The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-07-03

family to come from London to the
exposition in these days, all to secure
bunch of thread to make the warp
for her homcspun. They never grum-
blcd at spinning their own filling,
but somehow they all wanted factory
cotton for warp.
Whole settlements of women would
have an understanding and on day
appointed would start for the factory.
Early on some morning the wagons
would begin to congregatc at some
cross roads and from there they would
60 all together to some factory, maybe
fifty miles distant. Many poor women
would join these crowds to have the
children too small to leave at home
hauled in the wagons, and thus you
may imagine that there was always
large crowd in these excursions.
From every point Of the compass in a
radius of seventy and eighty miles
these streams were forever pouring to
what new factories there was. Once
at the factory all must take their turn
to secure thread. There was nothing
to do upon arriving at the factory but
to strike camps and wait for your turn.
The managers of these factories were
compelled to organize system to pre-
vent the trouble of crowding and that
none should receive more than was
Justly her proportion of thread. 1t
may seem strange now that these wo-
men had to pay enormous prices for
thread and limited to very small
amount-pcrhaps not more than one
block-but so it was, and they had to
form in line every morning and ar-
proach the door of the factory in that
line or get no thread atall. This was
IL great hardship, for often it would
take woman two or three days to
reach tie place where the thread was
handed out. This may seem strange
to people who never "blockaded," but
it is facts, and may give you an idea
of the strides the South has made in
her factories, and if not that, it should
impress you with the Importance of
having manufactures at your own
doors.
have seen some trying scenes on
these factory expeditions, and by re-
lating some incident would be the best
way that I know to impress you with
what your southern women had to en-
counter during those troubulous times.
1t is we'll for me to state, too, that l
was along, because of my age and my
rheumatic condition.; but Tor this [
should not have been to relate this
story.
On dark and rainy night We had
struck camp on our way home from
the factory. Several of the children
began to cough croury, and we saw
that we were going to have night OF
it. The women got ready all the
remedies at hand and would have
started me for doctor at once if |
had been able to have went, but was
not, and so the night wore long. All
the tobacco in the crowd had been
used, lyc from oak ashes had been
rcsortcd to, but one little curly headed
sirl looked as if she would choke to
death in spite of everything. The
brave little mother of this child re-
solved to 60 for the doctor herself.
1t was six miles to the nearest town,
raining and as dark as Egypt. Many
4 time before I had seen this mother
squcal at q mouse or run from sha-
dow, but she was not going to let the
Group kill her little girl if she could
help it.
In less time than it has taken ne to
tell it she was on horse and was fly
ing along the road to the town OF Ze-
bulon. She plunged through h the
creeks without ever thinking whether
they would swim or not. In Hebulon
lived DR.. Caldwell, as good man as
he was a rider, and in moment him
and the mother we're in race back to
the camp. AS good a rider as the
doctor, the young mother kept in front.
all the time begging him to hurry.
The doctor had been doing his best
but when they struck the creek he
knew that it was swimming, swift and
dark. Prudence caused him to halt,
but the young mother wrung her hands
and plunged in. AS the doctor cx.
pcctcd, the current was too deep and
swift. The mothers horse was soon
plunging against being swept down
the stream; she lost her place in the
saddle and was at the mercy Of the
stream. The doctor waited no longer.
In twinkling he plunged in to save
the mother. lie swan to her and soon
had her to where they could wade.
The mother lost no time, but hurried
him out of the water and toward the
camp. The doctor was what they
called mighty dignifcd man, but he
was in trot as he came up to the
camps. and was only just in time to
save the little girl from choking to
death.
One of the factories of those days
refused to receive confederate money
for their thread, but demanded meat
or wheat for the same. There were
some eight or nine hundred women
present at the time and they resolved
to take the thread by force. They
saw the managers and offered such
money as they had, and upon being
refused, they crowded the factory and
took it. 1t might have been wrong
and it might have looked bad for these
women to take this thread, but it was
war times and it was hard times, and
they were >tinting and starving while
their husbands were fighting, and so |
suppose it was right think it was.
SARGE PLrNKETT.
a., IL. ~ thnr .lnr