The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-08-16

and other particulars concerning him,
must be learned of those who know
them. Iknew him over forty years
ago and my ancestors knew him and
''set great store by him" for the forty
wears preceding mine. He was the
Judge Of Ordinary at his death and so
long before that the memory of man
ran not the contrary. l suppose ne
purchased the office, as in the early
DAYS of this once republic, the old
English system prevailed in civil OIL
ces as in their military until recently
in the sale of commissions. His liter
ary advantages were 70 doubt good, as
he was a man of superior intelligence
and a most pleasant and instructive
companion. I v talked much
with him, but used to stand around to
hear him talk. He was as genial as
sunshine. except when obscured by a
passing cloud, and myself and many
others who didn't understand the
movements Of those clouds were
afraid Of him, for he was fire and
Wv ~ with him it was a word and q
blow and the blow came first. If his
instinct required him to knock you
down he did it, and then inquired in
70 It. and if he was in the wrong no
atonement. was too much for him to
make, and it became forever after the
seal of his friendship and a policy of
insurance to the party against a like
occurrence. He was q man of strong
religious feeling and no doubt of gem
uine piety, and when knew him was
a member and communicate of Doc
tor Barr's flock. I always understood
that he was originally of the Associate
Reformed, but if so he had none of
the long-metre so common among
them, of natural or cultivated growth ;
and it was further said that when he
Joined it was q part of the contract, in
view of his excessive Irish, that he
must not be required not to utter GER
tain words under peculiar circumstan-
ces: and the proviso was well taken,
for how could he help it? A stranger
called ut his office inquiring: II nm
hunting Mr.. Tiger the Ordinary; :"
and the reply vas II am the man
and Tag-ga-rett is my name and be
d-nd to you ;".-and when the stars
were falling he had been aroused and
was standing in his porch looking up,
on the scene, when he heard a noise at
the gate b few feet from him as of
some one trying to open it, when he
demanded,-"Who is that"" ut is
me master, Dick, your niger Dick"
What the devil are you after, Dick ?
80 master the world is coming to all
end, don't you see, and I want to get
Mr.. Moore to. pray for me-" "Go
back, d-n you and pray for yourself {;
1t will take all preacher Moore can do
to save himself"
Mrs. Taggart had come and gone be.
fore my day, and from the account OF
her she was just like her "Gude mon,'"'
fire and tow, a real Brinkerhof; yet 1t
was said that a more congenial pair
and who lived more happily together
was never seen, and this was attribu-
ted to their management, good n
and perfect understanding of the sub
ject and science of matrimony, its du-
ties and dangers, based upon the SUBJ
stratum of the purest affection and re-
spect for each other. Each was enti-
tied enthusiastically to a "tantrum"'
Tor boiling over) and SO accorded, and
when on the legal owner the other
was a~uiescent and allowed him or her
to "blow out" without aggravation or
contradiction. These spells never
came on at the same time, nor allowed
to do so. They left four sons, James,
Oliver, John and Lewis. who were
"chips Of the old block" especially
John who "was all block himself"
James was the most modified and an
elicized Of any. I have seen John,
oliver and Lewis knock men down
with fist, stick, weight and brick.bat
and find out afterwards the cause, and
stand up afterwards to themselves if
right and make due reparation if
wrong. John was n of the kindest
hearted men that. ever lived; he
didn't divide pones of bread with
the needy and distressed, but showed
it all with them. It used to pain Inc
to hear him tell, or see him listen to-,
a "good thing" for the tears ran down
his cheeks in a stream. All of them
are dead I learn except Oliver who
may be living. ! met him IN
where he then lived. James had
had some peculiarittes worth no.
ting. He was a man in easy cir
cumstances and his credit was as good
as any man who took his time in pay
ing his bills in general but that was
the understanding that the debt would
be paid "when he sold his cotton"
and he didn't bind himself to a day,
month or year of sale. But while lie
was often sLoW with merchants, he was
olapoys fast. with Doctors, paying,
without regard to the case, at the gate
for the medicine and visit. 1 state
this in part from personal knowledge
and the balance upon oftrepeated and
uncontradicted hearsay. Why he
made the distinction I know not, and
leave the medical fraternity, whom 1t
more closely concerns, to interpret 1t.
MI. and Mrs. Taggart left also three
daughters, two of whom I knew, Mrs.
Eff0rd Owen and q widow Perrin; al
so Mrs. Thomas Talman, the mother
of Col. Nj. o. Talman aud my old
schoolmate, jim Talnlan.
Moses Taggart was q peculiar man
in appearance; his left leg was the
shortest and the right seemed to be
nearly stiff at the knee; and his gait
was q recumbent one, like the leaning
Tower Of Pisa, supported by an ele-
CANT silver-headed cane Of strength
and weight. He wore always massive
gold spectacles with an upper and low
er division Of glasses to suit long or
short distance, and walking along
with his cane placed with regularity
and his face downwards and upwards
and downwards and upwards and so
on, was striking to strangers. He was
a model official and every body
liked and respected him, except Ger
tain boys and that was for reasons
personal. He had in his garden n
large and productive pear tree, which
cost many a wishful look and apertures
in his palings. One day I MET him
near his gate and he said to me, "Do
you love pears ?" to which I replied
most emphatically: II do, sir"
"Well then" said he, II will give
you some" and he took me in his gar
den and filled my hat and handker-
chief and pockets, remarking as !
left, "You seem to be an honest, we'll
behaved boy and when ever you want
pears come and get t~hem-(and I did,.
Some rascals land he named them)
have been stealing my pears. I have
arrangements to. catch them and a bun
die of hickories to chastise them"
AS almost q man some years later,
about 1910, I assisted in placing the
| loef opoAou of iirf oy,or hic rapoo;po