The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1905-05-17
MEMORIAL DAY
in LAURENS.
A Beautiful Custom Beau
tifully Observed.
CROSSES OF HONOR.
An Address by Col. Armstrong. Judge
Barksdale Makes Touching AlInsion
To His Old Home and Bids His Old
Comrades affecting "Good Bye"

Memorial Day was beautifully and
impressvely observed here on last
Wednesday,
..,.E'povs. .'!n,I G~oSoep,. j.,.. .1,r. Gu.sv,,
of the Daughters of the Confederacy
and to participate in the memorial ex-
ercises.
The ladies had prepared bountiful
dinner and more than 200 of the shat
tered remnant of old veterans came
from ali parts of the County to accept
their hospitality.
After the veterans were served the
Daughters requested Mr.. j. F. Bolt to
invite the strangers in the city, who
were here for the exercises, many of
whom bad come with the veterans, to
dinner. All told not less than $50 per-
sons were served with dinner.
1t is to be regretted that any of the
Veterans were absent, but circum-
stances would have it so.
Likewise some We're here who are too
old and feeble to have come on any
other mission.
The memorial exercises, which con-
sisted of songs by the school children,
addresses, presentation of crosses, etc ,
were held in the afternoon in the Court
House.
Too late to be corrected it was found
that the room, which had been beauti-
fully decorated with flags, ferns, bunt-
ing, cut flowers and pot plants, was
too small to accommodate the crowd
and that even standing room was not
obtainable for large number.
The exercises were opened with
prayer by Rev. Robt. Adams, after
which the children sang maryland
My Maryland" "
Col. III. Y. Simpson, Commander of
Camp w. D. Simpson, u. S. C. ",
himself finished speaker, introduced
in beautiful and appropriate language,
that gifted son of Erin and lovab'c
South Carolina gentleman, Col. Jas
Armstrong, of Charleston, who was
the orator of the day.
Colonel Armstrong's reputation as a
graceful and witty speaker had pre-
coded him and the audience were pre-
uiSappOni.ou.' Nd ',.I>-,..-I.. ...~,.> - 40
tiful and finished effort and abouuded
in wit, which brought laughter and
pathos, which moved his audience to
tears. Colonel Armstrong spoke first
of the pleasure it gave him to be in
Laurens, especially upon the invitation
of the Daughters" of the Confederacy
and of how pleased he was to have so
many of them in his audience. He
spoke of some of the gallant soldiers of
Laurens, whom he had had the pleasure
of knowing personally and of how rapidly
the ranks of the South's heroes were
being depleted by foe more uncon-
querable than northern soldiers. A pretty
incident of his speech was his allusior
the 3rd S. c. regiment. Colonel Arm
strong said that in the selection of tn,
10th of May as Memorial Day, Soutl
Carolina honored the memory of Stone
wall jackson, who passed away on tina
day and mentioned that on the 10th o
May, 1904, Sergeant Lamb, a veteran
of Laurens, equally brave had gone t,
join his comrades on the other side
Colonel Armstrong dwelt upon hov
unusual it was that a monumen
should be raised to a non-commissione
officer, alludng to the fact that mouu
mcnt to Sergeant Lamb, will be crectc
by j. B. Kershaw Chapter, Daughter
of the Confederacy
AT the close of his address, whic
was all too brief, little Miss Virgini
Simpson, pretty and winsome gran
daughter of the Confederacy, presente
the speaker with beautiful bouquet G
roses, crimson and white. Colonc
Armstrong raised the little lady in hi
arms and kissed her while the audienC
applauded.
Colonel Armstrong was the gues
while in the city of DR.. H. X. Alike
and left Thursday for Greenwoo'
Though his visit was of short duration
he won the hearts of all Laurens, as h
has the art of doing wherever he goes
Veterans, Daughters" and "Sons
were alike charmed with the speake
i and the man.
The children then sang "The Bonni
Blue Flag" after which Col. Simpso
introduced Judge Allen Barksdale, {
/ Ruston, La He referred to Jude
Barksdale as citizen of Laurens WI
had been residing for while in th
State of louisiana.
4 Judge Barksdale referred with prid
of the fact that he was born and rearo
IN Laurcns, and from Laurens had er
! listed as a soldier of the Confederate
4 He cited statistics showing the unusu;
i number of soldiers that Laurens Count
i furnished to the cause of the ConfeC
y eracy and stated that in addition [
] those in the South Carolina regiment
there were Laurens County men in
4 number of the regiments of other State
he ventured the assertion that not ba
tie was fought during the whole war
which some Laurens blood was no spilled
He mentioned number of distinguishe
soldiers of other States who were LauI
a ems born. He referred to an incider
of his own life OF how he had gone a.