The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-04-20
NUMBER Is.
A PACING RACE.

From 1880 to about 194S there used to
trade in stock to South Carolina kentuck-
ian named VIM. Myers, commonly, and by
himself, called Bill Myers. During the last
years of his trading he made Abbcvllc one
of his points. lie was a jolly aud rollicking
fellow, and besides those looking to his com-
ing for fine horse or pair ofthenn, his arri-
val was hailed with joy by the boys, for he
was 'one Of them, although in his last visits
he had reached over his fifty birthdays by
several. He was full of jokes and stories,
telling them well and without, at all times,
the title and answered to it cf lying Bill
Myers. He ,zed to tell Of his first iutrodXS-.
'iea ees u s@eaf to the truth of the statements.
His first visit was in 1880 during tho height
and excitement of nullifcation. He was at
home Henry Clay Wing, but in South
Carolina abroad he was like ST. Paul-'all
things to all men to advance his cause (to
wit. selling fine stock.) lie supposed from
his reading that South Carolinans were all
Nullliers and he came down to be for season
one Of thcm. He crossed over the So1da
Gap and his first stoppage was at Hodges,
where he found crowd, and raising his hat
he sang out, 'hurra for Null6cation,' and the
first he knew huge fellow bawlcd 'hooray,
for Ben Perry and the Union. and struck
him. He got out oy explaining from
severe thrashing. He concluded he had got
the wrong end of the story, and prepared to
correct himself at once. Going down into
Laurens he came upon crossroads store
aud grocery where he found crowd assem-
blcd. and alighting and walking in to the
wet and he shouted raising his hat: 'hurra
for Henry Clay and the Union,' which
brought in front of him finty little fellow
muttering between his teeth, 'whccray for
Jim Yarby aud nullifi -ation and dang your
buttons, and gave him dig under the
short ribs. Quite astonishcd again he asked
leave to make an explanation, which was
that he 'was Nulliticr all over, ard which
he confirmed by treat to all such After
these two lessons he never developed his
political status until he had sounded the
locality and then he fell in with the majority,
looking we'll always TO his personal safety.
Myers dealt only in the finest stock and his
customers were the aristocracy who always
had opinions. He always had fine PAGERS
and trotters, and to introduce them he was
neither avcrse nor afraid to stake a little on
them. About 1913 he brought with others
q PAGER for which he asked $500 (and L
think sold him for that to John Campbell
MARTINI and ohs!Isngsa With hR fqS fSoasBea
AbbcvilIe. The challenge was accepted for
fifty yards by two nabobs and patrons of
the short turf from upper Trckem, one OF
was Eli jenkins Davis, prince of that
realm, with the privilege of substituting a
PAGER with two legs and two arms, huge
fellow with bale feet and coperas brceches
named George Washington Scoggns, pres
ent. The gallant Kcntuckian didn't want
a safer bet The stake was S25 on each side
and would have been any higher amount
the Trickcaites could have borrowed
They piled oil they had or could get. The
ground was measured in the fiat on the An
derson road above Judge Warda VS.. A,
the signal Scoggins struck on his hands
from leap ten feet in front, threw out hi.
legs (frog fashion) and gave squall from
which Myers charger, ridden by himself
ran back, and before spurs could bring hin
again to the starting point the stakes werc
won by the man-paccr passing out. Tho
Kentuckian threw up his hat declaring h,
had never won race that afforded him hal
the satisfaction as loosing that, and asked
leave to add to it gallon of peach brandy
He said Abbeville was renowned for hcl
, Calhoun and other great men, and now he
could add his personal testimony to its jus
tice and truth.
! 1t was said by him that he hired Scog
G gins. and took him to Edgefeld and wor
j back with him double his loss in Abbcvillc
n l-abbeyWc Press and Banner.