The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1914-04-16

OF "POOR CONRAD. "
OF PEOPLE w II o
DWELT BY THE WEE NEE
INTaE LONG AGO.

EulIOT COunIy TSSCOIu.
At the request of Hon E G Epps
some time ago l wrote two letters
containing some history of Black
river. / will now write one more,
which | hope will interest the read
J ers of your valuable paper. In the
story of this famous old river many
incidents can be related. In the first
part of this history / commenced up
about the head waters,in the Mayes-
vile section, where many good peo-
pie knew Conrad" quite well, and
their kindness will never be forgot
ten while the warm blood stirs with
in me, but, alas! how many are now
sleeping beneath the sod. Those
dear, good people! Like the veter-
ans, they have gone to the front
and crossed over the river. The
Mayes, the Wilson's, Andersons, Null
drows, Coopers, kind-hearted DR.
Hudson, "Parson" Reid, who held the
pulpit of Mount Zion Presbyterian
church for many years. He was a
Christian soldier, one of the meekest
of men, the father of my friend, VIM
Moultrie Reid, who fought side by
side with me on the bloody field of
Gettysburg in 1863 and was with me
the first of July last at the great re-
union of the Blue and the Gray. |
was made sad to hear of his death
some time ago. l would like to view
that noble Confederate veterans
last resting place and on that tomb
to drop a tear. He, too, has gone to
the front.
Some of my friends may think my
letters are sad sometimes; in fact,
one lady told me so. Well,I feel that
sadness is good for me. Often now
my heart is in the cold grave with
many of those who have passed
away, never more to behold them,
never to hear their winning voices
again. The heart must be stone that
will not be sad to view the past. l
want to feel sad sometimes; / think
it is good for US. We are told there
is time for all things-a time to
laugh and a time to weep; a time to
mourn and time to dance. The
great kings and other crowned heads
are made sad, as we'll as the meek
and lowly. Scipio was made sad on
his great triumph when the slave
who was riding in the conquerer's s
chariot behind him whispered in his
ear, Remember thou art but a
man." We are only human beings,
one but little better than the other.
We come and slide and pass, and the
place that knows US now will soon
know US no more forever, but | will
never cease to look back.
Although I write sad letters, l am
not sad always. l am sometimes
merry, and although a good way
past the three-score and ten, / feel
like a boy now and then and still
hold the aged and gray-haired in the
same reverence as when l was young,
especially the old ante-bellum slave;
there are so few Of them left now.
Before 60 to telling more about
Black river must tell my friends OF
my severe sickness about last Christ.
mas time. / was very i'll indeed and
could see in the faces of some who
stood around my couch of pain that
they had some misgivings, but by the
help of Him Who sees all things,
and the advice and medicine of good
DR. Gamble, Mrs w ] Reddick's nurs.
ing and the kind attention of hel
father, Mr. B F Thompson, rallied
and am holding my ground, feeling
marvelously well.
Well, now back to Black river, an
other one of my old companions of
lifetime. / had made mention OF
places as far down as Jordan's lake,
where my old departed friend, D E
Evans, lived. He was son of old
"Aunt" Polly and "IJncle' Stephen