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rlf? ' r W' ^^*>1 #■■'. ‘h:-..-. .ji A i * ■ tmntSDAY, AUGUST 15,1»» >0 f i f THE CUNTON CHEONICLE. CUNTQN. S. C PAGE Nl Letters To The Editor '1^" ^ ^ HP ^ FORMER QTIZEN WRITES OF “EARLY CUNTON” Editor, The Chronicle: In culling over a lot of old papei's, letter* and all such I found one from you that I had forgotten which re quested me to write up my recollec tions of Clinton and the Clinton peo ple. I have nothing but a boy’s mem ory to go by. Before the railroad was built to Clinton the place was called Yellow Jacket. I was too young and small to know many of the people, only what I heard grown-up people talk about. Yellow Jacket had a regiment of Lit tles, and a reghnent of Blakelys and a company of Copelands living in the surrounding territory, a few Hollands, Williamses and many names that I do not distinctly remember. Several Big Roads, as they were then called, ra diated out from Clinton:^the Laurens and Greenville road, the Abbeville road, the Augusta road, the Newberry and Columbia road, the Union and Spartanburg road via the Musgrove mill (Dr. Ned Bobo in the late 40s and early 60s). When the railroad was built to Clinton and on to Laurens, the people./ of Union and Spartanburg came to Clinton to do their trading— which was a great help to the Clinton storekeepers (no merchants in those days). Clinton was the cotton maihet for all the surrounding country. The cotton weigher had a balanced door or platform on the depot platform and cast iron weights of different sizes, from 100 pounds down to one jmund. The Weigher headed up the bale he was going to weigh on one end of the balanced door, then he would set the cast iron weights on the other end of the door until they balanced the * bale, then added up the weights of the balancing irons to find the weight of the bale. No doubt some people will say I am a liar but if there is a man living in or about Clinton who is past 86 or 87 years old and was living there in the early 1850s to 1860 he will verify what I say. The first steam mill I ever saw was at Clinton, two or three hundred yards up the railroad track from the depot (maybe 400 yards). My father took me up there to see it. They were saw ing lumber and grinding corn at the same time. I think this was in 1852 or 1853. My father told me the mill *was at the head of BUsh river. ^ mi litia company was drilling in a level open field north and northeast of the steam mill. On this trip to Clintqn I saw sev eral things that stuck to my memory. The surrounding country people would took a bottle out of his saddle bag and passed it around. All present were total abstainers, but my father, he of course, asked Gentleman John to ex cuse him and Gentleman John’s com panion begged to be excused also. Gentleman John said, “If I have to drink by myself, here’s to the little boy that builds castles in thq air, to the whippoorwills that sing us to sleep, and wake us up in the morning, and the little birds that sing their sweet songs to God Almighty,’’ took his dram and said, “I hate to drink by my self. I always want to divide good things with my friends.’’ Gentlmnan John Little was a gentleman, drunk or sober, so far as I remember. I suppose this will be enough tor the present, but if you care for any more I will write another chapter about the times and people that are past and gone as I remember them. B. P. TEMPLETON, Delvalle, Travis Co., Texrs. Aug. 8, 1929. and Negroes, the boys to play mar bles, mumble-peg, leap-frog and tricks on each other that often ended in fights. Clinton had a few men fight ers also, one or two of the Littles, Hollands, Williamses and others. Sam Sumler who lived in Spartanburg, not far from the Sftndy Ford crossing on Enoree, was the bully of his section. He c|me to Clinton one day when the Clinton fighters were absent, cut up high-jacks, cussed out everybody and kicked one old man. A week or two lattf^^'hk cime to Clinton 'again. A man b|y the name of Jim Ramage met him and told him that he had better not go to Clinton, because the fight ers were all at home. Sumler said, “I can take a bacon rind and grease the town and swallow it.'.’ When he ar rived in town he went into a store to get a bottle of liquor; the storekeeper refused to let him have it and he cursed and swore he would take H. Reece Holland, one of the Clinton fighters, happened to be present. A 3-pound scale weight was l3nng on the counter handy, he picked it up and held it flatways in his hand and smacked Sumler on the side of his . face, mashed his nose and cheek and blacked one eye. Sumler sank down on the floor helpless. They took him out in the shade of the big oak that was near, poured water on his head until he came too, then put him on his horse and started him home. That was Sumler’s last attempt to grease Clin ton and swallow it. The people of Clinton were good clever gentlemen. I mentioned the Lit tles. There were five, six or more John Littles. There was ^ Big John Little and Little John Little, John Tom Lit tle, John Chaney Little, John D. Little and Gentleman John Little. Gentle- Mr. Teinpleton Write* Mr, Owens Mr. W. E. Owens, Clinton, S. C. I am writing to acknowledge receipt of the roll of Co. F, 14th S. C. Volun teers. I am glad you sent it to me; it is a great assistant to revive old mem ories. * Please excuse pencil, I am near 85 years old and my hand has got too heavy to write with a pen. Are you a son or grrandson of Cap tain R. S. Owens; if neither, is there any other relationship. Captain Owens was my friend as well as my com manding officer. Before he died he asked about me. If there ever was any straight, square, honest man on this earth Joe T. Todd was one of them. Hon. O. G. Thompson is the only one yet living at Laurens that I ever knew. A long time ago there was a regi ment of Littles and Blakelys and a company of Copelands living in the Clinton environment, but it appears that they have thinned out just like the Templetons have disappeared from Templeton Town on Enoree riv er. I am enclosing something that I wrote for the Clinton Chronicle but did not send it. If you can read it show it to the editor and if he can read it he can use it if he cares to do so. I have a sore hand and it is hurting me, and I cannot re-write it at this time. There were two (2) Rush Blakelys, one W. R. Blakely, we called him Wagon Road Rush, the other R. R. Blakely, we called him Rail Road Rush. L. C. Anderson had several nicknames: Scrugas, Hug, Winder. Veterans To Meet At Langston Church The public is cordially invited to at tend the reunion of the surviving vet erans of Co. F, 14th Regiment, to -be held at Langston church tomorrow, Friday, August 16th. A few distin guished speakers have been invited and the lady folks are requested to bring'^ well filled baskets. Geo. M. Hanna, Chmn. WANT ADS WANTED—To buy oats. Apply to Farmers Exchange. tf PLANTS, PLAJm!—Winter cabbage and winter collards, large, fifie^ healthy plants. 20c per 100, $l.bO per 1,000. I have over 100,000 home grown plants. John T. Blakely. tf WE have large stock of Pumps, Well Points and Cylinders, Automatic Water Systems for suburbs and farm homes. Get our prices first. Columbia Supply Co., 823 W. Gervais St., Co lumbia, S. C. 8-15-4tc refrigerator'FOR SALE—76-lb. capacity, in good condition, an ice saver at a bargain price. D. E. Trib ble Co. 8-22-2tp Boys and Girls Going off to School See Our Line of Trunks • Suit Cases - Hat Boxes Hand Bags - Gladstones Week End Cases. LOST—On highway No. 7 between Clinton and Whitmire, a brief case containing government stationery. Finder please notify The Chronicle. Reward. Itp WANTED—Linotype operator-print er, capable of caring for machine, press work, job work, make up and advertising for country newspaper office. Must be sober, reliable and de pendable. A. L. Gossett,* Tugaloo Trib une, Westminster, S. C. Itps Wanted BOYS, blRLS, LADIES To address envelopes at Kone during spare hoursi If interested cHp this ad and place in an envelope with yovr name and address and mail to The Letter Shop Box 158 Greenwood, S. C. There was Big Pink Blakely and Lit come tq.4^iintoct to. fwiqx-horses, ipulea,,-tla.^Piok.,QlAkely«. Blufe Summeral was one of the bravest men in the army, the coolest and steadiest man in battle, but was called a coward because he could be imposed upon in camp by any one who was disposed to do so, but he was not called a coward any more after we were in the first battle at Gaines Mill. He was killed in the second battle at Manassas, Aug. 29th, 1862. Company F gave the 14th regiment three (8) color or flag bearers: Rut ledge Owens, killed at Gettysburg; John Rojggera, killed in White Oak swamp on the Chickahomany; W. A. McClintock, killed at Deep Bottom, below Richmond, on the James river, 1864. Me, Fed Taylor, Perry Patton and W. C. Templeton were in Brunson’s company of the skirmish battalion, fall of 1863, 1864 and 1866. Brun son’s company of the skirmish battal ion was in the Bloody Angle at Spot sylvania, but. not engaged. We'moved from one* place to another, right and left—if it looked like the enemy would break through our line we were sent there, and so it went on all the day and night. Luckily none of Us were killed or wounded. Good luck t called it. In reference to the Donnans: C. C. Christopher Columbus Donnan, and his brother, F. M., Francis Marion Donnan, were both killed in the Wil derness on the 5th day of May, 1864. This is according to iny memory, I may be mistaken. I was in the skir mish battalion, but not deployed as skirmishers. Our position in the line of battle was between the 14th and the 12th (S. C.) regiments. This was the only time and place that the skirmish battalion fought in the line of battle. After dark we were moved to the left A Bargain Event Beyond Comparison Heavy Sterling Silver I Bon Bon Dishes $5.00 ‘ Prontis Jewelry Store Clinton, S. C. Special Low Prices And the Most Complete Line Ever Shown in This Section MAKE YOUR SELECTON NOW AND BE READY FOR SCHOOL Wilkes & Co CLINTON -Two Stbrei LAURENS §: ■>' illillllllllllllllMII** Hllllllllllllllllllllllllli Ours tA Double Probleml man John named himself. A stranger i deployed as skirmishers came to Clinton and one of the citi zens was introducing him to the oth ers and it so happened that the Littles were all in town, and after being in troduced to so many John Littles, he asked to which one the last one was. Mr. John Little having taken several drinks of the Elixer of Life as usual, answered and said, “Sir, I am Gen tleman John Little.’’ The name stuck to him until 1867, the year I left S. C. and came to Texas. ^ At Huntington, across the Musgrove road from W. D. (Billy) Byrd’s, Wil liam (Billy) Stewart had a saddler’s and harness shop. It was a muster day but after roll call nearly all had gone home, but I, boy like, stayed— there was several old men who stayed to talk. Billy Byrd, Major (George) Byrd, old man Sneed, Johnnie Fielder, Rocy Anderson, Dr. Dorroh, and my father, all talking and me listening. Two finely dressed gentlemen rode up I failed to mention something about John Smith that I don’t believe can be said about any other soldier, in the world. He never missed a roll ^11, was never sick, if he was ht jMmi men tioned it. He was in every f^w, never got a scratch in his dlotbiiilbr any where else. He was the laalest man in the 14th S. C. regimeirt and the stingiest. If he ever a lie no one ever knew of it. Sonfb of the boy* said he was too stingy to spend his breath telling a lie—K>ther« aAid he was too lazy to tell a lie. He did his duty with out complaint, never said a bad word about any body that 1 know or heard of. He was apparently fearless in bat tle. He was in everyJURgagement the company was in. Jlli|Keve George Hanna will confimnt>i^||^hing I have said about him. B. P. TEMPLETON, DelvaHe, Travi* Co„ Texas. V T he ability of a manufacturer to increase the waives of opera tives depends upon the ability of the mill to produce goods that will sell at a profit. Could the cotton manufacturer of South Carolina confine his efforts entirely to manufacture, perhaps his problems would be greatly simplified. Unfortunately, however, his problems are much more complicated. He is unavoidably faced with the necessity of producing economically and selling suc cessfully. Modem engineering, modern chemistry and modern machinery have so increased our productive capacity that the supply of mer chandise now,exceeds the demand. Production is comparatively easy; selling is the perplexing problem, and no manufacturing plant can continue to operate unless it can sell its goods at a profit. South Carolina Cotton Manufacturers today are toiling between two opposing problems—the problem of selling their goods at a fair price and the problem of maintaining the wage of their workers in the face of very,serious world-Avide competition. They cannot fix the price of their goods, and ^ the entire industry would suf fer from the lowering of wages. The only solution lies in in creasing the productive power of the individual w’orker. This tliey are attempting to do, not exclusively to serve a selfish end," hut to enable themselves to protect the interests of their operatives as well as of the State at large. im. re from thie Musgrove direction. One of, them was Gentleman John Little. They WHAT DO .. ;rot off their horses and shook hands • P. S. JEANciS with all present but me. Mr. Little I ^ ii!!! DO? hr •1. Of SOuTr^ .CAPO^l* TT7,, I iTrrrtr rrrrrr rTT^ RiiiiiMiii riUrrfe-rrrr rr*r’r'r~ m “A# ImtuMiy Proagtr^^ nt I