The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-08-03
Excursions.

The city of Beaufort is much exercised
over the landing of eScursionists in its
p~recents, from Savannah and other cities,
and is about to adopt some means of put
ting Il stop to what they deem a nuisance
to the city,
This sentiment is Numerically opposed
to that which prompts the business men
of Augusta GA, to encourage the running
of excursions into that city from all sur
rounding points. The difference is, in the
case of Beaufort the excursions are being
run from the city to the country and in
this case of Augusta from the country to
the city.
There is much difference between these
two classes of excursions. In the first case
the eXcursionists take their liquor with
them and in the second case they go to
town after their liquor. The finale o. 'ach
is about the same.
When this scribe was younger thar e
is now he was tempted by the excursion
mania to no small degree, and many were
the nickles and dimes he spent in seeing
things and studying geography. But he
was broken of the habit by the hair of the
very dog that lit him.
On one occasion he went to Augusta on
a Sunday school excursion, God save the
mark 1t was a mixed train, white and
colored, colored predominating. Going
down all was quiet and serene, even as Il
| I,,r.h 80 NJayi,,nS nninn ont tn ., hull-
fight. Every thing seemed pcacable until
the train left for home, then the Devil
kicked down the doors of pandemonium
town and turned every inmate loose on
that train. Demons from Domdaniel flew
into the windows of that train like so
many chimney sweeps and danced one in
fernal cotilliOn from the start to the finish
of that home bound debauched run.
The scribe being perfectly sober himself
had no part or parcel with the rampant
riotous crowd. He tried to shrivel up on
the platform Of the rear car so as not to
draw the notice of such O hilarious bunch
of humanity. Whenever the train stopped
at a station it was a signal for every man
aboard to draw his gun and empty every
chamber, which every single man very
cheerfully did. Even while the train was
running the pop, pop, of pistols could be
heard up in front among the colored con-
tingency. At every station a battle royal
was waged. Station agents and loefers
ske edaddled and stirred around corners
and behind things like so many rats at the
advent of a weasle whenever the train
stopped. And we'll they mightfor the fusi-
lade was something fearful.
At the town of Modoc, a quiet, orderly
little burg under ordinary circumstances
the vacinity Of the train, which had stop
ped for some cause, rose to such q temper
allure that the scribe could not stand it.
he took the inviting shade OF the mid
plight woods and enscOnsed himself behind
a large oak where crthe first time that
night he felt any security. But presently
the train began to off and the scribe
caught it in a moment Of inadvertency up
near the front. Here was a pickle. How
was he to get back beyond the Jim Grow
line? There was only II thing to be done
and that was to make O dash for it. This
the wavering scribe did and many times
afterwards he wished he had crawlcd up
on the lender Of the engine instead.
The first car to be passed through had
not q single window left unbroken. The
negros madened and vicious damned
up the aisle with broils and fights. The
picture Of one darkey still remains as he
stood backed up against the wall with a
coupling pen in his hand and demonia-
cal dare on his countenance. Razors gilt
tered, knife blades scintilatcG, pistols pop
ped, and blood flowed freely.
In the next car the scribe was taught
his final lesson about such excursions, a
lesson he has neverforgotten. Just as he
entered the door amid the popping Of
British Bull Dogs and brandishing CT
knives a darkey fell. He was shot through
the heart and died quickly, but instead OF
dying like ordinary people he died with a
grin on his face and the grin froze there
The Scribe's blood likewise froze. "His
smile haunts me still such a smile What
ever he could have seen to cause to freeze
that sardonic, blood curdling' grin on his
face what cver it was it must have been
horrible.
He lay where he fell until the train
reached his home when friends of his
debauch took him off.
The Scribe was Young then. He was fond
of excursions. He liked to study geogra-
ply in the concrete, but that nights exper-
fence was enough.
And further if this is the class Of excur-
sionists that is making a rendezvous of the
pretty tour of Beaufort. We do not blame
Beaufort from taking steps to stop it.