The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-02-14
AbbeyiIle Poets.
By AN EX-AEBEVILLIAN OF
OVER FORTY YEARS.

And Abbevilie with her full quota of
warriors, strong Bor, and long roll OF
statesmen in my day, was not with
out her poets "bc the same more or
less" And let this writer here con-
fess and say that he is no poet, nor Il
Judge Of them, and disclaims and re-
fuses to recognize any and all personal
responsibility for what he may say OF
them, as his opinions are not really
opinions, and unworthy Of attention
or respect, as they are but the says of
MADAME Rumor'' and her often vag~
abond daughter, ''public opinion ex-
icept in SO far as he may state partlcu-
lar facts. If, therefore, a true-bill FOR
SANDER be found against him he puts
his defence first, upon an dLGi a; ana
second, like the Georgia defendant
who introduced his W character for
truth and ~veracity and proved it so
bad as to cntitle him to not only an ac'
cuittal for damages but q verdict in
his favor.
CHARLES HENRY ALLEN,
my old friend and schoolmate, wrote
from 1895 for McMakin and Arthur's
PhiIudcDhia Journal. All wasprlnted
and praised and his "Jeptha's
VOW brought down the house.. He
also wrote for the local press, and his
heart, now stilled, stout against men,
but soft towards women, carried him
largely into albums, sometimes at ms
own request and often "by request"
He was very ready. 1 called at hls
room once and asked him for some
lines for an epitaph for q beautiful u
pious girl who died in her seventeenth
wear and whom he well knew. he
Studied a few minutes with his head
resting on his hand, and taking his
pen he wrote in but little more time
than it takes me to repeat 1t:
Like the 1owret OF summer she was fair,
And rs brief and as beauteous her bloom:
We weep not for her, nor yield to despair,
But c0nsign her in hope to the tomb.
1t went upon the marble and there
stands to-day in its thirty,fourth year
unless destroyed by accident, lnten.
ton, or the tooth of time.
ANDREW SIMONDS
of the District wrote for the local press
and in Albums some highly praised
and popular pieces, all about love, its
abutments, pillars and repositories, il
lily EcCOllSCGlOi IL " Y "
JOHN MARkEE,
of the manufactury Of Branch 4
Markee, 1.-THE small man with the cir
cular vision" as denominated by Wad'
dy Thompson, sent lines to Arthur
some printed and Others refused. His
lines "To Tasty" and other pieces
were printed rs "showing some talent
with cultivation" / remember two
verses of a squib he let off on a tai
gentleman who lived near town anC
came in often and dlways rode a fine
horse:
TO JOHN.
saw him on his gallant steed,
High waved his beaver crest,
And like the oak, 'lnongst forest trees,
He lowered DER the rest.
I've seen the sand-birdso on the beach
In crowds before Il Squall,
And Johnny's legs like sand birds are
The tallest Of the tall.
The above with several other verse.
too far gone to recover, were never Of
fered for print, but reached "Johnny'
and came near producing a case of as
sault and battery, but the interview
ton Of this writer brought about an
adjustment 'alike honorable to boil,
parties" n saving bruises ana tat
tered cuticles.
Markee returned to Augusta, Ga,
from whence he came, Joined
in 1916 the 1st Georgia regi.
ment, for Mexico, and his name
appears in the list of "died in the SER
vice" But Abbeville had another
poet, not one of the style of either Of
the above, nor yet after the model
Of Byron. Scott, Burns, Long,
fellow, Holmes or Poe, but an
~acrostic poet, sal generis: that was not
only his forte but his all, and that on
ly at certain phases of the moon.
When in season somebody and many
at 3 time had to hear him, the subject
and situation admitted of nothing else.
Once be came to me and whispered,
II know you are in love with Julia
and I have something to help you.
Here it is" I believe l can give it lit
orally: