The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, June 07, 1979, Page Page 6, Image 6
Rooster c
feline frie
By J. W. Lawrence Sr.
LANDRUM, S.C. ? The keer
rivalry between the University ol
South Carolina's Fighting
Gamecocks and the Tigers ol
Clemson University had no in
fluence upon Clarence, just ar
ordinary game rooster. He livec
and died in the vicinity of s
masonry building that once housec
Stewart's Garage, on the outskirtj
of Landrum.
He foraged for himself in ?
wooded area and from food scrapi
tossed out of nearby homes. In all
he was happy, content, but lonely
He is called Clarence hereir
because there is no other nam<
befitting such an individual.
One fine day he met a white cat
Like the rooster, the cat foragec
for his (or her) food, too. S^archinj
the same range, they became clos<
friends, often defending the othei
from predators and neighborhoo<
dogs.
Then a fateful mid-week da:
came. Some sav it was a Wed
nesday. The cat chose to dar
across busy Highway 176. Th<
speed and distance of an ap
proaching car was misjudged. Th<
cat lost all nine lives instantly. Th<
impact hurtled the cat far onto th<
shoulder of the highway.
Clarence was gizzard-broken
(Roosters have gizzards to hol<
their love and their grief). He ha<
l/\oi Vmo /am In f ?*i rl r 11 f #"f li 4 ? n t
luai ma uiiijr niciiu. 111c iigiuuij
might of his gamecock bloo<
mastered his grief. If that careles
automobile ever came back alon;
that road, he'd have Clarence t
deal with! But the cars were man>
and all looked alike as the
whizzed by.
:rows over
ind's death
Clarence did only what he knew
I to do: Stand his ground and keep a
vigil for his fallen comrade. That
i hedid.
For more than a week (some say
iwo weeKs;, Clarence siooa near
J the remains of the white cat. In a
severe rainstorm, hot early spring
\ days, cold blustry winds, dark,
lonely nights, Clarence remained
5 at his post, just as the sentry keeps
the vigil at Arlington.
Passersby came to notice
5 Clarence, and soon learned why he
' stood by his self-appointed post of
auly. lney noticed he almost
I always took his stance west of his
friend's remains, so that he could
keep an eye on the cat and on the
' road. Those who came to share
sympathy or food, or out of pure
* curiosity kept their distance.
1 Clarence would permit no one to
I* approach closer than the deadline
J he had predetermined.
Whenever an intruder, a person
v or a dog, approached too close,
Clarence challenged any and all
foe. Crouching and lowering his
wings, he was ready to attack, to
flog or peck, to spur any invader.
The vigil ended Sunday af
ternoon.
Clarence no longer stands guard
over the deteriorating remains of
' his sole companion. Clarence, too,
J is dead ? the victim of two teenage
assasins.
? Another fighting Gamecock gave
all he had!
c
g
O J W. Lawrence, Sr. has been writing for
j newspapers since 1928. He serves as the editor
' emeritus for the I^andrum News Leader, a
y weekly publication begun by Lawrence and his
wife in 1955.
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