Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-02-02
the boldest half afraid to look behind

rode on horseback, and many q we'll
to-do farmer hauled up his corn crop
on sleds. The said corn was made
without trace chain, for they used as
a substitute, laths made of white oak
AS they knew no better, these did ex-
cellently we'll except at the end Of the
row, as in consequence Of the stiffness
Of the laths they had to lift the plough
clear around. 1t was a great improve
ment when raw cow-tugs, made OF
green cow-hides, were introduced. The
stretching and contracting properties
Of these gears were xemplifled-over-
we'll, perhaps-by the tale told by O
countryman, who was swapping lies
with an old acquaintance.
He said he cut down bee tree about
a half a-mile from his house, on the
creek. The tree broke as it fell, and out
gushed a stream Of honey into the
creek that made metheglin Of its wa
ters for a matter Of 25 yards. He rar
directly home for his cart and yoked
up his oxen, the gears Of which were
green cow-hides. He drove back to his
bee tree, loaded his cart heavily, and
then drove Off for home. The oxen
went we'll, but the cart never moved g
step, for the cow-tugs kept stretching
till they stretched all the way to the
house. He turned the oxen loose when
he got there, threw the yoke over the
limb Of tree, and in the evening the
cart came creaking up to his home, fol
the sun had drawed up the cow-tugs
to the right length again.
At the period Of which speak, there
was but one glazed house in the dis
trict, outside of Yorkville. That was
built by old Colonel Bratton. 1t boast
ed two or three windows, filled by one
sash, each, composed Of four panes
not more than about 6xS inches in size
I am under the impression that the
building Is still standing at Brattons-
Vile. I often think those primitive
times were very happy ones. The very
absence Of elegance and luxury stified
envy and extravaganza, and encour-
aged sociability and hospitality.
Bacon was almost invariably out by
harvest, and from that time on till
winter, there would be slaughtered al
ternately a pig, beef and sheep, to fur
nish meat. Boned turkey. eggs la cram
etc., were unknown efforts; and a
roasted fowl baked pig, or big chicken
pie were the chef d'oeuvre Of our cui-
sine. The low-country families Of Tur-
key Creek usually had as daily diet,
the luxuries Of coffee and sugar; and
remember an instance Of q gentleman
of the Scotch-Irish stock marrying In
to one Of those families. On his next
trip afterward to market-Charleston-
he brought home, for his new wife's
menage, a full sack Of coffee and q
barrel Of sugar His relatives looked
on this as unparalleled extravaganza. 1t
was the amount Of stock usually laid
in by a store! With foreboding theV
prophesied "that woman would surely
break Alec" Their habit was cup OF
coffee for breakfast on Sunday morn
ings, and this, with its invariable ac-
compartment Of fritters, was feast
worthy a laird.
Practical jokes were much in vogue,
and usually taken in good part, though
OCCASIONALLY an irrascible disposition
felt like resenting them. Old Mr.. ia
mie NC was an Irishman born, and a
perfect gentleman. He, though rich,
never owned slaves, but had a family
of free Negroes in his employ, and a
man. n-of-all-work-Jim Downs, an EN-
erald islander, too. He always ate and
slept in the kitchen, and was dirtier
specimen Of the genus homo than most
Of the blackamoors.
One day General Lacy went to Mr..
Daniel Williams's, on Turkey Creek.
The compliments Of the day being pass
ed, Mr.. williams naturally enquired If
there were any news af1oat
Eyes; Jim Downs Is dead"
"Jim Downs dead? Poor old fellow!
I had not heard he was sick. Well!
what a life he led at Mc-'s; as bad as
Negro. In fact Nc kicked and cuff
ed him about worse than a Negro.
When did he die and what was the
matter?"
"O,d Nc came home in frolic the
other night, took a notion and made
Downs wash himself right clean all
over, put on clean clothes, out and out,
and, to top all, put him to bed IN a
clean feather bed. Next morning they
found old Downs dead"
A good laugh followed the exposition
of the hoax. 1t was repeated from
one to another until it came to old Mr..
Mc-'s ears. He did not relish the sar-
casm, and laid up good tongue bast-
ing, at least for Lacey, when he met
him. A vendue in the neighborhood,
not long after, afforded the opportuni-
ty. A drink or two taken, however,
drowned malice and they were soon to-
gether, merry as boon companions.
Parson McCarra joined the group. and
took more than one social glass. The
whole party felt their liquor. NC.
stupefed, fell dead drunk. Lacey's 8
merry mischief in the ascendant, with
the parsons help, lifted the prostrate
NC on some plank, then composed his
limbs, like those cf corpse for burial,
placed on edcn eye SlFei PtSSS' N
paid McCarra a silver dollar to preach
Mc-'s funeral sermon over him. When
Nc returned to consciousness, and
learned the sport he'd made for others,
his wrath was loud and strong, and
for weeks after he carried gun to Kill
Lacey. However, anger died out be-
fore he met the general, and 1t all at
last passed, in it's proper light, as a
drunken humor.
cannot say I commend this scene
above the doing Of the present genera
tion. 1t will, perhaps. be hard Tor my
readers to credit me, that two OF the
nrominent actors were of the highest
respectability-in fact, among the
leading men of their community-con-