Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-04-20

pleasantly, "the crowd seems fond Of
music" and he and his companion en-.
tered the house. In a few moments
they came out. The music had not
ceased, and the gentlemen, in coming
out had left the street door open. One
or two listeners construed this into g
permission, If not an invitation, to en-.
manner Of performing on it. That the
entrance was not deemed an intrusion
the pleasant notes continued by the
performer proved. so others were EN-.
boldened to do the same. At last my
curiosity overpoWered boyish diff.
dence, and I, too, went in and saw the
first piano I had ever seen, and the
first ever brought into York district
This was about 1910. How many in,
struments of the kind, and performers
now within her boundaries, belong tc
statistics on the growth Of accomplish
ments? My remembrance Of Mr.
Hooker's appearance is that Of a gen.
tlemen about five feet ten inches ir
height, and altogether fine looking. His
epitah, written by Chancellor De.
Saussure, conveys his character grace.
fully and concisely, and 1 therefore
Transcribed It:
| Possessed Of an acute, logical mind
integrity, he became a very eminent
member of the bar Of South Carolina
The public respected him for his vir-
tues; the court esteemed him for his
talents and learning; his brethren
loved him for his amenity and kind
ness. In private life, his unassuming
department, his active benevolence and
the purity of his affections, endeared
him to a large circle Of friends; but
above all, to the beloved partner Of his
life and her family"
Robert Clendenen was born in York
by birth, and a coverlet-weaver by
trade. The opportunities Of education
he was able to afford his son were
limited. However, he acquired good
English education; but was no lin
guist. On first going into business
|
er-in-law in North Carolina. After
ward he and this gentleman-Mr
Hart-put up a store in Union Dis
trict, in this state, in copartnership-
Mr.. Clendenen attending to the busi-
ness. By this means he acquired suffi-
cient money to study profession. He
chose law and studied with Mr.. Hook
er in Yorkville, was admitted in 1873
not long after Mr.. Hooker's return to
Columbia, and naturally fell heir to
his practice. He was very fortunate In
thus succeeding to a good business
and his sound judgment, quick intel
ligence, and pleasant, facetious man.
ners, not only enabled him to retain it;
but increase it rapidly. Colonel Will
liams and himself about equally divi-
ded, for some years, pretty much the
whole business Of the district.
Mr.. Clendenen was always industri-
Gus and did not allew success to render
himself careless. In truth, his oppo-
nents at the bar were men Of strength
and attention to study and business
were necessary to cope with them
Besides Colonel Williams, with great
powers Of popular oratory, there was
Job Johnson, a man Of much popular
ity and ability; Robert Mills, Esq, a
man Of great perseverance and Won
derful energy, and others I could re-
call far above mediocrity, who practic-
ed in the same courts with him. But
never relaxing his efforts, Clendenen
maintained his fair position, attained
by his own industry and talents, up to
the time Of his death.
He was the senator from York seve-
raj times, going as often he chose to
do so, and was always prudent, con-
servative politician. He made a hand
some fortune by his practice and mar
ried a Miss Myers, who also had a
fine estate He had two children by
this marriage-both daughters. His
wife, after some years Of widowhood,
married Dr. Hemingway, and remov-
ed to Mississippi.
Mr. Clendenen died before he was
an old man; indeed, but little past
| life's prime-his constitution worn out
by his own abuse Of it. How fatal
has been the allurements Of the liquor
| flend to many Of our prominent men.
No example, no warning, no entreat-
| les have proved powerful enough to
break the horrid spell of the fiery
draught, even though friends and rea-
son repeat that it Is consuming vital
| ity. and will cut short the days as a
| tale that Is told.
In person, Mr.. Clendenen was low In
stature, inclining to corpulence, with
| a pleasant countenance. Between
Judge Smith and himself there existed
| a. feud, irreconciliable, the cause of
which never transpired, although the
bitterness was well known and fire.
quently discussed.
In my sketches Of the lawyers of
Yorkville in the past, the name of Ed
ward McKelvey must not be omitted,
although death made his career so
brief, he had no time to make mark
| in the annals of our bar. He was born
| in st. Johns Berkeley, on the Santee,
and possessed the fine manners and
warm heart, so marked an accomplish
ment in that section as to be, one
might say, characteristic of his native
neighborhood. He studied law in the
office of Colonel Joe Gist, at Pinckney,
and began the practice in Yorkville as
partner of Colonel Gist, though af-
ter this, he scarcely lived IS months.
He endeared himself to all who were
associated with him, his handsome
merry face and good manners making
pleasant impression on every one
with whom he came in contact.