The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-08-14
AN OLD LETTER.

= COPY of an old letter which he has
among his old papers and
which was written to his grand
father by Prof. Mat. J. Williams, of
South Carolina College. The letter
relates to trouble between Martin w.
Gary, then a student, and another
students named Rhett. 1t gives some
insight into the times and the man.
ner in which difficulties were settled.
The man Strauss mentioned in the
letter is a Jew. He was started IN
business at Cokesbury, by DR.. Gary
and became a friend of people in
that section. He afterwards moved
to Roanoke, Va. The ideas of Prof.
Williams, who. by the way had been
at one time a teacher at Cokesbury,
are given on the subject of disunion,
which then was being agitated. The
letter follows:
Columbia, S. c., 26, Feb 1851.
My dear friend:
I have just learned from Martin,
that Straus called to see me last
evening and has left the place this
morning for N. Y. I am sorry I did
not see him. I was spending the
morning at Col. Preston's, assisting
in the celebration of a wedding
viz: Mr.. John A. Wharton of Texas
to Miss Penelope Johnston, only
daughter of Ex-Governor Johnston.
II am sorry on several accounts, l
misses Strauss. I wished to speak
with him particularly, on the subject
of Martins difficulty with young
Rhett, son of the senator of that
name.
1 am happy to inform you that this
unfortunate affair has been fully and
~honorably settled-honorably to both
parties but especially to Martin. 1
owe no sort of allegiance to the
;"Code of honor" I look upon the
practice or custom of dueling as a
relict of barbarism, disgraceful to
civilization. But we must not forget
that this code exerts a despotic in
luence upon society.
AS Martin had got into the dific-
ulty-it was necessary he should get
out. He protested to be embarrassed
with no difficulties of conscience up
on the subject of fighting in any
way other gentlemen were accustom-
ed to fight. 1 rather think-and so
remarked to some of my friends
he would enjoy the sport of "pistols
and coffee for two"
I was close at hand, looking on, to
see that nothing was done to entrap
my young friend into a false-step-
although 1 had made up my mind to
raise the posse comitatus of the
whole State sooner than he should
,,fght-if the worst came to the worst
l knew well enough, Martin was hot,
hasty and high-mettled but at the
same time high-minded, honorable
and generous. These Rhetts fancy
themselves to be the embodiment of
all the genius, talent, wisdom. vir-
tue and dignity of S, Chat the
Palmetto State was made for their
use-as a sort of special theatre for
the exhibition of their glory and
greatness. The youth of whom we
hopeful scion of this ar
rogant and pulled up family, ventur-
ed a little too far with his lordly,
domineering airs to suit Martins
taste. He, therefore, soon found to
his cost, she had caught the wrong
sow by the cara somewhat vul-
gar proverb but happily expressive
of my meaning. I have no doubt he
was glad to escape from his predica-
!ment.
I shall take pleasure in watching
over Martin for the sake of my old
friend, his father, as we'll as for his
own sake. He is manly without for
getting his youth-dignified without
parade and sensible without vanity.
He is studious, diligent and I believe
generally successful in his STUDIES.
l am sorry to hear you have been
so sick. I hope my letter may find
you wa11 am cnffarinu O 1;tf1a from,