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VOL. 81 ? Newspaper. 3? ^mrth dmoi?m MCKIE MERIWETHER. Monument Erected in North Augusta to Memory of He ro Who Lost Life in Hamburg Riot. In the town of North Augusta, in the centre of Calhoun square, stands a massive granite shaft that will be a silent tribute for many generations to come to the brave and patriotic young man, McKie Meriwether, whose life was immo lated on his country's altar in July 1876. He was 1 killed near the abut ment of the bridge across the Sa vannah by a bullet from a rifle in the hands of a negro. McKie Meriwether That the memory of this brave young son of Edgefield is thus to be suitably perpetuated is due to ? the lamented J. P. DeLaughter ] whose very earnest and impassion- , ed appeal to the general assemblv ] overcame partisan strife and secured j an appropriation by the state which, ( supplemented by subscriptions from , individuals, made possible the erec tion of the handsome monument, j The time fixed for the unveiling . exercises was Wednesday afternoon. February 16, an appropriate pro- > gram beiug arranged. The exercises were held in the large auditorium of the North Augusta high school ' whii'h is obliquely across the street from the monument. The profound interest which the people took in the occasion was evidenced by the large number of persons who as sembled before the appointed hour, representing Edgefield and Aiken counties, also a large number from Augusta being in attendance. It was altogether fitting that Ex Gov. John C. Sheppard, one of the survivors of Wallace House and one who in other ways rendered valuable service in the trying days of Reconstruction, should be made chairman of the meeline:. Upon rising to present the orator of the occasion, Ex-Gov. Sheppard spoke interestingly and at some length of conditions as he saw them in 1876. He said the legisla ture was composed of 93 negroes, 18 carpet-baggers and 12 or 15 of our own people. Members of the body admitted publicly that they had been bought. Prior to 1868 the judges of South Carolina were above suspicion, but between 1868 and 1876 justice was bought and sold in South Carolina. The gov- . ernor'8 home was at that period the center of vulgarity and vice, and the people of South Carolina were . required to bear it at the point of the sword drawn by the national government. In 1872 and again iu \ 1874 a white man ran for governor and a negro for lieutenant govern- [ or. Mr. Sheppard stated that the ; white people of South Carolinare- \ solved in 1876 that they would re- ! gain the government or there should be no government in South Caroli na. He said it was what took place , in Hamburg in July a?d in Edge field in August 1876 that made possible the election of Gen. Wade Hampton governor. Recognizing what the bravery of young McKie Meriwether meant to South Caroli na, the legislature took suitable steps to perpetuate his memory. Mr. Sheppard said it was peculiarly fitting that one who was present and took part in trouble at Ham burg in July 1876 should have been chosen to deliver the address on this occasion, thereupon presenting Hon. D. S. Henderson, to the large audience. Mr. Henderson said, ''McKie Meriwether perished for the cause of liberty ano! we are here to-r?ay t perpetuate his memory and th canse which he represented. His family have always been public spirited and patriotic. They 'fought in the Revolution and down through 1876. As his flame of life was quenched, he lit the flame of victo ry for th?? white people of South Carolina." Mr. Henderson next paid a beautiful tribute to the mented J. P. DeLaughter, who or ganized the movement that resulted in the monument and, said he, "bis spirit is hovering over us this sa cred afternoon " The speaker said "The battle of Hamburg wan not a massacre. It was a rebellion against wrong, a Mow for the right, an armed rebuke." He then referred briefly to some of his pro fessional experiences in 1876, when one member of the supreme court was a negro and that at least half the juries of all the courts were ne groes. The speaker next read several extracts taken from a book entitled, "The Prostrate State," which was written by (Ten. James S. Pike, whom President Grant sent to South Carolina to officially observe conditions. Gen. Pike sai i, in part, of con dition in South Carolina under ne gro and radical rule: "It is the dregs of the population habilitated in the robes of their in telligent predecessors, and asset t ing over them the rule of ignoiance and corruption through the inexor able machinery of a majority of numbers. It is the barbarian over whelming civilization by physical force. It is the slave rioting in the halls of his master, and putting that master under his feet." "The rule of South Carolina should not be dignified with the nam* of government. It is the in .tallation of a buge system of brigandage. The men who have had it in control,and who now have it in jontrol, are the picked villain* of :he community. They are the high waymen of the state. They are pro fessional legislative robbers. They ?re men who have studied and r>raeticed the art of legalized theft. They are in no sense differrnt from, >r better than, the men who fill the ansons and penitentiaries of the ivorld. They are, in fact, of pre J. P. DeLaughter jisely that class, only more daring ind audacious. They pick your pockets by law. Tliey rob the poor md the rich alike, by law. They 3ontiscate your estate by law. They io none of these things evtm under the tyrant's plea of the public good or the public necessity. They do all ?mply to enrich themselves per sonally. The sole, base object is, to gorge the individual wi'.h public plunder. Having done it, they turn around and buy immunity for their acts by sharing their gain? with the ignorant, pauperized, besotted crowd who have chosen them to the stations they fill, and which enable them thus to rob and plunder." Mr. Henderson made some refer ence td the Ellenton riot and to the valuable assistance that was ren dered by the gallant John B. Gor don and others from Georgia. The latter part of this splendid address referred principally to the New South and the New South Carolina, which is herewith reproduced in pan: '"The forty years which have elapsed since then, politically speak ing, have been exceedingly and spasmodically interesting, if not enlightening. "South Carolina was the last of the seceding states that emerged i I ; 'rom the war between the states, ind the consequent attempts at re jonstruction. and represented by her *eal sons, took her place in the New Nation, which was born from he throes of that gigantic struggle, md other similar troubles in other southern states. "The New Nation with the new louth as a component part of it, itands to-day in the front of the lations of the world, for the pres ervation of the world's civilization ind enlightenment, and we should ?oneratulate ourselves that we have -eached a period of real reconcilia ron between the north and the with, and that the partisan politics ?vhieh embittered the days of Re sonstruction, and the decades there ifter, have been assimilated in the turmoil of national politics, where 'eal issues take the place of section il hatred and passion. "We have lived to see the day when the negro, ceasing to be in position to act as a tool for politi cal charlatans, is satisfied cvith his normal condition, as an equal of the white man in the eye of the law, but not his equal politically or so cially. "Wo have lived to see the day when a southerner can stand up in congress and claim the rights of his section," on grounds common to the entire nation; when a southern er can even be president, or occu py a place on the supreme court, and be acceptable to all sections, if he be a man of ability and charac ter. "We have arrived at the time when in the Diplomatic affairs.of the oountry our sons are called to show their ability and -materia]; but we must remember in all of this, that we too must put aside all sectional ideas, and bring 'up our sons to a full realization of their responsibilities. "However, all of this may be, and however much we stand able, and on the .same footing with all Americans, we are all at the part ing of the ways in many things. No longer are we to be kept down by the effete ideas bf the past in niatters of government and control. Education, in its livening influenc es, touches the poor and the rich alike, and the man who by proper application and exertion, equips himself, leads in the combat of ljfe. "This Federal government ol ours, because of its very immensity in all departments, stands on a vol cano all the time, because of the unrest and uneasiness of its con flicting interests, as represented by its many peoples, but that same public sentiment and love of coun try which briners ns here to-day, is the leaven which will leaven the en tire governments "Our obligations as a nation to the other nations of the world are growing more and more complex, because of our ambition to spread out, and take a part in the advance ment of other people, and it is go ing to take all of the Diplomacy and statesmanship of which we are capable, to keep us from the en tanglements with foreign nations, of which the great Washington warned us. "The multiform progress of science in all of its promotions. The new necessities and luxuries of liv ing, which come from the new phases of tho developments of our vast resources, bring demands from our people on the activities of our government, state and federal, which are alarming. "The unrest and barbarous ten dency of the curious people who live in Mexico, have happily brought about a -Pan-American feeling among onr South American cousins, which has inoculated the old Mon roe doctrine with new phases, which may require greater duties in guard ing this hemisphere. "The end of the European con flict is not yet. No Sage can predict the outcome, but whatevar it may be, whether one side predominates to the destruction of the other, or they get weary of destruction of life and property, and, revert to their normal condition, we must be ready as a people to act with dig nity and importance. "But out of it all, and through it all, if we can keep alive the old pa triotism and public spirit and en thusiasm, which has marked us dis tinctly as a people we can assimi late the evils of progress and pro mote the good that comes to us from the increasing activities of life, so that we-oan all rejoice in the belief that there is "life in the old land yet." "Such occasions as this, such reminiscences that come oat of the I sentiments of snch hours of com memoration and intercourse-such inspirations of love of countrv and of race, which we celebrate to-day, are examples to the young: for the future, and solace to the old for nobler detds of the past. The troublous days of the past of which we have been speaking are only in evidence now-a-days, that we may be able to remedy our past mistakes, and that we can with more power and success enforce the principles we acted upon in OUT days of stress and turmoil. Enter prise and developments are over coming the nightmare and sudden scare which came upon us in the early days of the European struggle, and we are b arning more and more to trust ourselves, and go forward in all developments with optimism. "McKie Meriwether died, but his spirit survives, to be applied to the needs of oar busy life, \and our in creasing responsibilities. "The white man's Revolution of 1870 is numbered among the past epochs of history, but its lessons and experiences remain to be ap plied to the perplexities and hopes of American life and American am bition in 1916." The committee from the legisla ture to present the monument on behalf of South Carolina were Senators Nicholson, William? and Nickles, and Representatives Wil liams, Toole and Brigham. Senator B. E. Nicholson acted as spokes man for the legislative committee and presented the monument to the city of North Augusta. He, too, referred to the commendable efforts of Mr. J. P. DeLaughter who took the initiative in honoring the hero of the Hamburg riot. Mr. Nichol son spoke briefly but eloquently, appealing to the city ofticials and citizens of North Augusta to ac cept this tribute in stone as a sa cred trust and guard it with jeal ous care. Mr. James U. Jackson accepted tho monument, ir behalf *f_..tbe mayor and city council of North Augusta. This closed the exercises in the school auditorium, which were ren dered the more inspiring by pa triotic choruses by the girls of the high school and by music by the orchestra engaged fori the occasion. The audience repaired to Calhoun square near by, where the monu ment was unveiled in the presence of a large thrung who stood with uncovered heads. The unveiling committee consisted of Mrs. W. H. McCracken, Mrs. S. M. War mek, Mrs. Jessie Crafton and Miss Anna K. Butler, near relatives of McKie Meriwether. Funds Raised for Relief of Jews. Through the efforts of Mr. Israel Mukashy the sum of ?40 has been raised for the relief of the suffering Jews in the war zone of Europe, the following being the list of con tributors: Israel Mukaahy, $3.00; J. L. Mims, ?1.00; W. H. Harling, $1.00; A. E. Padgett, $1.00; Cash, 551.00; L. T. May, 75c; Smith-Marsh Co., 50c; James Velix, 50c; M. P. Wells, 50c; J. H. Cantelou, 5Cc; J. P. Ouzts, 25c; W. L. Dunovant, 50c; W. H. Dorn, 25c; J. T. Mims, $1.00; W. W. Adams, 50c; E. L. Hart, 35c; E. E. Padgett, 25c; B. L. Mims, 50c; H. A. Smith, 25c; L. B. Jones, 25c; J. A. Townsend, 50c; Oscar Marcus, $1.00; W. M. H., 50c; J. W. Kemp, 25c; A. L. Kemp, 25c; Jake Wynne, $1.00; E. J. Norris, 50c; Tucker, $100; E. J, Miras, 50c; Stewart & Ker naghan, 50c; H. H. Sanders, 50c; Cash, 50c; E. S. Rives, 50c; R. L. Dunovant, 25c; J. H. Allen, 50c; W. A. Collett, 25c;. J. S. Byrd, 60c; B. B. Jones, 50c; L. Wigfall ^heatham, $1.00; D. J. LaGrone, 25c; J. C. Sheppard, $1.00; W. A. Byrd, 50; J. B. Kennedy, 25c; B. Cantelou, 25e; W. A. Strom, 25c; W. R. Swearingen, 25c; S. W. Nicholson, 25c; W. T. Kinnaird, 50c; Geo. F. Mims, 50c Dr. A. R. Nicholson, 50c; J. G. Tompkins, 50c; A. S. Tompkins, 50c; A. M. Timmerman, 25c; O. P. Bright, 50c; M. A. Taylor, 50c; L Y. Bry an, 50c; J. D. Smith, 50; A. V. Barington, 25c; J. L. Prince, 50c; T. A. Hightower, 25c; J. H. Tompkins, 60c; J. H. Reel, 50c; R. S. Long, 25c; Mrs. Ida Deal, 25o; J. Rubinstein, $2.00; Ben Rubenstein, $1.0o; R. C. Padgett, 25c; J. W. DdVore, 50c; J. D. Holstein, 25c; W. B. Penn, 25c; N. L. Broadwater, 25c. JOHNSTON LETTER. D. A. R. Celebrated Washing ton's Birthday. Mrs. Ouzts Entertained With Bridge. Some time ago the Uniter! Daugh ters of the Confederacy offered s> prize of $25 for the best peace es say. The only essay from Sooth Carolina was the one sent by Miss Bessie Bean of this place, who is one of the graduates of the John ston high school. Every essay was considered very fine and four of the best were almost on a tie, one of these being the essay of Miss Bean. The prize was-finally given to one from North Carolina and the sec ond prize which was honorable mention was for Miss Bean. The committee spoke very flatteringly of this youthful contestant, and all of Johnston is proud of ber. Mrs. F. M. Warren has returned from a visit to relatives in Colom bia. Miss Lottie Bod ie of Batesburg is visiting Miss Viola Kemp. The Rev. W. S. Brock of Dan ville, Va., filled the pulpit of the Baptist church on Sunday morning and evening. The 'subject of his discourse at the morning hour was "Faith,'' basing bis remarks upon Matthew 17-20, and at the evening hour he spoke upon "CbristiaoityV pledge to us." The chcrch was well ' filled at both services, and every one greatly enjoyed his sermons. . He is a man of very pleasing per-,jj sonality. . Mr. Staunton Lott of South Caro-" lina university spent the week-end here. Dr. Frank Sawyer who is now a Knight of the Grin sptnt the first of the week here with relatives. The celebration of George Wash ington's birthday, by the D. A. R's. and Reciprocity day on Thursday observed by the New Centu-y club, I will be the chief events of the i week. Rev. W. T. Hundley will preach on Sunday morning at the Baptist church. Mrs. J. L. Mime and Miss Kellah Fair spent last Friday with Mrs. M. T. Turner. Miss Hortense Padgett spent the ? week-end here in the home of Mr: J. C. Lewis. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks Rambo of jfj Augusta have been visiting in the home of Mr. J. R. Hart. Mr. and Mrs. H. D. Grant, Mis ses Sue and Alyrtis Smith and Mr. Earl Smith visited in Augusta the - first of the week making a car trip. Mrs. Wilmot Ouzts entertained with a bridge party on Thursday afternoon and the home was pretti ly decorated in spring blossoms. After an hour of cards Mrs. W. F. Scott was given the prize for the highest score. The gaests prize was cut for by Misses Eloise Strother and Pet LaGrone and Mesdames Ollie Hamilton and Augustus Cor ley, the last mentioned winning. Delightful refreshments were serv ed. Mrs. C. P. Corn entertained on j last Monday afternoon, the guests of honor being her sister, Miss Eloise Strother of Walhalla and Mrs. Smith of Mullins. This bejog St. Valentine's day the decorations were of numerous hearts and ar rows, cupids and other love sym bols. Partners were gotten for pro- v gr ess i ve rook with red hearts and at the ending of the game, Mrs. W. E. LaGrone received a silver serv ing set, and the consolation a silver '.? heart set fell to Mrs. Mims Walker. The guest prizes were, to Miss Strother, toilet water, and to Mrs.., Smith a dainty apron. Refresh ments of block cream with a red heart in the centre and cake was served. The favors were cupids. : Mrs. L. E. Stansell entertained with a luncheon on Friday morn ing in compliment to Miss Strother and the time was passed with bridge ? two tables being played. Mrs. W. v F. Scott received the prize a vase, v.' which she presented to the honoree. The luncheon served was prettily ' arranged. The social pleasures of the week ;: ended with a most beautiful after noon party, this being given by jj Mrs. M. R. Wright ' and those to enjoy her hospitality were the A members of the Pi Tau club, the visitors of friends and a few Other guests. This was a George Wash- ; ;, (Continued on Fifth Page.) ? J