The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1916-06-08
ky in ones face, and no lager beer,
either. like o. little lager myself
sometimes but am willing to say
farewell.

sometimes but am willing to say
farewell.
How tedious and tasteless the hour
When lager beer no longer | see;
Sweet prospects, sweet girls and
sweet flowers
Have lost all their sweetness for me
Reader of The Record, hope to
use some of my weekday time invis-
iting some of my friends in this Sec
ton, at distances of one to six miles.
In the words of General Grant when
hammering away at the Confederate
lines around Spotsylvania Court
house with slaughtering repulses
every day, Il trust to fight it out
on this line if it takes all summer"
l have been around a little already.
All ask me to let them know when l
can visit them and they will come
with horse and buggy for me. MIR
VIM McElveen took me one day this
week to see his mother, the widow
of my old departed friend, Edwin
McElveen. She had sent me word
several times that she wanted to see
me once more. She is quite old and
feeble, but her children are caring
for her as children should do. ask
ed if she received pension and how
much. was told SIS. Fifteen dol.
lars! Readers of The Record, the
sound of that contemplate sum went
to my heart like arrows from bow.
Fifteen dollars! Oh, murder!murder!
Help! help! More sobs are choking
in the throat and tears as salt as the
sea fill the eyes. Oh, what disgrace
to Williamsburg and South Carolina!
70 think of such q pension to the
widow of this veteran of four years
arduous service, who volunteered at
the first call of his. State to arms.
Friends, when you visit Kingstree
20 to the intersection of Main and
Academy streets and behold the SOL
dier on that monument with rifle in
hand ready to meet theinvader with
his life if need be. Those were the
men who bore the brunt of battle,
and such was Edwin McElveen-not
conscript or drafted man, but a
volunteer offering his services be-
fore being called. He was disabled
by a wound received at the battle.of
Sharpsburg, in Maryland, as we'll as
myself. l know this, for saw him
wounded. Why not S4S or more for
this hero's widow instead of the pal
try sum of SIS, an amount less than
that received by many who wish to
be called veterans but never saw a
Union soldier or fired a gun at the
enemy.
am poor and have little, but if
the county of Williamsburg and the
State of South Carolina were man
| l could take that disgusting SIS,
spit upon it, throw it in his face and
give the widow more outof my small
earnings, but perhaps this is not the
fault of the county or State. Where
are those who should know or in
ouire into such a state of affairs?
Why be so unmindful and careless?
Reader, please excuse me for dwell
ing on this subject so long. 1t is a
fault | have to tell our people some
of their shortcomings. The good Ia
dies of Kingstree and the county are
so kind to the old veterans, know it
would touch their angel hearts to
know it may be their own negli.
gence. Now, if South Carolina were
great king with plenty of gold and
silver and every comfort that would
make peace and happiness complete
but could not fight and keep an enc.
my from crushing him and one that
could fight and would do so, barred
his breast to help to make a wall
with his body to protect this rich
man, who after the battle said to the
hero's widow, your husband risked
his life for me. and now here is $15.
You are old and you don't'need
much" if you happened to be stand
ing by would you not feel like wish.
| ing the earth to open and swallow
you up?
The ladies gave the veterans q
beautiful dinner, as poor John Kin.
ney, an Irishman from the town Of
Sumter, would say. John, like my
self, was a good forager, a name ap-
piled to those soldiers who were sue
cessful in getting something good to
eat on expeditions into the country.
| l can see him now as he looked when
the cannon were raining the balls.
When he would come in from the
country we asked him how he Jared,
when he would tell us Of some farm
er's wife who had given him q beau
tiful dinner.