Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-08-27
THE SANTA FEE PICNIC.
A Monster Crowd and Provender
Enough to Feed Twice as Many
1The Picnic of the Year.

MEXICO, Mo-, August 21.-Wnl vol
please allow a citizen to bear testi
mony to the excelIent-yea, the ex
traordinarily excellent-picnic givel
by the citizens of Santa Fe and vicin
ity on Wednesday. ] am told that i
has been the habit of the good peopl,
OF that community for years past Il
give an "outing" in this way to theil
friends and the public generally, anC
having heard that they conducted
them in first-class style, I concluded
i would go Wednesday and see how
they did acquit themselves.
About Z O'Clock quite a party o.
ladies and gentlemen left Mexico be.
hind one of Hisey's good teams
driven by that accomplished and po'
lite driver whom everybody callt
"Lee," and in the cool bracing air we
sped on our way over the smooth
prairie roads in the direction of the
quiet little village of Santa Fe, in
Monroe County, about IS miles north
or northeast of Mexico.
We had not gone far before we saw
that others, like ourselves, had an
ticipated a "good time" and in the
distance we saw Duggles, Surveys and
wagonettes by the dozen heading in
the same direction, and frequently
looking backward we a others
bringing up the rear-all in the %jolliest
mood possible. / could but say to
myself what a good thing it is for a
community as well as for an individ-
ual to have a good name!
We arrived at the picnic about 1C
O'Clock, and, behold at least 5000,
perhaps more, people had already ar
rived and were having a jolly good
time. By IL O'Clock the crowd was
swelled to 1000 Or perhaps 5000. AL
classes were represented and all
"hands and the cooks" were in the
best of humor and everything seemed
to say, "Now for a royal time" The
Mexico band boys were "doing them
selves proud" and all were compli-
hiChtAhS bhCh hihblS III WIG hlshCot
terms. The fact Is, the Mexico band
boys know how to acauit them
selves with credit, and they do it,
too, whenever and wherever they go.
The "Forest City" of Northeast Mis-
souri, should be, and indeed is, proud
of her band boys.
The first thing hat struck the
writer with powerful force was wagon
loads, at least forty, | venture TO say,
Of baskets, boxes, trunks and "things"
securely hidden from sight by nicely
wrapped white cloths. / looked
around as l walked about and saw
tables and tables and tables; some
were the regular extension dining
tables, made Of polished oak, covered
with damask linen. Excuse me, Mr..
Editor, but l must tell the truth; 1
learned how years ago when away
back in old Kentucky. My appetite
''riz" right there, and to tell the
whole truth, Mr.. Editor, it kept on
rising, for a recollection of days gone
by told me that those baskets, boxes,
and trunks and ''things' 80 nicely
wrapped had in them something good
to eat, and as the water came to my
mouth l tried 10 recall Bulwer's lines:
"Man may live without poetry, music
and art,
He may live without conscience, and
1--we without heart;
He may live without friends, and live
without books,
But civilized man cannot live without
cooks.
He may live without iove-what is
passion but pining?
But where is the man who can live
without dining"
The grounds, like Gods first tenn
pies, are situated on a level plat of
land beneath high forest trees that
gave ample shade for the immense
crowd. l don't believe better grounds
could be found in the United States
than the Santa Fe picnic grounds.
Some one, or perhaps more than one,
ia Justly entitled to great credit for
the arrangements of the grounds and
of the orderly management of every
thing was superb.
Gen. d. H.. Mcintyre, at II o'clock,
was introduced at the speakers stand
to the immense crowd, and he "open-
ed up" q regular old ten-inch column
biad on Sedalia's movement to take
the capital of Missouri from Jefferson
City, and the sold fellow" was in dead
earnest, too. He made the woods
ring, and people listened well. Now
and then some one would say: "Look
here, they told me old Mack was
played out, and was half dead and all
that; but did you ever7 Why, sir, his
old fire has just got kindled up afresh,"
ard with a wink of the eye and a nod
of the head he would laugh like it did
him good to see "old Mack" talk as
In days OF yore.
But / must tell the whole truth as /
60 along. "Mack" made a fine
speech; he had the crowd; no doubt
about it. But after about an hour
and half one could see people carry
ing those boxes and trunks and
"things" and they began to get in
position, like the boy who asked the
gentleman while taking lunch for a
pinch of salt-just to be ready should
the said luncher offer him an egg.
While Gen. Mcintyre was speaking
about 81 gentlemen Il counted As and
quit quietly went around and through
the crowd inviting everybody to
come and stake something" and be-
fore they got through the General
didn't have but thirteen hearers, and
they for the sake of %politeness sat in
their seats; but their eyes were turn
ed in another direction. "Home,
Sweet Home" has never failed to
bring a tear to eyes when sung in
proper tone and with proper feelings;
the familiar sound Of drum and hugle,
sounding the charge, never fails to
awaken feeling of the purest patriot
ism In the bosoms of old soldiers; and
that grand old song, my Old Ken
lucky Home" never fails to ''arouse
e A. Gllx-l 81 L-~l-i