Florence Morning News from Florence, South Carolina • 5

SUNDAY MORNING MAY 17 1959 THE LORENCE MORNING NEWS LORENCE PAGE 5 A PEE DEE MAN THE WEEK BY WHEELER'S CAVALRY 9 STARS Scout Executive the Most Last Hanging in Darlington Was Amy Spain War Victim 7 in "Since I drive To myself WiLLIAM STALLWORTH Stall tlic South circus Germany and I saw Mr Doan I EDWARD SIMS HST May Swing to Johnson HI BACK SPRING STEEL 5JQ95 paid for sparkin'? Why Lead revival continues COMPLETE LAWN CENTER AT THE AT 8:00 1 QweJfry ALUMINUM VW being shipped Stallworth had a Bennettsville like any would in the thrown country last are into rny even drunken and Joe Hill God's cliil new uni the Maine horsemen only persons the Van were (lie small ciowd slaves that gathered by a day whit this story in any way attempt' to or condone It was we a shameful day in His TJIK MINUTE the doors flew open and at a wave of hand from the Yankee captain the Negroes wen in the warehouse like a pack of locusts Amy Spain and Willie The same quality construction as ths above chair but without head rest These chairs are built to give years of indoor or outdoor use Buy sev eral now We have a complete line of Lawn Mowers Garden Hose Bar Que Grills Clothesline Posts and Lawn urniture Excc could en OUR MOST COMORTABLE LAWN and PORCH CHAIRS LO BACK SPRING STEEL THE INEST thing that ever had happened to besides my he says "Scouting does at least as much for its adult personnel as for its body and corps of Twelve years have passed since that momentous decision With the exception of two years spent at Atlanta in the same inspired labor all his service has been with the Pee Dee council Insofar as the great spectacle just completed in lorence is con five The A quality built chair in green and whit baked enamel Heavy spring steel legs Tubular steel frame ibre covered steel webbing Gives to the contour of the body for the utmost of comfort little of former WHEELER thought it over" War is a stern taskmaster Something would have to be done His caval ry could not remain at Darlington very long: there were battles to be fought and precious little troops with which to light them An ex ample must be made Amy Spain must swing! The order went out Amy was not captured immediately It was not until he next morning (April 30) that the mulatto was seized just as 'die left her cabin She was placed in a wagon A rope was thrown over her head She was asked the whereabouts of her brother Willie She refused to give the information It may well be that had Amy turned in her brother ho would have replaced her on the giMows (Continued on Page 5 B) received this than a month on it at that revealing that Johnson had in York SAVE ON ALL URNITURE NEEDS AT VARINA! ATER THE WAR closed Stall worth elected to remain a part of the regular army of the And in the spring of 1946 Stallworth now a major was sent to Korea as a member of the military gov ernment of that liberated island Says Mr Stallworth with a smile: "I was soon transferred to the Department of Agriculture on the isle and placed in the odd capacity of teaching the natives to grow which they had been culti vating on a huge scale for thous ands of Rut after a tour of duty which lasted only five months due to a recurrence of his war woundsMajor Stallworth was sent back to the states March 1 1947 saw Stallworth a civilian once more A strange role for a man who had spent the preceding 14 years in a decidedly militaristic atmos phere "I was at loose ends he says today "And that with a family to Rut he did not long remain idle One day a friend spoke to him about the possibility of "profes sional as a career This suggestion reminded the ex officer of the not so odd fact that his personal observation of men at war and under his command proved that men made finer sol diers when they possessed a back ground of scouting Interested Stallworth investigated the mat ter He must have liked his findings at all events he became a field executive with the Pec Dee Area Council at Bennettsville serving Marlboro and Chesterfield coun ties The date was March 15 1947 Now it was Scouter Stallworth RUT IN THIS the Scout utive is mistaken No one watch the precise and orderly movement of the 5000 Scout par ticipants without realizing the lov ing care and concern of their gifted leaders The extravaganza was the sec ond produced in the Pee scouting history The first circus was held hack in 1956 and at tracted only half as many spec tators On this score Stallworth is exceeding proud: "Nowhere is scouting growing as in our he says "And everybody the boys their parents the town society and our wonderful country As evidenced by this last thusiastic statement William Stallworth is the most fervent scout of them all The family are members of the irst Presbyterian Church of lor ence Mr Stallworth teaches the Young Sunday School class and is a member of the board of deacons Along with his wife he serves as advisor to the an organization of youthful Pres byterians Ho is also president of Moore Junior High Par ent Teacher Association and an American Legionnaire Is lory According to Mrs Mamie Spain Hayden's account vaguely remem bered from childhood and bolst ered by i he conversations of her elders including the Major her father who happened to be in Charleston on the fatal day it was not a "mob of Darlington citi zens who hanged but the hard driving cavalry of Wheeler they would kill off Johnson in the eyes of the liberals In fact Majority Leader John son made the principal speech at the Jefferson Jackson Day dinner in Harrisburg Pennsylvania on Tuesday in a bid to line up sup port in this key state Although Kennedy said that Adlai Stevenson was still the pri mary danger to his candidacy in so many the general feeling is that if Johnson obtains some delegate votes from such states as Pennsylvania Illinois and perhaps California he will come very dost to winning the nomination PERHAPS THE LATEST rip ple of excitement in the Presi dential derby came this week when a reporter went on record as saying that Mr Truman had pledged his support to Majority Leader Johnson with the state ment that if Johnson wanted the nomination he would help him get it Admittedly according to this report Mr Truman would help Symington in the initial as a Missouri favorite son THE WRITER information more ago and reported lime as well as Majority Leader some key friends Slate and had made a good im pression on Governor Edmund Brown of California Since that time Govern Brown has instead of a Vice Presidential possibility as a Presidential possibility At least that is how some people believe inner circle of strategists figure 'his posture at the moment It seems unlikely to this writer that Brown would have much of a chance and it also seems likely that the next President of the United Slates or at the very least the next Democratic nominee will come from the Senate YES IT WAS military "ex edition" which sent: Amy Spain to I he only real freedom huinanx may know Wheeler driving into Darlington contacted the Maine Second Regiment two miles west of lorence and soundly defeated them in battle Arriving hack in Darlington the Confederates were appalled Io find conditions what they were Robbery and violence came hard on the heels of the Yankee troops Negroes were pil laging the homes of their former masters right and left Gaping warehouses were everywhere in evidence Barclootcd former slaves walked boldly down the streclg with stolen lints atop their heads flourishing gold top ped walking sticks which had not berm purchased But now the shoe was on the other foot Soone to Wheeler came a delegation of citizens with per tinent jnfornuftion Amy Spain they said was a ringlender It was she who had pointed out to the Yankees the secret burial places of much of the silver plale and other valuables a set of rich ma hogany furniture outside TIMES wore hard in The silks and the crinolines of the while ladies were beginning to show signs of wear and tear The clothing of the former slaves was little better than rags 'the Yan kees looked al the motley crowd before them and their iiioulhs tightened hi Darlington Is said the Yankees doesn't seem to be many men about town Now is the time to outfit yourselves lek quest ies just go and take what you To prove their good intentions the Yankee troopers forced the doors to a warehouse holding the belongings of a Charleston family named Signious The Chai lans laboring under the illusion that their precious heirlooms would be safer in provincial Darlington than in Charleston had hail them carted inland and stored away Darlington (SC) The Harper writer drawing up on his imagination solely declar ed: "The affrighted woman young to girllunxl showed more bravery than the entire Confederate Army As she awaited her death stand ing erect in an ox cart she smiled bitterly and only asked that they be done quickly That Is the Northern ac count of does not mitigate Ry EUGENE A I LON Morning News Writer DARLINGTON Ninety four years ago a day dawned that Dar lington would like to forget The April day began like all other Spring days with promise and with a song In this case the song wasstuig by one Amy Spain a 19 year old mulatto girl who up to Lincoln's Emancipation Pro clamation had belonged to Major A Spain of Darlington And the song that Amy Spain fashioned that morning of April 30 18G5 was to be her swan song It is said that the mulatto trilled something to Hie effect that she "thanked God that she was Rut freedom can a hard bought thing asthat shameful day was to prove JI nN started a few days earlier when the Second Regiment Maine Volunteers had swept into Darlington hell bent on leaching those "high and mighty Rebels a thing or There was no one Darlington to teach except the aged and inlirni It turned out to be a hollow charge indeed that made by About the kees saw ot former to chccr them as conquering he roes Among those last wore Amy Spain and her brother Willie 22 The pair had been raised carefully by the Spains Because of this and their light colour the Spains considered themselves above the average run slaves Moody ree if we do The name of the girl its What was eventually tmon screens across the was according to the press agen try ot the day: "tremendous sim plicity raging drama and a naive charm as honest as it is refresh ing Perhaps so but we wonder if life was ever the same again for that pair of highland doves? At all events we should like to hear from anyone who might remem ber having seen the picture called 'Stark One we have al ways been sorry we missed ROOM PERHAPS for one more story Slightly different lo cale but still in the best section of these United States: Deep South South It was a few days before Christ mas The year was somewhere about 1920 give or take a little Church Eyes Labor CHICAGO (JP The Methodist board of social economic relations has urged "internal re and constructive legisla tion to eliminate what it called undemocratic procedures and mis use of funds in some labor unions and infiltration of racketeering de ments competition for the Democratic nomination recently made a statement which almost complete ly discounted Majority Leader Lyndon chances Only a few weeks earlier he had been quoted as saying that Johnson had a chance to win the nomination Moreover it had been reported some three months ago that Ken nedy had told a friend that John son was the only man he run with were he placed second spot on the ticket MEANWHILE Majority er Johnson insists that a civil rights bill must be passed this year and we give him credit for having enough power to see that this is done and continues to pre vent the Democratic party from shattering into two different camps in the Senate Al though several Senators have at tacked him in recent weeks the attacks have caused only a ripple Johnson has remained silent and the net effect has been obviously disappointing to those who thought so a film was made Re too Although your scribe saw it This much he is certain of: It was called "Stark The boy had an airy and spacious name something like Moody ree if we do not rer escapes claim it for her own History docs not record what if anything Wil lie Spain managed to latch on to Il seems probable that Willie was Kist in the Shuffle of arms and legs nml excited shouting al all events wc find Willie a little later banging on the door of a Indy named Hart where he de manded the keys to her store house Mrs Hirt slammed the door in the face and inso far as this story is concerned exit Willie Spain 22 yenr old mu latto The rest of the story belongs ex clusively to Hie ill fali Amy The Yankee did not remain long at Darlington It was whispered how ever that Amy had been seen hanging around their encampment for reasons dubious and best not treated upon here It was during (heir brief stay that the mufatto had secretly entered the home of her former masters where she stole the best dress lelt to the oldest daughter of the Spains one Hirbira Spain sister to Mrs Catsiy Spain Woods still a resident of Darlington And it Is to that lady we arc indebted for some of Hu facts in cluded hi this story of Hie only woman ever hanged in Darlington County Some years ngo Mrs Woods set down to the best of her remembrance the story of the last hours of dark Amy as told to her (Mrs Woods) by an older sister Mrs Mamie Spain Hayden At Hus point it: should be written that there are two different dales of those dreadful hours remaining to Amy Spain one fold by the townspeople of Hiq period and Hie Yankee side of the story ns re lated in the Harper's Illustrated Weekly La Northern newspaper publication) in that issue dated Sept 30 HIM irst it might be well Io ex amine the Harper's account which Is today in the possession of Mis Daniel of Darlington and which is part of a book of news clippings kept by Airs grandfather A startlingly clear lithographed drawing adorns the head of Har story depicting a woman purportedly Amy Spain hanging from a lice The body is dressed in voluminous clothing gray in color Bits of lace show at neck cuff and bodice Perhaps the purloined dress TIMMONSVILLE PHONE 6 4131 fcNX i AT THIS POINT I should to call upon the memories of South Carolina readers I might have 1 would trace a couple of Rice Eaters who however brief ly made the silent screen some few years back If I am not badly mistaken the story relates back Jo about 1927 It seems an enterprising movie company tired of making South ern movies against a bare Cali fornia background decided to in vade the Southland in the (rea sonable) hope of getting some "typically Southern with which to enhance their wares To South Carolina they came north and west out of Greenville they went almost in fact into before setting up their tripods Even before they had taken the usual shots of mountains woodlands and crystal streams they happened by chance as it were to come upon a native couple In those days girls wore dresses even if such were made out of gingham and hoys it was who wore the blue jeans It is said that dressed as de scribed above the girl looked dreamy and her beau leaned against a tree and sang in a clear sweet tenor Trail of the Lonesome After this singular serenade Hie startled couple were interviewed on the spot: had they children? No they were not married Had they ever acted before? Only de cently they averred Would they consent to portray their obvious affection for each other before a couple of men dressed in check ered caps worn backward putees and black boxes? (There would be a few dollars in it they were told) Get shore And leased never The city was Now Orleans The scene was the Delganlo Museum The mayor of N'Awlins and sev eral of his lesser henchmen (in cluding my father) were present 1 too was there as wide eyed excess baggage Maybe I was 13 or so But that matter after all this is not a confession Anyway the chief actors in this little and ancient drama were a niimbe of men who knew not the smile of fortune In oilier words they were slightly above the status of bums They weic there in the hope of being picked io wear a red suit and get dollars for that privilege night touched me with its per vading sadness No snow in fact it was a bit on the sultry side in spite of a fine drizzle falling falling fall ing Up they came the bedraggled volunteers: there was Onion Eye Doan He was rejected poor man Too thin And there was Shuffling John Manley He too was turned away There are no dragging legs in fairyland And Joe Hill self styled of ho got the gale be cause of his constant coughing from that single lung of his By this time I was crying a little Sorry come along to see such misery My father looked at me sternly I ducked outside A huge fir tree was oil the lawn All decked out with Christ mas lights They Were blurred Perhaps it was the rain Perhaps the Irish heart in A sense of strangeness came over me It might have been the palms glistening in the rain The Lord's Son I thought lookM upon just such palms And was not Doan and the crippled John Manley and consumptive dren all? Just then wish now I hadn't He was walk ing slowly away from the muse um from the red suit he would not wear from the five dollars he would not gel A small boy dressed in overalls was walking with him Hand in hand they dis appeared in the direction of the rat infested precincts of Swamp Town 1 never knew if the bov were his son But who else would Spain among them Amy mnnag hold the hand of a failure in the ed to drag rain? WASHINGTON ormer Presi dent Harry Truman is something of a mystery at this stage of the great Democratic Presi dential derby About nine out of every ten reporters are writing that he is constantly plugging for Senator Stuart Symington of Mis souri On the other hand there is some reason to believe some people have accepted it as that Mr Truman will be ready to swing his support behind Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson at the Democratic Convention when the time comes Confusing the issue is the fact that some of the polls which may not he too reliable indicate that Senator Symington has a strongfollowing and that he is gaining some strength But also a recent indication that Senator Johnson was feared deep down in the hearts of many candidates came from Senator John Kennedy the Massachusetts Democrat Kennedy generally conceded to have the lead in the present CHURCH CHRIST 618 GREGG AVE HEAR JOE RIGGS 1st Quality Aluminum olding Chaise Lightweight 1" polished oluml num 70 Irvrvn DnrJnriv a ly A WIUC Obl plastic webs Th STORES IN: ROCKINGHAM ORANGEBURG best buy you 11 ever find IV eerned Scout executive worth expresses himself as "high ly "Public interest left nothing to be he quickly added "And all those individual scout masters cubmasters Explorer advisors and den mothers are the ones to be congratulated ew suspect the reaMy eonsideral la bours expended in a scout the scope of vf I Who says the printing trade has no podiy or lieart is simply misinformed Browsing through a catalogue advertising all the various type faces available for news papers and printers your falcon was struck with the mighty heart of them (type face designers) Witness if you will the following: Mjstral Marble Heart Libra Dorn Casual Lydian Cursive Shadow Bodoni Bold Spartan Black Venus Light Extended and Craw Clarendon There are many others poet ic in name Hail then to those poets in the composing room of the Morn ing ixews I WAS SITTING up in the news room the other day gold bricking as usual when in walked these two well dressed strangers "Are you Mr Eugene they asked politely It gae me a start believe me but I managed a sickly smile I said am "How would you like a car? the visitors cried son Aha (I said to myself) at Mr Nobel and Mr Pulitzer coining to their senses Aloud I said: "What kind is "Ally make von I was told "Lcmnic think a I begged my benefactors a Buick it will of course have to be upwards I argued the merits of my pos sible choice A Cadillac of course but would a blue falcon look prop er in a red convertible? No 11 should be a black Caddy long as a freight train White sidewall tires and pink upholstery would set it off just right These reveries were suddenly interrupted One of the strangers slapped down a little piece of paper which called for all my salary for the next ten years "Just sign he said "1 imagine your old jalopy will make the down While with anger I kicked both men downstairs before going the wire room and crying heart out AMD STHNS (x By Eugene allon THE LONG DEAD journalist using every tear jerking cliche in the book extolKs the "iriuidered the while he exercises his venom on everything Southern in character According to this biased report "Boor Amy a wretched slaw was rudely snatch ed from her Ihiimble cabin by a bunch of slmring Southern cava liers and without judge or jury hanged like a common criminal and for the edification of the mob of Mrina Wholesale ervent Scout of Them All The recently concluded Boy Scout Circus held at lorence's Memorial Stadium on riday May 8 has been described by many spectators as "the finest spectacle they had ever wit Some 15000 wildly cheer I ing on lookers were present at the I show The man most directly re sponsible for the resounding sue ccss of the venture is soft spoken J5' William Stalworth Sr Mr Stallworth serves as scout executive fpr the Pee Dee Conn 'A cil as such he is responsible for 11 counties and some 10000 scouts A lot of tanned youngsters with i high resolves are under Ms charge The largest council in South Carolina and fifth largest in the entire Southeast What man ner of man is this leader The facts speak for themselves William Stallworth was born on July 23 1919 the son of Henry and Marguerite Edmonds Stall worth The place was York Ala and the senior Stallworth a man of varied including cot ton buying merchandising a nd operating a hotel To grade schools went young Stallworth tin til his thirteenth at which time the family removed to Marion Ala and William was en rolled in the Marion Military In stitute in that city As it turned out the new school was a happy choice JUNE 3 1940 was a red letter day in the life of Stallworth It was on that day that Stallworth received almost simultaneously a college diploma a commission in the Army and his orders from the which last ordered the new lieutenant to ort Jackson The rest is history Hit 1 fumed and his armies marched Overnight America was changed into a vast armored camp It was Capt Stallworth who eventually stepped ashore in a rench port Through rance and into Germany he un til April 1 1945 when a shell fr a en passed completely through his body Die next nine months were spent in hospitals lo cated in rance the Shortly before overseas Captain met and married girl named Margaret McLendon daughter of the famed evangelist The wedding took place on July 31 1943 and while Capt Stallworth was stationed at ort Jackson A son WiMiam Jr was born at Bennettsville July 13 1944 olding Side Chair or bridge porch or Very light in weight replaceable plas tic webbing highly polishedluminum Non denominational Unsectarian New Testament Christianity TONIGHT Preaching and Practicing I 18BRP fnwrf' JMeMWS WML jflH ST' 7 Vi I i tjM fl ww Is.