The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1911-03-08

come on account of sickness. Mr..
Caughman, being on the ground. was
asked to address the Confederate Sol
dicrs by Capt. J. H. Lewie, officer in
command, to which he readily re-
$40 AIDED.
Mr.. Caughman was introduced by
Boyenten O'Brien, as Lexington's sill
yer-tongued orator, and spoke, as fol-
lows:
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Fellow
Citizens, and Ex-C Comrades of the Con-
federate Cause.
Again the mystic clouds OF dlsap'
pointment have spread themselves
over thy ranks by the failure of your
late and beloved commander being
present to address you today. Your
commanding officer, Capt. J. H.
Lewie, has requested me to perform
that duty. When I beheld few mo-
ments ago, your steady footsteps
marching in a body with vacuems in
thy ranks and forming a crescent
around this stand the question arose
in nv mind, why that vacuem; the
answer comes from the inspiring gen.
ius Of human thought gone down at
| the shrine OF liberty striking for con-
stitutional rights, and all down the
lines of your heroic dead can it be
heard in laundering tones in the Ian
guaee ascribed to Napoleon and his
mighty host: ""rhey have fought
their last fight; they have fought their
last battle; no sound can awake them
to glory again."
In the language of the immortal
poet Hayne, let me ascribe:
"Alas your heroes perished;
Cut down at their golden prime,
With the luminous hopes they cher
ished,
On the heights of their faith sublime
By the blood on the field in the forest,
Your bravest yielded breath;
/ Yet the shafts that we're smltten the
| sorest,
Were launched by viewless death. !"
Ex.Comrades of the Confederate
Cause, the steady resistless artillery OF
time is hurting its deadly missiles upon
you, and each hour you are fewer and
weaker. There is no bresst~works 10
shield YOU from the deadly missiles OF
time; but as you stsad here together
YOU can remember how noely ana
brayely Lies werk was done By those
comrades that have gone before yoe
and the tiee that bind 700 10 them IN
that great and holy eause esonot be
dissotved. Their worldly tack Is done,
thsi. solemn oath they took SIDE oy
| eide With you has been performed. As
yon leave them to their glor'oas re-
! pose and .ae,, pure and noble fame.
| 20 forth exalted br these haass OF
communion vieh them.
Ie may ee that their ashes sse DE-
sce nains a. holy ineeeee over this NJ
union OF yones to cement stsoases eee
sies that !is.a soa 4, saesa.
| Ii ,Ae claesic mythology, ~hieh was
| the religion Of tbe ancient ~or'e' II
! vss fahlet, that she heroes vsse ssesni-
! gods, raised shore the raee o. man.
aud vet DO. 70 fer bat their example
| ,Dight te initiated. they served 80 as'i-
mate th<zse Who yet struggled With their
mortal surroundings SO shonld you
as herocs, wh lie the dust Of Life con-
! Aict Is yet upon You, inspire You to
| loitief pnr1xo-es ar1 noble. AvsS.
! Whatever may have been the snr-
( rows OK the losses Of that heroic
! struggle, s:;efe is no sozrow that CAT:
! rttrs tihd iTr .ec,1i ;,t.i-se - the afitea1
| :.raui?....r uf tae her>iy.n rE tie Con-
| scilcrut+- soldier.
The caEee for which yot1 fought ano
SC hobby defended, is not lost cause
They are the principles upon which
the foundati,ns of TIE great repuohc
( was founded. They are The very es-
scnce q TIC great Declaration Of In
dep ndence, which was proclaimed
by cc- fa.i!ers. and The Gay is not tar
! distant when they vii arise ffnm
their slt,lhariI.g t1r,h Ike ono gTalio
! and mighty volcanic ~rnp*it,n asic'
t,ury up heneatll sAs1n everything an
tagouiStia to thrir ,s'tneiyles.
Permit ne to dig:css for iHon1ens
| as have been requested to aHnoanec
that a committed Of ladies are present
; to raise funds to make the last pay
ment on the Confederate monument
At Lexington Court Uouse IN honos OF
your heroic dead, and now fair ladies',