The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-02-01


Cod helping me- promise not TO buy,
drink. sell or give
Intoxicating liquors while live:
From bad companions II refrain
And never take Gods name in vain.
Not long ago there happened
in Lee county a most fearful in
cident, an incident that ought to
disgust any sound minded per
son, or rather, any person with
a heart and conscience, who
hears of it, with whiskey drink
ing. The public road which
leads from Bishopville to the
Spring Hill neighberhood was
the scene of a drunken riot.
One Saturday morning a young
man. whose home is in the coun.
try near Spring Hill, went with
a friend of his to Bishopville.
The young man, a Mr.. j has
been known to get drunk, fuss
and fight several times but
never before had such a terrible
conflict been Knowing of as
happened that night.
The young man and his friend
stayed to Bishopville all day
and, as was expected of them,
got drunk. When they started
home two negroes came along
with them, and for about seven
miles they came along peaceful
ly together. The negroes were
in wagon and the white men
were in a buggy, and they We're
so friendly that they changed
places and one of the negroes
was riding with Mr.. J--and
his friend was riding in the
wagon with the other negro un-
til they reached the negroes
home; then they began disput-
ing, then quarreling and at last
fighting, Mr.. J-and the negro
who rode with him were the
ones who began the fight. The
white men were drunk and the
negroes were not, so the two
negroes took the Mr.. j and
cut him-Oh! how awfully they
did cut him! They gashed him
and stabbed him and split and
sliced him until it seemed i'm
possible for him to live, and all
the while his friend was stand
ing by, looking on, without rails
ing his hand to help him. He
must have been made insensible
to any human feeling, by whls-
key.
The negroes continued cutting
the white man and would have
finally killed him, it's said, but
for some negroes who came
along and separated them. By
this time Mr.. J's-friend had
left him. and there he was cut
nearly to death and bleeding
fearfully, alone in the road, five
miles from home. It is said that
he walked about two miles IN
this condition begging people
whom he chanced to meet to
help him home. He first asked
some negroes who lived on the
road, and they seeing his condl-
ton, refused him. He went on
to white mans house and beg
ed for some water, and they gave
it to him, he then asked to be
allowed to go in and warm, but
they refused, on seeing he was
drunk. He must have been very
cold indeed, for he had to cross
a large swamp and it is said that
he waded part of it. However it
is I know that his blood is still
on the foot logs, for | saw with
my own eyes the print of his fin.
ger in blood where he clasped
the log in getting on it, and all
along the print of his shoes be-
sides. great splotches that drop
ped from his face.
The people who lived where
he cot the water didn't take him
home, but there was a young
man who was calling there. he
went home and got his horse
and buggy and carried the poor:
drunk, half-dead man to his
home. Imagine the feelings of
the poor mother, who is really a
good woman, at seeing her son
in such a plight, when already
she had her little children in bed
and was sitting up keeping her
drunkened husband out of the
fire.
Oh! Such suffering and an
guish must have been hers:
From the bottom OF my nedit
pity her; and I pity her son
and husband too, for think OF
their wrecked, miserable lives,
and think of their eternal pun
ishment and the sorrow and
shame they are causing others.
Why can't the cursed whiskey
be done away with? It seems to
me there's enough trouble and
wretchedness in this world with
out it. Come white ribboners,
lets have courage and bravely
do our best, for the right shall
yet have the way. b. Z.