Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-07-08
THE VETS AT RICHMOND.


stragglers about the old battlefields. OF
Virginia, most of the York county vet
Grams who went to Richmond returned
during the latter part of last week. The
Yorkville contingent consisted of DIR. j..
R. Bratton, Messrs. J. Ed Jefferys, A. F..
cConnell, J. F. Wallace and Captain E.
A. Crawford. There were also several
from the country Immediately surround
ing, and judging from the stories they are
telling, all of them had splendid time of
it. The reporter saw Mr.. Wallace on Sat-
urday and asked him to say something in
addition to the report on the first page
that would be of special interest to our
home people.
"There was so much of it that hardly
know where to begin," said Mr.. Wallace |;
"but you can say for me, and think for
the others, that we all had a splendid
trip of it and we are glad we went.
Except at Chicago, it was the biggest
crowd I ever saw, and without exception,
in some respects, it was the most remark
able. I was particularly impressed with
this in the auditorium Tuesday night.
The seating capacity of the building is
10000 and there were gathered in it at the
time I speak of, about 5000 people. 1t is
seldom that you see 50 many people past
the middle age of life gathered together in
single crowd, and made it point to
get on the stand so could look in their
faces. It looked to me as If the average was
somewhere between IS and 60. A large
majority of them were evidently in good
financial circumstances, and all were in
telligent and manly. tell you the sight
was impressive.
"But that was not all. Somehow or
other, during late years, have been grad
ually impressed with the idea that the
old enthusiasm for the Lost Cause was
dying out. Pll never think so again-not
so long as there are so many Confederate
veterans above ground. While 1 was
studying the vast audience, all of sud-
den there commenced waving of hand
kerchiefs, hats and walking sticks, and
there went up such yell as never be-
fore heard in my life. 1t was spontaneous,
it was deafening; it almost lifted me of
my feet, and still it was not unpleasant.
Through it there was an unmistakable
current of enthusiasm that served to stim-
ulate and inspire. Although, for an in
slant, did not fully appreciate the cause
oft. It made ME feel like I could yell as
lou as all the rest put together. 1t was
not nearly as long as it has taken to tell
you this, of course, before I was looking
around, and I saw stepping across the
stage the figure of Wade Hampton. He
was the cause of the pandemonium. The
old soldier is getting old and he is show
ing his age; but haven never before seen
man get such an ovation. During his
speech he said that if the "old flag was
still waving, he would be fighting yet"
and the enthusiasm that followed was
even greater than before. 1tell you, those
people just went wild.
"There was another thing that impress
ed me. You have heard of Virginia hos
pitality. Well, I want to tell you that
those words mean something. The SOL
diers got Just about the treatment at the
hands of the city as you would expect in
the family of a personal friend. The
badge of the veteran was ticket OF ad-
mission to anywhere, and those who did
not have badges, were hunted up and
provided with them. In the parks, on
the street cars, anywhere; even young
ladies would get up and insist that vete-
rams take their seats. Business men
would leave their stores and walk block
with you to show you the way to any
point you wanted to 60. If you were not
able to pay your way, they would pay it
70 you. There were places you could eat
and places you could sleep, without
cent of charge. About 80 per cent. OF the
policemen were on duty in citizens
clothes with instructions to protect the
veterans from sharpers and to allow them
to do just as they pleased even to paint
ing the town )" though am proud to say
that I never saw more orderly crowd of
men in my life.
Nobody was allowed in the park
where the cornerstone was laid except the
military and the veterans. The reason
for this was because there was not suffi-
cient room. About the park were signs
to "keep Off the grass" The veterans,
however, were given to understand that
this did not apply to them. They could
go where they pleased, and tramp down
the grass or anything else as much as
they wanted to. I tell you they just
made us feel like the town belonged
to u.s."
'Is the city very different now from
what it was during the war"
"Oh, yes. 1t is an entirely different
place. Down on the James river do
not see much change; but elsewhere it
has built up wonderfully. Where 30
years ago there was nothing but old
fields, there are now beautiful residences
without number. There are miles and
miles of business blocks which were not
there then, and they have built city
hall which they say is the finest south of
the Potomac. The whole city is life and
hustle. There are half dozen or more
fine hotels and numerous other public
buildings. But speaking of hotels. the
old Ballard and Exchange is just as it
was during the war. I stopped there
during my stay in the city,"
"How about the attendance Oh the re-
union from down this way?"
81 cannot give you any satisfactory fig
ures: but the attendance from the Pied
mont section was much larger than from
other sections of the state-just as it was