The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-02-18
JUDGE JAMES N. CROSSON.
THE LAST OF THE ANTE BELLUM l. &W--
YEEs OF NEwBERRH.
He Writes an YnterestiDg Letter OF Now.
be,ry and ito People Years ARo-Ths
Judge Now Kt sides In
Pari1, Texas.

We are glad to publish the follow
ing letter which will be Of interest to
oil Newbesrians from Judge j. Nj.
Crosson, who is tho last of the Ante
Bellum lawyers of Newberry. He
loft Newberry 4G years ago, and is
making his home in Paris, Texas.
His son, Thomas Y. G osson is now
judge, living at Bellinger, Texas.
The old Judge is now 78 years of
age, and is as gay and fond of fun
as when a jolly young lawyer fifty
years ago i'll Newberry. He is still
talked about in his old native town.
Paris, Texas, February 2, 1902.
-Four years ago, wife and I sittin g
side by side, as we arc now, I wrote
to The Herald and News that we
wero looking out of the "western
windows" Of life. We are still look
ing that way-only nearer, (wife 72
years old, I in my 18th year) "wait-
ing till the angels open wide the
mystic gate" Just now I said to
her, that we wore as happy as two
terrapins sitting on q log in spring
sunshine! She said nay! but as two
doves, sitting on limb cooling for
spring.
I'VE have had play mates, in our youth
ful days; our joyful school days"
"A'l--ncariy all, I'll gone, the old IA
miiar faces"
"Over the river, they b,ckou 10 US"
My wife has but two schoolmates
in the town Of Newberry; that de
lightfolly interesting and intelligent
lady, Mrs. Laura Ewert, that excel
lent and good lady, Mrs. Harriet
Lane. have none; all my class at
Erskine gone; of 40 in my class in
South Carolina College, I learn that
only four beside myself gre alive, viz:
Capt. L. Williams, Greenville, DR..
A. &. Fuller, Laurena, Hon. w. r.
B. Haynesworth, Sumter, and DR.. j.
Il. Carlisle, Spartanburg. Oh! how
often We think Of the "dear souls who
have crossed the infinite sea-"
"How strange the scheme of things,
how brief span,
"The little life Of man;
And ever we mark them, 0eeter and
moro fleet,
'"rhe days and months and years, glid-
Ing with winged feet"
l fnd South Carolinians wherever
90, and if there is Newberry man
find him. In the company I raised
in 1851, there were 81 from South
Carolina, nine of them from New
berry, or their fathers were. Five
were McCormicks, all nephews, or
srend,nephews of David Reid. 1st
Lieutenant David Reid Mccormick
was killed February, '02; Willie Nc
Cormick WAS killed March, '02. The
others were James, Samuel and
Henry. Three of them were grand.
sons Of that jolly, good old man,
Henry Boozer, who lived near my
Uncle Sam Spence's He used to
say he had twenty. one children and
that all wero girls but twenty. Jno.
T. Poe's mother was Mccormick
aud 80 was j. f. Peters wife, who
often talked to mo about Newberry.
There also were two others, O. e. and
W. o. Allen, grandson, Of Johnny
Thweat, whose praying and fighting
powers arc stated in tho Annals Of
Ncwberry, pp. SO and 81. They
were all splendid fellows. Also w.
B. DeWalt, grandson Of old Taplow
Harris and Il kind Christian gentle
man.
Among the odd characters OF long
ago wns Tom Meeks, who was one Of
the $500 Impressed sailors during
tho war of 1912, claiming to be
American citizens aud refusing to
fight against their country, were i'm
prisoned in Dartmoor prison, in De,
vonshire, England, and were kept till
the close Of the war. He always
carried with him littlo model Of a
ship. He lived and drank upon the
town. His son died in Williams
County in Mexican war. Nick Ki
nard occasionally visited the towr
and lived for while as Tom did
He remained in town ono time too
long as Tom thought; he took Mic!