The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-08-23
BY.WAYS OF STATE HIS
TORY.
No. XXXIX.
A View With a Record.
J. w. Daniel in Southern Chris
tian Advocate.
A View With a Record.
o @ o @ o . o 9 o o o . o o o o

O @ o @ o 9 o 8 o o o 9 o o o o 9
The morning is fine. Thin wisps
of fog hang over the streams. 1t Is
fortunate we awoke before sunrise
fogs are rare in this high plateau
and when they do occur they are
quickly dissipated by the rising SUM-
From this elevated point you may
trace the south western and south
eastern boundary of the county. The
line of fog that hovers close to the
treetops is the Saluda. It separates
the county on the south west from
lAbbevjlle. The river was so named,
or rather the alluvial lands bordering
it. for the Indians did not name riv-
ers. because the bottom lands were
fertile, they called the section
through which it flows Corn Land
You may trace this southwestern
boundary of the country for quite a
distance, by an air line it is not more
than ten or twelve miles away. The
same is true of the southeastern
boundary, a thin ribbon Of fog hangs
over the Enoree, you may see it now
and then through the gaps in the
hills, I mean the fog bank. Thas
river takes it's name from Paris
mountain, which the Cherokees call
ed Enoree, Place of Muscadines. You
may readily see that the county is
not large, it embraces 56o,soo square
acres; its average length is only thlr-
ty miles and it's average breadth only
twenty-four miles. Standing on this
high point We have the county spread
out before US like map and may
trace it's water courses by the fogs
that hover close to the water lines.
You readily trace the two Rayburns
as they sweep around the bases of the
hills close to US, and emptying, after
shey unite, into the Kush-ah, or as
we call it Reedy river. The thin line
of fog southwest of US, just across
the Kush-ah is Walnut creek. On a
line almost directly from where we
stand to Mt. Gallagher, the home of
my boyhood. and on lands formerly
owned by William Scott, not more
than nine miles from US is spot
where one of Bloody Bill cunning
hams atrocities was committed.
have seen no record of it in history.
NV father, however, who was inform
ed Very thoroughly of the local his
tory and traditions Of the county
pointed out the spot to me when l
was quite small boy. Not more
than half a mile from the creek, in
the depression between the hills on
three sides, there is spring, near
this srring there grew large white
oak, from a limb of this oak ne stat
ed that William Box, boy between
liz and IA years of age was hung by
Bloody Bills Infamous gang. The
father of the youth and companion
were hiding near the Box home. They
were mounted but unfortunately the
boy was riding a colt not thoroughly
broken. When discovered the father
and his fellow patriot made their es-
cape, outriding the attacking party.
The colt, however, on which the boy
was mounted baked and was easily
captured by the Tories near the oak
which l have described. They stop
ped long enough to hang the brave
| little fellow from a limb of the oak,
took the colt and fastened after the
father and his companion. The moth
er and eldest sister of William Box
cut the bride rein by which ne was
suspended not long after he was
hanged, but alas! the brave little fel-
| lows neck was broken and life was
extinct. Tradition says the mother
and sister made the rough box IN
which he was inferred and dug the
grave with their own hands. The in
dependence of our. great country so
| far as I4aurens, at least, was involved,
was sealed with the blood of it's chill
dren.
That fact reminds me of another
| instance of the same kind. AS we
look directly. south, just a few miles
beyond the line of fog that traces the
course of Little river, the head wa
ters of which run through the city OF
Laurens, was the scene of the massa-
ere at Hays Station. This shameful
affair occurred at Edgehills, midway
between Belfast and Milton, on the
old road leading from Rayburn
through Laurens via Orangeburg to
! Charleston, in the month of Novem-
-. 1901 Tho oDthnr of Random