Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1885-08-20
For the Advertiser
A Trip to Beanettsvllle.

ABhp - 3eaH6StSVDEs0s
Ep1roRs ADVERTISER: Descriptive
wrihng is something new to me, and
kays misgivinse as to my proving 8
success in that line, notwithstanding
your ;aattering allusion to my min.
bic pen. Twill undertake. however,
q short account Of our trip to South
Carolina q banner eonnty-agrioultu-
rally apeaking-and tall some Of the
many pleasant and funny things seen
while there and on the road. Your
readers will, ! trust. overlook any
shortcomings, saa not increase my re.
gset that Mr.. Bacon was mot one Of
our party. ! have on.one or two oe.
easions recently had my admiration
powerfully excited by his description
Of what ! saao. II be cannot "add a
tint to the rose and cen paint the
lily" just O LITTLE, he comes as near it
as any one j ever met; and his dc.
soriptive powers are certainly inimi-
table.
The delegates to the Joint Summer
Meeting at Bsnnsttsville, from our
Agricultural Society. Col. o. F. Cheat
ham, DR.. w. E. Prescott and myself,
srrnsd with our credentials and onr
railroad passes. left Trenton on Mon.
day evening. Aug. srd. little after
ssunset. Those free passes. by the
way. we're +our most important be.
lengings. Judging by the care taken
by each Of US to put them in our inner
breast pockets, safsly enclosed in en-.
velopes. And your readers who have
never ridden ON the cara on a free
pass, can only imagine the satisfac.
ton attending such travelling. 1t 10
really delightful, I tell you. And the
pleasure Of not having TO pay is en-
HANGED by the soothing consciousness
Of being a somebody, a man Of enough
Importance to obtain one Of those GOV
eted bits Of tinted paper. They say
"opan confessions are good for the
SOUL" and ! shall not pretend to deny
that that free pass was most pleas
urable addition to what has proved
one of the most pleasant trips l ever
took.
The recent copious rains, which we
found had fallen along our entire
route. made the atmosphere cool and
pleasant; and the absence of duut in
creased our satisfaction. Altogether
we commenced our journey under
most agreeable auspices.
Our coach was almost empty on the
ride iEam Trenton to Columbia, which
seats consequently iss7cs: 3 isTgs
number of delegates from the up.
country were on board, and We fell
into our places as part Of the men.
sgerie very naturally and quietly,
after sundry introductions to Colonel
this and General that. There were
no Misters, and very few Majors or
Captains aboard The truth is, from
the way military titles we're banded
about, one would have thought we
were aboard of train during war
times, and very near the army at that.
A stranger could have scarcely re,
Trained from peering under the linen
busters for sight Of the. stars and
bars, 80 much rank was called to mind.
Now myself have handle to my
name. to which have grown aceue-
toned, and while care little for the
title. I am proud of the company |
havs -ths. honor 10 command. So,
though scarcely noticed the intro.
duction by Col. O. to Ool. Fl. as "Mr.
Hllman." the repetition of the "Mr. ="
in the numerous introductions which
followed that night and the next day.
caused me a deal of modification.
Here was /. the Captain of real
Company, crack one at that, con-
stantly addressed as Mister by Gen.
erals without brigadss and Colonelu
who never had regiment. whosmiled
pasIonisingly on this nobody from
Edgefsld. while they showed very
plainly thsy felt their own import
ancs, and that they would have
been heroes had an opportunity ever
offered. Of course there were some
bona fas old Confederate officers
along. but they were not very many.
Shorn of my title, my own feelings
can only be, likened to those of a pea
cock which haslost his tail. and which,
not knowing it, commences to strut.
A backward glance, however, shows
his bright plumage gone, and he has
tens to hide his diminished head in
the nearest thicket. Cheatham had
started me off wrong; and l went to
and returned from Marlborough as
plain Mister. And I confess it was
very pleasant to hear bluff old John
Roper sing out How are you, Cap,
tain Benz" as I got off at Trenton on
my return; and I resolved if l ever
went with "Os" on another expedi'
ton among strangers, to permit no
more such cashisring.
We reached Florence at half.past
one o'clock that night, and had to lie