The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-08-02


an extract Of tho "plucky widow's'
letter to Gel =. Wyatt Aiken, tho
original publication Of which has
aroused so much sympathy for this
brave lady in her struggle to sup~
port her family
TRUE pLUcK.
While every section of our great
country has been crying out ''hard
times for tho past four years, we
question whether the majority " of
Southcrn farmers have comparativo~
! ly suffered sufficiently to know the
true meaning Of tho words-.'hard
times. Men who have worked, and
made those around them work, have
thus far wcathorod the storm with
but few privations. Others, It's
true, may havo worked and har>
vested llbclally, but unfortunately
not knowing what is the meaning Of
practical economy, have, perhaps,
spent faster than they made, and
hence have become annually more
reduced i'll this worlds goods.
Then thcro were those who knew
nothing Of labor in former Years,
n'd since tho war havo yielded to
the pressure Of the times and been
reduced to absolute want. This
has been tho fate Of many Southern
1amlllcs OF as good blood as ever
courscd Through human veins, and
those natural Lorn gentlemen and
ladies arc to be piticd in their Dov-
erty. Their former lives were not
calculated to prepare them to battle
against the trials that cruel war has
brought upon them. But they arc
really admirable in their present
destitute condition, for not a mur-
muir ever escapes ono Of Them.
Occasionally thcro crops out from
from among this class an individual
whose pluck can but excite the adj
miTat'on Of all who know him or her,
And just such person is a lady ac-
quaintancc Of Col. d. w. Aiken, on
the lower coast S . Of if S9qth syGt9 yGGta9ro}Gi1pa G1
ruspondouco lattcrly, and who wrote
as follows on tho 18th of juno:
Il an living On Il single acre of
land, which L oect to buy if I can
ever raise the money prico $50.
This acre L have had ploughcd, for
which paid, and with u wheclbar>
row, chip manure and rottcd pine |
straw, l, myself have made SO many |
Irish potatoes that after gabE ling |
for six weeks TO supply my talle,
where and nine children sit rcgu-
'arly, I have i'll tho past few days
dug over thrco barrels. I have !
corn taller than my head, early COW
peas, tomatoes turning, olira in
bloom and had over one hundred
heads of beautiful young cabbage,
some squashcs and cucumbers dcs-
troycG by my ncighbor's pigs. I
am not i'll despair, however, for as
soon as my friends finish setting out !
their slips 1 will buy enough |
for quite patch, and pay
for them in labor returned by |
working on tho sowing machine
Some persons say / am fanatical. |
Be it 50 better that than gadding
about and consuming precious time
in idlcncss. L am quite Indifferent
to the tarnts L hear Of such work
being unladylikc. Tam only doing
work that has to be done, and ] !
would like to have it nicer, but
there is no alternative. With all
my striving L find but little margin
for clothing, and none for the cdu>
cation Of my dear children.
The writer Of the above is q
widow with ton living children, nine
at home, and tho majority of them
girls. She is accomplished and
refined, and Las seen far better
days. Without hcr knowledge or
consent we publish the above OK
tract from hor private letter, that it
might encourage many q ono now
sitting upon the caves of despair,
OF shame into moro active life somo
Of the many drones wo have in
almost every community in tho
South. Is thero not somo good
Samaritan amongst our readers who
will loosen his purse strings and
contribute enough money to pay
for that acre Of land?
We received, yesterday, two ad-
ditional cont, buttons to help out
tho ''Plucly Widow" The total
amount received is as follows:
Previously acknowledged. {. .$21 so
Gan Army Officer" 800