The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-05-07
A MEMORY OF LONG AGO.
Gen. Hemphiu Writes of the Great
Secession Meeting in Abbeville
In 1860.


meeting at Abbevillc in 1860 which
was an introduction to the war be-
tween the states. Tt was on the twen-
ty-second day of November and a
great multitude was in the town. Au-
"ustus NJ. Smith avs Marshal Of
the Day. w. M. Rogers and j. f..
Livingston were his assistants. The
procession formed in the public
square and escorted by about 500
minute men marched to the grove
near the Southern depot where the
mass meeting was organized by elect
ing Hon. T. G. Perrin, President; !;
Judge D. T.. Wardlaw, Col. John A.
Calhoun, DR.. j. W. Hearst, Capt. Jno.
Brownlee and DR.. John A. Logan,
vice-presidents and James C. Calhoun
and Geo. McDuf1ie Miller, secretaries.
Hon. A. G. Magrath of Charleston
was the first speaker ana I remem-
Der his first sentence was, "The time
for speaking has passed and the time
for action has arrived" He rolled
his "r's' in fine style. He was a
very handsome man and made capt.
tai speech urging immediate action
on the part of South Carolina at any
and every hazard. He was followed
by Hon. M. l.. Bonham who also fav-
forcd Immediate action.
Resolutions were unanimously
adopted favoring secession Of the
state.
a committee Of twenty was ap-
pointed to select nominees for the
convention which met December 18th,
1860. While this committee was out
speeches we're made by Samuel Nc
Gowan. w. G.. Davis and J. N. Coch-
ran. The following gentlemen were
elected to the convention: Edward
Noble, John A. Calhoun, Thomas
Thomson, John H. Wilson and D. l..
Wardlaw. Called upon for an expires
sion Of views each one endorsed the
resolutions adopted which were pub
lishcd in The county newspapers. The
speeches however we're crowded out
and lost to the generations that came
after.
Tt is not however tie official action
Of the mass meeting that I now I'M
dertakc to record. IT is the small
and common place incidents of the
day. T came down with several STU
dents from Due West which was rath-
or Il conservative community 4 place
the war spirit had not reached. -Four
Of us did not join the procession but
stood on the sidewalk where the
postoffice now is. Near us was a great
watch hung out as n sign that II. Il.
Tustcn was in business there. ". W.
Lindsay and 7. L. Gricr Of Due West,
Robert YclIcll, of Alabama, and 7,
kept together during the day. Ycldcll
would not march in the procession be-
cause he was afraid Of giving offensc
to Samuel Jordan, a kinsman, who
held strong Union sentiments. We
could not get near enough to hear
much Of The speeches and so we sat
down on the ground and watched the
firing of a cannon at intervals during
the meeting. Tt was all new to us
and we wondered how any one could
stand before artillery. In time, how
ever, we learned the lesson. The last
T saw and know of Yeldcll, he was a
lieutenant in an Alabama artillery
company with the army near York
town in 1862. I l.. Grier was killed
at the battle Of Gaines's Mill. W. W.
Lindsay was mortally wounded, at
Smokers Gap, in Virginia. Novem-
Der 2, 1862, and died on the Goth
day Of the same month and 81 only,
am escaped alone to tell the story.'
There was a man in the crowd that
day from Turkey Creek on the Salu
da side of the District. His name was
Wesley a. Robertson. Hc was up in
years, long past the military age,
slender in figure, with keen eyes and
full Of good humor. When Judge
Wardlaw, in his speech, inquired
what would You do if a revenue cut
ter Of the U. S. Navy should come
into Charleston harbor to collect du-
ties on imports, W. W. Perryman
made some interruption and Robert
son shouted, "I'd wade in and sink
her, blank her, sink her." He never
heard the last Of it while the war
went on. TIc was not the kind Of a
man to help get up a fight and back
out of it. He and his boys went to
the front. .He did all his age and