Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-05-03
COLONEL BACON VISITS suswAy TAVERN
A Characteristic Description Of an Hour In the
Place OF Bibulous virtua.

Editor Jas. Il. Bacon, in one of his
characteristic articles to his paper,
the Edgefield Chronicle, thus de-
scribes his visit to and impressions
of Bishop Potter's "Subway Tavern"
while on recent trip to New York {:
Being in New York and floating
on the surface of the situation, we
were were washed up by the tide last
night and swept into Bishop Potter's
"Subway Tavern" Everybody who
comes to New York now. a-days goes
to the Subway Tavern, which, under
the combined allurements of virtue,
whiskey and sand, is making noun
tains of money. In this benevolent
institution of Bishop Potter's you
get drink of the same whiskey for
ten cents you would have to pay
fifteen cents for elsewhere. What
more sublime height of virtue than
this? The Subway Tavern is not,
as we had thought, and as most peo-
pie think, place under the ground.
Nor has it anything upon earth to do
with the great underground railway,
so far as we can see or learn. One
of the descents to the Subway is di-
rectly in front of it, and that is all.
1t is an old two.story wooden build
ing at the corner of Blocker and
Mulberry streets. This is far down
town and takes visitors into quar-
ter of the city which they would cer-
tainly not otherwise see. 1t is not
quite as low down, however, as Chi
natown, nor is it by any means as in
teresting. AS you approach the
Subway Tavern you see various lit
tie open air performances showing
the beauties of the simple life in
those parts when Bleeker and Null
berry streets are in bloom. These
performances cheer you up morally,
and you enter the reception room of
the tavern with assured feelings of
redemption and salvation. The re.
ception room is plain and shabby. 1t
is called the "Water Wagon" Why
should water wagon not be plain
and shabby I? There is neither money
nor virtue in water wagon. AS
you enter the water wagon mine host
Jansen, really a very handsome, in
telligent an( veil hammered young
man, comes forward to receive and
greet you-after the fashion, we sup
pose, of the ancient roadside inn
keeper. Very few persons, however,
despite it's virtuous air, linger long
in the water wagon. They smell and
hear more heavenly things, and soon
find the open door to wide and
long modern bar room, with very
few traces or hints of an ancient
inn-except the whiskey, beer and
ale. There are also large invoices of
case goods and, we reckon, coffin var
Aish diluted with wood alcohol.
W&here are good many men in the
bar room, but they are quiet and or
derly, and seem to be filled with the
spirit of rejoicing Christians. Many
women, extremely good women--we
do not joke-go to the tavern, but
they do not linger in the water
wagon, nor do they enter the long
and sterilized bar room-sterilized Of
all iniquity. On the contrary they
hurry down stairs to long room in
the bowels of the earth This room
is the heart and soul of the tavern,
and here 80 great is the purity, piety,
virtue and benevolence, that you i'm
mediately begin to feel what Maxim
Gorky, the Russian writer and pa
triot, called 60 rsdemptive spirit of
shame"-shame that your past life
has been 30 dissolute and degraded.
THE REAL TAVERN.
This room is the real cold tavern"
Its floor is thickly sanded--with
good, clean, wholesome sand. The
Ghairs and tables are old time and
somewhat rickety. The lamps are
cheap. old-fashioned, greasy and dim.
A huge, ancient, Saxon-looking fire.
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