The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-11-18
BILL ARP.
Georgia Veterans in Virginia Graves Kept
in Mind.
| Atlanta Constitution

There are one thousand and ninety
seven Confederate soldiers buried in the
cemetery at the University Of Virginia,
near Charlottesville Two hundred and
twenty-five Of these are Gcorgians.
The good geople who live there have
not neglected their graves and have ex-
pended $500 on the enclosure and the
shrubbery. But the Old Dominion is
almost a universal graveyard, and it
is not for the other States to throw all
the burden upon them. The appeal
now comes to US for help. There bard
ly Georgia regiment that is not rep
presented in that cemetery, and every
soldiers name and company has been
carefully preserved and every grave
identified. Two years ago a similar
appeal was made from Fredericksburg,
and our people responded as patriots
and Christians, and every grave is
marked with marble headstone. That
good work is done-well done-per-
1nanently done, and those who gave
the dollar for one soldier will have
good credential when they meet these
soldiers "across the river"
Many years ago James Berry was
convicted of robbery in our court. The
evidence was strong but altogether cir
cumstantial, and he was sent to the
penitentiary. He had served three
years of his time when another man,
who was in Jail in distant county
charged with robbery, sent for Judge
Underwood, and said: 81 am guilty
and cannot escape. l am also guilty of
the crime for which Berry is now in
prision. He knew Lothing about it
and is innocent. 1t has made me
miserable all these years that he is
suffering for my crime. I don't want
to meet him and face him in the peni-
Tertiary. I have now written my con-
fession and made plain my guilt and
his innocence, so please see the Cover
nor and have him pardoned and sent
him away before get there. His poor,
suffering face will haunt me like a
ghost" Berry was released and Roberts
convicted, but they never met.
When l ruminate upon the hard,
long service of these soldiers and their
sufferings and death afar from home
and kindred, their hurried burial in
shallow graves, with no one to weep a
tear or send last message to those who
loved them, and when I ponder
upon their neglected graves and the
indifference of our people it makes me
shudder at the thought of meeting
them on the other side. believe in
that. We will all meet. I believe that
we will have to face every neglected
grave. There is no excuse for this ne
glect of our soldier dead. One dollar
for each grave will mark it and keep it
green, and there are thousands of our
people who can spare that much and
be no poorer. Until this is done it will
not do for Us to boast of our patriotism
of our gratitude.
The Exposition is big thing, and
so is King Solomon and the cyclorama,
and Atlanta is wonderful city, and
we see thousands and thousands of
dollars pouring into her hoppers every
day and from every train, and as /
looked upon the hurrying crowds I
wished that every man and every wo-
man would leave dime somewhere to
spend on our dead soldiers graves. 1
wonder if there are not two hundred
and twenty-five good, big-hearted peo-
pie in Georgia who will send me dol
lar, or send it to Mrs. w. B. Harris, at
Charlottesville. 1 wonder if there are
not few who will send SIS. I wonder
if there are not eightytwo in Alabama
who can spare dollar for her soldiers,
and eighty-four in Louisiana, and
sixty-nine in Mississippi, and two hun
dred in North Carolina, and thirteen in
Florida, and one hundred and sixty
one in South Carolina, and one hun
dred and ninety-two in Virginia. [
looked over the list of our Georgia boys
who are sleeping there and wondered if
their kindred knew where they were
buried. l saw some familiar names
from the old Eighth, to which l was
attached, and wondered if the friends
of fFunderburk and Huckaby and Dunn
knew of their burial place, and that
woman's loving hands did every year
place flowers on their graves. 1 knew
those boys and it pleased me that their
bones are thus honored. They went at
the first call and did what they could.
General Lee did no more.
Friends, countrymen, good people,
send in your mites as the Lord hath
blessed you and let us preserve the
homes of our dead. believe IN cherish
ing and cultivating our emotions, our
spiritual nature, love, pity, gratitude;
hose virtues that refine US here and
will be a passport over there. I be-
lieve in happy homes and cheerful fire.
sides and obedient children, and in the
faces that bring sunshine when they
come. This is my creed. Of course
there are ups and downs and losses and
crosses, and big troubles and little
troubles in every household, but they
don't last long and We anticipate
sight of trouble that never comes. I
am little domestic trouble right now,
but it won't last long, reckon. I've
been letting the Jersey calf run in the
grove in front of the house and my