The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-07-14
Syrup Scatters a Street Throng.

A young man with high collar, blue
tie and immaculate duck suit was
leaning languidly against the tele-
phone post directly in front of Nun
nally's corner waiting for a car. He
looked us if he had just sprung from
a bandbox. By his side stood a mid
dle-aged man, with the bearing of a
minister. He wore a black broad
cloth suit, with high silk hat. To all
appearances he was also waiting for a
car.
Coming up the street was an old
mule-one of those skinny, sleepy
looking Georgia mulcs-pulling adray,
on which was a barrel Of New Orleans
syrup. The barrel was not steadfast
in the wagon and it rocked on the
himsy boards like a ship in a rough
sea. The dray neared the corner of
Marietta and Broad streets and at a
moment when the barrel was not FIVE
feet from the two men on the corner,
there was a terrific explosion. The
end Of the barrel flew skyward, throw
ing a sticky spray Of syrup in every
direction, the most Of which landed
on the man in a white suit, complete
ly covering him from head to foot.
The only part Of his anatomy untouch-
ed was the back of his ears. He was
literally covered with sweetness. The
reverend gentleman was also covered
with drippings from his hair to his
toes. The gang nearby Immediately
set up a howl Of delight and the youth
licked his face as best he could with
his tongue, entered a cab and drove
! away. The other unfortunate was the
.ynosure of all eyes for perhaps fifteen
minutes, standing dripping and sweat
ing on the corner, when his a came
along, and taking a seat all to him
self, he, too, disappeared.
But this was only the prologue to
the exciting drama.
The belgian blocks in the neighbor-
hood of the catastrophe were literally
covered with syrup and were slicker
than ice. After the first excitement
had died away, a bicycler in golf
stockings, up-to-date paraphernalia
and cap, pedalled gracefully around
the corner from Broad Street. He
was a well-known physician, who was
once on the hospital staff. The crowd
held their breath as the rider ap-
preached the fatal spot, and it was
several minutes before they could re-
alize what had happened, for the ri
der steed shot out from under him
like q skyrocket and he was holding
close communion with the syrup on the
ground. The bricks were so slick he
could hardly get up, and he was COW
cred with a thick coating of syrup
from head to foot. He bowed grace
fully to the crowd, however, and
rode off to the tune of rousing cheers.
But no sooner had this act subsidized
than another wheelman, equally as
graceful, and as ignorant of his ap-
preaching doom, few at a rapid pace
around the corner and bore stright for
the syrup district. He probably
weighed in the neighborhood Of two
hundred-and he was not the presi-
dent Of the bicycle path, either. Po-
lice Dobbins made a frantic effort to
warn the pcdaller of his danger, but
he was too late-and great was the
fall thereof. He struck in the very
deepest puddle of syrup. which
splattered it in every direction
again and struck the white skirt,
of an eager onlooker. considera-
bly, changing her tune. The fat rider
mumbled something that would not
look we'll in print, and squeezing the
syrup from his long whiskers, mount
ed his wheel again and rode off,
fortunately nothing hurt except his
clothes.
But wait
In less than five minutes a pretty,
young girl came spinning down Broad
street. She wore a smart little cap
and up-to-date costume. The police
man was on the other side of the dan
ger spot, warning cyclers to go around
and consequently never saw this fair
wheelwoman fast approaching an aw-
full doom. Some sympathetic creature
in the crowd yelled, "what a pity!'
and another hoarsc voice cried out,
"let 'er go, Gallagher" The John
MES were at the height Of expectancy
and a few more falls would have wiped
up all the syrup, but the young wo:
man, with wonderful intuition, guided
gracefully to the left and sped past
the scene of holocaust to the disgust
Of many of the gang.-Atlanta Con-
stttutiOn.