The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-10-17
AT PICKENSVILLE MUSTER,
A Place of Importance In the Hal
cyon Days of the Past.

! "Thc Idlcr," contributor to tho
Spartanburg Journal, gives the fol-
lowing rcminlsccnce of Old Pickens-
vile, which will be relished by our
readers:
One old Southern institution, how
ever, has departed for always. The
changes of the manner of life, tho do
vclopmcnt of the country, the concen-
tratlon of amusemcnts and organiZa-
tions in the towns, large and small,
are the reasons for its going. That
was the muster. 1t is gone but not
its memories. l have heard the older
I people talk Of musters and my Irish
blood has been raised by numerous re-
| minlscences. have heard Old men
tell of the great crowds, the gay dress,
| the gorgeous drunks AMI the glorious
| fights that used to be features of the
gatherings at the general muster
grounds in the up.country. The militia
was the pride of the State and it was
thick with generals and colonels and
ma jOrs and there was vast pride in
these and the minor offices, and the
wearers of cpaulets and titles "did
strut pow'ful" After the reviews
often by the governor-the fun would
commence. The nc'ghborhood bullics
would 90 against each other and " fist
and skull fights" crsucd thick and fast.
1t was cowardly to use knife or pistol
| and the man who did lost his social
standing. Brandy and honey WAS the
favoritc beverage and the result OF the
mixture Of that seductive draught with
enthusiasm, July sun and militant am
bition is not hard to imagine. CIDER
and ginger cakes were the delight OF
the sober element and great articles OF
trade. There were mighty fighters in
| those times AMI the stagc-bouts of
these days besides Il muster day scrap
would be dumb show Of fools. Horse
trading, barbccucs, and dancing to the
lruslc of The fiddle played by a fiddler
added to the charming features of the
day and sank them deep III memory.
The people who did this were the
sincw of the country and they were
simply Il little rougher and more en-
thusiastc in their sports, than we,
their descendants, are with ours.
One of the most famous Of these old
muster grounds and gathering places
| of all the tribes was Plckcnsvillc,
which was hundred or more years
ago the court house town of the part
of the State now comprising Anderson,
Ocopce, Pickcns and parts Of Green
vile and perhaps other counties.
Pickcnsgillc was place of Importance,
and was perhaps the woollicst point on
the map. In fact it came to be dis
reputable and finally became little moro
than name and memory with many
odious features. There were mum
Der of killings there in the first half o.
the last century and public hanging:
had an enormous attendance; killing
and hanging we're associated in those
days before the gentle expedients
of insanity and self defense came
into fashion. I1orse thieves farco
badly. There were some remarkable
fights, some being pitched battles be
tween renowned bullics. Drinking
gambling, horse racing, chicken fight
ing andiothcr sports still in vogue, bu
more quiet, were INDUCED in witt
frontier earnestncss, and many storic
,, of financial and moral ruin had thci
beginning thero-and the fast day
D., aad furious nights arc inwoven i
< tragedies that long have darkencd ur
country homes.
Pickensyillc, as remember it frol
first sight, in my childhood days, VIZ
:, small, deserted village, encompass
by senilc gloom. A large tract of Ian
was grown up IN tough and the
dreaded grass called "Tom Bel" "
account of local legend connecting
with his Satanic majesty; scruht
pines growing near by furnished sigl
and walls that the nervous might n
Il sociate with the past. A few hous'
y then remained and the race track cou
be defined. A few hundred yar(
p away, on tract of granite, there we
dungeons cut in the sOlid rock; that