Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-09-15
COL. JAMES n. BACON DEAD.
End Came Last Wedncsday-Brave
Soldier and Brilliant Writer.

Elgefield, Sept. 9.-Col. James T.
Bacon, after lingering illness, died
at his beautiful home in Edgefield at
$50 O'Clock yesterday afternoon, and
all here and throughout the district
Is sorrow and shadow, for he was the
best known and most universally be-
loved man In the county, and his
name was synonymous with all that
is pure, generous, noble and good
Col. Bacon had attained his 18th
year. He was descended from splen-
did Revolutionary stock. His ances-
tors came from Virginia, where the
family had been prominent among
the colonistS for over a century. Ed
mond Bacon, for many years bril-
liant member OF the Edgefield Bar,
and the Ned Brace" In Longstreet's
Georgia scenes, was his grandfather.
Edmond Bacon, although a Georgian
by birth, In early life moved to South
Carolina, and he, with Col. Arthur
Simkins, settled the town of Edge
field. He had four children, the
second. Edmond Speed, being the
father of the subject of this sketch,
his mother being Sarah Bacon, Cou-
sin to her husband, she having mar
ried twice, her last husband being
Rev. Arthur Wigfall. The Bacon
family has been closely connected
with the county's and States history.
Col. Bacon had one brother, Hon.
John E. Bacon, who was secretary Of
legation at st. Petersburg when Gov
ernor Pickens was minister, and af-
terwards minister to Uruguay and
Paraguay under President Cleve-
land, and q full sister, Mrs. Baker,
of McClellansville, and two half-sis-
ters, Mrs. Kate w. Cheatham, of this
place, and Mrs. DR.. Trezvant, for
merly of Columbia.
Col. James r. Bacon was born
here, and his long and useful life
was spent amidst the scenes Of his
nativity. After receiving an aca-
demic education at this place, he
completed his studies in Germany,
making a speciality of music, in
which he eXcelled, and which was
one of the joys of his beautiful life.
After his return from Germany, he
taught music here and at Anderson,
but 1T was to journalism that he de-
voted his Splendid talents, in which
field he won for himself a name and
reputation, seldom equalled in this
country. After serving with con-
spicuous bravery in the War Be-
tween the States, he returned home,
and assumed the editorship of the
Edgefield Advertiser, and the files of
that paper will best tell how ably
and brilliantly he performed the du-
ties of that office. Gentle as a wo-
man, yet brave as a lion, he could
write with all the softness and
sweetness of Washington Irving, but
when necessity and duty demanded
1t, with all the boldness and fire of
Wendell Phillips.
During Reconstruction times when
Federal troops were stationed here,
and the negro and scalawag held
high carnival, Col. Bacon printed the
Advertiser in red letters, and his
Leader" was filled with such patri-
otic fire and defiance as to cause Of
fense to the Federals. For this he
was arrested, and taken to Charles
ton, but no harm befell him, and he
returned home only to continue the
brave fight for Anglo-Saxon suprem-
acy. He was game cock in those
stirring days, as he ever was, and
never did his red plume lower it's
crest
Col. Bacon was never married, but
he was beloved and courted by all
for his magnetic personally, social
attributes and brilliant conversa-
tional powers. One beautiful trait
of his character was his love and
loyalty to his immediate family. His
venerable mother, the late Mrs. Wig
fall, as well as other members of his
family, would often urge him to seek
broader fields, where his talent
would have won higher distinction
and greater pecuniary reward, but
he preferred to remain with them,
and with his lifelong friends and at
the home he loved SO we'll, and ad-
minister to their happiness and sup
port. Now that he is gone, Edge
field mourns for him, as never did
she sorrow for man before. He has
left a void that cannot be filled.