The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-08-05
AT THE BIG BARBECUE.
Beef, Pork and Mutton Roasted
Over Live Goals
At the Fairgrounds, With Real
Southern Auntie Cooking.
Colored Peoples Grand Celebration
Tonight There Will lee Two Brass
Bands-Incidents-

Ihere IS a big time on at the As-A
grounds among the colored people
Three churches and Jackson's Mill
tary band are giving a three days bar
becue there.
The three churches interested are the
Shiloh Baptist, st. Johns A NJ. E. and
Lane Chapel c. NJ. E.
Exposition hall is being utilized and
there are eating tables everywhere and
booths wherein fancy work, all done by
Topeka coIored people and nicely done,
too, is on exhibition. There are also
some merttoriOus samples of colored
art by. colored people.
A most elaborate programme has
been arranged for the occasion in the
way of musical and literary entertain
ment, but somehow the hot weather
warped it and about the only thing on
time was the eating, which couldn't
help be from the fact that it COW
ers the entire epoch of the barbecue.
1t is not a big old-fashiOned barbe-
cue exactly, like the one for which it
was necessary to dig trench as deep
as a grave and rods in length and steal
railroad rails on which to lay the siz-
zling oxen, but the meat order bill was
more diversified, at least, for at this one
there is beef, pork and mutton
To people who don't know how meat
is cooked at a barbecue the operation
is interesting.
In the first place a trench is dug. In
this instance it is not more than two
feet deep. It is perhaps four feet wide
and as long as the amount OF roasting
you have to do demands.
Across the pit are laid at intervals of
perhaps eight inches, thick iron rods or
pipes.
Near the pit, wood in logs is burned.
Wood is never put under the big chunks
of beef. When it has burned in the
fire at the side sufficiently to become
Goals it is then shOveled into the pit so
there is no flame there, or at least but
very little.
The meat to be roasted is cut into
quarters and roasted till the flesh is
ready to drop off the bones. Four or
five hours generally suffices and a great
deal of care has to be exercised in the
matter of keeping exact the condition
of the Goals.
Alex Mallory has charge of the roast
ing under Joe Clemens, who is master
of ceremonies at the roasting pit, and
is staying up all night to see that the
thing is done right.
It is expected that this three days
barbecue will consume two or three
beeves, six or eight hogs and three or
four sheep.
Inside of Exposition hall each church
and the band has a department with
tables. over these tables preside tur-
ban-tOpped remembrances of antebel-
lum cooking days down south, waving
green branches to keep off imaginary
f1ies-for there are no real flies on ante
bellum cooking.
The attendance at the barbecue has
been about 500 and may reach 1000 to-
night.
1t was not big yesterday on account
of the barbecue at Auburn but that
was only a one day affair.
The big feature of the celebration is
Prof. Jackson's Military band, which
has the reputation of being the best col
Ored band in the west. The professor
himself leads them and does it with a
grace and energy that would dazzle
SOusa-
Leading a band is no one-handed af-
fair with Prof. Jackson. 1t takes two
hands and a head to do it right, with a
few stray impressariO movements of
the body thrown in.
There is no cOntOrtiOn of the we'll
known "humpt ia da" that Prof. Jack
son does enunciate with daring that
often verges on foolhardiness with his
right foredngers extended at the end of
his air mOtorpathic arms.
He started out in the afternoon with
THE New Bully" That woke the peo-
pie up. In the evening he played a
large number of selections, among
which appeared to be "Ye Barbecue in
We Present Time" THE Cookstove in
the Fair Grounds THE Hunt in the
Dark Gathering and several other
highly descriptive pieces.
At different times during the celebra-
ton so far such prominent brothers as
Col. John M. Brown, Prof. r. H.
Wade, Rt. Hon. Rev. F. D. Rivers and
Rev. Mr.. Owens made desperate at
tempts to address the multitude but
the multitude preferred to eat water
melon and talk out loud and spoiled it.
In the evening the features We're the
chorus of fifty voices with the band as
accompaniment and the cOrnet solo of
John Armstrong.
This evening there will be two bands.
Gormly's will give a concert from the
will play from the band stand in the
corridor.
The barbecue will close tomorrow
evening.
Major Hudson, J. A. Troutman, Sena-
tor PETER and several others are on
the programme for addresses this
evening and tomorrow.
Rev. Mr.. Owens and Prof. Jackson
are at the head of the barbecue and
they are ably assisted by such men as
W. T Mcknight, W. L. Grant, Col. J.
NJ. Brown, Chas. Pillows, Gaitha Paige,
John Perkins, West Osteen, H. Monroe,
T. Bird, c. c. Hickerson, H. W. billiard,
r. A. Carson, J. Burton and A. J.
Jiles.
But the sisters are doing most of the