Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1913-07-16
A Knightly Blow.


the war. 1t is suggested to US by
the Sunday school lesson of last
Sunday, where Moses upon seeing
one OF his own down trodden race
cruelty treated by an Egyptian
task master who had him in his
power, smote the Egyptian to the
ground and buried him in the $ md.
Of this noble and patriotic deed
Mr.. Ellis says in his lesson com
ments:
"One day Moses struck a blow
that made him an exile and an
emancipation. Our hearts warm to
the young Hebrew prince for that
deed although We know that he was
hasty and that maturer judgment
would have made him patient.
Without condoniug the act Of Mo-
Ses may we aot speak a word of
caution against that cold, calcuat-
ing spirit which from prudential
considerations stiles all brave and
chivalrous impulses. Let us be
glad of the men who have nothing
of the Jelly fish in their compost
ton and who dare to blunder be-
cause they 'abhor that which is
evil
Occasions do not make heroes;
they only reveal them Back Of
the blow. that Moses struck was the
life that he lived and the thoughts
that he had been thinking"
1t was when our country was
down trodden and under the cruel
heel of the scaiawags of our home
land and the carpet baggers aud
thieves from the North, and when
most young people in the language
of some lady of Georgia, thought
Dam Yankee" was all one word;
and when federal troops Of rather
low type of foreigner and some ne
groes were stationed at Edgefeld
court house and were tyranizing
over not only the white men, but
delicate white ladies OF our land,
that one sale day Mr.. John G.
Strother, who lived up on Saluda
river in, at that time, part of
Edgefeld district, was standing
near the court house here in town,
and saw a Yankee soldier attempt
ing to shoot Mr.. Coleman, friend
and neighbor of John Surother, The
place was crowded with armed fed.
eral soldiers. Mr.. John Strother,
without a moments hesitation and
in the face of what seemed almost
certain loss of his own life, pulled
his pistol from his pocket and
killed the Yankee and saved the
life of his friend. In the confusion
thasfollowed this open and manly
display of bravery, Mr.. Strother
ran back of the court house and
jumped on the first horse he Gould
fnd and went speeding down Beav-
er Dam creek and near the place of
Mr.. r. G.. Padgett he galloped out
in the field, got right in the middle
of the creek ard rode several miles
in the water and bed of the stream
and thus left no i'm preston for pur-
surers, by riding in the rocky cur
rent and in this way he eluded the
angry troops who were following.
After riding down about the
Eichelberger plantation, some four
miles, he rode across country to the
residence of his aged uncle, the late
Mr.. David Strother. 1t was night
when he got there. He went in and
told Mr.. Strother, who was an in
valid. that he had killed a Yankee
in defence of his friend and wanted
$500 10 run off. To this his uncle
and aunt readily consented and
while Mrs. Strother was counting
out the money in gold, John
thought he heard the troops riding
up, but it was really an old negro
man bringing in some stock from
the pasture. But John went out
window and hid down in the pas.
ture in gully, and the good wife,
Mrs. Strother, walked all about for
quite o while in the starlit night,
filled with patriotic anxiety, with
the gold in her hand and whisper
ing in a low voice, John here's
your money-here John, take it. :"
He finally heard the low and sweet
words of his aunt and crawled out
of the gully and took the money
and got on fresh horse of his kind
uncle's and rode thru the woods up
to his home on the wiIlowy banks
of the Saluda river and after few
hasty preparations and fearful part
ing from his family had to flee to