The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-01-15
THE LIBERTY BELL.
Story of the Visit Of the Historic
Relic to Columbia.
IT'S ESCORT ENTERTAINED.
Many School Children and College
Students Visit the Car Bearing
the Famed Piece Of
Metal.

, Of course Lllcrc MdS uO IIPlilp III
, tie thousands cl people, citizens OF
! the United States. who locked upon
I: the most fanIaus bell in the world III
; Columbia Wednesday. anI read The
Biblical insc~;p ;pti0n thereon: "Froc:aim
, liberty throughout all the land unto
ali the Inhabitants thereof" Had
there been one Of these new citizens OF
, the United States by adoption vi ct
arlnis present, he would have perhaps
wondered why the people gathered
; about this historic piece Of metal. and
scratched his head as he tried t3 ral-
son oul the meaning Of the inscription.
! Iil:t he Was thousands OF miles aWl5
; across the seq. and tnIu2aQds 6
! American citizens. native and i!atpr-
allied, gathered to gaze upon the pro-
claimer Of that American liberty that
was established by Washington, Jeffer-
son. Lee. Adams, Franklin. Henry,
| and him who afterwards construed the
| finished work Of the revolution-Chief
Justice John Marshall, in honor Of
whom. while tolling the bell cracked
on July 5. 1885. and became silent for
| ever. The crowd was great one, and
| the inscription wrought in bronze was
| read by black and white alike.
Had the famed bell been q crowned
head CT a famous warrior Of the world
| it could not have attracted more peo-
| pie = the union depot. The bell was
| given a royal reception in the capital
city. When the train first pulled into
Columbia Wednesday a. m. bearing
the bell on its way to the Charleston
|. exposition there was a good crowd
present. And from that time until
after II o'clock thousands of people
| we're coming and going. Many went
on foot, others on the electric cars,
which were jammed during the entire
time despite a tive-minute schedule
between the union depot anu the post
office; still Others in carriages, bug
gies, automobiles, and many more on
bicycles. 1t looked as some one ex-
pressed it as if the entire population
had gone crazy over cracked bell.
There were no accidents on the trip
down from Asheville and the Southern
railway officials had the train consist
ing O. five Pullman coaches, baggage
car and the handsome fiatcar Of the
Pennsylvania road which bore the bell,
here on time a. m. The flatcar
was specially built for the purpose and
was an exceedingly handsome one, a
rail running around it as if it were
the deck Of a steamship. The train
had completed 99S miles of its trip
wher Columbia was reached.
Ur0n the arrival CT the train Mayor
Earle and Aldermen Stanley and See
gers Of this city called, paid their Fe-
spects. and extended an invitation to
the escorting party to come up into
the city and take breakfast. This in
vitation was declined owing to the
fact that the visitors had already had
their breakfast prepared upon the
train. Shortly afteTwaTd the mayor
and all the aldermen Of the city, ac-
companied by several prominent citi-
zenS. returned with carriages and the
members Of the eScorting party were
taken for a delightful drive about the
CITY, stopping on the way back to the
train at the Merchants and Manufac-
rurcYS club rooms, where 4 number OF
the leading citizens Of the town were
assembled to meet the gentlemen. At
the party was refreshed. the carriages
were again taken and soon all were
back at the train. The Columbia con
tingent was then invited aboard the
train. and for While were enter
tanned by the visitors.
Coy. NcSweeney regretted lis ira
biiity to take part in the reception of
the escorting party. but he was quite
unwell and could, only remain in his
office short time.
\ detail from the local police force
was sent to the station apon the az
rival of the train to assist the guard
senttfrom Philadelphia. This squad
consisted OF Officers Dunning, Kraft,
Martin and McQuatterS, under COM
mand OF Lieut.. Swearingen. They
remained on the platform about the
car.
On the platform OF the car O.: which
the bell was loaded were six flag poles
bearing United States flags. 1t each
end Of the car stood two Of til" biggest
colice officers ever seen III this section.
they were of Philadelphia'S finest.
men VINO stood over six feet high an&
were large in proportion. There were
two Others aboard the train, sleeping,
equally us large.
While the escort was ont driving.
the people jammcd around the car and
several were permitted to go up ana
touch the bell, The crowd was COM
posed OF rich and poor. white and
black, men. women. children and
babies. And no matter how many lett
the size Of the croHI never became
less.
The pupils OF the publ: AMI all the
schools in the city marched to the G2-
pot in bodies anG passed by the bell.
looking upon it With al absorbing IN
torest. 'i'hc students from the differ
cnt colleges also were given the opph--
tunity TO s." the great relic. even th>
negro colleges closing down ard send
ing their students in bodies to see the
pro.laimer OF American liberty. MI.
". G.. Cnilds proviyed & special ciec-
trio car and sent all the pupils OF the
Wayer!y school in to take a look at the
metal SO laden with historic interest.
Finding 50 many hundreds OF school
children assembled President Geo.
McCurdy OF the common council OF
PENNSYLVANIA briefly addressed the
gathering. calling the attention OF the
children specifically to the unity OF the
north and south that exists at the
present time and which will most like
" never cease to cSist. He was PROUD
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