Morning journal and courier., 1889-08-13
BUSY BEES IN A HOTEL.
A Drummer's Lively Experience In a
SouthWest Georgia Town.

A Drummer's Lively Experience In a
Southwest Georgia Town.
lFrom tho Savannah Newsl
"Did you ever see bees making honey in
hotel." The question was put by travel
ing man who had just returned from a six
weeks trip through the southern portion Of
the State.
'sI wouldn't have believed" he continued,
''that people and bees could live together,
but have seen 1t with my own eyes, and
am convinced that they can. LAST week, as
was making my return trip to Savannah, I
stopped over at Oglethorpe, and I spent the
night in that industrious little tswn at the
Drummers' Home, the only hotel there. 1t
is kept by Judge Willis, the largest merchant
and one of the wealthiest men in southwest
Georgia. was sitting out on the front
porch just after supper, smoking a cigar,
and kept hearing a rumbling noise, as If
/ water were pouring of some place. The
sound came and went at intervals, and some
| times I could hear it distinct enough to al
NEST toll, thought, what it was. From the
| artesian we'll, situated in the center of the
| town, runs a small stream. II runs down q
| hill over rocks and pebbles, making a rum
l bling noise like that of brook, and forms a
| branch further down the hill, and the rips
pling of the little stream is heard at the bus
mess houses.
81 got up and walked down to the south
end Of the porch, imagining that could
l smell the sweet fragrance of the violets and
| and honey-suckles on the branch, when a
bug, as I supposed, whizzed by my head.
threw my hand up to my head when some
thing lighted on It. I wasn't frightened,
but skittish of bugs. I made desperate
brush at the insect with my left hand and
struck it. 1t did not fall dead to the floor
as T expected. Its sting was in my hand
and the poor thing could not get loose. The
sensation was unnerving, and with an ener-
getic use of my cap got rid of it. It was q
bee. I smelled him and his scent was
abroad. leaned up against column to gel
breath after the experience and Jared the
post considerably. I stopped down to pick
up my cap, and when I Strengthened up
ran my head into a bee nest.' There were
more bees than I ever felt before. They
pitched on my face and head, and as fast as
l one would sting he gave place to the mex
one, who gave me whack. I ran into th'
| room, and in some way they got the bees of
off me. remained over in Oglethorpe tw'
days-that was longer than I expected t.
stay, but I wanted to stay until my fondnes
for the place 'swaged down to its natura
size.
"Two days afterward, few hours befor
was going to leave, thought would tax
| a last look at the 'fated spot I found th
| column against which leaned, and the fri
thing that attracted my attention was tt
rumbling noise that heard two nights b'
: fore. Looking at the top of the post saw
bunch of bees that would have filed my ha
| They were going in and out of crack
the post, just as they go in and out of
gum. They were making honey. ha
r made a discovery. I made known what
/. had seen to the proprietor of the house. 3
investigated 1t and found that tho column
which is about ten feet high and eight inch,
;, in diameter, was full of honey up to with
r two feet of the top. After calculatir
awhile we found that the column Col
- tanned over two hundred pounds of hone
L It was a find of between eighty and ol
O hundred dollars. Nobody had ever sc,
n the bees before, and, Notwithstanding Il
rumbling noise had attracted the attenti,
of numbers of people, they attributed &
n sound to the branch just as did. "
n told that the bees would be robbed of thu
,. honey the next day if would remain ov'
- but was two days behind and had to pl
u out. The two families live peaceably I
!, gether now, I am told, and no hestili
Il will be manifested until the post gets Fl
=. of honey, then the whites will begin p
~ laying and robbing."