The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1872-12-18

Kept blm poor. On several occa,
sions | urged him to consent TO
take a seat on the bench. He mi.
tormly replied that he was too poor
to entertain such an ambition. In
one of his last letters on this cub.
|ject, he said to me that he was
then working for his creditors, and
that he could not, in honor, cease
to labor for them whilst life lasted,
till their debts were paid. He
then hoped, in a few years, to be
able to discharge all Of his liabili.
tiles. ~. a,s Irg sle ~ sJ
Mr.. Petigru was born in A bbe.
vile District. His ancestral name
was written Pettigrew, as General
Pettigrew continued to write his /;
but in college Mr.. Petigru changed
the spelling Of his name. His
mother was otFrench descent, and
his father Irish. On the death of
his mother, he and his wife took
all his brothers and sisters, educa-
ted them, and saw them we'll mar.
ried and settled in life. Mr.. Peti.
CRU was bordering on eighty at his
death, and yet there was scarcely
a gray hair in Ills head. He labor.
ed most arduously, throughout his
life, and yet he enjoyed life with
good deal of freedom. lie drank
freely at times, but, as he once told
me, he always had his guage, and
never went beyond it. No one he
said ought ever to get drunk and
fall down, VI not be able to pre-
serve the proprieties of lie. lie
should know when lie has as much
as he can carry or ought to drink
Mr.. Ietigru was short and stout i'm
his person, with a full face and
rather long head. His forehead
was not. high. Lis features aud
countenance were pleasant and
prepossessing: his manners plain
anG simple. There was no preten
ton or ailectation about him. He
drew every one to him, high or
low, by his cordial heart. Every.
body loved him. down to the ser
wants who waited on him at the ho.
tells. lie was one of the best wri-
ters IN the State or United States.
His address before the South Oar.
olina College, on the semi centen.
NAL anniversary of that institution,
was most finished production,
and would have done credit to the
ablest writers OF England or Amer.
lea. As a speaker, Mr.. Petigru
was peculiar. lie did not deal in
rhetoric or defamation, but his
epeeches were always MASTER
pieces of logic. His language was
beautiful and happy. lie was a
man OF great taste in language and
careful in the Use of words. No
one could express himself with
more clearness and precision, or in
purer language. His voice was a
singular one, and he could at any
time by his intonations and wit
convulse his audience with laugh.
ter. 1t was impossible for any one
to be grave when he was disposed
to indulge in bis peculiar humor.
just previous to the secessson of
South Carolina, Mr.. Petigru came
to my room, in Columbia, and had
with me long and very interest.
ing conversation in regard to the
contemplated action of the State
and the consequences of disunion.
We both deplored the madness and
folly which possessed the public
mind in South Carolina at that
time. Mr.. Petigru said it was
most anazing that the parish gem
llemen shonId be so strongly in ia.
vor of disnpion. They had more
at stake than any others in pre-
servi z s@ spnion, and would be
the fire sa., saffer from secession.
They lis 1sns oir the sea cost, and it
would be IMPOSSIBLE to prevent the
Northern armies landing and car.
rying off their slaves, and, per.
haps, destroying their plantations.
He thought with me that disunion
would be the death knell of slave
rs. He said there was something
in the heart Of every good man
that told him slavery was wrong {;
but that we had inherited the in.
stitution from our forefathers, and
could not be changed now tor the
benefit Of the slave. We had to de.
fend it, for in doing so were simply
defending ourselves against the
torch Of the incendiary and the
knife ofthe assassin. Hedeprecated
most Indignantly the acts of VIC.
lence which had been committed on
innocent Northern men who had
come here. He alluded to q case
be had prosecuted in WATERFORD.
told him what / had said to Gov.
ernor Means, who inquired of me
what course / would take after the
State seceded2 In reply, l said
that | had been trying for the last