Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-01-31
BRAVE scHooLMA'AM.
Continued Teaching While a Fierce
Battle Raaad Near BY.

Battle Ragged Near BY.
'T noticed In a recent mail story
about the war in the Orient that the
writer says that Gen. Kuroki planned
the battle at Taitse river and then
calmly proceeded to fish for minnows
while the shells were flying and men
were bayoneting one another" remark
ed ex-senator William II. Sears.
while one cannot help applauding the
superb nerve Of the little fighters
across the sea, / want to say that 1
knew a tall woman teacher Of Mis-
souri, who beat the gallant Japanese
general to it as regards nerve by two
or three degrees.
Miss Lizzie McKittrick was the
he oine. remember well the day,
because it marked my fourteenth
birthday, and 1t was the end OF the
summer term Of school, Aug. s. 1861.
"The little log house was about
seven miles south Of Callao and not
far from the Charlton river. A few
days earlier the Confederate forces
under Gen. Porter and the Federals
commanded by Gen. Voolfolk met in
battle at Kirksville, and afterward the
Confederates retreated southwark
along the Charlton river.
1--WE were drowsily thumbing our
books when we heard the sullen roar
Of a cannon In the distance. We look
ed up at the windows and then at the
teacher e,
"she frowned and motionedsfor us to
resume our studies. Thereywas an
other detonation from the cannon and
another and then crash Of musketry.
A window light was knocked out by
the concussion and fell noisily on the
floor. The pupils jumped up In wild
confusion.
miss McKittrick arose from her
chair, but not in confusion. She was
just mad.
1.-The school will come away from
the door and resume its Seats she
said:
1.-The school did.
"She stood In the centre aisle with a
heavy ruler in her hand. The pupils
were more afraid to risk an encounter
with that ruler than the possible
chance of stray cannon ball crash
ing through the building. A teacher
who could run school while people
were being bayoneted or blown to
pieces right next door, as you might
say, was too serious a thing for our
youthful spirits to defy, even II she
did wear spectacles.
During the entire afternoon the
firing between the two commands con-
tinued, sometimes breaking into vol
leys that sounded dreadfully near. We
were all little rebels. because our pa
rents were, and we secretly prayed for
the success Of Porter and his men.
The fighting was just across the hills,
and looking through the windows we
could see the smoke rising from the
valley.
1T was a hard task to keep our
thoughts on our books with such
thrilling event so near us. In our I'M
agination every time the cannons
spoke we saw whole platoons of men
torn to pieces and their dismembered
limbs sailing skyward. Once in a
while a cheer would come floating
across the hills, and we hoped 1t was
our side and that we could holler with
them.
But that teacher Of ours; grim,
alert and determined, seemed to be
unusually successful in finding some
thing for US to do to keep our minds
from the battle.
"The long afternoon session ended
at last, and as we bade our teacher a
hurried farewell she admonished us
not to go too near where the fighting
was. She needn't have done that, but
I suppose she thought it would make
her conscience easier If any OF us
were inclined to get in the way Of the
bullets-which we were rot.
CAS- for herself, believe II her way
home had led across the battlefield she
would have commanded the soldiers to
cease firing till she got by. She had
the nerve."-Macon, Ga. correspond
ence New York Sun.