The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-03-15
GOVERNOR STEPHENS LIFE.
The Life that Is Closed.

Ian written by the hand of affection
CoIoncl Richard Malcolm Johnston, wht
"a. for more than twenty. FIVE years al
intimate associate of the great commoner
has prepared biography which has al
rasdy been approved by the public, anc
wb;ch will now take the shape of d me
u,oir 1t is from this volume, hastil,
read at late hour, that we gather thu
main facts relating to the career of the
GREAT man who has just passed away.
The Offices of biography are twofold
In the first place. it serves the purpose O.
eSLibi,iug to the public the details o.
conduc. and incident that go to make ur
successful or q singular career-tha,
lead to important and remarkable re-
.nIts; to the specialist in sociolgy or in
eny other branch of science or philoso
nby it serves to show tho results of par
tjcusr environments upon character ol
Individuals upon society the successful
;rIjydual being the controlling INIT
We cannot undertake, at this moment
to make even the deductions that suggest
themselves in contemplating the life OF
the great Georgian. We can only pre-.
SEMI brief and hurried outline Of Der.
hans the most remarkable career in
American politics.
THE STEPHENS FAMILY.
Alexander Stephens, the grandfather
of him whose death will to day be
mourned in all parts of the country, was
smong!;.o Jacobites who quilted England
after the disastrous attempt known as
"the Forty. iiTe.'' With some small
means he came to America and sought
shelter with the Shawnee Indians, near
where Chambersburg now stands. There
be married, and, after serving in the war
for independence, removed with his fam
lily, three sons aud five daughters, to FL
bert county in this State, and afterwards
to Wilkes.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON STEPHENS.
His youngest son, Andrew B. Stephens,
became q schoolmaster, and when he was
of age, he married Margaret Grier. OF
this union three children were the issue,
aud the youngest was Alexander, who
was born on the 11th of February, 1912.
His mother died in the following May,
and his father married again, and from
this marriage snrung four sons aud q
daughter Of the sons, Linton reached
Distinction in politics and law, and died
10 1872. in the prime of life.
Until he was fifteen years old, .eXan-
der Stephens had little time for either
study or play. He was general utility
boy about his fathers place. He worked
10 the field, he run errauds, and he drove
up the cattle, and made himself indispen-
able lie had to mind gaps" he han
ded thread for the cloth tn at was nut in
the loom, and he dropped corn. Conse-
qnenty, he had few opportunities for at
tending school +; but he made the most of
such as he had. He could read well, and
accounted himself good speller; he
could write, and he had ciphered as far
athe single rule of three in the old fed.
eral calculator.
He had what in these days would be
called hard time, and, ir addition to
this, he was frail and sickly and disposed
TO be melancholy-a disposition that he
s.rove against and finally conquered. He
was Vassensitive, nervous and shy, and the
trials Of his youth were hardly less severe
than the sutferings Of his later years
butt is not to be doubted that these
trials equipped him with just the expert
euce necessary for the remarkable success
that was to be his manhood. He came to
believe, indeed, that the trials of his
youth we're of priceless worth to him.
] HIS FIRST GREAT SORROW.
! While he was sixteen years old, his
I hher died, and within week his step.
mother was carried off by the same dis.
] ease-pneumonia. With his brother
Aaron, he was taken to the house of his
uncle, Colonel Aaron w. Grier, of War.
/ rem county, who became his guardian.
i dis father died in 1926. In 1924, he had
opportunity to attend Sunday school
and IN letter written years afterwards,
4 be alludes TO this event as forming an
4 important epoch in his life. :. His atten-
y dance there gave him taste for reading,
4 G1hint fur knowledge. desire for books.
he read at Sunday school, and at home
a cand'elight, and by the freight. He
81 p;sane a student Of the; Bible, and in
aidltion to this he hsi access to The small
Su! choice library Of his grandfather
u In 1876, Mr. Stephens had an opportu-
nlty soattend aechool taught by an Irish
man named O'Cavanaugh. This was
= another epoch in his life, for young and
lall as he was, he gave the teacher to
understand that he was man enough ia
resent q gratpi.ous insult. The following
zeal, 1887, His uncle,iaren.Gtier mar.
nsa, and wanted'to make an Arrangement
slIh Young Stephuuscby. which the latter
81 ga9stay on thei fST4 pnd> >teceive com
aya..ons for his ;serviceS. The latter,
q @Fevef, begged 70 be allowed to go to
Eaoatshis object being, as Hes explained
sus afterwards, Ito get sufficient educa-
Mp 70 become o merchants clerk" as he
~ aot think he would ever be physical.
aole 70 mako living by farm S,work
hs hs uncle granted the request, and the
40 returned TO- school.
FROM rHE-svtNDAY SCHOOL.
an Ina Sunday school was fortunate
Tss VIII him, as- it has, been with &c
Ea{ Ea{ other American boys. At the
SIa LibertS Sunday school, he attract
hhsuassa ssaEeftion of Mr.. Mills, the super
"a NJ ,,:Ssasaeht, zen! and the latter proposed to fur.
M n.u aim IN the means I'd atieudshe acade
sM y y Washington.> After Fsome hesita
nyu ,ou, my generous offer. was accepted; and
uS Mug stephens began to enjoy the op
@ tbaally tbs ne had 30 long coveted. 1t wat
rr,Ra. M RRl.ention Of Mr.. Mills mat the boy
81 h. Su,Ias ~ and melancholy, should study
,S,,.ue Me ministry in tho Presbyterian
S,0saa. St,sa. but when this career was propos
" oas % him he hesitated. He,had made q
"a Isss fIssSs,sesson of faith in lha aummer oI
# .bu,.ha ana e. had joined the Presbyterian
ssia kbl sSr. "a Washington, but he left it tc
~ d.cs,;ons 70 decide. The result of hel
taai.o,a taioa was that he should continue bis
6ises' q ana ,tg go to college under the ian'