The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-08-28
DU IY WELL DONE
CONTINUED from page 1.)

/ a negro did We see.
Having shown how little terrified
we were to thus beard the lion IN
his den, we proceeded in column OF
two's to Coker Springs where we
consumed an hour or more in wash
ing the dirt off our faces and out
of onr ewes and ears, and watering
our horses.
At that time there was stationed
at Aiken a company of United States
regulars. These were ercamped on
the bluff overhanging Coker Springs.
The strange and unique appearance
of this new uniform and the men
in it caused all of the soldiers to
line up on the bluff and watch us
with great >euriosity and interest.
When all our men had finished wash
ing and we were again in our places
everything having been done IN
military style, one man holding three
horses with linked brides while the
other three washed at the horse
trough, Col. Butler gave the COM
mand: "Fours left, left dress.
This threw us itno line facing the
bluff where the Yankees were gath
cred, some sixty yeards away and
about forty feet above us. Then the
order was given: '"Three cheers Tor
the boys in blue" and if there was
ever "rebel yell" it must have leap
ed from the throats of those deter
mined and desperate men. AS soon
as the cheers were given the COM
mand followed: -Four left, LETT by
two's, march," and we started on
hack up the hill briskly towards the
town.
Almost as if by magic the yam
kee soldiers who were all in uniform
received the order from someone:
Fall in, right dress. AS tney
were already in line it took them
only two or three seconds to get IN
military formation and without
counting off the order was given:
Three cheers for the men in white.
The answering call Of the Northern
white men to the Southern white
man was hearty and vigorous as
our own defiance had been.
will say in passing, that, while
some of these same men marcned
sixteen miles to Rouse's Bridge to
s,op the Ellenton riot, some weeks
later, and were held along with
large number of other troops in the
disturbed region-one whole regl-
r,enr being sent to Edgefield court
house in October-none of the SOL
diers ever displayed any other thao
the most friendly and kindly fee!'
ing and they had no stomach what
ever for the dirty work they had
;ecn sent into the State to do. They
obeyed orders which is the duty OF
soldier, but they never showed any
feeling other than good will and SYM
pathy for our people. But while the
Sweetwater Sabre club and its sue
cessor in Meriweather Township, the
Democratic Fighting club, came in
contact with the troops on several
occasions, afterwards they were nev-
er permitted to cheer us again.
The rioters in their bloody shirts
returned to their quarters. In
this parade the shirts were worn as
blouses over the pants with pistol
belts outside. Some of the men
wore them home, and one young
man, John Crawford, l think, caused
his sister to become dreadfully
frightened because they thought he
was wounded. I carried the flag
to my home and have always re-
GREETED that it was destroyed by fire
when my residence was burned some
three years later.
1t was a unique scene in the court
room when Judge Maher ordered
bail to be granted, fixing the sum as
recall it, at $1,000 each. The ar
gument of the case had delayed &C
ton far into the night. Lamps had
to be brought in and as the restless
"prisoners' would pass in and out
of the court room and take their
seats the thud of the barrels of their
revolvers could be heard as they
came in contact with the benches.
When court was adjourned the
men began to make inquiry of the
clerk of the court as to when they
could file their bonds. He in a
rather petulant and irritable man
ner. which was natural, because he
must have been very much fatigued,
replied: Sometime in the morn
ing" Just then I overheard Sheriff
Jordan whisper to him: You had
better let these men get out of town
tonight, else they may burn it and
hang you before morning" In a
nice manner the clerk changed ana
he began to hand out blank ball
bonds to be signed by all the appll-
cants and their sureties. We all
went on each others bonds, and 1t
became a joke, causing great amuse-
ment, chat Walker Matheny, who
did not own ten dollars worth OF
property, had signed bonds to the
| extent of $4,000. In truth the
whole performance was a perfume
tory and in many respects laugh