Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1868-07-16
ltion of the Fourth of July in Old
BryantOVn.

Celebration of the Fourth of July in Old
Bryantown.
BRYANrowN, July 9th, 1868.
Mr.. EDITOR:
Since the re-districting of our county,
and Bryantown district. sharing the fate
of the others, cut in twain, the old fourth,
shorn of much of her original strength
and prestige, resolved, on our Country's
Natal Day, to prove to the world that she
was not unmindful of things past, present
and to come.
Accordingly. it was determined that on
the 18th, whilst great events-events
which would probably tell a tale of veal
or woe for or against our beloved and al
most beleagured country-were transpir-
ing in the great State of New York, we,
of the little district of Bryantown, in the
little county of Charles, of the small State
of Maryland, would, laying aside all Sec
ular engagements, betake ourselves, for
a time, to such festivities and pleasantries
as would the more certainly excite in us
all necessary patriotic emotions and give
us greater reverence for the Banner Of
red, white and blue.
I will premise by saying that it was
known for several days throughout the
extent of our curtailed district, that an e.
lection was to be held in Bryantown, in
the afternoon, for certain championship,
in which election the people had become
much interested, but of this more anon.
Now, part, and the first part of the
programme was to organize and equip
seine hauling party; and with the ever
ready net of everybody's friend, Mr.. J.
w. NJ, we were soon vending our way
to the shores of Zachia Swamp, distant a
bout half mile, with bread, butter and
all necessary condiments and culinary ap-
paratus to enable us to partake of the de-
licacies of the waters on the green and
shady beach of time-honored old Zachia.
Just before starting, however, we re-
solved ourselves into committee of the
whole on the state of the crowd, when it
was moved, seconded and unanimously
carried, that captation tax of twenty
five cents be levied on all participants. ex-
elusive of such as promised to be the
haulers of the seine, for the purpose of fur
nishing sugar, water, ice and something
to cool them with.
Arriving at the swamp. it appeared
somewhat difficult to determine who were
the seine-haulers, notwithstanding the a
bove arrangement; but it was soon appa-
rent that the old Horse of Bryantown dis
trict was beginning to prepare to pitch in
and he did pitch in. He was followed by
Richard E. H., one of the candidates, and
he by Fred. G., who was not candidate,
but might have been. and he in turn by
Charles L. B who already has an office
of profit and trust which will engross his
whole attention; thence followed, not a
dead, but a live Lock, who also holds an
office; the whole assisted by two more
darkies and another Brag water-dog.-
The seine cast, and to the work, down
stream. The old Horse, with head just
out of water, was mainly directing the
movements, when presently snag was
holding the seine whilst an out-of-sight
and out-of-reach bottom had been found.
Whether come back or make further eff
fort to 60 forward could not now be unan-
imously determined. In this dilemma,
however, the old Nimrod of Charles coun-
ty, who up to this time had been quietly
ensconced in the shade of the bushes,
came to the rescue and with silent word
of command and encouragement, whilst
waving black bottle which he held in
his hand, the apparently insuperable diff
fculties were soon overcome and down
the stream they went Landing at the
nearest accessible shoal, nine sun-fsh,
three catfish, five dase and few of the
i;nnonainata proved the failure Of this, the
first haul
Down the stream and another haul
With frequent wave of his magic wand
old Nimrod continued to encourage the
faithful workmen. when hauling ashore it
was discovered that four pike-fsh. five
small cats, together with quite number
of smaller fish, and three puppies which
had been drowned the day before, had ut
terly failed to find the big holes in the
seine. -
At this juncture it was unanimously re-
solved that all talk and work and no cider,
&c., was not in keeping with the order OF
exercises, the nature of the occasion, nor
with the "reminiscences called up on indie
pendence Day, and even if it were, that
it was not consonant, just then, with the
feelings, temper and disposition of the as
semblage.
Now, Mr.. Editor, I will, leaving you
to conjecture what Immediately followed,
pass over all this, and go on to the next
haul. The ardor and enthusiasm Of the
pullers being now greatly increased from
some cause inexplicable. or otherwise. the
moving of the seine across peninsula Of
few hundred yards in width was almost
as soon done as said, and in few minutes
the cork line was in graceful motion on
the surface of the water. whilst the lead
line was doing her best amid the stumps,