The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-01-16
THE DICKSON FAMILY
"Reminiscences OF the Long Ago by
an DC ORCnNrian. n EEN.I.E..L

"Reminiscences OF the Long Ago by
an &c; ;0Rcnarian
Maj. VIM, Hoy i'll Carolina Spartan.
The last addition the Scotch-Trish
com .nuni,y Of Nazareth had from tho
Nor:h "f ireland was Robert Dickson
and RJb1rt Murray, the l.ttter coming
somo year, sitter tho former. Mr..
MurrHT was sober, pious, quiet
maH, bur was not as ihtclliuept
II mun as Mr.. Dickson. Whom
cvcr J." heard Of any wrong bciAg
done, he would quickly observe that
the Devil was ut tho head Of it. AL
though intimately acquainted with
Mr.. Dickson for nearly forty years, I
never heard him say whether he came
from Antrim, or one Of the adjoining
counties. Ii he came from Antrim he
fulfilled his part Of what was written
in Robert L.aJimer's obituary The
obituary stated that Robert came from
that Northern hive that sent out u
leavcn, tho cfocts of which had been
telt IN every country on this globe.
Dickson was all extremely poor man
when he arrived in this country, but
by industry and integrity ho acquired
II good competence and gave all his
children Il fair education. All made first
class citizens. One Of his descendants,
kcv. Robert Smith, is u Presbyte terian
~ "NhSIs Nb lSlSU UWO Oh ulS CnllUrGO
were born in ireland. James, his old
est son, was long Il school master and
surveyor. Forty-tve years ago no was
appointed in connection with Josiah
kllgorc TO survey the streets Of Green
VILE. KilgOre, after that time, quit
the business and recommended MIR.
Dickson as safe business nan.
William, his second son, is still alive,
an OctogenarIan, in the Greer section.
TIC is II good citizen aud successful
farmer. Robert, his third son, set
tied as merchant at Alexandria, Ala,
and was u successful business man
before the Confederate war. Michael,
MS bachelor son, lives at tho same
pace, IL successful merchant. He
hcard the first aud last gun Of the war.
-hw hin un his way hOme. He said
the war mad mauc hlm pcnnilcss, but
nu was proud OF navlng done ms duty.
lis son John died young. Robert
learned the carriage business with
Cox Il Cover and mado quite u success
OF 1T at l'OntOtoc, NJ iss., before tho war.
His extensive establishment was
turned into tho support of the war.
tic lost everything, but ! am told that
he has rcCuDUruJcd. He raised one
daughter, the mother of Rev. Robert
Smith. She has been dead several
years.
All your readers, MIR. Editor, have
heard what was called u joke about
the lrishman luding the terrapiu in
his corn field and was found with gap
down trying to drive it out saying in
his true Irish broguo that tho beast
| was tearing down his corn. MIR. Dick
son was the man on whom that Joke
was fastened. Tho first wear Mr..
Dickson farmcd in this county, just
eighty years ago, Jack Patton and Jim
Miller were hunting squirrels round
his hcld. Tncy came across q terrapin,
threw IL into Dickson's corniielu,
pushed down two or three stalks Of
corn, tore up II roasting ear, pulled
down the fcnco and went OFF and told
they bad found Dickson trying to drive
terrapin out OF his fold. Dickson
| laughed at the attempted joke and said
they would have showed moro wit If
they had got Asa Mitchell to have
told it. Asa was half witted fellow
and would havo boon moro likely to
have bccn believed.
VIII ment!On ono case of wonderful
memory in connection with tho terra
pin matter. Uncle Tommy Christie
timo the Dicksons did, just eighty
years ago. He was in his eleventh
year. He came from North Carolina.
1t was said OF him for more than three
quarters OF, Il century, that if he died
suddenly y he would die telling or try
ing to tell IL joke. 1t came near being
rcnliHcd. Uncle Tommy was afflicted
nth heart trouble. He mover Law
down for soven weeks before his death.
When some OF his friends were around
him and he recovered from ono Of bis
fninting spolls, he amused them
by toi ling them OF the terrapin Incl
dent, just eighty years ago. Tho only
misLtkr thHt he made in relating It
was tnnt Tiger Jim Anderson was tho
man that Lrird To drive tho animal
from the fled. Uncle Tommy WAS
u strict member Of the Methodist
church. If Tiger Jim had found O.
doz-n tcrrapns in his field, he would
nave encouraged them and assisted
Them in what is said to be their mis-
sion-to destroy the deadly rattle.
lie had heard it said from his infancy
that Providence had armed them with
bony cpidcrmis to shield them from
the rattlrr's deadly nCtack.