Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-09

out. A Statistician would be puzzled to
compute the number of Sunday Visl-
tors to the great camp. They were o.
all kinds. colorS and degrees. They
came in spring wagons. in sprinSless
farm wagons filled with kitchen chairs,
in buggieS. in OK carts. The whole
countryside for miles around con-
verged upon the camp by every road.
There We're picnic parties innumerable
and tiirtationS countless. But these
We're diversions for the privates. The
officers lounged in coolest undress, with
the walls of their tents opened to every
welcome breeze.
The tented city that enlivens the in
tervales and rolling slopes of Chicka-
manga, affords an endless variety OF
moving activity and novel scenes 10
the civilian spectator. 1t must be sad,
however that the civilian spectator.
who exercises the great American right
of seeing all that there is to be seen,
and who is in and about the camp IN
thousands, day after day, furnishes al
most as much interest and more
amusement than the serious, hard
working army.
The outskirts of the camp abound in
fakirs and penny catches of all de-
scriptions. They appear to he reaplnS
fat harvest from the soldiers, many
of whom have seen service on the
frontiers, far from the maddening cries
of haWkers of all sorts of useless things.
! After the monotony Of the army bean
asking the pardon of the gallant Lieut.
/ Bean of the Second Cavalry, to whom
| no personal reference is intended-and
| of the army bacon tagain with no rel
| erence to Capt. Bacon of the Seventh
| Tnfantry) such luXuries as ginger ale.
n1olasses cakes, pie and candy, ana
| even chewing gum appeal strongly TO
the palates and the jaws of these sea-
| soned veterans. The pie, the candy
the cakes and ale one may readily be-
lieve; but it does seem little extra
ordinary to behold a staiwart, sun
burned trooper from New Mexico or
Montana. grinding his sturdy jaws
upon the unmartial chewing gum with
enjoyment that approaches rapture
These inocuous sweets arc peddled
| from ig-coVered wagons. OF a deslSh
! peculiar to Northern Georgia ana
Southern Tennessee. They are spring
less. implanted, With an archeu anu
dirty canvas cover with two lohSl'u-
dinaI seats within and with step al
the tailboard. They are usually drawn
bv mules, antique. rlb-geafeo anu
1ong-eared, with caked yellow hl,'
upon their TANKS. The driver, often az
companied by his wife. and sometimes
nv his whole family of scraSgy-h
children is the enterprisin& llerchf'ii.
Such alert, commercial sagacltE, Suci
readiness to seize an opportunity, RAIN
) or SURPRISES one impressed with the
sbiftlessness of the poor white Oh the
South.
T,,,t these vendors are not the poor
whites of the mountains, for Whom 'ht
| local term is "Hill-Billies; theE are
the poor whites who live in the SUD
urbs of cities. who raise a little trucf
on their small ease-holdings.and Wheit
contact with the marts OF the clues II
inst close enough to inspire h't'
, speculation.
Rut the soldiers who deVouf liz
stock of these restaurants would llk'
, a little something strongef-h th'
, co,,ld get it. The peddlers, however
, are shrewd enough to know that me
, must not deal in goods contrapaio .
y neace. The desire of the THIRSTY ~,
: der is indicated in the legend appear
9 ingly scrawled in rude SCRIPT upon AZ
side of many of these wagons: ,"
heavens sake, bring some WHISKY "
, morrow" But the provost -marshai
yuard keeps a keen-eyed Watch owe
= these neripatetic hostelries' ana Nio'f'
tion of the DrohibitiVe regulations
f most rare.
O The athletic American soldiers III
|, Of vitality. and welcoming IKE w
: any relaxation from discipline Is y.
s not as ready to get drunk as WEI
f ling's soldiers Three. ne ~ o.,
:. rule. rather frugal, espec,ais ~
:. 49, far west. where wholesome hao
- ona Tho moderate joys of the post car
., ,l1,, l,va trained him to keep Wlth'
.s ! hounas and save his pay. NeVerth'