The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-03-27
years, and was distinguished for his high
bearing and good business qualities. -.
THE MAN WHO BUILT 4 CIIrRCIr.

TIE MAN WHO BUILT a CItrRCH.
! John Eurlght, .r, like his father. John En-
! right, ST., was a devout Catholic He entered
the merchantile business on the Savannah
side of the county. He died OF consumption
at an early age, leaving his entire estate TO be
uSet in the erection of u Catholic church ut
! Abbevlle. 1t is To him that the Catholics
owe the erection at Abbeville Of the prettiest
church in all this upcOuntry. The iGmigra
lion craze that breaks out periodically in this
country, broke out in this town soon after the
war. subscription WAS presented to our
people 10 raise money 10 buy a, lot, with
view to building the church and To inducing
Immigrants 10 come this way. The money
subscribed, 5000, WAS chiefly hy the Protest.
Ianis. The lOt was bought and remained va
cant until Enright's death, when he left his
estate 10 build the church. In 81 far as induc-
ing Immigrants the effort was Il failure.
GALLANT SOLDIER WHOSE NAME is FOR
| GOTTEN.
! VINO once owned the Marshall House; was a
man Of fine education and good ability. He
had pleasant address with prospects OF Il
bright future before him. He was poor boy,
but through the influence Of friends he was
aided in hIS efforts TO get an education at the
South Carolina College. He received the ap-
poinlmcnt of election commissioner 10 Wash
| ington, and this wii other assistance assured
his graduation. He volunteered into the
Nineteenth Regiment. Was made Orderly
Sergeant, and afterwartl elected Captain Of
| lhG company. lie anu fuWdTu -NODlG were
the ablest and hest educated men III the Reg-
ment. and their merits were recognized by
the higher officers. Chatham was killed one
night about thirty miles from Atlanta. His
brilliant mind. and his well rounded rharaC
Ter made his death peculiarly sad. lie was
| the subject of an accident or the victim OF
cruel and wicked design. During the dark
ness. while facing the foe. Il shot rang out in
the night. Captain Chatham was fatally
wounded. The shot wls supposed TO he By
one OF our own men. In the effort to ferret
raded soon after. The gun of one soldier was
empty and bore evidence OF having been re-
Gently discharged. When faced with il, he
admitted that his gun was accidcully fired.
There was no proof In the contrary.
! In the life and death of Robert Chatham We
havea lesson, and an example OF our evanes-
cent existence. Although he was young, edu.
Gated brilliant and hopeful: although he was
correct in his morals and energetic in his
habits. yet he was cut oown-the subject of
an acciuent-and his name in thirty years, is
no kindred 10 sing his praise and his friends
forget to speak Of his valor. None in the Con-
federale ranks were more brave, without os.
tentation, than he was. None faced the dan
gers Of battle more determinedly than he did,
and yet his name Is unknown TO this people.
His memory is scarcely dream among his
former comrades, who once loved him SO well.
IN THE CAVALRY.
i Among the calvarymen who enlisted from
Il Abbevile were l.. II. Russell and his younger
brother Sam Russell, John II. Owen. Moses
owen. Lee Russell or these only one now
member of the firm of Wallng:ord & Russell.
Sam Russell was killed. Capt. I T. Owens
was slightly wounded in the foot during a
fight. The wound was regarded as of little
consequence, but he received a furlough on 1t.
came home, and died Of lockiaw.
; WILSON'S AND wILsoNS-BUyISG NEGROES
SINCE THE WAR.
tor Of the Press and Banner bought his inter.
est in the pa per. went to Washington, Ca. to
print Il pap!r. Since the war he, like the
founder of ihe Banner. Charles Fl. Allen, went
to Florida, and died During bis lie he took
, u high Stanti with the GrangerS. as officer and
editor OF their paper: He died several years
ago, owning large farm and orange grove.
LeR0y Wilson was an engineer on The q. &
c. road for many years. He died. DIR. En-
gene L. Wilson hears his name. Leroy vii.
son IN his youth was consi dered quite gen.
fireman, and ne became an engineer, and
served the company faithfully for long time.
but he tinaplly lost his JOB.
Jack Wilson, brother OF Leroy Wilson, waa
an engineer on the G. L. &. railroao. He and
his crew went down TO their death in the
creek this side OF Anderson village. The high
waters had carried away the bridge and the
whole train plunged inlo the swollen stream,
and there was none lett 10 tell the tale. All
were lost.
Pat Wilson, prlnler in the Banner Office,
DHSSSu EpIely through JUC uhHReTS OI war, re.
turned home aud died many years ago He
was the first man to propose to publish a
newspaper NJ Greenwood. He published his
prospectus ior the Greenwood Times In the
newspapers 1T Abbeville, but he never started
the paper. This was before the war.
Elijah Wilson was u notable person here
about before the war. In his dealings he WAS
fair and just. And he always liked TO be
treated right. He once offered load of oats
to the town people, asking fifteen cents doZ.
en- bundles. The ordinary price then was
itweIve-and-a-half cents, and he could get no
m )re. He wouldn't take that price. Fie car
ried his oats home. divided his bundles re-
ducing them 10 the size OF the ordinary
twelve-and a-half cent bundles. This done,
he brought them back To town and sold them
at the reduced price to the man who had re-
fused TO pay fifteen cents dozen before the
bundles were divided.
This suggests some transactions since the
war in fodder. Major HeigIer bought load
Of fodder with iwo negroes on the load when
il wHE weighed. When the empty wagon
came back there was only one negro on II,
and we suppose that was the only negro that
! was bought since the war.
! Capt.. J. Il. Parks had Il similar experience.
lie bnusht II load o! fodder which WAS held
down by an immense pole. AS the driver
left ihe scales he asked him TO leave the pole
NJ his house. II was not until the man came
to get his pay that he discovered that he had
bonghta green pole by the pound.
/, There were about seven different and dis.
; tincl families OF Wilson's in Abbevile before
the war. who were IN way related 10 each
other and there are now here nearly, or quite
as many families hr that name. There IL
! DR.. J, l.. Wilson, Rev, s. l.. Wilson. DIR.
Eugene l., Wilson. Mrs. Minnie Wilson, Andy
! Wilson, Willie Wilson, Hugh Wilson, J. Il.
+. Wilson-neitbrr being relaed to any of
! The others,
GEO. W. sYFAS.
one of the most remarkable men OF 1850 is
! George W. Syfan. engineer on the Abbeville
! Branch road. He helped to haul the iron to
| Inv tha track from HOdppS AhhpyiIla In
! 1852. and continued the faithful employee of
that road Tor forty years. Previous to coming
20 Abbevile he had been engineer on the
South Carolina railroad. He Is now away up
in the seventies. being perhaps the oldest
railroad engineer in the United States. He
wor ked until he was physically incapaciiated
to do so by reason OF The infirmlties Of old
age. In recognition OF long and faithful SER
vice the ltailroad Company placed him on
their pension list. and monthly ray the Stipu-
| lated amount.
THE ErILDER OF a NICE DWELLING.
! Fl. a. Jones, attorney at law, filled u nota-
bile place in the public attention At that time.
| His full name was William Henry Andrew
Jackson Jones. but he abridged 1t to Ii. \.
Jones. Among his last ventures was the
building of the Masonic Lodge. and law of
flee, and the dwelling house now occupied by
Mrs. Sondley. In 1860 he became financially
involved, his property had 10 he sold, and he
| left AbbeviIlr. lie said Of one OF his creditors
the evening before he lett. hat he, his credi.
! tor, would sell God out of heaven. If he owed
| him anything, and could reach him." This
was In respose Ia suggestion that he seek 10
compromise aud postpone the sale OF is
property.
TIE Rt:iLDISG BOOM DESTRUCTION or FINE
HOUSES.
| In 1850 and 1850 there was great spirit for
building costly and elegant homes. The peo-
ple were rich and if the war had not come On
| when IL did we would have bad a u reul MANY