The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-05-15
LETTER FROM HARD LABOR
TO COLUMBIA MEMORIAL
DAY-CPOPS.
,;,or A5bep;le Press and Banner:

Editor A55eusae Press and Banner:
DEAR E$S1R:-I availed myself of al
Opportunity of visiting Columbia du
ring the last week. 1 left home OF
Thursday morning and having some
matters claiming my attention in you
village, I concluded l would MAKE
Railroad connection at that point.
The roads being good, and the trair
not leaving until 8, I looked after. my
affairs and reached the depot in am
ple time. We soon left Abbeville ii
the distance under the watchtul carr
of conductor Hammond, and enginee
Syfan, both efficient officers reach
ing Hodges on time. The train from
Greenville soon came down, and WI
got aboard. The Road seems to b'
doing good business from thu
n sm5unt Of travel, which was mucl
aarcer than I expected at this season
and upon enquiry was told that thH
travel generally was as good, as Il
was the days 1 went down and up.
I met upon the road some OF tho
oldest EN- employees-Conductor !saacs
is still here; he has grown gray in the
service, but is as kind and accommo
dating as ever. Point Wells, former
ly Mail Agent, now Express Messen
ger, fills his post to the satisfaction Of
all. Dick Cheatham, one of Able
ville's sons is regarded as one of the
best engineers on the road. l was
sorry to hear Of Conductor Brazeale s
illness-and hope. he may soon be up
and at his post. Conductor Bush
seems to be a nice gentleman and
bids fair to make proficient in his
line. Nothing of interest happened
during our way down. At Aston
there came aboard detachment OF
"BluesCoats' armed and equipped as
the law directs, which looked like
war times. The crops along the
route seemed 10 be backward and
suffering for rain. We saw very little
cotton up, and several places where
they were ,busy~planting.
We Arrived at Columbia at 6 Z. NJ,
land soon put ourselves under the care
of Mrs. Wright, of Nickerson's Hotel;
This is good house, we'll kept and
deserves patronage. Mr.. Carr, the
Superintendent, is a nice gentleman,
accommodating, and understands his
business. Board $500 per day. Co.
lumbia wasoncesa a beautiful city and
it is cheering to see her, striving TO
rise from the ashes, and appear in her
wonted beauty. We see many signs
of improvement-new and beautiful
houses erected and others in curse IF
construction; but gloom and melan-
cholly comes over us when we are
constantly reminded by "Sherman's
Sentineis" of the inexpressible agony
that Sthese good people experienced
on that"seventful night when that
beautiful city was laid in ashes by the
vandal foe. There seems to be very
good business carried on here. and
Columbia can at least boast of one
mammoth estabiishment-the largest
an thetc State: r. G. Shivcr & Go.
make great boast of what they will
and can do, and from what l saw and
heard, merit all that has been said
about them. You can get anything
you want,ia the Dry Goods line, and
at tho lowest figures success to
Shiver. sf
Friday was Memorial,Day and it
was ftly observed in this city. In
company with some friends, late in
the afternoon, we wcnded OUR way to
the cemetery, and on our passage
thither were passed by vehicle after
vehicle laden with Columbia's fairsSt
daughters, each bearing in her hands
garlands Of flowers. On arriving at
the cemetery we found Colonel Has
kell forming a neutrality-suspicious.
i'm front and ladies in the rear. They
then marched down to the soldiers
lot, which is a nice enclosure inside of
the cemetery-the procession halted
at the gate, ranks opened and the
ladies marched through into the en-
closure, two and two, each one bear
ing some memento. Only the ladies
wcresadmitted inside, with Rev. DR..
Howe, the officiating clergyman, and
after a most solemn and impressive
prayer, the ladies went silently on
their MISSION aud decorated every
grave in the enclosure. 1t was a
most solemn scene, and in witnessing
it, this thought struck me, that in all
the tributes of respect and memen-
tos paid to departed worth, oh. wo-
man, the part thou actest excellest
them all. -, -
During my visit / made the &C.
uuaintahde ofH.J. Furber, Esq, tho
Vice-P President Of the Universal Lite
Insurance Company of New York -
I found Mr. Furber to be a perfect
gentleman, free and easy. man of
great business capacity, having the
control of one of the most successful
Life Insurance Companies in the
United States. May : his shadow
never grow less, and he long be
spared ,todevote his time, his energies
and ,talents to tho; advancement of
that institution - Life Insurance.
that has sbowered down more bless
ings upon the widow and orphan than
any other institution the land affords.
/ also met with J. w. Shackleford,
Esq, the popular ard efficient Super
intendents Of the Southern Depart
ment Of the same Company. Mr.. S.
is known to yourself and most OF
your readers; he having made your
village as headquarters for his good
lady and little Emmie for four