Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-03-20
The Atlanta Tragedy.
TRAITS or CHARACTER or COL.
"BOB" ILSTON.

TRAITS or CLARA CTER or COL.
"BOB 1LSTON.
A FEELING Tribute by a FRIEND AND
CoMnApE.
1t is my opinion that in the death of
"Bob' Aston the State of Georgia lost one
OF her most useful sons. lie was lust
emerging from his boyhood when he died
lie had harGly entered upon his real and
earnest life. lie carried the FRESHNESS. ana
the impulses Of his teens Into his forty
years. lilo was just throwing these of
Aud those splendid encrgics-that marvel.
Gus information active hrain-that
buoyant force--what could they not have
accomplished when ballustcd with the wis :
dom und experience of fifty years? In the
Legislature he had already gone to the front
rank aud as fast as the vein of carncstness
and sagacity was discovered bcnco,h the
apparant lishtness his leadership was bciug
confirmed He would haze gone out OF the
present House very nearly its foremost man
If lie had lived His real career was lust
opening, and the man in him was lust
asserting itself over those charming and
boylsh traits which, winSomc US they were,
could not cnlUrce II genuine leadership
just recovered from his financial troubles,
he would have been more than independent
in u few mouths. 1t is hard that, lust as
his hand was outStruched TO p uck the tcdi
Gus fruitage Of Il lifetime, it should be pal
sled with death. TruIy, Gods ways are
iuscrutabir!
Alst"n was tue most generous man that |
ever knew. have seen him literally give
away his last dollar Never in my iic did
| see him refuse help to any applicant, it
hc had aught to give. lie gave loyishly,
heartily and without u question. lie has
spent several snuI fortunes since 1872 at
one stroke he made $4,000; at another,
Sll 900, aud ut another $4,000. He
spcut wonderfully little money on himself
lie denied himself even the comforts of life
that he might give to others never Shall
forget how my eyes filled with tears and
laughter at the same time, when | saw him at
the Governors inaugural ball with trousers
that had had great holes in them, and re-
mcmbercd that two days before he had
given tc noble purpose ten times the
amount needed for new pair. have seen
him spend the day without mouthru of
a,nher' anu inc next day make S3O and give
$40 of it away. OF the $4,000 that he
'ccei'ca snort .ime ago. | am sure nc
give away nearly so,opo, nnd IN two weeks
tic had not +" cent leit. ne showed me y
1'st OF ms expenditures, aud there he had
gwen 70 'i'enu ana enemy alke, to all who
had asked, as long as he had a dollar.
There Was 10 oStentatiun about this. He
t''her KEPT h'uucu that he might escape
Tue seo'd'hSs OF his more worldly wise
lrlSno$'
lie was true TO his friends to tne last
degree. lie never failed to help them
when chance offered and never deserted
'he!h when they wee III trouble Loyablc,
sy"pa.net'c ana 'rank' he was wonderfully
m,fne'ic. Eye'I man VINO worked on the
old 1lcTut" with him lovel him. On yes
t'iday dispatches were received from them
oil over the State, anu to-day a half hun
dred of them will be in Decatur TO sec him
buried. Moore comcs from Augusta, Win
ter from Macon, Burncy from Albany, and
tWO-ScOrC from Atlanta hose men who