The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-06-13
THE WIDOW OF
WADDY THOMPSON
a. Victim of the Great and Disas-
trous Fire III Jacksonville, Fla.

tfOuS Ettc iii Jacksonville, Fla.
The jacksonville Times Uuion has
the following sketch OF Gen. Waddy
Thompson, II brilliant and distinguished
lawyer. in GrcGnyllc for many years.
"nosc widow fell victim to the flames
III the recent destructive fire in that city:
The magnitudG Of the Jacksonville
hre finds apt illustration in tho fac,
that many incidents connected with /,
which ordinarily would have excited
widespread attention and comment,
were forgotten or ignored in the pre-
Scncc OF the vital and urgent cmcrgcn.
clcs which the people Of the city were
compelled to face, and face promptly.
Inc tragic death Of Mis-. Thompson,
widow Of Gen. Waddy Thompson, in
the llomc Tor the Aged, was duly noted
IN the press, together with the pathetic
eli cumstanCcS OF the finding Of hex re
mains by one Of the old servants Of the
family What man or woman then in
Jacksonville paused to inquire who this
lady WAS or what was her history? or
| course those who knew her or in one
way or anothc" were connected with
her, manifested their interest, but. to
the public mind, 50 much WAS it cnrroSs
cd with the larger and nearer results
| OF tho coniIagration, even the statement
that she was the "wdOW Of General
show Of curiosity. And yet the time
| WAS when the husband OF this lady was
one OF the distinguished actors in the
| PUBLIC alllrS ct the nation, y leader IN
Congress-, an eminent diplomntiSt and
the author of u book that had much to
90 in shaping the policy Of the United
States at ~ critical tmc, and, consequent
ly. in moulding its later history.
Mrs. Thompson was Il Miss COrnclin
Il ~ lf, Il ,,,rl ,.,r
zen Of Wilmington, n 6. Her husband,
Gen. Waddy Thompson, was Il son Of n
lawyer Of note of the same name at
| l'lckcns courthouse, the county site Of
| lIckCDS County, ono OF The extreme
northwestern, Blue Ridge mountain
| counties of South Carolina. General
Thompson was born III pickens in l19S,
| graduated at the South Cnrnlinn College
| IN lSll, praCtiCcd law at GrccnYillc, :
e., was II bri liam. lawyer and orator
and WAS member OF the Legislature of
South Carolina from 1926 To 1880, during
! the troublous days OF qualifications he
VAS also about that time appointed Il
hrigHdirr general Of militia, and in that
| period Of intense political excitement
such position meant more than it does
now.
General Thompson WAS, politically, u
! StNunCh WhiT, and in lr:J was elected =
member OF the national House uf Repre-,
| - ~ i -
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,;,,n,,,,t',, ,,,,," Lr,,,,.,, ~;
nnr;,i'', IS ,,',,,r,,nair', S,,,,nnnm,.',
| in all the important debates O( the day
he WAS one OF The conspicuous figures.
AT that period Of American history
the Mexican question WAS acute, The
~ ,s - u,n,r'I ,r,,nn,rs'| ,,,'n e,,,,,
,ho, c,,r,,r,. 49,, ,,",.;r.n N;M;.,,.n '' -, -,
in ih,r nneiiimn his .hi,i,v aIr,;n rnmm,
nrnnr,,i,i,y frr ,ii.,,l,y Drr;u., ii;
trrn,. ~ ,hr,r ,r r,ur rnors br rr,,,;;,in
Iwn i,nnntt,,,, ,rc,iirs ihrnu,rn ,rr -
which 'n,, hunLr,I ~ r>,n nrisnurrs !,
M,>i.., ,.r,. EI,.,,,,b I2.,uruin,t !;
l&lf r,. nurliubrI R..,lrr,,,nS -
N,Nicn q ,yn,L ,,Lj,.L t,rnl ,n.i.,
and ,vi,in rircr},ii,n ..,,,r,,U,, ,n,n,,
, rr,lir ,,,n N...,,,,,.r. ,y,T. ,,., ,.
in tLnsr Ioys n,,. \,,.<i,.,n war une j.,
I n,iYn,, ,rj H., l,,,,,E o.,'.. ih. A,,,,,r;
run nrn,l,, -, ,I,mr,r ,,ri moro cnmnrr
hrnsivr virv. of NIr>ir.,u r,nd,ijous ih,,
romII rna.;,,,y hay. been nh,ninr,
ihrounh any other source Il still rc
,oins :. r,r,ru,,.j Ef-;nri,.l vnlur
lSi,r r,it,, fran, thn ,.iiv nf ,irrrnyjI -
= e. IL the base If Paris Mountain. ;
riciurc>ur,cly isolq,rd ,,nlr Of the Bin,
HjIrc. some 500 feet hi.u. T,yp mile,
uD Inr mnunl;in yi,irinc road leads h,
an abandoned Hcld Of two or three acre!
surrounded hy a rude wall made Of uu
hcwu rocks Loosely thrown Together
There are the traces Of The chimncys ul
u nnusr l,r, since cone and nero: an,
there stand y few nnricni and uuIrn,
fruit and ornamental trees From I'm,
,;,, ,,r ,i,,, l.,,,,. , ,,,,,.,,,,c -;,,,, =; i