The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-30
REMARKABLE MESSENGER.
AN OLD TIME NEGRO WHO HAS
PASSED HIS DOTH YEAR.

Three ars-Remembers Lafay-
cite and Has Had Some Curious
Experience.
Columbia, S. c.. July 29.-Wifliam Rose,
messenger to the governor OF South Car
DINA, has a record that stands alone
among the millions Of his race. Now aged
and bent he is kept in a position of honor
/ and profit a reward for long years of
/ faithful service In war and peace. Dig
niied but respectful to a degree, this
old fellow who sits in an arm chair by the
| door of the Governors Office, receives a
/ hearty salutation from all who enter.
/ His name and history are known TO many,
while his face IS familiar to those who
have frequented the state house at any
time during the past % years
a veteran of three wars, old Uncle
| William wept last summer when the
company Of which he had been the sole
colored member for sixty-five years,
marched away to Chickamauga. He would
gladly have gone in any capacity but
physical inirmities would not permit.
In the great political revolution of 1890
there was but one person the sweeping
Rose Yet he was an aristocrat of the
bhest kind and he did not change his
coat Two years later when the legisla-
ture put the knife into salaries not one
man offered to cut the pay of the Gov
ernors messenger, although it would have
been practicable to have gotten the office
filed for half the money.
For more than twenty years Rose has
been orderly in the Richland Volunteer
Rifle company, one Of the Oldest compan-
les in the state, having been organized In
1913. He had been a member of the COM
pany in capacity of musician s.nce 1884.
| As orderly he wears non-commissioned
| officers stripes, carries a sword and
marches in the file of closers-the only ne
gro holding such a position in white or
| ganization in the country, Rose attends
all company meetings and votes on all
questions. Annually the members shoot
for the Rose medal" presented the COM
pany by the old negro, while he is proud
of walking with a heavy god headed
cane, suitably engraved presented him
by the white comrades.
William Rose is the slave of a Charles
tonian who hired out the few men he
owned, and William was allowed to choose
his own masters, in that he got the men
he liked to hire him. He does not know
how old he is, and has never mastered the
art of reading but the first event of great
Importance to impress him was the visit
of Lafayette to South Carolina in 1925.
William was then, he says, a young man
/ between Is and 20 years old. an apprentice
at the carpenters trade in Columbia The
Light Dragons from this city went to the
North Carolina state line, where Gen. La
fayette was met and escorted to Colum-
bia. The old mans memory is remarka-
bly, good and he gives accurate infOrma-
ton about many details incident to the re-
ception OF the distinguished Frenchman
seventy-four years ago. Troops had gath
cred in Columbia, he says, from all parts
of the state, and were encamped 10 the
east of the city. When notice of the gen.
erals approach was received, Gov. Rich
ard l. Manning, Col Wade Hampton, IA
Their of the present Gen. Hampton
and Gov. Manning's staff rode out TO meet
the party. The troops were drawn up and
saluted as the distinguished visitor rode
down the line. 1afayette's carriage was
drawn by four cream horses. The party
then entered Columbia, and Gen Lafayette
was taken to the house on GerVais street
which IS now occupied by Bishop Capers
of the Episcopal diocese of South Carolina.
The next day a public reception was
| held at the state house, wooden building
long since obliterated. Gen. Lafayette
walked from his residence to the state
house, a third of a mile, on a carpet three
feet wide, ladies and children strewing
flowers before him. For several days the
town was given over to festivities.
| In 1884 Rose went into the Richland
Volunteer Rife company as drummer and
on Feb II, 1886, embarked with the com
pany at Cranky, two miles below the city
for Florida to fight the Seminoles. There
were no railroads and no steamboats,, and
the trip was tiresome one. The James
| Boatwright was the name of the fiat bot.
toned craft in which they f1oated down the
Consaree, finally reaching Charleston
where they re-embarked in a larger vesse
and sailed for Savannah. Columbia a
that time was q village of but 1000 inhabi
tants but there was plenty Of enthusiasm
the company marching away from the ole
town hall cheered by all the people as
sembled
From Savannah the company proceed
ed by water to St. Augustine, a little vii.
lage, where they remained in barracks fol
three months. The Seminoles kept in the
! hammOCks. The men were fed on ship.
board by contract and Jared well, Uncle
William says. There were no complaint:
of bad beef. And but one casualty-a mar
fell overheard.
The Richland Volunteer Rife Company
was one of the star companies that com
| posed the Palmetto regiment, which play
ed so important a part in the Mexicar
war. William Rose went along as drum
mer and also as body servant of Capt
; Pierce Butler, afterwards colonel Whh
he was there and saw il ALL the Spanish
language and Mexican names were con.
fusiug to William. He can tell how the
enemy was fought and whipped and how
the cannon roared and the smoke settled
over the land, but the names of the battle:
are unknown to him.
Life passed peacefully for William unit
the guns on ned on Fort Sumter. Then hi
went from Columbia TO Charleston by the
next train and offered his service 10 Gen
Maxey Gregg as body servant. They were
accepted and Gen Gregg made arrange
ments with Williams master for his alb
sence. The old negro was al Manassa!
and other battles and was near Gen. Gregg
at Fredericksburg when he was mortafly
wounded AS he was dying on the battle
field the general presented his faithful ser
want with handsome watch which Is nov
proudly worn, and gave the last message!
10 his family. William brought the body O
his commander from the battlefield in Vir