Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-02-01
alistellaueoas 8eadiug.
For the YOrkville Enquirer.

ullli CIlullcy was luouC III 4o1O. LIZ
taught school near the present resi-.
dence Of G. C. Leech, Esq. Here we
learned the alphabet He had a
large school. Many grown young
men and ladies were scholars. The
Berrys, Leeches, Hemphills, McKin.
strys and Whitesides were the strong.
est families. Of these but few are
now living that we know of. Joe
Moss and Joe Morgan were among
the large scholars. But as the poet
says:
Friends have been scattered
Like roses in bloom;
Some by the bridal,
And some by the tomb"
Joe Moss is now living in Craig
head county, Arkansas, and is rich
He went there in 1858. Joe Morgan
is dead, Many of those now living
in Western York will remember
what fancy head lines he had written
in his manuscript under which he
kept the sums he worked in Pixies
arithmetic. Those lines were orna.
mented with BIRDS heads, snakes and
every other device that could be
drawn by pen.
1t was while attending this school
that the writer had a severe attack
of pneumonia. DR.. Allison was the
physician, and as last resort bled
his patient. In those days DIR. ALI
son and DR.. Wright had most of the
practice in Western York. In all
critical cases they or one of them was
called in. l don't suppose higher
toned gentlemen ever adorned the
profession than they.
Mr.. Shurley took great pride in
having his school to "show Off" For
a week or two before the "quarter
day." or "last day" of school, he
would drill the scholars. Boys and
girls were put in line and marched
to the drill ground. Every evolu'
tion known to military tactics was
gone through with.
The last day of his school in 1848
we drilled for two hours in widow
Hemphill's yard. 1t rained all the
time. Several ladies were present.
She lived where G.. G. Leech, Esq,
now lives. We had sticks for guns.
Any one who failed to properly per.
form his duty in ranks was taken out
and drilled in an "aWkWard squad"
Spelling and reading matches were
popular, too. George Leech and
William Jenkins were the "brag''
spoilers. Mary McKinstry was the
peer of either of them. A ticket,
written on red paper with red ink.
was given to the one standing head
in the spelling classes each night.
The ticket read thus:
This is to certify that ....... ended head
spelling in my school this e. day of ......,
49,. NJ. SHURLEY, Ieacher.
These tickets were kept until the
first "quarter day" and counted in
the presence of the school trustees
and the public generally. A "quar-
ter day" was at the expiration OF one
fourth of the time he had agreed to
teach, (Which was generally twelve
months at time). He generally
boarded among the scholars. The
scholars would always tell him the
night he promised to 60 home with
them! They were proud to get him,
and many times arguments and per,
haps hard feelings would arise be-
tween scholars as to who had the
best right to his company.
The last day of the school in 1S4S,
I remember that Capt. James Mont
gomery formed a cavalry company
of the visitors (men) and drilled
them in the cavalry tactics. He had
perhaps Is or 100 men in line. He
was a tall, good looking man and
made a fine soldierly appearance.
He was a patron of the school, and
worked for its success. In fact, peo-
pie in those days took more interest
in making their children happy and
wise than they do now. They didn't
depend on the teacher doing all the
work. They made regular visits to
the school houses, and heard the
scholars spell, read, and in other
ways show what their teacher was
doing for them.
About this same time an old man
by the the name of Lackston was
digging gold on the place now owned,
l think, by G. C. Leech or Mrs.
Lizzie Leech, near the line of the
Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago
Railroad. Specimens of this ore can
be found on the branch between Mrs.
Castles and George Leech's, on the
Howell's ferry road. Though liv-
ing the life of a hermit, in a little
hut on the bank of the branch, he
spent his peaceful life with no COM
pany but his Bible. Where he came
from or how he got here I never
knew. He was a professional miner
and had forgotten more about geolo-
gy than some experts ever knew.
He had examined many places on
Guion Moore creek, and followed that
stream to the head, and was among
the first men to give the Martin
mine its notoriety. On Mr.. Moses
Whites land he always claimed
there was rich ore. Perhaps he was
the first man who ever stuck pick
there in search Of gold.
Near Hickory Grove he followed
up his prospects to and across Broad
river, to the Darwin mine at Flint
Hill. Between Smiths ford and DIR.
Darwin's, he always claimed there
was gold in abundance, as well as on
the Smith lands.
In 1S49 he was badly bitten by a
dog of Mr.. Wyatt Neal, who then
lived where Mr.. Moses White now
lives. He was also a great gardener
and had all kinds of vegetables in
his garden. He was an Englishman,
and 1 always thought he was exiled
from his mother country on account
ofdisloyalty to the Crown. He closed
his peaceful life in death at Mr..
Wyatt Meals, and his remains were
inferred at Unity church. He was
beyond doubt the noblest work of
God-"an honest man." His history
has never been written, or even
known by his most intimate friends.
Another character in my early ac-
quaintance with Western York was
John Gibson, generally known as
"Jack the Sailor" This son of Nep-
tune was a man of great physical
endowments, but his life, occupation
and habits were such as to exclude
him from the bestsociety. An Irish
man, full of life, wit and humor.
His occupation was that of a we'll
digger of the Charlie Cassiday stripe.
He was a Roman Catholic by profess
sion. Being a very intelligent man,
he could tell many things that hap
pened in his eyentful life that if
written up would make an interest