Letter from Ossie Rivers to his mother, October 19, 1889

Letter from Ossie Rivers to his mother, October 19, 1889

Ossie describes his tooth extraction and how he had to go to the hospital to stop the bleeding. He also talks about the rules against going into each others' rooms at study time and how they developed a telegraph system to talk to each other.

A1984.24, Box 2, Folder 1

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https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/admin/items/show/1109

Charleston (S.C.)

[Page 1]
S.C.M.A.
Oct. 19th
‘89

Dear Ma; -
I received your welcome letter the first of the week and was glad to hear from all.

You said that you did not get my letter on the usual day - I do not know how that is as it was mailed the same time as usual. Well I had to have that

[Page 2]
tooth pulled after all there was an abscess at the root and pained me so much that I went and had it taken out; I certainly had a time of it, had to crush it and then goudge down at the roots and pull them out one by one, it bled so much after I left the dentist that I had to go in the hospital, Dr. Peter worked on it and it was near morning before it stopped, even now there is a large llump of clotted blood on it which I cannot pull off for fear of starting

[Page 3]
it afresh, the Dr. said it was the worse tooth he has ever extracted.

Tell Launtie he has forgotten the papers he promised to send me, I have been looking out for them, as I need something on Saturdays to read. I lent our drum-major “Private Peck” and he was delighted with it, said it was the funniest book he has ever read, he is an old man but likes jokes. We are not allowed to go into other rooms during study hour, but the boys have found out that if the gas pipe

[Page 4]
in our room be struck it can be heard in every room in the barracks, so when our fellow sees the an officer coming he gives the alarm by striking on the pipe, and the fellows know that they must lookout. My roomate Roberts can telegraph, and a few days ago he wanted to get a sum worked out, and as we are on honor

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not to visit at night, he could not go into any other room, so he thought of the telegraph fixed a key on the pipe and got a fellow at the other end of the building to work it out for him and send it back by telegraph. There is a Fishburne here now, one of Ned Fishburne’s sons, he is a smart fellow is from Colleton.

Kiss Mack for me
Love to all from
Your Fond Son
Ossie

Pardon a hurried conclusion

[Page 6]
Tell Miss Lucy that I am now wearing the slippers, and that she has no idea how much I appreciate them. Tell her also that is she comes down Gala week she must be sure and come round to see me just to ask for Ct. Rivers ahd and it will be all right. We have a fine reception room now, and young ladies are coming round all the time, so it will be nothing unusual.

Excuse writing