Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1885-08-20


however, they were blissfully ignorant.
At dawn We sought q place to wash,
and then looked out to see what sort
of town we were stranded in. Flor.
snce is the worst scattered, most lone.
some looking town, I ever was in. 1t
is in a dreary, sandy, level country,
and while occupying an area equal
almost to that of the city. of Augusta,
has only two thousand inhabitants.
There are extensive R. R. Shops here,
/ WAS told, and most of the inhabit-
ants are in one way or another EN-.
ployed by the Railroads. I saw sew
srsl church steeples in the distance.
bat no fine residences.
By invitation, all the delegates on
board the Oheraw and Darlington
train, which we boarded at Florence
at six o'clock, were to stop over till 8
o'clock that evening, and take in the
floral and fruit fail. at Darlington O.
q. We reached this place about
eight. We-or rather solne of the
generals and oolonels--ssemed to ex-
pect a committee to meet and escort
ns to the hotel; but there had been
a. hitch in the arrangements somehow,
and no committee appeared. When
we got to the hotel, mine host and
his vassals were "struck all Of heap"
by such an inundation Of hungry
farmers-so called. Hs had had no
notice of our coming, and breakfast
was to be prepared ab initio.
All, then and there was hurrying to and
gathering ffowns and signs ofempa-
ness."
The hotel folk did the hurrying,
and Cheatham and Prescott did their
share Of the frowning. Neither had
had anything to eat since dinner the
day before, and both are good trench.
ermen. Their feelings can better be
imagined than described l rarely
ever eat any supper. and it being q
little beyond my usual breakfast time,
I felt more amused at the woful plight
of my fellow travellers than grieved d
for my own condition. But when the
grand rush was made as the breakfast
was announced, I was no lsggard; /;
and being old hands at the business,
we Edge6eld f9R ,. let those anxious
to secure a seat. fake the frat that Of.
fered near the dining room door.
Then we marched straight on down to
the table nearest the kitchen door,
knowing thatit was easier to intercept
e waiter than to get him to pass BY
fifty other scowling. hungry men to
wait on ns; and waitsss were noue
too many. There had been q wager
made by our Edge6eld Col. and DR..
as o\which would eat most, and I
rEaa ii dsOids. ! kept close count
One thing is certain though; that no
tel man lost money on those two
And those rnfortunates who were lasi
to get into the dining room, returned
with a hungry glare in their eyes
Having tasted of Darlington's hos
pitality. the grangers and farmers, all
except myself, who remained at the
hotel to do some writing, went to the
fair grounds, on the outskirts Of the
village, and, 80 they told me, had q
very pleasant time, and a nice picnic
dinner. After admiring the fruit.
they ate it up; and game Of base
ball helped to amuse them till train
time, hall past three. Darlington is
a very pretty village, with many
beautiful residences and fine shade
trees. The new cotton factory. built
of brick and run by steam, adds to
the thrifty. businass like appearance
of the place; and the surrounding
country is fine farming land.
The evening train from Florence
brought nearly all the rest Of the dele
gates who were coming, and when
our crowd got on at the fair grounds.
the three coaches had about all they
could seat. A committee Of reception
had come down from Bsnnsttsville,
with printed slips ON which the name
of every delegate. and the home as.
signed him, was put; they passed
through the coaches, adding aHy new
names, and telling each man where
he was to get off and who would take
charge of him. Society Hills the sta.
tion nearest to Bennettsville, and
about half of us got off there. But
the Pee Dee River had to be crossed
here on a fat, and this being tedi.
ous job, with so many vehicles, the
rest went on to Oheraw, sixteen miles
from Bennettsville, where there Is q
good bridge over the stream. Much
to our regret, DR.. Prescott had been
assigned to a separate home. and our
trio wac thus separated. We reached
Cheraw about 6 P. NJ, and Mr.. j. II.
McLaurin. a most promising and go.
NAL young lawyer, who was TO take
charge of US, was there with carri.
age and spanking pair Of sorrels. to
meet us. Young Mr. MoKsrall, of
the Cotton Plant, did the introducing,
and accompanied us in the carriage,
and our host soon had US whirling
over the smooth Lowell road towards
our destination. As the depot is on
the outskirts of the town, and the
road to the bridge over the Pee Dee