The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-01-01
AN OLD FRIEND
Visits the Scenes of HIS Childhood
Stories OF Printer Boys in the Fif.

Stories of Printer Boys in the FIJI.
ties.
Mr.. John T. Darlington, of Leaksville. NC
WAS in town last Friday. He came down
from Due West with his sou, Mr.. Fred Darl
ipgton. who Is n printer In the Presbyterian
office Of that city.
return 10 the scenes of his bOyhood. His pa.
rents lived in AbbeviIle when be was little
boy. He says that there are few men here
He remembers Capt. l.. W. White, as a little
boy, when both went TO school to MIR. Morse.
In the fitties his parents moved 10 Due West,
when he and his brother, Manly Darlington,
entered the Presbyterian Office, which was
then the Due West Telescope Office, in the
early part OF 1854.
Mr.. Darlington and his brother served in
the Cou lederate army. Manly died during
the war.
For many years MIR. Darlington has been
at the printing business at LeaksvilIe, n. C..
and he has succeeded we'll in earning COM
potency. He feels that be Is now ready for
living. While he IL ready for the summons
10 90 hence. yet he would be glad II he were
uot so far down the western slope.
Mr.. Darlington has five sons, and he has
reason 10 be thankful that they are doing 30
we'll. To the youngest he has turned over his
newspaper in Leaksville, and he is prosper
Ing. The oldest Is at Due West, u good print
er and handsome man, who Is we'll equipp.
ed for the battle OF life.
i.
willie. and is doing the job printing ior the
several cotton mills In his neighborhood. II
was while printing for one Of these mills that
he learned that Capt. l.. w. White Was still
living. When one OF the mills filled an or
der for goods for him he printed the label
which indicated that they were manufactured
expressly for l.. w. White OF Abbeville. His
was the only name from Abbeville that Mr..
Darlington recognized as being one OF his ac-
quaintances at Abbeville.
The editor OF the Press and Banner OF today
went 10 Due West in the early part OF ISL.
MIR. Darlington came three years later, and
same Office. This editor has always cherished
a friendly feeling for all the boys OF those
years with whom he was associated, and for
none have more pleasant recollections than
for John Darlington.
The foreman Of the office part OF the time
was Mr.. H. l.. Holland. Mr.. Darlington says
that he is still living and he must now nearly
reach his four score years. l remember him
most pleasantly. He and Capt. H. ID. Wray
printed Samuel Jordan's book, "The Ensign
of Liberty, or the Wicked One Revealed
John G. Calhoun being the wicked one. The
type and press were bought In Hamburg dur
Ing the forties. The material had been used
In printing the defunct Hamburg Repu blican.
mot the kind OF Republican that is so odous
today in the South.) The press and types
were placed in an old store house on Mr.. Jor
dams farm. The press was Smith, second
hand. The type was small fonts OF small
plea, long primer and BREWER. The imposing
stone had been inscribed for tom bstone, but
IL was never called for, and the marble cutter
sold it to be used for the less sacred purpose
of an imposing stone. The stone is still In
the office, and remember the awe In which
heard the story, but did not examining
the inscription on the under side at the time.
did, however, see 1t later. 1t is. the only
tom bstone that ever knew TO be used as an
imposing stone In printing office.
Mr. Jordan sold the whole outfit for S395 In
ls49. Rev. ]. o. Lindsay and Rev. j. l. Bon
IN II
we believe the first religious weekly news
paper that was ever published for the Asso-
ciate Reformed Presbyterian Church In. the
South. Messrs H. D. Wray and H. L. H Jl-
land came with the type from Mr.. Jordsn's,
and they. with the help of an apprentice, vii.
liam N. Stansell, did the work OF pr'Lting the
paper for time.
Mr. Wray married Miss Drucilia Dowten OF
this county, and Mr.. HOLLAND married Miss
Ida Hawthorn, daughter Of A. Z. Hawthorn
of Due West.
or these only Mr.. holland survives. At
last accounts he was 1t Cotton Plant, Missis-
sippi. William StaIsell moved TO Mississippi
before the war. have heard that he Was
colonel In one o. the Mississippi Regiments.
have known nothing OF him for many
years.
One of ting printers at Due West in the fif
ties for whom always cherished the best OF
ling Sas Robert A. Thompson. He went
from Gue West 10 Walhaila, bought the keo-
wee Courier, greatly improved the paper, and
Inc welfare OF the town and county. He Is
now resting In the evening OF an honorable
and we'll spent life.
One OF the slncerest and best friends and
best friends that ever had was Coleman g.
Puckett. He came from Anderson TO help
print the Due West Telescope in 1858. He was
my senior by perhaps fifteen years. In 1854
be bought the Independent Press, wnlcn was
still printed by him. Mr.. Puckett bought and
lived In the house now occupied by FRANCES
Lomax. He built the little house with up
right weatherboards for printing office.
After publishing the paper Tor time
he studied medicine. Soon afterwards he
went on horse back TO see relatives In Georgia.
On bis return he went to bed. sick or typholo
fever. He died 10 August, 1857 just as he was
entering field Of usefulness. 1t was thought
at the time that exposure to the heat OF the
su % mer sun brought on the fatal illness.
Adam Gervin and Frank Gerk came from
the Charleston Orphan House In the fftles 10
Gervin went TO Florida long ago, and that IL
the last that heard OF him. Frank Gerk Is
still In the office, and has been there longer
than any one connected with the Institution,
He has been all bis life noted for bis tdellty
to the office In which he learned TO set type.
III. P. Starnes, whom we all called Pink
Starnes. was a noted character IL the due
West office along In the fiftieS. He was q
great reader. Among otner Things that ne
read was the sermons which were publish ed
in the Augusta Chronicle. He was not at all
pious, but he read the sermons all the same.
have lost sight Of him lor many years. but
am under the Impression that he Is at or near
Athens, Ga. At one time he was lawyer.
His fondness for sermons made such an I'M
preston on me when l was a boy that have.
since owning the Press and Banner, favored
the publication OF pulpit deliverances.
In the fifties when still quite young, | was
present when an editors wife lectured him
on the improperly OF publishing articles
which bordered ON the vulgar or suggested
unutterable things. She said that profanity
might sometimes be eXcusable, but that vul-
garity was never permissible. The hearing OF
that lecture made its impress, and in after
years ween became interested In the Press
and Banner, made 1t an ipvariable rule TO
exclude anything which would suggest yul-
garity. In more than forty years newspaper
experience have never knowingly printed a
vulgar word or vulgar expression.
RENE bering, too, what the good woman
said about the excusability OF profanity, for
or coroner. kept strictly 10 the test, and print
ed the profanity along with the rest Some
ten or fifteen years ago. good old man OIL
this county, who has long since gone 10 his
reward sent 6 copy of the Press and Banner
TO q friend across the water. The lady In
ack ow Lodging receipt OF the paper, said she
thought "t6e editor of the Press and Banner
told me what the good woman said, and her
speech made Its impress. 1t was worth much,
and from that day 10 this, have tried TO be
still more careful as 10 what may 60 into this
newspaper.
McDill e. Lyons Locals.
We are the right people to buy fuInlIpLs