Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-02-09

years that l have known the place,
though there are many changes in
the men and women during these
years. And by the way, it has fine
new hotel since I was there, and we,
enjoyed the good dinner that was
served to us. They call it the Dixie,
very appropriate name or hotel
in Edgefeld. And there is building or
already built highway from Angus
ia to Greenwood by Edgefield to be
known as the Dixie Highway. A good
hotel is great thing for any town.
The streets are somewhat torn up
now as the city is putting in water
works, and that always tears up the
streets at any time of the year.
Speaking about the men of Edge
field in the days when l went there
as a boy, l recall among the young
lawyers at that time was John R.
Abney, now practicing law in New
York who was at the time speak of
solicitor of the circuit, and a mighty
good one he was. He was candidate
for attorney general and was defeat
ed and soon after he moved to New
York. Then there was Ben w. Belts,
good lawyer and a hard worker
who died young. And Ernest Gary,
afterwards a circuit judge and now
dead. Sheppard Bros, who are still
practicing at Edgefeld, Arthur S.
Tompkins who has now retired from
the practice. And this was at time
when Gen. Mart Gary and Gen. M.
C. Butler were active. I can recall
my father talking about Gary and
Butler and he said when lawyers got
to quarrelling that Butler and Gray
were always a little careful about
what they would say to each other,
because they knew that each other
would fight and neither cared espe-
cially to do the job, so therefore they
would leave off fight provoking re-
marks, though sometimes get very
near the point. Well, time makes
many changes in the personnel of
any community as we'll as in other
things. And then Edgefeld never
seems the same without the genial
and versatile Col. James T. Bacon
who was for many years one of the
editors of the town. Edgefeld is
nice old town in which to live. Mr.. j.
H. Summer, who was with us, said
it seemed to him that Johnston would
be better place for the court house,
but I think Edgefeld an ideal place
for a county seat and for lawyer.
While in Edgefeld it was very
pleasant to me to hear the many good
things the people had to say about
Miss Hortense Woodson who has but
recently come from this good old
town to Newberry to operate the
linotype machine in The Herald and
News office. And while she has been
with US only week am pleased to
endorse what these people over in
Edgefeld had to say about her. So
far I have found her intelligent and
willing and competent and able to do
all she claimed that she could and
above all pleasant and agreeable.
And that is a great asset. / have
reached that stage in life where I do
not care to be around or about dis
agreeable persons, and especially do
| dislike to work with them or for
them or TO have them work for me.
The older grow the more l wonder
why so many people are so disagree
able when it pays, to put it on higher
ground, to be agreeable and pleas
ant.
1 did not get to see my friend,
Captain N Geo. Evans, and then
missed Hon. Brooks Mason who is
also living in Edgefeld. They tell me
that Geo. Evans is making the money
practicing law in Edgeheld and that
Brooks has plenty and does not have
to work any way. 1 used to know
Brooks when he was just an ordinary
country boy like myself when he
lived at the old home down near Good
Hope Baptist church, but when he
got to be a lawyer he soon became a
capitalist and now is taking life easy,
l have no doubt. In a brief stay of
only a few hours it was impossible to
get to see all the friends you would
like even in city the size of Edge
field. am going back some Of these