The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, November 22, 1877, Image 1
DEVOTED TO POLITICS, MORALTY, EDUCATION AND ro THE GENBRAL INTEREST OF E COUNTRY.
OL. VII. PICKENS, S. C., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER '2, 1877. NO 11
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From the New York Sun, November 5, 1878.
The King Carpet-Bagger.
John J. Patterson was born in
Juniata County, Pennsylvania, his
father being a well,to-do and respec
ted citizen tof that place. The sub
ject of the present sketch entered the
school of politics in 1853, by moving
Irom Juniata to Harrisburg, where
he puichased (of Theo, Fenn and
Philo Ledgwick the Pennsylvania
Telegraph. The o wits nothing about
him at Iiat time to make it possible
14) cAMceiVe (oi any political earth.
qunke mighty enough to upheave
himk in&o the sea Of J01hn1 C. Calhonn.
Io had already sot out on the road
whieb fiortnei ly It d to the peniten
I iar; aid is a Christia n statesman
had not 3 et been invented for the su
Perfluua rtiegnes of the land, John's
cha cO of vnding his days in mak
ing shoes tr p'ailting ci-air bottoms
lur the State woro as good as those of
ai.y yoling man of his age.
The first fraud committed by Pitt.
tersoni after e:nerging from obscurity
was in swindling Mr. Fenn out of' the
purchase money for the Telegraph.
lie paid one thirdl cash and gave his
notes for the b6dance at stated periods
He represented that lie owned $8,000
in his own right, besides his expec.
tations from his fatner. This aubses
quently proved to be ai lie out of the
wh'ole cloth. A few months after
this, and before his notes became
due, Pattersoni sold the Tielegraph to
Messrs. Clyde & Miller, for an ad-.
vance of $3,000, and left the city.
Fenn came to Barrisburg at the ma,
turity of the notes, but did not find
his man. A diligent search' brought
Patterson to light, but lie said lie had
no mnoney, and must wait till Clyde
. & Miller's notes became due, when
Fenni would receive every cent due.
He refused to hypothecate Clyde &
Miller's notes as security, and on
I?enn's threatening;to attach the 'non
cy in their hands, Patterson put up
a whirnipermng plea that he was en
gaged to marry a high.-toned young
lady. "If," said he, "y'ou pr oceed
against me in this way, my prospects
will be blasted. Trust to my honor
and I solemnly declare I will pay
you every cent I owe you." Fenn
replied, "It shall be as you say, ,Mr.
Patterson, a debt (f hon6r, and I will
trust you.
Patterson immediately disposed of
his notes to one John II. Berryhill,
and when Mr. Fenn next asked him
to redeem his pledge, he laughed in
his face, and told him coolly to get
the money the best way he could.
F enn, exas erated, went to court and
obtained dgmnent in August, 1858,
against Pattersonl for $3,904.22, with
$918.17 of interest. But Patterson
had no visible means of support, and
the judgment could not be enforced.
Fenn patiently bided his time till the
old man Patterson died. *But before
he could step in Patterson had onu
fnnad indgument to his wife- on tho
death of his father, for $10,000, and
ajudgment for that amount was en
tered in the Juniata court in favor
of Lucretia Patterson, his wife.
In the meantime, Patterson had
gone to Philadelphia, where he be
gan banking operations in copartner.
s''ip with one Samuel Slaymaker.
He stayed tLere just long enough to
fleece his partner and several credit.
ors out of goodly sums of money.
About this time Simon Cameron,
the Winnebago chief, in whom it is
difficult to say whether ability or
wickedness is predominant, had ris
en from a raftsman and painter to a
capitalist and statesman. His I ecu
liar politics demanded peculiar tools,
and Simon was not long in discover
ing the transcendant ability of Pat
terson as a political pimp. Patter
son was entrusted with the task of
ma nipulating the counties of Juniata,
Snyder and Northumberland. In
tbis humble occupation, occasionally
swin dling politically and financially
in a small way, Patterson continued
until the opening of the war display
ed a fine field for a man of his ac
quisitive genius. Cameron became
Secretary of War, and Patterson was
made paymaster in the army. By
the time the Senate met, it was prov
en that Uonest John had niittaken
government funds for his own, and
that body refused utterly to confirm
the appointme,nt, upon direct evi
donce .f flagrant overcharges. Be
quit the ai my in disgrace. But
aiot I or arena op ened fur hi Im.
Catmere4-n had him nomim ated for
Congress froin the Fuurteenith, Pen
nsylvania Distiict, which at that time
had a Rmepublican amnjority of 2,500
votes. But the avenging Nemesis
was on his track. Feini had waited
AS o!c without hope fur that balance
dt.e from PatterEon for eight Jang,
weary 3 ears. But it jiad never come.
Hiones' John laughed all dias to
ecorn. So w%h'en Patterson began to
stump his district, Fenn concluded
to stump it too. He had hundreds
of hadbills struck off, entitled, "A
Plain Statement of Fac's," in which
the entire newspaper transaction was
detailed in every particular. These
he tacked up at every corner, dis,
tributed ini every public place, and,
in addition, lie himself narrated his
story to every farmer he met, and
who lbehad known throughout his for
mer connection with his paper. The
handbill was racy reading, contain
ing such expressions as the following,
"Hie had his property and refused to
pay md from an innate dishonesty
and a predetermination to defraud
mneP" "Can he have the p)resumnption
aye, the insulting imputdenlce to ask
a man to vote for him, or even to
look an bonest man in the face?"
-'Spurn him from your p)resence, and
teach other knaves who aim to make
party politics subservient to their
ambition aind their averice, that
'honesty is thme best policy,' and con
bine 'to lash t he raschl naked through
the world!"
"Will the R~epublican party of this
district sanction and uphold the dis
honesty of this man, Patterson, to
represent the district with this brand
of dishonesty stamped upon him?
Has it lost that high moral integrity
that has ever characterized it? Will
it put such a man in a position to
plunder the nation, or sell his party
whenever lie can do so for his own
benefit? Whbat else can be expec'ed
of a knave who aspires to such apo
sition t"
This appoal, with Fenn's personal
canvass and the general odium into
which Patterson had even then fallen
at bomne, led to his disastrous defeat;
for the Republican party had not
th',n become debauched, as it now is.
Patterson was led to consider Fenn
a pretty troublesome customer, to
have banging around his heels, and,
some time after, made peace with
himu by satisfying his judgments. Thae
widow of Fenn's partner fared not so
well, for Patterson paid that in insu%
rance stock which subsequently prov
ed to bs bogus, and utterly worthless.
Mrs. Ledgwick wrote saying that
Patterson had never paid the debt.
She adds, "Mr. Patterson's conduct
was rascally, as you probably know.
I have never had any communica
tion with him bince Mr. Ledgwicks
death. Never has he written a word
about -redceming the bogus stock."
The Ledgwick hore referred to was
the brother of General John Ledg
wick, of the Army of the Potomac.
In the spring of 1862 there was to
be chosen a United States Senator
from Plennsylvania. The Democrats
had a majority of one on joint bal
lot. Cameron was the Republican
candidate, and Buckalew the nomi
nee of the Democratic caucus. Cam
eron did not despair. le knew the
power of gold, and lie determined to
buy one Democrat to vote for him or
two to absent themselves on the day
of election. lie marshalled his clan.
[lie chief strikers were Jim Burns,
a fellow named Brobst, and our dap1
per rogue,'John Patterson. The plot
was laid in secret, but, the Democrats
were on guard, and every doubtful
man was watched, night and day;
Cameron's only chance was to buy a
man hitherto above suspicion. Af
ter careful deliberation, a momber
frin Clearfield county, Dr. Jeffer.
Bon Boyer, was selected as tLe prey,
and Brubst and Patterson were in
structed to go for him. They wient,
they saw, and they thought they had
cor.queied. Boyer was complacent,
but detailed the risks he must run,
in l:ss of reputation or personal vio
lece After coneiderable augling
and nibbling, Patterson, DOyer and
Sin on met at the-house of Don Cam
eron, the present Senator, and Si,
mon's son. Dere it was a(greed that
Cameron should give Boyer $20,000
for his vote. Tne clan Cameron was
happy; Patterson was jubilant. BUt
things didn't p)an out according to
e~xpectation. When the election
camne on, Boyer, wh was a shrewd
fellow, rose in his seat and voted for
Buckalew (who was elected by two
votes;) and then, immediately aflter
the result was announced, lie stated
that an attempt had been made to
bribe him, and demanded a com
mittee of investigation. This was
appointed, and Boyer told his whole
story before it. Patterson and
Brobst admitted having had frequent
talks with Boyer', but of course ve..
hiemently denied the bribery propo,
sition, for men who steal will lie, and
Patterson does both. The majority
of the committee, however, emphatic
ally but decoriously intimated that
these worthies had perjured them
selves in denying the imp)eachment.
Dir. Boyer's testimony was fully cor
roberated by d isinuterrested witn[essee
and the House on the 14th of April,
by a vote of 48 to 45, passed the lol
lowing resolution:
"R ESOLVED, That the Governor be
reqnested to instruct the Attorney
General of this commonwealth to in
stitute criminal proceedings against
Sion Camaroni, William Br'obst,
John J. Patterson and Henry Thom..
as.",
These proceedings were never in..
Btituted because the Attorney Gou
eral of Pennsylvania was no better
than the Radical Attorney Generals
of the Southern States.
Patterson has ever happily blended
his private and his public crimes, so
that it is diflicult to say in which ca
reer he abinies the most. His crown
inig outrage was an attempt to steal
from his sisters by forging a note
from his deceased father. At the
old man's death, the hero of this nar
rative was left as co'executor with
one J. M. Sellers. The p)roperty,
which was estimated at $25,000, was
to be divided in five years between
John and his three sisters. one~ of
whom is the wife of Judge- Steriet,
now one. of the Supreme, Judges of
Pennsylvania, and a .gentleman of
high character, Five years passed
and no settlement was made. Judge
Sterret wet into the courts, and then
John Patterson made t showing
which brought the estate in debt to
him in the mnn of' S2;890-05: The
other parties disputed . the account,
claiming swindjgs in several particn
lars, and especially charging him
with having forged a note for $2,000,
in which he claimed $1,12A interest
additional. A tedioussuit was in
stituted. Patterson brought two
witnesses to prove that they saw old
Patterson sian the nl te for $2,000, in
payment of some western lands pur
chased from John. These witnesses
were Captain W. 11. Patterson, a
cousin, and Dr. Thomas Moore, a
brother,in-law of John's, who subse
quently figured for a while in South
Carolina. Their evidence was of a
most decided character, given with
great detail and minuteness. A car
penter named Sherlock also gave the
strongest testimony. The defenJants
produced a nuinhr of relatives and
all the leading business men of Pitts
btrg, who pronounced the signature
a forgery. T11ii- physitian swore that
tho plaintifl and his witness could
not possibly have been with his fath-,
er at the timo they. said they
were. Otlier proof was brpught of
the most positive-eharacter. Never.
tlheless the ju'y found for John Pat
terson. The olier panis appealed.
Pending this appeal Pattersiii came
to South Car, lina, and began that
career which hass'aadeim Bo doubly
infAmous.
And now O..mes I he St rangest part
of the whole story. In 1870, Patter
01, with Col. A. K. McChkre, then
a lawyer, anld now editor of the bril
liant Philalelphiat Times, and J. V.
Creswell, were interested in some
railroad speculations in South Caro
lina, and they met in Columbia at
Nickerson's Uotet. 0O lonel McClure
had beeni Pat tersoni's lawyer in the
torgery case, and although his client
wvas successful, McClure had stroig
sui)cion that there had been raecal
ity oln Patterson'a part. So much so
that after the trial he approached
Patterson, and, telling hium that the
jury had vindicated him of the
charge of forgery, added that lhe did
not like the aspects of the ca,se, and
Patterson must comprotnise with his
sis:ers. Tis I'attersun prornised to
do; but, of course, broko his word.
Colonel McClure thought, however,
that the compromise had been made
and gave himself no further trouble
about it. 'On the v'isit to Columbia,
Patterson aEludcd to theo trial,I and
there, in the presene of~ 4Irg Cres
well, boasted to'McClure that he had
bribed Captain Patterson and John
Sherlock to commit perjury in the
suit. In one conversati-m, he state I
to McClure (as the Colonel subse
quienltly swore) "thiat it required him
and the witiees, WV. II. Pitteorson,
two weeks or caretful study to doter
mine wvhich of the two or three lies
could be most successfully sworn in
this case." And bie thoutght "lhe had
fixed it up damned cunn ingly by the
lies they had adopted." On another
occasion, in the presence of McClure
and Ureswiell, he opened a letter con.
taiuing a -proteated note drawn by
Sherlock, witih i pndorsemnent. Col
onel McCluore testified solbsceintly
as follows. "I sBid, 'Colonel, is not
that the price of Mr. Sherlock's testis
mony in your case'f" his anawer
was, 'Yes; it was damned cheap, on,
ly one hundred and sir ty or eighty
dollars, I f ,rget which''"
This unblushing villainy disgusted
Colonel McClure, and no sooner did
ho go back to Pennsylvania than ho
went to Dauphmn county, and had his
name erased as counsel for Patt,erson
in the case, and then made a lengthy
8tatement, under oath, nart of whicnj
jqst-45 per cent of the land in the
Capital belong to th9,goveroment, nnd
the original donors of this land made
no provision, that the balance re
tained by them should bear t,he total
burden of taxation.
Washington has a et, cot area of 50
per cont, New York 35, Boston 26,
Philadtlphia 29, Paris 25, Vienna 35.
The fathers, in laying out this city,
saw with a prophetic eye, a future
when it was to be the center of a great
continent, made up of 100 States, re..
presonting 200,000,000 of people, each
having a just pride and a common
interest in the most beautiful Capital
on the globe. Such is to be true in
the not far distant future.
The business of the pension office is
constantly increasing-1,078 claims
wore filed for the week onding, Oct.
25. 90,000 urvettled cases r.ro now
on the files awaiting adjustment
37,000 postmastors' aocounits--10,000
mail contractors-10,000 mail carriers
and postal clerks-50,000 money or
der accounts, and 18,000 daily vouch
ers of paid money orders, show the
work of the Sixth Auditor's office, for
each quarter, and gives employment
to 244 clerks.
ThQ question of resumption is now
confronting the country, and various
interests antagonize the measure. A
chasm of loss than three per cent bo.
tween gold and greenbacks might be
bridged by a law making the latter
receivable in payment of duties on
imports. With specie and greenbacks
intorconvertiblo, every one would
prefer the currency, and demand for
hard money would be small. Tho
march of improvement moves On
apace.
The telephone is now in daily use
between various departmenls; the in
sti ument is so delicate that it enables
frienda to . talk with each other in
their own familiar voices. A tele
phone concert was lately given in tho
Troasury Dopartment by four well
known Washington vccalists, for the
entortainment of Mrs. Hayes, who
was seated with quite a number of
friends in the Whire flouse.
FAX.
FoR THE PICKENs sEN.TINE.L.
Caught.
I have finally caught it. I have
been like a log of wood pre'~cipitated
from a groat heigh.t, and had the
breath knocked out of &ne as though
t wvas dust in an old garment. My
whole body is full of sprains and bruis -
os. This morning, as I was riding
along, about the usual time, through
the plantation, wishing .n9bcdy any
harm, I camne to a very dense patch
of weeds arid grass, which, I have
found out since, concealed a very deep)
ditch. 1 don't understand how it was,
bait something prompted me to spur
the old "1ossil," which I was riding
into a gallop to go through that patch
of weeds and gras-I remember focl
ing the dew fly into my faco-wceon
tered, and the trials and crosses of'
thi. world were over. WVhen 1 bo,.
came sensible again, I was clear out
in the bottom, my feet pointing out
the exact spot in the heavens at which
the sun would be at. 12 o'clock, and
mny head and its spacious appendages
prospeocting for' a gold mine ina the in
terior. I can't write what beecamo of
the horse right now. 1 have got to go
in the
Yours, experimentally,
".BY CH ANCE."
Oct. 13, 1877.
The Grand Ju ry of'1RibblahSCoun-.
ty has returned a -true bin gaintt
John J. Patterson', on the chargo of'
bribory in purchasing his seat in the
United States' Sen ate. Twevn tysfour1
witnesses allege they were bribed to
vote for Patterson, all being ex-mom,~
bors of the Legislature.
Th~le young Prince Napoleon re
sembles his fathier, in the ends of' his
moust ache.
"A speial dispatch to the Paris pa.
pers reportss that the Czar is ill." In,.
digestion pr'obably"a little too mauch
Turkey.
i8 quoted above. The base was still
on th dbcket in 1873.
Such is.a brief biography of Patter
son. His crimes tommitte'd in South
Carolina are not given, because they
are too notorious. He got possession
of the Blue Ridge Railroad, with Col
onel Tom Scott and others, and swin-.
dIed them and stole everything it had,
amounting, it is charged, hundreds of
thousands of dollars. Then he bought
up the Legislature on several occa
sions, both to pass bills and to secure
his election as Sonator. He has sys
tomatically stolen from youth, and not
r hundredth part of bis villianiQs are
publicly known.
This is the man who is now under
indictment in the State conrts, and
who should be brought to the po'i..
Lentiary, either of this Shtte or Penn..
3ylvania- fbr he has committed count.
less crimes in both States He is a
lisgrace to the nation and the ago
Washington Correspondence.
FeM TUE CAPITAL-M OF THE OLD
TIME IN THE NEw-NONDESCRIPT
RESIDENTS-A NATIi #N'S OB1LIGA
TIONS-STREKr AREAS AND RIsER
VATIONS-PENSIONS AND P. O. Busi
NESS-REUSMPTION-TUE TELEPHONE
WASUINGTON, Nov. 16, 1877.
The Sonator oldost in office is re
ported as saying, that never has there
boon sent to the Senate, so indiffer
3nt a batch of appointment as those
Lhat are now, or have boon before
.hat body for confirmation. In the
popular judgment, of men there are
many eircumstances that influence our
conclusions, and wh'le it may appear
as if the ago was one of mediocrity of
talent, yet thero havo never beer lack
ing mon of large intelligenoo and
s9und judgment in every time of our
country's history,.and even in our day
there are thoso whoso names will live
as do, Clay, Douglas, Webster, and
holsts of others among the nation's
honored dead.
Washington boasts of her choice
and rai:o, selection of pictures and
statuary from the works of the old
rnRastrs, which are found in the Art'
Gallery, a monument of~ the liberality
of WV. W. Corcoran, Esq. Among the
latest additions is a large picture
"The Edict of William the Testy," in
his effort in the New Netherlands to
abolish smoking. The jolly old burgh.
ers are present withi their pipes and
tobacco pouches, and. they tare puf-.
fing and blowing the smoke into his
eyes, while lhe indignantly brandishes
his can in helploss wrath. The dos
con dantsB of the knickerbockers woul'
scarcely tolerate a Governor at this
day wvho shouldI seek to control the
right to smoke, a needless luxury out
of which Uncle Sam's strong box re
ceives mnore than $11,000,000 as re
venue.
Trhe tempecranco movement is awak
oning great interest in this city, and
the wintor's campaign has fairly
opened; 2,000 drinking places, with
thiousands needing bread from the
cbaritable, is in no sense the forerun
nor of "the good t.imo cominig," of
ii bich "jpoets have sung." "Thu dol
lair of our dadios" or not, agitatPs
men of our diverse ideas, and "to be,
or not to bo" is by no means settled.
Tfhe resident of this city has no po
litical status in common with hurnan.,
ity elsewhere, the moment ho sets his
foot into the Distriot, be ho black or
white, native or natnralized, in the
twinkling of an eye he is changed
and is hencforth-a political noneon
tity, with no rights in relation to
suffrage that any law is bound to res
poet. lie may pay taxes, 81npport
schools buts cana have no voice in the
select,ion of those wvho make the laws,
levy taxes or manage the aff&irs of
the District. Simi:a" outrages upon
the rights of a peoplo in an early day
mado Boston IIarbor the scene of
great activity, and prIoved to be the
beginning of a struggle for freedom
from a system very like ini prinlciple,
although sl igh tly changed ina practice.
Thuis standing disgrace has too long
been imposed on a patient people, and
the present Congross it is hoped, will
provide a form of government~ i"r the
DistricL that shall be vquitable and