The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-04-26

4
they to appear in the Phosphate City
for the purpose of telling the voters
of district No. "a just what they stood
for in order that they might cast their
votes intelligently at the primary
election next Tuesday.
The van guard of what was to grow
into a vast multitude before the day
was gone began to arrive on the early
morning train from Ocala. This
crowd included nearly all the county
candidates, who Immediately got busy
in making the acquaintance of every
male person he met, who even had
the suspicion of a beard and looked
like a prospective voter.
All during the morning hours the
people arrived from every direction,
not excepting the territory north and
west of the Phosphate City in Levy
and Citrus counties. The visitors
from these counties were not all in
nocent bystanders either, as it later
developed, many of them being candi-
dates for offices in the other local.
ties, and knowing that when Dunael-
( lon citizens promised a big barbecue,
| fish fry and picnic there would be
big doings" which would attract the
people of any and all counties with
in radius of twenty-five miles.
At 1920 the people about the city
were notified that the speaking would
begin at once on the beautifully shad-
ed park near the Withlacoochee river,
| just west of town. Here comfortable
seats awaited those who cared to sit
down to hear the flow OF eloquence
which awaited them.
DR.. William Griffith was appoint
ed master of ceremonies, and, without
much ado, invited to the stand the
candidates for county commissioner
| from the district. Messrs. Coulter
Dehon, Smith, Watkins and Williams
responded, and stated just what the
people might expect of them in case
they were elected. Some of their re-
marks were directed, more or less, at
Mr. Petteway, the present incumbent,
who felt called upon to explain his po-
sition in the matter, which he was al
lowed to do.
Then followed in regular order the
!, following candidates for county Of
fees: Smith and Gober, for county
Judge; Aver and Moorhead, for as
cessor; Barco and Tucker, for regis
tration officer. All the candidates
seemed to anticipate a long drawn
out session, and each seemed bent
upon making his talk as short as pos
sible in order that all might have an
opportunity to be heard, hence their
talks were directed to the point, and
contained no frills. After Mr.. Tuck
er's address the meeting adjourned
for dinner.
The crowd, by this time, numbered
fully fifteen hundred people, and it
was only a short time before the well
come voice of Mr. Thomas Strange
smote the air with the cry, Dinner
is ready" Here's where everybody
got into the game on an equal foot
ing, even to the several hungry news
paper reporters.
And such a layout!
The writer had in mind descrip-
ton of this dinner, but when he tack
led the job it was too much for him.
Suffice it to say that there was
enough good things on board those Ia
bles to feed five thousand people.
however much they may have tasted
| in preparation for the occasion.
Mr. Harry Peter and Mr.. Thomas
Strange composed the committee in
charge of the barbecue and fish fry
feature of the spread, and had the
Dunnellon Lodge, No. Al, Knights OF
Pythias under whose auspices the
affair was pulled ON searched the di-
rectory of Noted Head Chefs of the
World" they could not have found a
pair who would have surpassed them.
| Among the ladies of the community
who also aided in making this mem
orable affair in our county history
were Mesdames ]. G. Baskin, }. +.
Bargainnier, Harry Peter, b. F.
Dukes, w. d. Edwards, Robert Van,
D. B. Kibler, ]. w. Prater. j. A. Grum-
bles, NJ. d. Turnipseed, G. w. Nevill.
lJ. S. Pedrick, w. H. Hoffman, A b.
Kibler, S. NJ Thomas, Thos. Strange,
r. H. Strange, L. w. Hood, L. NJ.
Wingate. John A. Perry, Mrs. Boyd,
Mrs. Caldwell, Mrs. Register, and a
number of others, whose names We
did not learn. The ladies took special