The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1912-08-29
"REMINISCENCES OF
YE 0LDEN TIMES.
POOR CONRAD IN A RETROSPEC.
TIVE MOOD, RELATES INCL
DENTS OF BOYHOOD DAYS.

DEN1S OF bO uOOD DH Ss
Some time ago | promised the
readers of your good paper to tell
them more about the old men #
Clarendon and Williamsburg. |
mentioned one before in a letter, Mr.
Hugh McFaddin, one doubtful of the
success of the Confederacy. His
remark was: "One Yankee too
schemy." He had a brother living
with him, James. bachelor a highly
educated gentleman. who had his odd
sayings. His health had been bad
for many years, and it would offend
him much for anyone to say, Mr.
McFaddin, you are looking well.
He would say, "Ah, you are a man
of little feeling, no mortal tongue can
tell how bad fell" He always kept
a demijohn of fine brandy under his
bed and took his dram three times a
day and no more. Old Very, the
carriage driver, usually remained
about the house. Very was also a
good fiddler and made music for
many dancing parties. The young
folks thought great deal of Uncle
Very. Mr. James would call Very
to take a glass and go under his bed
and bring him his dram. His broth
er.Mr Hugh, loved little joke some
times. He would say to Very in a
low tone, Now, Very. when you
get under the bed you take a pull;
take a stiff pull An old-time i'd
dler would never fail to take a stiff
pull when his chance came. There
were other old colored tiddlers in
those ante bellum days. Mr. Ruthbon
Plowden owned an old colored man
named Norris and there was anoth-
er, | think he was owned, perhaps
by Mr. Julius Gamble, father of DR.
Gamble of Kingstree.
remember being at Mr. John
Mouzon's Unfair soon after his mar
riage to Miss Bagnall. | beat tam
BOURNE at the dance, while Ike Gam
ble and old Norris played their fid-
dies. Mr. Julius Gamble would dance
by me and whisper to me to knock
h out of the tambourine. | surely
gave it what Paddy gave the drum.
Old Ike, while playing his fiddle,
would seem completely carried away,
kept kind of squeaking whine from
his throat through his nose some
what in accord with the music. Du-
ring frolic Ike and old Norris be-
came jealous of each other and were
about to begin a fight while the
dancers were out taking refresh
ments. | think that was in 1856.
Mr. D E Evans. an old and true
friend of mine, also had celebrated
fiddler on his plantation, old Simon
Evans.
Well 1 will now go back to the old
white men. There was Capt Willie
H Woods of Clarendon. He prided
himself on the way he signed his
name and | think it was about the
most difficult to counterfeit ever
saw. Capt Woods house was open
to everybody. When meeting you at
the gate or at his door his common
greeting would be: Come in, my
dear fellow, you know your Uncle
Willie" When amused or surprised
he would say: MY Lord and Savior,
God save the world" When at his
house he meant for you to feel at
home. lived with him while and did
some carpenter work there in 1854.
He called his wife My dear al
ways. think he had three sons by
his first wife-Delislane, Pinkney
and DR. Jim-and | think one daugh-
ter, Betsy. He had three sons and
four daughters by his last wife.
| was then 19 years old and had
merry time with those boys and
girls. Only one of the boys is living
now, DR. McSwain Woods, a gallant
and full-fedged veteran of the Civil
war. Capt Woods had many slaves
and large apple orchard on his
place and such beauties, apples and
drinking cider, | have never seen
since. Poor mortals. We had our best
days then and if any | have men,
toned, except DR. McSwain Woods,
are now alive | do not know.
Dear readers Of The County Rec
ord, to tell you about those good
times of long ago will give you but
a faint idea of the sociability, the
genuine friendliness, the hospitality
of the people in those days before
the railroads brought fashions among
us, when the maids were carried on
horseback all over the country.
Cotton was hauled from here to
Charleston by wagon. taking s or 9