The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-02-18
JUDGE JAMES N. CROSSON.
THE LAST OF TIE ANTE BELLUM L &W-
FERS OF NEWBERRH.
He Writes m Interesting Letter OF New
berry aud itS People Years Ago-The
Judge Now Rssldes in
Paris, Texas.

all Newberrians from Judge j. NJ.
Crosson, who is the last Of the Ante
Bellum lawyers of Newberry. He
left Newberry 46 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 7S years of
age, and is as gay and fond of fun
as when a jolly young lawyer fifty
years ago in Newberry. He is still
talked about in his old native town.
Paris, Texas, February 2, 1902. .
Four years ago, wife and I sitting
side by side, as we are now, I wrote
to The Herald and News that we
were looking out of the ''western
windows" of life. We are still look
ing that way--only nearer, (wife Y
years old, in my 18Th year, "wait-
ing till the angels open wide the
mystic gate" Just now l said to
her, that we were as happy as two
terrapins sitting on q log in spring
sunshine! She said nay! but as two
doves, sitting on. a limb cooling for
spring.
s'We have had play in our youth
full days; our joyful school days"
"A'l-nearly all, all gone, the old IA
sniliar faces"
'.@Eertbe river, they bcckou to us"
My wife has but two schoolmates
in the town of Newberry; that de
lightfully interesting and intelligent
lady, Mrs. Laura Ewart, 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 are alive, viz:
Capt. L. Williams, Greenville, Dr.
A. G. Fuller, LaureDs, Hon. W. F.
B. Haynesworth, Sumter, and DR.. j.
Fl. Carlisle, Spartsnburg. Oh! how
often We think of the 'dear souls who
have crossed the infinite sea-"
ssHow strange the scheme Of things,
how brief span,
aThe little life of man;
"And ever we mark them, feeter and
more feet,
.sTbe days and months and years, glid-
ing with winged feet"
I fnd South Carolinians wherever
/ go, and if there is Newberry man
T find him. Ia the company I raised
in 1851, there were 81 from South
Carolina, nine of them from New
berry, or their fathers were. Five
we're McCormicks, all nephews, or
grand,nepbews of David Reid. lst
Lieutenant David Reid Mccormick
was killed February, '62; Willie Nc
Cormick was killed March, '62. 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 were girls but twenty. Jno.
T. Poe's mother was Mccormick
and SO was j. F. Peters wife, who
often talked to me about Newberry.
There also were two others, q. E. and
W. O. Allen, grandson, Of Johnny
Thweat, whose praying and lighting
powers are stated in the Annals of
Newberry, PIP. SO and 81. They
we're all splendid fellows. Also W.
B. DeWalt, grandson of old TeploW
Harris and kind Christian gentle
man.
Among the odd characters OF long
ago was Tom Meeks, who was one OF
the $500 impressed sailors during
the war of 1912, claiming to be
American citizens and 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 little model OF a
ship. He lived and drank upon the
town. His son died in Williams
County in Mexican war. Nick k'-
nard occasionally visited the town
and lived for while as Tom did.
He remained in town one time too
long as Tom thought; be took Nick
L,oo 10 tho ron