The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-08-06
How Tiilman Lost His Eye.

Several stories, purporting to ex-
plain how Capt. Tillman lost his eye,
are going the rounds of the press. One
is to the effect that he lost it studying
Greek by light-wood fire, and anoth-;
er that diving in stream he struck
his head on rock at the bottom. Ac-
cording to Capt. Tillman's own state
ment neither version is correct.
In the summer of 1885, Capt. Till
man was invited to Tirzah, in this
county. to address meeting of far
mers at picnic given there. AS he
stated in his speech at Yorkville on the
3rd instant, it was the first extempora-
neous speech he ever made. It became
the duty of the present writer to report
Capt. Tillman's speech on that occa-
sion, and there he met for the first
time and formed the acquaintance Of
the embryonic Moses" finding him
to be socially pleasant and affable
gentleman.
During recess in the exercises,
Capt. Tillman and several other gen.
tlemen seated on the speakers stand,
stranger, to all except Capt. 1illman,
approached and ascending the stand
addressed Capt. Tillman. His saluta-
ton was returned in a. cheerful man
ner and the meeting OF the two men
was most cordial. Capt. Tillman In
troduced him to the persons present,
and after q conversation of several
minutes, mainly between Capt. Till
man and the visitor, the latter retired.
He was travelling salesman for q;
Greenville house at that time, and
came from Rock Hill via Tirzah to
Yorkville on business. While trans
acting his business at Tirzah he in-
quired the nature of the meeting in
the grove near Massey's store, and on
being told that capt. Ben Tillman
was making speech" he fastened
over to meet him as above related.
After the salesman had taken bis de-
parture from the stand, Capt. Tiilman,
pointing to his blind eye, remarked to
the company present, HE is the man
who did this" and went on to say that
while boys at school in Edgefeld coun-
ty, and engaged one day in game of
ball, the man who had just called on
him struck him accidentally on the:
eye with bat, from the effects Of
which he was confined to his bed for
several months, the accident terminat-
ing in the complete loss of his eye;
land" said Capt. Tillman, "this hap
pened during the war, and to-day is
the first time we have met since the
occurrence"
On the day after the meeting at Tir-
Zah, the writer met the salesman in
Yorkville, and renewing their &C
quaintance, the name of Capt. Tillman
naturally came up as a subject of the
conversation. In the course of the
conversation the salesman, of his own
volition and without the incident hav-
ing been previously referred to-, re-
marked that it was he who, unfortu-
nately, but by accident, caused Till
man the loss Of his eye. He then de-
tailed the circumstances in about the
same words as did Tillman on the pre-
vious day, and said "This was during
the war, and soon after the unfortu-
nate occurrence I went to the army,
and though I have been home several
day was the first time we have met
since the accident" He noted the fact
that Tillman made not the slightest
allusion to the matter in his presence
at Tirzah, and concluding. said: "It
was the most regretful act of my
whole life, though purely an accident;
but Ben is noble man, and I have
been told that through all his months
of pain and suffering, he never uttered
a harsh word about me-"
This is the story of how Tillman lost
his eye, as related by himself and the
man who inflicted the wound, and
should be accepted as the true version.
-YorkUiUe Enquirer.