The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-07-29
A Glorious Tine-Big Crowd and Big Dinner.

A Glorious Time-Big Crowd and Big Dinner.
The annual picnic at Olanta, formerly
known as Beulah, was as it usually Is
q huge affair, attended by probably
$500 people from Marion. Darlington,
Sumter, Lee, Williamsburg. Florence
and Clarendon counties. Nearly every
man who was running for office in these
above named counties, and many others
with future aspirations were there also:
It was great day, great crowc, ana
a great dinner The writer has atten-
6ed a number of these Dlcnlcs. Ihe
originators intended. at the beginning
to make this reunion Of Confederate
soldiers, but it is no longer such be-.
cause the Young folks have made the
old soldiers take back seat, and the
reunion feature has been converted
into mecca for courting, flirting, and
politics, with bountiful supply of good
yituals thrown in to help make happl-
ness go merrily on.
The Alcolu Railroad conveyed good
crowd to the picnic grounds. The train
from !Alcolu consisting OF several
coaches before it reached Olanta WIS
packed, and Superintendent Alderman,
and Conductor Trueluck was very at
ttentive, and did much TO make the
passengers comfortable.
: Before the train arrived, the speeches
had been delivered. Rev. Mr.. True
luck, MIR. P. A. Hodges, made the
principal addresses: they were followed
by Messrs. J. 3. Mclaughlin and P. H.
Stoll, candidates for Solicitor. The can
didates were the busiest lot of creatures
you ever saw: they were here. there,
and everywhere, having confidential
chats with those they came IN contact
with. There was push OF candidates
from Sumter, Clerk OF Court Parrot,
and Supervisor Scale, now those OF US
are novices in electioneerlng had au
opportunity of getting wise from these
adopts. The writer stood under the
caves of the shed during a shower get
ting soaking wet, and Bill Seals who is
candidate for Sheriff in Sumter, did not
offerto to move so we could get farther
under the shelter, but when a scrawney
freckted faced Sumter voter came along
Scale hoped up and caught him oy
the arm and gave him a seat where the
rain, which might have done the fel-
low good, could not touch him. A 1T
tie ways off was Parrot pretending to
hold an umbrella over one OF his Sum
ter constituents, and having serious
face to face talk with the man at the
sametime. The man was forced to
stand off from Parrot so far that the
drippings from Parrots umbrella went
down The front waistband of the fel-
lows pants, but Parrots political sone
held the fellow entranced. just so was
it with most OF them. Our Clarendon
bunch were no better nor no worse.
We heard that one of our own candl-
dates was accosted with "aello, see
from THE TINES you are candidate
again, we'll, swear, thought the last
time you tried that trick you learned
some sense, but seems yon haven't" )"
The candidate said, Il just had to run,
nv friends would not listen to anything
else, and it IS the duty OF i good citizen
to run for Office when his friends
insist ,'sFriends be damned was the
reioinGer. s'You wait until the primary
and them friends will not show up.
That's my experience. and 1t taught
me to not listen to friends when 1t
comes to Office"
The candidate after getting this cur
rent of cold comfort, went to a dinner
spread, and it looked as If he made a
desperate effort, not a suicide exactly,
but to split mis- face wide open with
about half of a chicken, and a chunk
OF barbecue. 1t was enough to drive the
fellow to desperation, ,>and the way he
punished good rations was caution to
dyspeptics, and a gleeful prospect for
the vendors Of summer complaint medl-
cipes.
The Beulah picnic is one OF the
greatest institutions in this section o1
the State. Here it is where crops and
politics are discussed: every body IS free
and easy. open and sincere. The
stranger is made to feel at home. and
the homefclks take great pleasure IN
giving a cordial welcome to the visitors.
Did the writer not mention an accl-
dent which happened to him on the re.
turn trip. some of the crowd would
charge him with unfairness. At Beard $
station the train stopped for wood and
water, and taking advantage of It lol
of US cot off to drink water at Beard 5
artesan well: when about in the act OF
boarding the car, that scape grace son
of DR.. Woods, whom he calls Ashbell,
but should be called Devil, threw .
stick into wasp nest. and almost
momentarily the wasps rose, made
fight: as usual the innocent bystande1
is always hurt, we believe it was the
king of wasps that backed up to the
writer and gave him q stab with hi:
concealed weapon, right over the eye
which was very painful indeed, 81
painful that in the future when wasp;
are disturbed they should apply then
indignation and busy ends to those wht
molest them, and TO leave good people
alone. Afler the writer was hurt, every
body was either doctor or tralnet
nurse, offered all kinds OF remedies
from 'gawb OF terbaccy" to every
thing else, but there was lady II
another coach, bless her, who had
''camfire bottle" along, and trequen
applications from this gave relief: ant
the smell OF the camphor was used a
evidence at home that the swollen eyt
ras not Obtained in 2 firht