The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1908-04-13

most sincere moUrnerS who 7
gathered about his bier were men 4
who had been soldiers in the fed
eral army. Their sorrow seemed +.
as deep as that of the little hand
full OF Confederate veterans who.
some shuf1iing On the uncertain
feet Of age, came with barred
heads and sorrowing hearts to
honor the memory Cf a man they
had known and loved in life and
with whom they had suffered and
fought during the dark days Of
the civil war.
The dead man was a breadless
boy when the war came on,
With the laurels of his al
ma mater Still clinging about
his brow he turned his
back upon his home and his
loved ones and went forth, at his
country's call to battle for her
rights. He served with the
same faithfulness in the army
that characterized him at college
and t was not long before
he was given q place upon the
staff of his general.
His fathers family had refu-
geed to Thomas county, where
he had purchased considerable
property. At the close of the
war the young soldier-lawyer
came here to look after it. He
fell in love with the place and
has made it his home ever since.
When that awful period of the
reconstruction came on he was
one of the leading spirits to
throw off the yoke of the scala
wag and TO restore peace and
prosperity to the State in which
ne had come TO live. The legis-
lature was made up of negroes
The representatives from the
! proud old county OF Thomas were
negroes and they with offers like
them were fast bringing the com
monWeaith into disgrace along
with her sister States of the
South that had made up the
Southern Confederacy. One OF
rCaptain Hammond's old slaves
came out for the legislature with
another negro. He and another
young white man, both full OF
determination, entered the race
against the negroes. The young
| lawyer was brilliantcompaignel
and his speeches put new life
into the whites. Supported by
such men as John Triplett, Rob
ert Mitchell and many others of
like character the fght was
whipped and the county was re-
deemed from the reign of the
carpet-bagger who came after
the fighting was over and the
real soldiers had returned tC
their homes.
i The name of Captain Hammond
soon became d terror to the ad
venturers who tiocked to the
South. He went everywhere il
this section defending those who
were being illegally oppressed
and in this way he made friend!
for himself in all parts of soutl
| Georgia. He has stood for man!
years among the leaders of th'
bar in this section and hardly
case of ary prominence appearer
in which he was not on one sid
or the other.
He knew that bis end was az
preaching, but he did not fear t
meet the enemy he had face
more than once before upon tn
tented field. He made all hi
preparations to leave, even to th
! conduct of his funeral, and the
+ he calmly awaited the end. l sa
! him just three days before til
, final attack came upon him. E
n was up and sitting out in tt
balmy sunshine of the ear.
spring. | could see that he va
Il weaker than US ual, but he was I'll
o soul of courtesy, and when a lac
9 friend came in to see him al
} asked for drink of water
a would not let her get it by he
Il self, insisting upon bringing
to her, and then taking the gla
% back after she had finished,
ir Although he was a member
l. another denomination, he prov
S. in more ways than one that
r was my friend, and it vas
n ways a genuine pleasure wher
to could spend a little while in tt
,e company of this brilliant, c
tured gentleman.
or He will be sadly missed by
ID general public, by the legal f