OCR Text |
Show FT. PER Last of the Survivors of Engagement That Opened the War New York, April 12. Today, the fiftieth anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter, has "an unique meaning for Roger Atkinson Pryor of this city. He is the sole survivor. of either force engaged in the portentous affair. Two days before the fateful 12th, Pryor, then known as the 'Eloquent Young Tribune of Virginia," made a fiery'' speech from thebalcony of the Mills house in Charleston, Va., his na-tivo na-tivo state, like the rest! of the border states, holding back from secession. "Strike one blow and Virginia will secede in an hour by Shrewsbury clock!" young Prydr,itold the cheering cheer-ing crowds, and wlthoufdelay General Beauregard sent an ultimatum to Ma-or Ma-or Robert Anderson," Sumter's commandant. com-mandant. Major Anderson rejected the ultimatum ulti-matum and Pryor was'one of the men who carried that wordlback to Beaurc- , gard. The news wasftakpn to Fort Johnson at the head'ot Charleston bay. Captain GeorgT S. James was in command there. 3Ie offered tox Pryor Pry-or the privilege of firiiig the shot that was to them the only possible answer Pryor declined, because Virginia was still in the Union, and Captain James opened tho engagement. Three days later, Lincoln issued his call for I troops. Pryor later rose to be a brig- ' adier general in the Confederate army and a member of the Confederate congress. con-gress. General Pryor is '83 years old. He has been a resident of New York since 1SG5 and for twenty years was a distinguished member of the bar here, retiring from active practice to a scat on the stato- supreme court bench. He retired to private life In 1S99. Pittsburg, Pa., April 12. Upon the fiftieth anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumpter, on the morning of April 12, 1S61. the whistles of the big steel mills and Industrial plants in Brad-dock, Brad-dock, Homestead and the Turtle Creek ' Valle screeched loud and long at 3 o'clock this morning. The demonstra- J tion was made at the request of the Grand Army Posts of Braddock and vicinity. j |