Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-01-13
STRANGE TIMES THEM.

Mr.. Ira Hardin Of Blacksburg, was
in Yorkville Wednesday, having come
down to get some information as to
courses and distances with reference to
big tract of land he had been employ
ed to locate for the owners out in
western York. The land, formerly
known as the Tommy Whitesides"
place, was bought up about fifteen
years ago by the CASTOR Mineral COM
pany, and as the plans of the company
were never fully carried out, it is now
proposed to cut up the tract into small
farms and sell 1t out as such at a
good profit, which is assured under the
conditions that prevail now compared
with the time Of the purchase.
But this Is not the story. Though
up close to eighty, Mr.. Hardin Is still
a young man physically and mentally,
and Is able to hold his own with the
best of the surveyors who have not
yet reached half his years. He used to
be an intimate friend Of the writer's s
grandfather, and that friendship has
come on down to the present generation
"
For this reason when Mr.. Hardin Is In
Yorkville with a little spare time on
his hands, he generally calls on the
writer, who Is always glad to see him.
One of the subjects of conversation
Wednesday was the refunding Of the
Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago
railroad bonds, about which subject
there was an interesting story in the
last issue Of The Enquirer, and from
that the talk naturally ran on to the
obligation incurred by the different
townships and the wonderful changes
that were brought about as the result
of the construction of the railroad
through the county from east to west.
There are still a good many people
who are disposed to grumble about
that tax" said Mr.. Hardin, "but we
would have never gotten the railroad
without 1t, and just look at the devel-
opment that the railroad has brought,
especially in western York and In
Cherokee township. Why, before the
railroad came, western York was a
wilderness, and If the railroad had not
come, I don't believe there would have
been a Hickory Grove or Sharon even
yet But that Is not all. The opening
up of the country has helped the people
too, helped land values and helped the
general intelligence OF the inhabitants.
Yes, sir, that bond deal was good in
vestment."
Growing reminiscent as to the condi-
tions that formerly prevailed in west
ern York, and over good part Of the
balance Of the county, Mr.. Hardin said
that previous to the war when there
was no license tax either on the max
ing or selling Of whisky, corn whisky
used to sell at thirty cents a gallon by
the barrel, and was retailed at forty or
fifty cents. We saw more Of 1t maybe
at the muster days, he went on. There
would be plenty Of whisky there.
Brought by the fellows who made it in
kegs, and who sold 1t as openly as men
now sell cider. The price was general
ly 10 cents pint. Men would step up
and buy a pint, take a swig and pass
it on to the next. When that pint
gave out, some other fellow would in
vest ten cents and so it would go un-
til after a while some man would
thrown down his hat and say
he could whip any man on the
grounds. Then Immediately some 9TH
er fellow would reply, I'm your man."
and they would go at it until one or
the other was convinced that he was
not as good man as he had thought
he was. "Those were strange old
times" said Mr.. Hardin, and the re ad-
er will no doubt agree with him.