The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-01-23
SARGE PLUNKETT.
Christmas Is Over and tho Farmers Have
Gone to Work for Another Year.
atlanta Constitution.

atlanta Constitution.
The fun and frolic and fuss and
furry of the Christmas holidays has
about ceased and the people have gone
to work for another crop.
It does me good to see with what
energy the young people have begun
the new year. The pasture fences are
being repaired, briars cut and rocks
piled. This next week every plow
will be running, gardens will be start
ed, manure hauled out and the rural
districts of old Georgia will be the
scene of clustering industry from now
until planting time. Though two
fresh graves are to be seen in our lit
tie settlement graveyard-one that Of
an aged lady, the other that of a small
child who had just came among us,
and the further misfortune Of one lit
tie boy getting his arm shattered in a
rabbit hunt-despite Of this, the holi-
days have been mixed with considera-
BILE merriment and the usual romping.
Three couples have married-one a
runaway match. The venerable old
Hardshell, Elijah Webb, united the
"runaways" and after the ceremony
turned the ''big ROOM Of his house
over to the young folks, to the number
Of thirty, and the night was spent in
the innocent plays of Christmastide-
such plays as receive the sanction of
the good old preachers and as cheer.
the hearts Of all and leaves no sting
for the morrow.
OF course we old folks cannot join
in plays and sports as we used to join,
and I suppose that is why we are most
in general striving by comparison to
make the old times the best times.
In this connection we have had re-
vived an incident Of a Christmas in
the forties, which will vie in rudeness
with anything of the present age.
About the year 1846 or 1847, on
Christmas, there was runaway match
planned to take place between here
and the Stone mountain. Ihe day
of Christmas was spent at the noun
tain by the young men who partici-
pated in this cruelty. All day long
this rowdy crowd had engaged in the
sports common at such places in that
day and time. "Gander pulling"
shooting at turkeys-sometimes shoot
ing for beef, was common sport on
such an occasion, and, of course, there
was no contact with females to lesson
the participation in the strong drinks
Of the times. By the time for our
crowd to start home, among whom was
a wild brother Of the bride to be, they
were all pretty we'll filled with whis-
key and had plenty more along in bot
ties as reserve. We must leave this
rowdy crowd along the road to their
homes, singing, shooting and bowling
in manner fully up to anything
modern, in order to introduce the
bridegroom that was to be, and who
was the sufferer before the night was
through.
This young man-this bridegroom
to be-was what was called in those
days a "Sunday school scholar -
That means that he had always been
moral boy and had ever refused to join
in any sports with an immoral faint.
This should have recommended him,
it seems, as u suitable son-in-law, but
it did not. There had been sort Of
a feud between the older set of the
families, and thus the trouble.
But upon this Christmas night these
young people we're to steal away and
get married. The young man was on
his way and the young lady was al
ready waiting for the signal which
would be soon given and away they
would fly to some good old preacher
and be made one forever. The signal
was given and the young people did
fly, but they we're not feet enough to
escape this set Of rowdies, who made
their appearance just as the old peo-
pie discovered that their daughter was
gone. The brother, wild and impetu-
GUS always, was now made doubly so
by his drunken associates and the
effects of his own dissipation. AS
wild as Comanche Indians the pursuit
began. The fleeing couple soon heard
the pursuers and strained every nerve
to escape. In vain the young girl
plead with her lover to leave her alone
and save himself. This he rightly re-
fused to do and faced his pursuers
standing beside the girl he had chosen
for wife. 1t was short work for the
brother to part the lovers. In a few
minutes she was on the road back to
the home she was striving to leave,
while the groom to be was waiting for
the unreasonable rowdies to decide
what they were to do with him.
At last the verdict came-he was to
be thrown from the top Of Stone noun
tain. After this decision was reached
the crowd took drinks from their bot
ties and the march was taken up for
the mountain. Arriving upon the top
of the mountain, counsel was held
by the rowdies and more drinks were
passed around. After drinking sew
eral times they were nerved for their