Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-09-26
BUSY BEES IN A HOTEL.
A Drummer's Lively Experience
In a Southwest Georgia Town.

~ DFunfnoT Lively experience
In a Southwest Georgia Town.
"Did you ever see bees making honey
in no tel?" The question was put to
Savannah News reporter by a travel
ing man who had just returned from a
six W eeks' trip through the southern
portion OF Georgia.
II wouldn't have believed" he con-
tinued, THAT people and bees could
live together, but l have seen it with
my own eyes, and am convinced that
they can. Last week, as | was making
my return trip to Savannah, stopped
over at Oglethorpe and l spent the
night in that industrious little town at
the Drummers' Home, the only hotel
there. 1t is kept by Judge Willis, the
largest merchant and one OF the wealth
lest men in southwest Georgia l was
sitting out on the front porch just after
supper, smoking Il cigar, and kept
hearing rumbling noise, as il water
were pouring of some place. The
sound came and went at intervals, and
sometimes | could hear 1t distinct
enough 10 almost tell, l thought, what
it was. From the artesian we'll situated
in the center of the town, runs small
stream. 1t runs down a hill over
rocks and pebbles, making n rumbling
noise like that OF "a brook. and forms a
branch further down the hill. and the
ripping of the little stream is heard
at the business houses.
II got up and walked down to the
south end OF the porch, imagining that
could smell the sweet fragrance of the
violets and honeysuckles on the branch,
when a bug rs | supposed, whizzed by
my head. | threw my hand up to my
head when something lighted on it
/ wasn't frightend, but skittish OF bugs.
/ made n desperate brush at the insect
with my left hand and struck 1t. 1t
did not fall dead to the floor as l ex-
pected. It's sting was in my hand and
the poor thing could not get loose.
The sensation was unnerving, and with
an energetic use OF my cap | got rid OF
it. 1t was bee. l smelled him and
his scent was abroad. l leaned up
against a column to get breath after the
experience and Jared the post consid-
erably. | stopped down TO pick up my
cap, and when | Strengthened up | ran
my head into bee nest There were
more bees than / ever felt before.
They pitched on my face and head,
and as fast as one would sting he gave
place to the next one, who gave me a
whack. ran into the room and in
some way they got the bees of OF me.
/ remained over in Oglethorpe two
days-that was longer than | expected
to stay, but / wanted to stay until my
fondness for the place 'swaged down
to its natural size.
1.-TWO days afterward, O few hours
before | was going 10 leave, i thought
/ would take last look at the 'fated
spot | found the column against
which | leaned, and the first thing
that attracted my attention was the
rumbling noise that heard two nights
before. Looking at the top of the post
saw bunch Of bees that would have
filled my hat. They were going in and
out of a crack in the post just as they
go in and out of a gum. They were
making honey. Ihad made a discovery.
/ made known what | had seen TO the
proprietor of the house. He investi-
gated it and found that the column,
which is about 10 feet high and inches
in diameter, was fnll of honey up TO
within two feet of the top. After cal
culating awhile we found that the col
umn contained over 200 pounds oil
honey. 1t was a find Of between $50
and 500. Nobody had ever seen the
bees before. and Notwithstanding the
rumbling noise had attracted the atten-
ton of numbers of people they attrib ut
ed tho sound to the branch just as
did. was told that the bees would be
robbed of their honey the next day if |
would remain over, but was two days
behind and had to pull out The two
families live peaceably together now |
am told, and no hostility will be mani
tested until the post gets full OF honey.
then the whites will begin pillaging
and robbing."