The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1902-10-31
Death of @. Walt Whitman.

home in Union Monday morning at s
O'Clock from a stroke of appoplexy. He
was attacked at 2 O'Clock in the morning
and physician was Immediately SIM.
monsd but nothing could be done to save
him and he died in three hours from the
time the doctor was summoned. Mr..
Whitman had been i'll since Thursday of
last week, but no serious result was ex-
pected and his death was qrite a schock
TO his family and to the community,
He was So years of age and leaves wife
md two daughters, Mrs Kitty w
Gault, 2S years of age, and Mrs, Dot
Lee, Is years old, and many relatives
and friends to lament his death.
Mr.. G.. Walt Whitman's was some-
thing OF checkered career, and while
he was considered eccentric he was
honest, kind, warm-hearted and gener-
Gus. lie had his ideas and held on to
mis- honest convictions tenaciously. Po-
litically he was everl Astingly opposed to
ring rule, cliques and combinations,
which possibly accounted, in measure,
for his ill success politically. His name
is we'll known not only in this State but
in distant States.
He was one Of the original if not the
original mover for reformation. He
advocated the principles adopted later
by the reformers before Hon. B. r
rillman ever went upon the stump. lie
had many excellent ideas, politically,
some of which are well known and
endorsed by the thinking people of the
State. He believed in fostering the
common schools and the employment of
competent teachers therein. He was
opposed to lavish appropriations to the
higher institutions of learning to the
detriment of the common schools. He
held, and his position was we'll taken,
that classical education was not ex-
pected to be obtained by the son of the
average poor man, and to foster them by
lavish appropriations of the peoples
taxes was simply supporting an institu-
ton at the expense of the taxpayers that
numbered on its roll of students very
few young men whose parents were not
fully able to pay their tuition at higher
average taxpayers son comes to halt
when he reaches the end Of the common
school course, for the simple reason that
he was not in financial position to board
and clothe his son in city Unequal style
to those sons of wealthy parents. He
believed the greatest good could be ac-
complished with school funds by giving
to the common schools longer terms and
more competent teachers and 80 do we.
Mr., Whitman was so persistent in the
advocatio1 of measures that he consid-
cred for the best interest Of the greatest
number, that he was sometimes dubbed
as cranky, but this did not disturb him
in the least. When he was once
thoroughly convinced that he was right
he held on like grim death to his position
and would not enter into any comp:o-
mise measures not even for his own per,
sonal gain, ana we cannot help admitting
this trait of his character.
Mr.. Whitman was born in Spartan
burg and was educated at Wofford,
which college he entered at the age of
20. He was the youngest son of Mr..
Davis Whitman, of Boston, Mass, who
came South and married Miss Dyer,
of Greenville, s. G. The family moved
to Spartanburg where Mr.. G. w. Whit
man was born.
Mr.. Whitman's first occupation was
that of teaching school. He then entered
the ministery in the Methodist church,
and served several circuits, including
Winnsboro, Camden and I.ynchburg,
after which he was stationed at Spring
street church in Charleston. From here
he went to Marion street church in
Columbia. He later went to Jonesville
and entered into the mercantile business.
which he followed fifteen years, at the
same time he also ran store in Callis'e
and for short time he ran one at Paco-
let. He moved to Union in 1870 and
opened up small grocery and confec-
tlOnary business on corner of Main street
near the Court House where he was still
doing business at the time of his death.
Mr.. Whitman entered politics while
he lived at Jonesville, and was sent to the
Legislature as representative. He has
since ran for office several times, twice
for governor of the State. On one of these
gubernatOIial campaigns he stumped the
State ON his bicycle, showing his in
domitable pluck: Though his financial
condition was snt that he had not the
wherewithal to the canvass by
railroad, he did D sssW that discourage
him from making face.
He had his faNSsylt Is true, but there
are great ma worse men than G..
Walt Whitman lsAnd many of them have
ridiculed him. We are too prone to
sensure, too slow to praise. While he
had his faults, let us gently draw the
veil of charity over them and let him
who is without fault cast the first stone.
The remains were taken to Jonesville
and inferred beside those of his relatives
at Gilead church yard. The remains
were accompanied by Mr.. j. II. Gault,
Mr.. A. J. Lee, Mrs. G. l.. Mcdonald,
of Asheville, Mr.. Whitman's only living
sister, and his neices, Mrs. Hettie Gra-
ham and Miss Pearl Smith, of Spartan
burg.
The ladies of Union brought beauti-
full floral tribute of sweet roses and
flowers of several designs. A beautiful
aroaa x,xccantad hx- AIEs u III