spacious and lofty Sale OF the
Hotel; tbs uncommon beauty of which room we
hayo before spoken of. Its delicate and grace
full columns were wreathed With garlands of green,
while the framework Of its many doora and win
dows was tsstefully decorated With boughs OF bay
and wild orange; vines hung from its blazing
chandeliers, and festoons of brilliant pink cam
brie waved between tho columns. At the lower
extremity of the hall was erected q temporary
platform, upon which aat the musical purveyors Oh
the occasion. Under the control Of the well
known Mr. Hzrr, they gave much life and ami
nation to the scene by their spirited sna we'll
| executed dance musio.
Tne oall had been tho engrossing topic in the
city for a uoek or more, and curiosity WAS on
tiptoe. By nine o'clock, the halls and passage
ways Of the hotel were already thronged-guerts
of the house acting as spectators, and guests OF
the ball making their way to tho dancing hall.
Willis without, the pavement waz crowded with
persons eager to catch q glimpse Of the strange
figures that should detcsnd from the carriages.
The managers had wisely made it imperative that
every guest Of the ball ahould be masked; SO
every ono who entered the grand hall wore q
mark. Before entering, each gentleman removed
his mask, or otherwise proved himself, before 2
committee appointed for the purpose; 30 Of tho
ladies. And thuI no ono gained Access to the
hall who should not have dong so. BY ten o'clock
the whole company had assembled-about one
hundred ladiss-anl ono hundred gentlemen. But
still the hall waa not crowded; it is too spacious
to be easily filled. There WAS magnificent la:i-
tude for the promenade and the dance. And for
Ave or six hours tho grand Sale of tho Planters
Hotel became cosmopolitan in age and cline.
Knights and crutsdcrs Of the most chiYalrous
mieu aud atire monks sandwitched between In
dian princesses and Eavago squaWs, and nuns
s,pdvitched between Clowns and harlequlns;
hugo drmijohns, frrneiou, red chiefs, and tatered
rag-pickers; caraliSra such xz might hare been
bson with Crowley in bis mad prsuks; austers
puritsns and quakeresgsa; SpanisrdE and Me1i-
cans, rolling fierce black sJos over hercsr mus
tachiot; sh, pherdeg,cs, flower girls, tamoourine
maidsns, houris from Circassia and Georgia, such
az the Arab sees in his ha.hoe.h dream.; sllesor-
ical characters, such ar Night, Aurora, Morning
STAR Star of Evening, Hope, Liberty in Chains
the Bonnie Blue Flag t.ttered Confederate pri-
ra.es; and, in theatrical parlauce, others too
numerous TO mention; moved in Kaleidoscope
ordcr on the aoor of the immcnse hall, some in
the dsnco, snd some in gorgeous procession, form
ing mosaic groupings Of brilliant cO'tumes gro
tcsque masks, huge dominOs, parti-co!ored h'wsr',
ribbons, lacel and dancing plumes. The
picture uas gorgeous one, and very noTol. We
sst stock still, ant ,.axed until tho scene was da-
cu.rreotyped in our mind. And then re Jumped
up and pitched in. and oh, the fun Az yet,
every one wxs masked, and very many we're COW
cred With dominos. Take ou- word for 1t that
wi. and bumor da,hcd out from behind msny a
marx; and TINT the exchange of sentiment, fan
cy and folly wac delightful. W=orerh-ard many
4 ainyo combat that was intentely amusing.
And thur it continued until II o'clock, when
grand fanfars from the orchestra announced the
hour for unmasking. And then, as if n fairy had
waved her wand, Of dropped the gro.siqus masks
and ths yhapqless domiuos. And man and woman
stood revealed. And oh, the merry laughter and
the gay words over the strange revelation. and the
odd recognition, And tho eyes Of men were
dayxled at the array of beauty and grace that
p.ised before them; and the ono rho could look
upon that stream of loveness at it glided through
tho mazes of the dance, or ripped up and down
the bal, with an ever varying diapsion O'
spvken, melting melody, and not acknowledge
that the fair ones Of Augusta were tho peerf Of
any others Of the daughters Of christendom, VIC
must pronounce as fearfully devoid Of taste. In
deed such an one could not possibly show cause
| 4 ha
against him.
But come NTH u: on promenade through the
hall, and let us zee If We can't tell you what some
of these beautiful costumes sro, and tho nsmea Of
their uesrers We can mention very fen, how
ever; for NO mere almost G complete stranger,
and did not like to be ton profuie or persistent in
our inquiries, for fear Of being set down rs
strong me,nso. of the Poke-yuur- -noss-nto- every
body else's-busincss Society," character OF
which we are not at all ambitious-not even for a
moment. In this promenade We have on our arm
a lady formerly of our own State and District
Mrs. A. &C, handsome, witty, accomplish
cd, and Of the immenscst sasOir pirrej she wears
an exquisite evening dress Of apple green silk,
With a.grand train, the whole trimmed with blond
lace and swans down; she gives us note now
and then.
Here is lady wearing petticoat of pink silk
covered with long and flowing orcr-tkirt OF
white tarlt.ne studded NTH white Marguerito', a
reil of pink tue floats from her hair; she ia Mrs. T.
B-t, and represents Aurora; noco'tumo in the
room is moro besutful than this. We sec her hus-
band over yoader, splenddy and truthfully got
ton up in the rich drcss of tho high American
gentleman of l7To-such costume as Gen. Wash
| ington were before the war.
/ ILL., Ia :. ath. l.lr xnnnx and ninnante rhp-