The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-03-18
A NOBLE HERO
Whose Remains Repose 10 the Gene
terry at Newberry, 8. G.
CALVIN CRozrER, A SON OF TEXAS
Story of the Splendid Heroism of q
Man Who Was Murdered at
Newberry by Negro. Fed
eral Troopers.

ment to the memory CT Calvin Gro
zier, a heroic son Of tne Lone Star
State, whose sacred remains rest be-
Meath. The story of his splendid he
roisn, which inspired him TO risk his
life to defend the honor Of South Car
olina women, aud to give that life to
his murder by negro ruilians who
wore the uniform of the United States
army, is we'll told in the following
article by Octavia Zollicoffer Bond,
which appeared In recent issue CT
the News and Courier:
1 would be glad to "eat the slop
from your Kitchen" wrote Calvin
Crozier to his mother when about to
leave the indianapolis military prison
in April, 1865.
To say that he was "onc Of Nor
gan'S men" presents to the imagina
tiOn the picture Of stalwart Ken
lucky trooper, which Crozier was not.
On the contrary he was rather boy
ish looking Texan for his % years of
age. Barely five feet, eight inches in
height, slender, with fair complexion
and dark brown hair, he had mild
expression of cOuntenance which, eX-
cept for the steely gleam of the steady
blue eyes, was not suggestive Of the
bold and determined character Of the
captive Confederate. Few would have
taken him to be what he really was.
one Of the most daring Of Morgan'S
intrepid raiders, one, moreover, who
had been early seasoned in arms, an
Indian fighter on the border, under
Gen. Ross, just before the outbreak of
the civil war. Especially did he ap-
pear now, at the end Of nearly two
years imprisonment and i'll treatment,
a harmless creature. Almost starved
to DEATH" as he wrote his family,
sick and pitifully thin, he had hardly
the strength to button his faded gray
jacket and walk out of the prison
gates that had been thrown open by
the surrender at Appomattox The
type Of thousands who like himself
had fought for a principal with all his
might, and lost, he faced about and
began to consider, in dazcd sort of
way, how he was to reach home. All,
the Galveston home with its sunshine
anu flowers anu its bOuntiiul board,
should he never see it again? How
clearly he remembered the patriotic
exalation Of spirit in which he had
left it to i)in Goods Light Artillery
at Dallas in 1861. Well, too, he re-
membered the enthusiasm Of his first
great battle at Elk Horn, pca
Ridge,( where brave McCulluch fell,
the march eastward to Corinth, where
he was transferred to the command OF
Gen. Cans, as well as the reckless ar
dor with which he had refused to re-
tn Ipl Il
back, and had persisted in going for
ward to join John Morgan, "where
there is more lighting"
Now all was changed. There were
no drums and flies, no comrades and.
worst of ali, no hope. 1t was a long
way to walk back to Galveston, and
he was i'll. Yet the effort must be
made 10" there alone might he find
rest f. - ms utter WEAKNESS in the
loving ministrationS OF father, moth
er and two dear sisters, and possibly a
reunion with the five brave brothers,
who, like. himself, had dedicated all
to the South in the beginning OF the
great conflict. BY slow stages the re-
turn was begun. Three States i'm sue
ceSSion were crossed by the ragged
foOt-sOre Confederate. With the help
of SympathiZing compat riots, many of
whom had been left by 5hc chances of
war almost as destitute as himself. he
painfully pursued his journey. In the
'Old North State" benevolent doc.
tor was his good Samaritan, nursing
him back to comparative health by
weeks Of faithful care and enabling
him, with timely aid, to make the
rest Of the journey home by rail On
leaving the kind doctor, with a crate
full heart he proceeded to Newbcrry, in
South Carolina. Here he was half
way home and his thoughts turned
with increasing eagerne.a 10 the home
folks; for this was the native State of
his mother, who came of hardy South |
Carolina stock, but later knew to
dare the dangers OF the newer West |
and brave the pcrilS OF surrounding |
SavageS in Alabama. From here he |
had the traditional pioneer manhood |
that made him tile natural champion |
Of the defcnceeSS, the instructive pro |
tectOr OF women against all that was |
brutal, low, strong or coarse. From |
his Irish father he had the inpusive |
blood to strike swiftly and freely for
the right.
bhiiHE CiiC lilSliJ VI i HuTSCuN,
September I, he reached Ncwbcrry.
expecting to make close connection
with the south bound train. In those
disjointed Reconstruction times
travel was not altogether safe for a
man, much less fer Il woman. E,poci
ally was this true in Ncwbcrry, where
the 33d regiment of l.. S., negro
troops, under Col. Trowbrdgc, was en-
camped in an adjoining grove There
fore, when two young women from
Orangeburg S. c., going the same
route as himself, were placed in his
care by fellow passenger Calvin
Crozcr accepted the charge as a sacred
trust. AS gentleman should as
manly Southerner would, he felt honor
bound to stand between them and
every danger
Through an unfortunate accident
the train on which they were leaving
was dcrailed (Whethcr done by the
negro troops or not was never known)
and as there were no suitable accom-
modatlonS convenient, the ladies con ,
cluded To remain in the coach until
The train should be rightcd. While
help was being summoned from
Helena, the nearest station their |
protector left the car fora Short time
On returning presently bp yyoc rbcnl,o,l I