The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-10-28
Guv Soliloquises on His Visit to
1.-The City of Sumter and Writes
on Ancient History.

sob, ior lodge in some vast wilderness,
some endless contigui'y of shade" where all
this twaddle of hard gold or softest silver
talk ssshall reach me nevermore. ."-Hez.
4-l5.
We've lately been transient resident OF
our own beautiful city of Sumter, volunteer
resident, and we've speot some Of the pleas
ATTEST days of our later life in the enjoy yment
of the hospitality and kindnees of the private
citizens and.the entertainment of the Jervey
House and Ed Carpenters. I'VE didu't quite
reash the ssNixon." Hope to do so later
We've been cordially welcomed and kindly
treated by all and have some invitations still
IN reserve and they are accepted and the en-
eagements will be fulfilled so sure as we can
travel back to town. We are more than eyer
anxious to be:ome acquainted with the good
people of our towu just now when there seems
an imminent probability of a line being es-
tabiished which will make Us inhabitants of
foreign country. We'd make mighty poor
alienIust now. We've noted the city under
all conditions, from the crisp and early hours
when the darkness is giving BIRTH to another
young day and the streets are empty save
lone ADD tired sentinel or an early wege earn
er whose hurried footsteps make a,shacp and
echoipg click upon some distant psvestones;
along the later aud lighter houvs as the elec-
trio lamps go out and toe town slowly wakes
and the laborers appear, thus the early saes-
man. At the ninth hour when the bank
doors unclose aud the days whirr is getting
under way, and as it gathers way, and along
the bright hours of the busy day, while tie
marts are thronged with the buyers and the
sellers, aod the buses and the bugg:es and
bicycles msreuver for right of way in The
swarming streets and invoke blue and hsrn-
less benedictions upon each other, while the
dry goods stores are dealing out comfort toT
the outer man aud the drug stores and dis
pensary deal confusion to the inner man. In
the waning hours, when the rustic customer
puts bis alleged critter 20 the wagon ard
his Ok cri,.er in his pocket and wends his
way to the first spring or well on the road to
his rural home and then and there spiles
drink of-good spring water, while the tired
clerk emerges from behind the counter to
catch breath Of pavement air. After the
closing hour, when the throngs have disap-
peared and Mercury is dethroued and Vesta
and Cupid assume the sway ecd domesticity
and sociability and varied pleasures rale,
until the dead still hours again. We have
witnessed the multitude Of brothers and sis
ters IN black who gathered to listen to some
latter day, 32od degree, % carat, zero dsma-
gogue, orate to them sll day and we saw out
one drunk map and he was white and from
our own side of the country, and We do un-
hesitatingly assert that our city is the most
peaceful, qsie, and law abiding town we
have ever spent the same number of days and
nights in, but we can remember when the
place was even more calraaud peaceful than
now, Wien there was no railroad or tele-
graph, or telephoae, or electric lighta. Or
water works except a long handle wood
pump-wben real estate was cheaper and
Ticker was better and credit was easier, wheo
Sumtervilie was large sandy x roads with
the Jail opposite the Court House AID A.
White & Co., (uo,6 present Hon. Anthony,
he is young Aas'ny), comprised the present
Reid block, and Jackson Moses the Hytten:-
burg corner and Perry Moses the present
Scott corner, and afterwards the Solomon
(Jake aud Gus) the O'Donue! house, and
Harss the Barnett house, and there was
China's Hotel on the China block, and old
Fed Myers kept genuine old time tavern on
the S. D G Company's corner, with ''enter-
tainment for man and BEAST" aad its yawu-
ing Ere place, and sauded floor, and odiferous
tap room, where were dispensed the choice
vintages and pure (not chemically. Bah!)
distilled liquors from ali parts of the world,
uataxsd, unlicsased and un-X-ed.
Sumter then seemed to be finished a1d
completed town The most Distinguishing
evidence OF $40 arrlvsl In town was the scent
from the stables combined With the aroma of
Principes (6ne Havana cigars) and the fra
GRANGE Of Eau de vie aud Madeira and SIGH
Welt, we'll, these days belong to the dead
past The old laad marks are disappearing,
and, like the old trees near the Judge Moses
mansion, will soon be removed as unsigbtly
We must have some little cf the esthetca in
our composition for we were very 10th to sac
those grand old oaks come down and felt like
bowling sew Woodmau spare that tree" But
they showed signs Of decay and disturbed the
blamed w;ree, and Mr. Trioble twas ahead of
us. We remember, in the "Lang Sy that
Cel1mbin was proverbial for ITS pretty
women snd handsome horses; but, we should
say Columbia would have to yield the pain,
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