The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-11-29


like to have good square meal once
more. It's about dinner time and I
! haven't had anything to eat to-day"
He had a good, honest, suffering face,
but the captain dident believe him.
"Where were you wounded?" said
be.
cat the battle. of the Wilderness, on
the 10th of May, 1854" said the man.
"What is your name?" said the
captain.
"William w. Beazley," said he.
The captain was very busy, and as
he handed the old vet dollar, said:
"Now go and get something to eat;
then 60 to barber's and get cleaned
up and come back here at 8 o'clock. I
| wish to talk to you."
Precisely at o'clock Beazley hobbled
in, leaned his crutches against the wall
and sat down. He was much improv-
| ed.
"Now, Mr. Beazley," said the captain,
II want to cross-examine you, for we
have no money to waste on imposters.
Where do you live and what have you
been doing and what regiment did you
serve in? Tell me all about yourself"
Beazley smiled and said: "That is all
right, captain. I'm not afraid nor
ashamed to give you my history. I was
private in Company B, Fourth Alaba-
ma. lived in Selma. I am printer
by trade and have been tramping
around bunting work and thought I
might get work on The Courier-J ournal,
bot they said I was back number,
which is a fact, and now I am adoat
without a dollar or afriend. My wound
has never got we'll and L'll show it to
you if you wish to see it."
"No, no." said the captain, "who was
your colonel?" ...>.
1--WE had seven or eight" said Beaz-
ley, "but the last one was Colonel
Scruggs. He is living down here in
Huntsville. He knows me. You can
write to him and he'll tell you that I
am no imposter."
Captain Leathers did not wait for
credentials, for the mans face was
credential enough. He bought him
some decent clothes and set him up in
little stand by the bank with 3 few
dollars worth ofcigars and newspapers
and little tricks and told him to sell
them. "Trade with that man, said
he to his acquaintance who came into
| the bank where the captain is cashier.
Trade with that old veteran, he was
wounded at the Wilderness" And
they do trade with him. he has paid
back the money and is now max
ing about Sl2a week and is happy. I
| talked to him aud found he once
worked at Cedartown and knew all my.
old-time friends down there and many
in Rome.
Captain Leathers afterwards met
Colonel Scruggs in Florence: Ala, and
the colonel said, "Yes, knew Bill
Beazley. At the battle of the Wilder
ness on the 10th of May, 1854, my color
bearer was shot down and the boys
we're about to waver, for they were
falling right and left under an awful
fire, but Beazley rushed forward and
picked up the colors and, waving them
over bis head, cried out, Come on,
boys and they rallied on him and fol-
lowed him to victory. That's the kind
of man Bill Beazley is. But he was
shot in the hip in that same charge and
1 don't know whether heis living now,
or not. But why do you ask?"
The captain told him and he was
much grati6ed.
Every survivor of the Eighth Georgia
who was in the first battle of Manassas
will feel interested in this, for the
Fourth Alabama fought right beside
them in the pine thickets, and scores
Of both regiments foremost fighting,
fell among those pines. Bill Beazley
was there and he kept on being in the
front until disabled in the Wilderness.
How many of such heroes Captain
Leathers has in charge, I know not,
but a number Of the old veterans met
at Captain George Norton's one night,
and those walls heard many a yarn.
Captain Norton came from Rome to
Louisville as soon as the war was over
and soou found friends and kept them.
He has made good name nd slow
fortune and uses both with becoming
dignity. A slow made fortune will
stick to man, but big pile of meney
will make a fool of anybody on short
acquaintance.
Captain Norton has numerous
family-a lovely wife aud children
and everything around and about is 80
affectio2ate and home-like that I am
obliged to speak of it, for it is a model
family. say "homelike' because one
day the captain hired an old-fsshioned
darky to sod the front yard with blue
grass. The third day he found that
the old darkey had left the front and
was putting down some sod in the back
yard.
"Uncle jake" said he, "what in the
world are you doing around here. l
never tod you to sod the back yard.
Now, do you just stop it. There is not
enough sod for BOTH"
Old Jake leaned on his hoe sad said:
"Mistis sont me round here: she say I
must sod dis, and sod it,"
"Well, that 8 all right" said the
captain; "go on and sod it, but don't
olg up any more ground. Just sod that
you've got dug up until I get some