The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-03-25
MAJOR J. NJ. RICHARDSON
Has Arrived Home Safely, and Gives
Us al Account of His Trip.

Has Arrived Home Safely, and Gives
Us al Account of His Trip.
Editor Times:-We left Manning at
9:15, Saint Patrick's Day in the
morning" and homeward sped, bag
gage checked to Columbia to facil-
itate matters at Sumter, where we
hoped to find through tickets and
checks ready for US. We we're disap-
pointed; and learning that we would
not have time to get Through tickets
and checks at Co'u nbia, we bought
tickets to Atlanta, our conductor
kindly consen'ing to arrange about
checks for our baggage to the same
place.
On then we went, via Columbia,
Newberry, Clinton, EIlerton and
Athens to Atlanta, which we reached
on time; Gas p. M, without accident
or any other incident worthy of spec
ical note.
In Atlanta we soon found that we
could not leave over the Vicksburg or
New Orleans route before morning;
and, as time was an element of i'm
porta1ce to Us, We were shut up-to
the Memphis route. This "Hob-
sons choice was perfectly satisfac-
tory to Mrs. R, who dreaded crossing
the Gather of waters" on anything
else than a blidge-fearing even that
manner of passage over the great
stream.
From Manufacturing at $40 p
NJ, central time, our ticket took us
to Chattanooga, to Nashville, to Mem.
phis, to Texarkana, to Pittsburgh
which last place we arrived about IL
m. on Thursday, March 19, and where
only is miles from home, We had to
wait until $40 p. m., when, taking q
local, We started again, reaching Dain.
gerfeld about Ais p. m., central time,
or 5:15 p. N. eastern or Manning
time. We made the run in I'd. Sh.,
counting in various detentions at diff
ferent connecting points, which de.
tentions amounted in all to at least
12h.
Our route was quite circuitous as
to geographical lines, but the short
est in time we could find, verifying
the paradox;cal old age-"The long
est way around is often the shortest
way home" Distance, nowadays,
is reckoned in hours rather than in
miles; and it is curious fact, veri-
fed by experience, that the distance
from A to B, places far apart in miles,
is not always the same as the distance
from B to A, when the distance each
way is reckoned in hours: that is, the
time required to traverse the miles
from A to B is not always the same
as the time required to traverse the
miles from B to A.
Our trip was marred by neither &C.
cident nor loss of connection, nor was
it marked by any incident of special
note. The weather was not unfavor-
able, conductors and other officials
were polite and attentive, ard every
thing proceeded tremendously though
all the track was not smooth, nor
every coach and waiting-room as tidy
as it might have been. But what's
the use of finding fault? Railroads
and railroad officials are often un-
mercifully abused. How could we
get along without them? Although
they are not perfect, they are great
conveniences-indispensable, in fact,
and as nearly perfect no doubt, as
their abusers are.
At Memphis several young "Saw-
bones," as Sam Weller calls them,
boarded the train and mada our
coach lively, but not in an unpleasant
way. Whilst chatting along the route
a medical incident was related, some
what as follows:
DR.. practiced medicine for
many years with more or less success.
firing of dosing men with boluses
be determined to stuff them with sau-
sages. Accordingly be retired from
the practice of medicine and opened
tavern, waiting himself at the table
upon his guests. Full of fun and
quips and quirps, he one evening
excited the ire of a testy stranger at
supper, who, laying aside bis knife
and fork, looked angrily across the
table at the Doctor and exclaimed
"I'll have you to know, sir, that ]
have killed my man" "And I'll have
you to know, sir, roared the Doctor
in reply, "that I have killed many a
mani"
The stranger glared at the Doctor,
who was of massive frame, hesitated,
but finally resumed his knife and
fork, finished his supper, paid the
host the customary half dollar and
departed peaceably. How the Doc
tor had killed his "many a man,
whether with bolus or sausage o,
with some other weapon, be did not
explain, and be was, no doubt, wei.
satisfied with the success of his bluff
But I must not kill you and your
readers with prosy letter, and SC
I'll close.
Respectfully,
JOIN NJ. RICHARDSON.