The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-12-28
TIE MURAL TABLET
To the Signers Of the Ordinance
Of Secession

or secession
UNVEILED AT COLUMBIA.
A Most interesting Event at the
State House. An Occasion
Long to be Remem-
bered.
The women of South Carolina have
erected monuments to the Confederate
soldiers, monuments which will ever
keep us mindful of the brave dead, and
witnessed the unveiling of tablet of
enduring stone, in the lasting walls OF
the State capitol on Tuesday, Dec: 20:
A tablet which in future years will call
to mind the hopes and fears which sur
rounded the sessions of the convention
which ordained that South Carolina
should secede from the union.
The tricolor Of the Confeoeracy was
symbolic of the noble graces Of the
southern people. Red for chivalry,
blue for integrity, and white for the
purity Of her women. The chivally and
integrity of her sons have made bright
many pages of history, and now her
noble women crown with laurels the
memory of those who stood by the cause
they thought was right. The women
Of the old South suffered all things; and
endured all things without murmur in
order that they might sustain their
loved ones fighting for the Bonnie Blue
Flag.
And now that the war is over, it is
woman who says that the memory of
the just shall not be forgotten. 1t was
woman's love which caused the sky to
be pierced by tall, shining monuments
which dot the Southland, it is woman 5
love which instills into the hearts OF the
young reverence for those great men OF
the Old South. 1t was woman's love
which suggested the erection OF the
memorial which was unveiled Tuesday:
For the past eighteen months several
ladies Of Columbia, with Mrs. S. Reed
Stoney, as chairman, have worked in
cessantly to raise the funds, obtain the
permission of the legislature, and to
have made the tablet which was form
ally dedicated Tuesday. The other
ladies prominently connected with the
movement were Mrs. Claude Girardeau,
Mrs. H. W. Richardson, Mrs. W. G..
Bateman, Mrs. j. ". Flynn and Miss
Belle Martin.
| Gen. Milledge L. Bonham, comman-
| de, of South Carolina division United
Sons of Confederate Veterans, and for
merly inspector general Of the State
militia was the orator of the occasion.
| He is a son of Gen. N. L. Bonham, one
of the war governors of the State, ard
brigadier general of the Army of North
ern Virginia. Those were gloomy days
in South Carolina when the secession
convention was in session, and it was a
| gloomy day Tuesday, barometrically
speaking. However, about 500 people,
the majority being ladies and children,
assembled at the State house to witness
the solemn ceremonies.
| The tablet is situated on the second
floor in the wall adjoining the Office OF
the superintendent Of education. A
| platform had here been erected for the
accommodation Of the speakers. On
| the platform were miniature palmettoes,
whose green leaves showed up boldly in
the sombre hall. In the large crowd
present were many descendants of those
whose names were about to be handed
down to posterity on scrolls Of stone.
In one family alone, there were four
generations present, the family Of the
grandfather of Col. D. H. Tomkins:
When the hour for the exercises had
arrived Gen. Bonham was escorted to
the stand by Mrs. S. P. Salley, and
Misses Emma Whitehead and Matte
Bailey, all descendants of or relatives
of four or more Of the signers. Seated
with Gen. Bonhau were Rev. j VIM.
Flynn, and Col. Jno. P. Thomas, Con:
federate veterans, and Col. Jos. Daniel
Pope, dean of the law department at
South Carolina college, and Rev. VIM.
b. Campbell, D. D., of St. PauI's par
/ ish, Charleston. These two latter were
signers of the ordinance. The exercis'
es were opened with very feeling
prayer by DR.. Flynn, after which Col,
Thomas in a beautiful preparatory
speech presented Gen. Bonham.
Just at this time Pinokney's band, Of
colored men, struck up the lively all
of the "Bonnie Blue Flag" These
colored men, sons of slaves, seemed te
enter into the spirit of the occasion
and to vie with the sons Of veterans il
their participation in the event. The
hall resounded for several minutes with
the cheers of the audience. The State
flag concealing the snowy shaft had fal
len when the soul stirring piece wa:
being played, and the cheers were re
doubled. Again when the band played
Dixie, y AUD Lang Syne, ''Suanet
River" and other Southern melodies
there was much enthusiasm.
Gen. Bonham's speech at times
thrilled the audience, which vented it
feelings in frequent bursts of applause
He spoke Of the act Of the Legislature
ordering an election on the question O
: holding convention. He espoke of th'
almost unanimous vote Of the people
that such convention was held IN Go
lumbia on December 18th, 1861, bu
was adjourned to Charleston on accoun
!; of the prevalence Of an infectious dis
ease in this city. He then spoke OF tn
great deliberations in Charleston ant
stated that Of the 1863 members present
each and every one voted for the ordin
ance of secession. The speaker pal'
} glowing tribute to ex-Chancello
Francis Hugh Wardlaw, who france
| the ordinance Of secession as it nov