The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1902-05-09

he would call upon "Govcrner"
JOG (Ruu) Leech Chat was the name
DE was generally known by) and see
h'm. Two Of his sons, No, yan and
Joe. were IN the same comnany with
'rilllam. and this would be- = great
satisfaction to the old gentleman.
MIR, Leorh) TO bcs'ow his friendships
upon one cf his sons comrades in
arms. 1t so happened that the dav
Oe'"fc H'IiIam visited Nr. Leech
! 'hAt S"E, nnIvtt agent lad BEEN
'hc'e and Impressed IA foe saddle
owned by one # tie bows which the
/ old %""'''man priced vcrv hiphlv.
hf, hcrch was very plain out.
spoken kind Of Il man, putting on no
airs, nc didn't care who he was talk.
ing t., his way was just the same
lie had habit of sitting out on hi.
p"rtlco almost at any time of the
year and when anyone came to tho
gate or even passed along the road he
wonld call out Che had a powerful
v"lc') Who's that? Where Won
going: What for? and all such in
qulrles. People who knew him would
sometimes answer him and sometimes
would rot. But nobody thought
strange, it was Uncle Joe's custom
lie meant no harm and every one
VINO knew him knew that much. A
little before ann set Gillian rode nm
10 the gate a'd halted. Uncle Joe
VAS out on the porch as usual and
said: Who's that? Its Thomas"
Gillian replied. What Thomas?"
but before Gillian could arswcr
Uncle Joe said: DO yun w.nt
another saddle?'' Gillian kn.w
nothing about the saddle and didn't
know how to answer Uncle Joe. So
nc went on in and he ascended the
steps MIR Lcech said; Who are Won
anyway My name is Gillian
Thomas, | belong to the same com.
pany your boys do, Joe and Nor.
gan, Gillian replied. MIR. Leecb
now began to feel an interest in bis
newly made acquaintance and at once
asked him to take a seat. After
some minutes conversation he said
and you've been with Joe and the
other boys have you:" Yes air.
replied Gillian. "And you know
them all;' qucrried Mr.. Leech.
ION, yes sir, said Gillian, 81
know them all we'll" "Wen," said
Mr.. Leech, eff Joe or any of them
boys were here Id give them a dram
and Ill - fl don't give Won
one too, and suiting his action to
the word proceeded to carry out his
resolution
hesumins his seat the old gentle
man called "Ritta," his cook and
told her to get to work aud get up a
supper tit fora gentleman and soldier
to eat and don't be always about it he
sai"' This was courtesy he didn't
feel like he owed the class ofsoldiers
who had SO recently visited him and
under the plea Of military necessity
took offa fine saddle owned by one
OF his boys in the army.
1 will say here by way of parenthe-
SIS that Mr.. Leech's family at this
time consisted of his youngest son
who was at home looking after his
large farming interest. They had a
great many slaves and several planta-
tions, and George was the only white
man to look after either of them. Mr..
Leeoh himself was afflicted so that he
could DO nothing, His daughters,
the present Mrs. DR.. Z. B. White.
sides, Of Blacksburg. and Mrs.
Thomas Wilkinson, of Hickory.
were small children, too small TO-
manage the household affairs, Mrs.
Leach, their mother. having died a
few years before. So the faithful
old negress, Rita, was the foreman
in the kitchen work.
Uncle Joe resumed his conversa>
tlon-he was man Of giant mind
and was we'll informed-as much so as
any man Of his day on current ma.,
teFs~-a tear trickliug down his cheek
he said: Morgan, poor fellow. is
dead was killed. They tell me it
was his corpse they sent home I
don't know | could not recognize HIM