The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-08-22
Bob.

would be remarkable chapter. His
quaint sayings and laughable de-
meanor brought him into prominence,
for miles along the Saltkeatchie.
On many grand occasions and in
many elegant homes, Bob was cen
trail figure, the one who received the
most attention, simply for the fun
there was in his ways and sayings.
In the fall of the year he bought
COWS, which he drove to the Charles
ton market, and in this way added to
| his slender income, for he was not
rich. Along the road to Charleston
he had stopping places with the best
people, where he himself could rest
at night, also his cattle could have
needed attention. 1t 80 happened
that the night of the great meteoric
shower, about 1S40, he was spending
the night with Aunt Betsey, and in
her spacious lot was large drove
of COWS resting and rumins ting, the
property of Bob.
The family had retired. There
was midnight gloom and stiffness.
The slu mbering world was resting in
tie arms of Morpheus, and the clari-
on chanticleer was growing the mid
night watch. BY chance, one of Aunt
Betsey's slaves was up, and saw the
stars begin to fall, or rather the
meteors begin to shoot, and he lost
no time in giving the alarm, and soon
every slave on the plantation had
congregated in Aunt Betsey's front
yard, calling upon her and her sons
to arise at once, that the stars were
all falling; that the general judg-
ment was near at hand; that In the
morning the trump of Gabriel would
sound; that there would be mighty,
marshalling of the quick and the
dead.
These slaves were awakened sud-
denly, and when they saw this awe
inspiring phenomenon, they took no
time to dress, but came out Of their
cabins as they had retired for the
night, and to say they found quaint
group, puts it mildly. More than half
present had on nothing except
white night dress, and their black
heads and faces made quite con-
trast with the snowy garments upon
them. Coming as they did, wailing
and screaming upon the sleeping
household of Aunt Betsey, they, too,
came out upon the long, broad plaz-
"a in their night clothes.
Thousands of meteors were fash
ing on every hand, zip, zip; and the
wall of the sorely afrighted and half
naked slaves, on one hand made
picture pathetic and picturesque,
while the shooting meteors on the
other was fearfully grand, and awe
inspiring. 1t looked. as If all the
stars in the bending skies had left
their moorings, and were dashing
through space as a thousand light
ming flashes. It was almost as light
as day. The frantic slaves were wall
ing, screaming, singing, praying, and
calling upon the "precious Master ter
sabe US sinful niggers." Somehow
Aunt Betsey got something like or
der among the frantic slaves, and
she called upon Bob to explain the
awful, yet grand phenomenon. he
was standing at the time upon the
piazza arrayed only in long, white
night gown, looking very ghostly in
his now quainter appearance. Draw
ing himself to his full height, he
said:
"Why, Aunt Betsey, can't you see
it's the beginning of the awful day
of Judgment. Don't you see it is the
coming of the mighty Master in all
His glory, in His flaming chariot OF
fire, and this you see is but the
sparks from His powerful and Won
derful chariot wheels, that will roll
up in fearful thunders by daylight or
before. And oh! Aunt Betsey amt
1 in most deplorable and wretched
condition to meet my Master, for
amt got a dollar-nary cent in my
pocket For the love of the Lord,
Aunt Betsey, lend me five dollars!'
This little speech even among the
affrighted slaves created ripple OF
laughter, and it began to dawn upon
some of the older negro women how
ridiculous the crowd appeared. One
of them approached her husband
who wore only shirt, none too long
and said:
"Jim, fer run back home en- draw
On dem britches."
"Britches be DANCED! Whatter
niooor want wid hritches en- de judg-