The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-11-26
THE NEWS OF PROSPERITY.
Interesting Talk With MI. Nichols
An Octogenarian-New Cotton
Chopper.

withs uncle Andrew Nichols al oct0-
genarian. Uncle Andrew was 80
years old on last Monday, Nov. 1Sth.
In talking with him he says he re-
members seeing in his boyhood days
all old revolutionary soldier named
Getsin@er who made his home with
David Rankin. the grandfather Of
jack and Henry Rankin. In his
boyhocd days he said there wore
no bugeies or vehicles Of any kind
and 10 mules. People went to
church and Sunday school on horse
back or on foot. The first vehicle
he ever saw at st. Lukes church
was a two wheeler called gig and
was owned by Capt. Nathan Hunter.
In his Younger days he said there
were no courts such as we have now.
Court only sitting about once year
and then only Cor a week or SO. All
petty offences were tried by magis-
trates and no negro cases were car
ricd to the "big court.' The whip
ping post was in vogue and the lash
was applied to compensate for out
ragged law. Horse stealing was Il
capital offence and he remembers
one white man who was found gull
ty and sentenced TO be hung. but had
his Sentnccc commutcd to Il Ger
tain number Of lashcS. SO many TO be
given each week until the full quota
was .cccivcd.
Your correspondents recalls that
when boy she saw a number Of
cerses of poetry (dng%ereD compos-
ed by one Billy Files who had stolen
Il horse and was hanged for it. HUI
man life was cheap in those days. A
man worth no more than Il horse.
Uncle Adnrew says that the max
ing "both ends meet' is harder
now tnaa in the good old times be-
fore the war, and that there are 80
people now to where there was five
then. Conditions have changed and
the people have changed with them.
Hc was a gallant Confederate sold
ier and was ON the i'll fated vessel
that sunk in Charleston hal'bor in
1862. in which GO or more men We're
drowned. The Captain was drunk
and went contrary to orders and got
in range Of Yankee gunboats and
they opened fire on them. The Cap
tain had forethought enough to run
his bot aground or all the soldiers
would have been lost. He speaks Of
this catastrophe with corrow at the
great los of life that could have been
prevented so easily.
Uncle Andrew had a birthday din
ncr and reception but he said he
would have been blowing if ii had
not been too wet. Although 80 years
old we can say that he works every
day and enjoys it. We wish him
many happy returns of his natal day
and congratulate him on having
passed so many milcstones in lifc's
highway.
One of our citizens is on the road
to fortune if NOT to fame and per-
haps both. Mr.. T.. f. Schumpert
has been at work for months on a
cotton chopper that is practical and
one that will do The work needed by
the cotton planters Of the south. Af-
ter much experimenting and trial he
ha" perfected what promises to be
the very implement our cotton plan
tcrS have been waiting for for years.
I1c has filed his application and he
expects patent in the near future.
Mr., Schumpcrt has quite a turn for
inventions having patents for other
inventions. We wish him success in
The fullest measure.
There will be THANKSGIVING ser
vices by Grace congregation on
Thursday at II o'clock a. m. a col
lection will be taken for the benefit
Of orphan home at Salem, Va.
Gifts in kind such as canned fruits.
shoes. stockings, wearing apparel
and dry Goods of all kinds will be
received bv Mr.. A. NJ. Lester, who
will 60" t." the packing Of the goods
and forwarding.
\ n'mhar Of the "boys and girls"
from college are expected home for
THANKSGIVING.