The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-07-04
DUE WEST LONG AGO.
The Way n Printer Boy Saw the ToWh
i'm the FifticS.

Last week was commencement week NJ the
colleges at Due West and since our first &C.
ouaiDtance with the town, the annual festi-
val Of letters has Deen Ine most important
days of the year
The first commencement that | attended
at Due West was the first of the literary exer-
ciscs held in Lindsay Hall. The hall was torn
down several wears ago and no trace oft eX-
lists today. We heard, when boy, that the
hall was called Lindsay Hall, In honor OF the
The building committee lack ed IS, 600 OF having
sufficient money to pay him and was salo
that he forgave the debt.
The building and the builders are all gone.
and they now exist only in the memory OF
their fellow men.
This editor was little boy then, and
we remember many. things OF that DAY
and time. If we recount some OF them.
our errors OF omm ision and commission may
set the reader to thinking and In that way
| may interest you.
OF ali the men then taking part in the
affairs Of the town, verv few survive wltnin
the father of Rev. ]. D. Lindsay, ID. D., Wan per-
haps, the first to go. Apparently he was one
of the most healthy men In the town and
little past the meridian OF life: He was at the
printing office on Friday or Saturday in the
Summer OF 1852 and talked pleasantly with
Capt. H. d. Wray and II. L.. Holland, the
printers When he was gone ms % nne Hbinni nesit o
remark, That was his last visit to the office;
He was taken sick of the prevailing bowel
affection. On the next Wednesday evening
horseback. The clatter OF the horses feet
caused ms to look out, and az he passed
be said with voice that thrills Ills me ye.'
Mars Jimmy hnasay and ,s Titsop went
to the war and never returned. His OLDEST
son, Rev. J. o. Lindsay. d. d., recently went
to his grave. DR.. A. B. c. Lindsay, his young
eeS MSr eSnr thio eJitor pndertook To learn the
printing business he went to the office Of the
Erskine Miscellany, In 1851, then edited oS
In ISL. Professor ]. f. Lee was boarding
at MIR. Lindsay home. he was younger then
than he IS now and he Ia one OF the lew sur
vivors among the men Of that year.
Rev. ]. \. Young and Rey. James ;ar tress,eS Iney
John Bell, brother OF Marion Bell, was the
village carpenter, and was good gardener.
He saved Irish potatoes oy packing 'neh in
A G. Hawthorne kept the hotel and a store.
For meals he rang q big bell that was fastened
on high post. The churon, aoous snis 5 isne. sin
ners to the temple on Sunday morning, Ihe
bell was unloaded from the wagon ana lett on
the piazza Of the store. / thought II was new
bell for tho hotel, and remarked on MT. HaW-
thurne's enterprise.
d. W. Hawthorne, his son, was with him IN
the store. The father ran four races
for sheriff and was elected once. me
They were gathered TO their fathers long ago.
d. o. Hawthorne lived few miles out OF
| town, but he was frequently III @ tSwa aninS uao
a. IITa Va. Holland, J. 7. Litto1, Peter job nson,
and others, Withdrew from Clinton Lodge A
f. NJ, at Abbeville, and organized Indepen-
aodge @es al a,ea nto The mysteries Of
Masonry, and we believe he was the first AS.
sociate Reformed Presbyterian who Joined Inc
Masons without forfeiting his churchly rela
tions.
l went to Col. Hawthorne in 1859 TO help me
buy the office now own, and for the benent
OF young men i will tell what passed De.
tween US in reference 70 that trade: Mben
particularly about the trade. was to pay
900 for half interest in the Independent
Press Office, giving notes payable IN Two or
Hawthorne II had the cash that could get
1t for 81 500 saving OF 500. DE ADVISED me
TO go back to see Mr.. W. H. wilson, rom
whom was to make the purchase, and tell
him that the difference in cash and credit
was too great; that the proposed notes were
perfectly good; that he ought to sell the notes
which | would give at a discount OF not over
three per cent. and that ought to pay the
and the arrangements were mace. Col.
ID. o. Hawthorne, Rev. j. l.. Bonner, Or.
E. E. Presley, John Mathews n ana my iathef
them, When went TO the war the notes
were still unpaid. made mortgage on the
office to secure them In case OF my deatn'
In 1853 and in later years the paper at que
West was edited by Rev. j. I. Bonner and Rev.
w. r. Hemphill Mr.. Hemphill was profess
sor in the college al the time, and when the
scheme of endowng the college was lnaugu-
rated he Quit teaching and partially laid by
his pen, to travel over the country to secure
the endowment, very large part OF which
was lost on account of the war. AS writer
for the paper and as practical worker IN tne
- l. q W q
OF labor and usefulness. He bad ideas about
Free Masonry and Catholicism which gave
great concern to me when l was young. !
feared the Catholics would take this country
and that all the protestant men would be
killed and all the women would be carried to
some Of the several institutions, where they
might be compelled to :renounee the religion o,
and took horrid oaths. They would under,
mine the church. But none OF these evil
things have overtaken us yet
When my apprenticeship had ended In the
spring of 1854, Mr.. Bonner kindly offered TO
board me until the close OF the school which
he was teaching-fve weeks-without cost to
noe. II would set type on Saturdays. This
offer accepted, and that hve weeks included
all my schooling In grammar.
DR.. J. l. Bonner continued to edit the paper
until he died, some twenty years ago. In his
he was sincere Sf and true and
appointed. One noticeable incident Of bis
sympathy may be mentioned. At the estate
sale Of James Lindsay y a. 9eg60 5o0 ca5penteT
was known that Spectator had bought him
with the prospect Of being taken to Louisiana
the negro and his friends begged pitteously
sssr s s0%s Carried Cd home 10 a to at BUY Abe h
VILE for safe keeping. DR.. Bonner was great,
ly touched by the appeals of the negro, and
after consultation with & his b,otherin',aW, IL h law
deed speculator. He set $1,000 as the price
OF Peter. At first the price seemed 50 unrea-
s9na1e a sonnsr and saf L.
yielded to the demand, and although the
weather was most disagreeable DR.. Bonner
left Due West before day light In u: order e TO TO
departure OF the speculator With Peter. Peter
was brought back and gave greater evidence
Of Joy than he could haye EN-, maniiesse6 mn M "hen
II. l.. Holland, printer, moved to Cotton
Plant, Mississippi, in the ffties: don't
know II he is living or dead. He nved IN the
Known to me called "The Categorio." Mr..
Holland had nice little horse. OF which ne
was very proud. One night somebody shaved
its tail to keep 1t from flying.
n. D. Wray, printer, went to Georgia and
died many years ago.. He and Holland
printed Samue! Jordan's '"Ensign Of Liber-
ty, or the Wicked One Revealed" How any
caped iynching has never been revealed-the
wicked One." we believe, was John @. Cal.
houn. Wray, before his engagement Win
Samuel Jordan, printed and published the
In that enterprise he became financially In
yolved. After his marriage with Miss Dow
tin, who was rich. his creditors pursued him.
erty could be taken for the husbands debts.
Dr.. Enoch Agnew went to Mississippi, and
II he is alive today he 10 indeed an old man.
MIR. LANES Magill still lives In the neighbor-
hood. He went to the war, and came home
sound In body and mind, after having served
his country bravely and faithfully.
Mr.. r. w. Haddon is one OF The old men OF
that Vicinity, He was always successful
business man, and In his old age he need not
worry about small matters. In the tifties he