The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-03-09


recently. when morphine had to be
given him to ease the pain Of his
throat. upon which several operations
have been performed, he lay back on
his bed and repeated line after line
and stanza after stanza from Byron,
Keats, Shelley, Tennyson, Shakes
peare and other English poets,
stanzas which he had not read for
perhaps twenty years.
His reading now is confined almost
entirely to the newspapers and maga-
zines or books dealing with present
dav questions and conditions. But
from his boyhood until the time, at
43, he became governor Of South Car
olina he read constantly, widely,
closely. He was two years old when
his father died, being the youngest OF
seven sons and four daughters. His
uncle, John Tillman, was a man OF
strong intellectual qualities, and being
"independent,'' or what was known
in the south then as ''gentleman Of
LEISURE" was constant, careful and
discriminating reader. He collected
a large library and was Of the kind
who studied his books as well as read
them, and profusely annotated them.
Even when his nephew, Ben, was
small boy his uncle picked him out as
the one who would most likely con-
serve and advance the Tillman name
and to him he bequeathed all his large
and we'll chosen library.
Mr.. Tillman from that day to this
has been student. He never had the
ADVANTAGE of a college education.
When war broke out between the Sec
tions he was II years old and wanted
to prepare himself for college. His
mother sent him to an academy not
far from their home. AS the war went
on he soon realized that he had but a
short time to 60 to school and he de-
voted himself so arduously to his
studies that he impaired his health
) and came near losing his life. An
abscess formed in his head back OF
: his left eye and in time destroyed the
eve. He did not entirely recover tor
some years after the war. At II he
enlisted in the artillery corps IN At
lanta, but was never able to 60 to the
front on account of his illness.
AS soon as he recovered his health
. he took charge Of his mothers large
estate, a farm Of 600 acres, and this
he managed, adding largely to his
holdings until he was elected govern
or in 1890. He married at 20. For
eight wears he had no children. His
fellow student Of his farm and all his
affairs was his young wife.
Mr.. Tillman did not hold any pub
lie office until he was elected governor
Of South Carolina. Five years be-
!. fore that he was scarcely known out
side Of his Immediate section, and he
; lived ten miles off the railroad: IN a
backwoods section of Edgefield coun-
tv. The first speech he ever made
except when boy at school was at q
state gathering Of farmers at Ben
nettsville in 1885, when he was 81
wears old. and the speech attracted
more attention than any that had pre-
viously been made in the state tor
ten years. That brought him INTO
immediate prominence and from that
dav to this he has been the most con-
spicuous figure in South Carolina.
, If ever crank comes to Washlng-
ton with a freak idea he wants en-
bodied into law, or even an as-
erieved person of any kind comes
here, he hunts up Senator Tlllman'
And Senator Tillman always listens
patiently. 1t takes him but few
! minutes to size up the man and his
i case, but after that, even II ne mas
the man a crank, he listens still tor
the fun Of the thing. If, on the other
hand. the idea or the grievance seems
good one he takes hold OF 1t, ana
whether it is his business or not ne
does what he can to help the cause
A few days ago, while Senator Till,
man was busiest with the affairs of
the senate he got letter from a man
in Georgia asking him how to- cure
: hams. The senator sat down and dle-
tated the whole process.
) Senator Tillman is exceedingly fond
: Of flowers and takes more interest IN
them perhaps than any other memoel