The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1900-06-14
SWINGING ROUND II! Circle.
People and Places Within 20
Miles of Bamberg.
FARMERS AND THEIR FARMS.

What a Staff Correspondent Of The
Herald Saw and Heard Along the
County's Highways and Byways.
EHRuARDT, S. c., June ), 1900.
have been so persiStently and contin-
uously swinging lately that my little
mare got tritle foot weary, and, for the
past day or two, she and | have been
resting up" as the guest of my friends,
the county chain gang. Up to this morn
ing they have been camped at the Rivers
Bridge memorial grounds, putting in or
der the numerous approaches to that his
toric spot BY the way, had not visited
the place since Memorial Day. The
beautiful wreaths and flowers which were
reverently laid upon the graves of our
honored dead on that occasion by the
tender, loving hands of South Cardinals
patriotic womanhood, have faded and
fallen into decay Of the floral offerings
so artistically garlanded about the speak
er's stand naught remains but the stream
ers of gray, funereal moss, fit emblems Of
life's certain dissolution and the eternal
immortality of the human soul. As l
stood leaning against the paling fence
which encloses the burial plot, my
thoughts alike sad and triumphant, a
slight rustic among the fodder rubbish
strewn under the trees attracted my at
tention. turned my eyes, and they-or
rather it, for only have sight in one
was focused upon the spot where the
merry go-round," whirled its giddy cir
Gle on Memorial Day. That annex to
the solemn and holy exercises was con-
siderable of shock to me at the time,
and intended to write something in
protest against it. I don't know by whose
authority the "fying-jinnies" were set
going and allowed to continue, but l
trust the association will never again per-
nit such an exhibition. 1t was as much
out of place as dance on Sunday in one
of Gods temples, or circus music at a
funeral. 1t was sacrilege and a profa-
nation. 1t was ribald insult to the
memory of brave men over whose sacred
dust we should shed none but reyerent
tears. Many people spoke to me about it
on Memorial Day, and the language used
above to express my thoughts on the sub
ject, but mildly and imperfectly reflect
the bitter condemnation that was voiced
by the others.
I have always been the friend and adj
vocate of the chain gang, and have inva-
riably praised it's work where deserved.
I had an opportunity on Saturday last
to compare the results of it's labor with
that performed by Supervisor Barker's
Barnwell county gang. The two forces
met at Rivers Bridge, and the contrast
between the work done by Bamberg's
hands and that of the twenty odd con-
victs doing time" for our mother county
is so marked that even blind man would
notice it, for, although deprived Of sight,
his sense of feeling would be correspond
inglv sharped and when he would leave
our smooth, well-piked road, and crossing
the historic bridge find himself founder
ing in the boggy quagmire on the Barn
well side, would be so marked that every
sense would warn him Of the change.
The few who seek to detract from the eX-
cellent work that is being done by Super
visor Kearse's hands, have only to ride
over the Rivers Bridge road from the
Memorial grounds to Jenny, to become
at once convinced of the fact that our
gang is pretty good thing, and that it is
being handled economically and to the
great profit and advantage of the citizens
of the county by Foreman Joe Frank
Brabham, and his assistant, W. G. Kirk
land.
There are nine men on the gang now,
and three of these are well-known to
Bambergians-Bose Hampton, who alb
hors beef; Jasper Nelson, whose whole
sale pilfering nearly demolished the stock
of several of your merchants, and Sankey
CAN'T, who has the longest time to serve
of any convict on the gang. Bose-de-
spite his unfortunate tangle with the
brindled bull-has always been of relig-
ious turn of mind, and he has organized
among his fellow-workers choir that
would do credit to fashionable Northern
church. They sang plantation melodies
and hymn tunes for me, and shall never
forget the keen thrill of pleasure which
the rhythmic rise and fall of their melo-
dious voices gave me- The negro is like
the mocking bird, natural born musical
mimic, and his happy nature finds outlet
and expression, even while at work, in
song. I wish some of the carping North
ern critics who condemn our system of
public employment of convict labor could
have been with me along the Barnwell
and Walterboro road last Monday morn
ing. The sun beat down its hottest rays
and the work was hard, but that gang of
ebon- faced, striped-shirted fellows, piled
mattock and shovel with lusty arms, their
implements of labor keeping perfect
time to rollicking melodies which rolled
from their thick lips. l mentally COM
pared their happy go-lucky demeanor,
ana TOOuSt, Ncll uuIIuIcu lIdlucS Will
the sullen, morose and dOwncast looks of
prisoners whom have seen at work in
Northern penitentiaries-silent all day
long throug gh fear of punishment for even
a meaning look exchanged witha brother
felon-poll-faced, hollow-eyed, nervous,
and anamic.
By the way the Bamberg gang is now
model one, and Foreman Brabham de-
clares that his hands could not be i'm
proved upon.
with Joe Bryant and Hampton Rice
at the plows or scoops, and San key
CAN'T and Bose Hampton as road finish
ers to follow the machine" said he, II
can turn out highway that would do
for New York city, and if there are any
stumps to be cut out Jasper Nelson will
do the work in 4 way that would do your
heart good
Confinement does not agree with the
restless, mercurial nature of the negro.
He wants to be out, with the warm sun
beating down on his woollv head-with
4.