The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-07-09
A FESTEMOUS OCCASHUN.
Picknicking in Peace Among
the Folks in the Low
Country.

reached Bibbsville on a Friday ven
ing, and had hardly entered the queer
old place when l learned that there was
to be a picnic out at 'the falls the next
day. Everybody was as much excited
as on the eve of a Fourth of July, and
the colored people could hardly hold
themselves down. The Widow Baker,
at whose house / found lodgings, had
been cooking for the last three days, and
it was. with a fitting Ems of dignity that
she informed me of the fact that she was
ssthe committee boss ON whites to eat"
During the evening a number of men
dropped in, and after a bit the commit
tee on arrangements got together to per-
feet some details.
"Now, then, you JIM" said the chair
man, as he finished making some notes
on a piece of paper, ''you are to watch
the Babcocks-the ole mar and his two
boys. They'll come fixed fur fight, and
at the fust sign of a row you'll whistle
the committee together and pile on to
EN-
"K'rect, MI. Simmons, +" answered Jim,
who was the village blacksmith.
"And you, Tom-you are to watch the
Harpers-the three boys. The ole man
is sick and won't be yere. Them boys is
ON the shute, you know, and hey got to
be squelched right on the go Off"
81 kin lick the hull passle of 'em, Mr..
Simmons" confidently replied Tom, who
kept one of the general stores.
"And you, Henry-you kinder keep
walking around and hev yer eye out fur
everybody. If you see airy man draw his
gun, jump right on to him. We can't
hev the glorious festivities of this festivi-
GUS occasion knocked eandwise by any
onery conduct"
When / asked under what auspices the
picnic was to be given, one of the COM
mittee replied:
"Wall, the three or four kinds of re-
ligun around yere hev sort o Clipped in
together, and I'm bound tharu be right
smart of sinners besides"
At an early hour next forenoon I re-
paired to the grounds, two or three miles
away, and found a good many people be-
fore me. Every sort of vehicle in use in
the south had been pressed into service,
and every sort of people and costume
were to be seen. 1t was to be a day off
for old and young, and everybody looked
as if he meant to enjoy it. The place
was wild and romantic, the weather de-
lightful, and the jubilee songs of the
darkies echoed up and down the gorge.
The first cloud arose just after the crowd
had reached the ground. The chairman
of the committee on order came to me
looking very anxious and asked:
(which 'un do you abide by?"
"What do you meanT'
(Which religun-Methodist or Bap-
tist?'
"I rather lean to the Presbyterian.
Why?"
Because one of the Baptists yere is
taking advantage of the occasion to try
and convart the ole man Parker. I say ii
don't belong. 'Tain't the time sot apart.
If he goes in then some of our Methodists
will feel to go in, too, and the whole
thing will flop over to a camp meeting.
! want you to meet up with him and tell
him he's off the bridge"
Fortunately for all, the old man Parker
announced in a loud voice that he'd whip
the man who talked religion to him on a
week day, and the occasion didn't for
over, as predicted. / soon found the
Babcocks, father and two sons. They
were plain, honest looking folks, with
nothing of the ruffian or desperate in
looks or actions, and we had been talk
ing for a quarter of an hour before any
thing was let slip. Then one of the boys
announced:
"Say, pop, ole jackson is yere."
'sHe ar, eh? How's he conductin'?'
"Oh, sorter."
"Well, if he'un wants to be healthy
he'll walk soft. l don't want to kick up
nc row around yere, cause it's a feste-
nous occashun, but he'un mustn't pre-
sumo"
"And Jerry Baker is yere, too, pop
added the boy.
"How sasserfrous fur the likes OF
jerry to show up yere! How's he con
ductin'?'
"Fairish."
"Well, don'tyou shute onIess he draws
fust. It's afestemous occashun, and dead
folks lying around takes off the edge OF
a pusson's appetite"
"And Tom Straker is over thar, pop,'
continued the son.
docs he'un dare show up we're as big
as life? How'she conductin'T'
'Tolerable."
'"Then tell Jack to go slow. Jack wants
a pop at him, and it's his bounden duty
to hev it, but he needn't be so awful
hurryish about it. If thar's any row yere
the ole woman will be sartin to cotch a
bullet, and then wen hev her to wait on
all the fall. Am I right, stranger!"
"You areI'
"'Tain't the occashun fur shootin'?"
mo"
THAT'S what I say. Let's enjoy our
selves as much as possible doorin' the
day, and then do our shoctin' an KILN
on the way home"
By and by l found the three Harper
boys smoking their pipes under a tree,
and n of them put a revolver out of
sight as I came up.
eyes, it's a fine day." said Henry, the
oldest, "and l hope Their won't be no
'misbehaving."
N"Why should there be-"
"Well, that ar Ben johnson has
showed up an ar steppin' too high fur a