The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-10-03
SARGE pLUNKETT.
The Old-Time Wagoners and how they
Used to gather at Hamburg.
atlanta Constitution.

ever since the house raising, Dut L
can't see why am so gloomy-it is
the rain, I suppose, and the east wind
combined.
In these gloomy moods an old man
soon finds himself travelling along the
paths Of his early life and it is hard
from comparing candidates then with
now. Brown has been trying to keep
out of these ruminations by looking
at the show pictures which fill the pa
pers, but even these show pictures
flashed his memory backward and be-
fore he knew it he was talking about
Joe Sweeney, the great old-time negro
minstrel and banjo-picker. Before he
could convince me that old Joe was the
man who invented the banjo, he was
singing as he patted his feet:
"Old Joe kicking up behind and beto',
Pretty girl kicking up behind old Joe."
No use trying to keep old folks
from going back into the past. Brown
and l gave it up after the morning
was nearly gone and sat down by the
fire, lit our pipes and then went at it
right.
Brown caught himself pulling the
line for "gee' pull as we talked Of
the old wagoning days to Hamburg,
and I could seemingly hear the bells
tingling on the leaders as they step
ped proudly down the streets Of the
old town that is no more. Hamburg
was a town just across the river, in
South Carolina, from Augusta, and it
was there the old time wagoners used
to journey and gather together from
two States-Gcorgia and Carolina.
The old town has long since lost its
Importance, but there are yet few
living who used to 60 there to market
and can remember the old time wago-
ners who gave the place it's prosperi-
ty. The young cannot understand
what this great wagon trade was for a
town nor what an important factor the
old-time WAGNER was in the commerce
of the country.
Hamburg, Charleston, Richmond,
these places used to be named togeth-
er, and perhaps the price Of building
railroad bridge swept Hamburg
from the charts Of business and gave
to Georgia the proud city Of Augusta.
Little did the old Hamburg people
think that a little squeaking engine
could divert from them the trade Of
the old wagoners-of course it was
never dreamed that the day would
come when, these wagoners were not
necessary.
People were crazy about cotton in
those days as they are now. They
raised cotton then to buy negroes.
More negroes, more negroes. and a
cutting and slashing of the lands to
raise cotton for the purpose. This is
where Richmond came init was the
great negro market. Negro "specula-
tors" were as common at1Hamburg in
those days as the horse droyers are in
Atlanta to-day. The Spectators
hurried the money back to Richmond
to replenish their stock just as the
horse drovers send their money back
to Kentucky for more horses. Rich
mond survives-on war record, sup
pose-and even an earthquake could
not wipe out Charleston, but old Ham
burg is thing Of the past, and all be-
cause it took a. bridge to make it the
terminus of railroad.
With the old wagoners has gone
much of the pride in good horse flesh.
A good team was something to be
proud of in old times. Railroads
killed the usefulness of these teams,
and made the old wagner a back
mum Der by laying down the goods
right at our doors. The railroad men
have no such feeling for their engines
as the old WAGNER had for his team.
Shovel in the coal! Burn her outl
Make the schedule! All business
with the railroader: There was
warm affection between the old wagon
er and his horses. After hard hill
the team was rested and the old wag-
oner would walk round and pat his
horses and stroke his horses and talk
good to them. They lived together on
the road and knew each other as well
as people know.
Salt, sugar, coffee and bagging was
the principal freight with these old
wagoners. Sunday clothing was all
the trade in dry goods. 1t was never
thought of to haul corn, meat, hay.
The country was full of corn, full of
meat and plenty of ''roughness."
Every settlement had its lanyard,
its shoe, wagon and blacksmith shops.
Many settlements had their own hat
makers, gunsmiths, harness and sad
die makers. Fine saddles and Eng
lish twist guns were sent away for Of
tener than anything else. Every man
must have saddle and the women a
side saddle, and how these young peo-
pie did like their saddle nags. There
is none of this now; 5 cents on the
street car or a spring upon a bicycle
and away they go. Hang the horse
he eats-and hang the long trailing
riding skirts which the girls wore in
those days-old fogyism, these things.
They don't want no trailing skirts on
these bicycles, and while the boys
have adopted long stockings they tell
girls are soon to adopt socks, and I
guess it won't be long till they are
having their "socklcss" among them.
This leads me up to where it should
be plain that the horse needs friend
or he is soon to be thing Of the past.
The fact is the horse is no longer
needed. Conditions have so changed
that he, the horse, stands a "back
number" but who is there that can
lay their hand upon their heart and
say that the country has been benefit
ed or the people made happier?
There is but one place left for the
horse to fill where he receives any
thing like admiration for his powers.
The race track is all that can keep the
horse from passing away. l know
there are those who would throw up
their hands at this, but the race track
must become as popular and as COM
mon as they used to be or the horse is
gone. Georgia farmers are just now
beginning to throw their best energy
into dairying. To raise colts off of
the surplus milk would make dairying