Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

lewis m. grist, proprietor. [ %n $ttbepeitbeitl Jarnilg ftetospaperi Jfor t|e |roiitotion of tjje $ilitiral, facial, ^griealtaral anir Commercial Interests of tjje jSontfr. |terms--$2.50 a year, in advance. ^ VOL. 25. YORKVILLE, S. O., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1879. -NO. 40. . i jgifljrapliifal ?fmib. Daniel G. Stinson. Mr. Editor In the spring of 1871, Mr. Lyman C. Draper, of Madison City, Wis., visited South Carolina for the purpose of collecting materials to aid him in the preparation of a biography of Gen. Sumter. During his stay, he called on Daniel G. Stinson, and obtained from him much valuable information. In the meantime, Mr. Draper requested Mr. ^ . Stinson to furnish him a sketch of his own - life. This he did ; but being palsied in the 'nn.-irl ;< woe nonojoarff tr> flmnlnv an Ilglllt ucauuj tv nww j .w ^?g?-j amanuensis. With this person the original draft was left?a copy being sent to Mr. Draper. Mr. Stinson being now dead, it is thought the public would be gratified to see this paper. I now forward it to you for publication. DANIEL GREENE STINSON. My grand-father, Robert Stevenson, emi, grated from Scotland to Ireland, and settled in County Antrim. My father?William Stee'nson?was born in the year 1752, and emigrated, with his brother James, and sisters Nancy and Elizabeth, in the colony with Rev. William Martin, in 1772. They all settled on Rocky Creek, except my father, who married a Miss Beattie, and lived within three miles of King's Mountain. He was engaged in that battle, and belonged to the company ot Captain Barber. " After the Revolutionary war, he moved down to Rocky Creek. His first wife died about 1788, leaving six children. My mothi. fer, Elizabeth Wylie, emigrated from County > Antrim, Ireland, with her brother Richard, / and wife Sallie, in September, 1787, on board ( the ship Volunteer, which was three months x <, on her passage from Belfast to Charleston. She was married to my father in 1789. They had four children?two older and one younger than myself. My father kept a public house, operated two stills, owned a mill, kept a wagon on the road to Charleston, sold rum J oAmA mAn/tkan/)ioo in nv. a LIU n 11 to IV. J} OUU OUIUC uigivuwuviiav) im w*change for which he took deer-skins, venison hams, bacon, butter, lard, tobacco and indigo. He came home from Charleston, on one occasion, two days before Christmas, with a hogs_ ? head of rum?the stills running every day. Nevertheless, on Christmas morning, he did notlave a dram for himself, it all having been sold. \ I was said to have been born on the 1st day of May, 1794. At that time my father was on a trip to Charleston, and Daniel Greene, having no children of his own, had me named for himself in ray father's absence. My earliest recollections of anything was when I was about two and a half years ot age. I have a bill of sale of some negroes my father bought at that date. I, like most children, was full of frolic, but when persons were conversing, I was a great listener; hence, I treasured up much information which was useful to me in after life. Schools not being l convenient, I did not go until 1 was eight years old. The first school I attended was three miles from home, on the other side ot Big Rocky Creek. The teacher was Robert Boyd. I learned my letters the first day, and , at the end of two mouths I coulcf read. I did not go any more for two years. Then I went for three months, at the end of which time I could read iu the Bible. The next year I went for about six months, and learned to write. At the same time, there was a young man staying at our house who taught me arithmetic. I could work through the "rule of three" in Dilworth. When only six years old, I was a considerable hand .in the tobacco patch. From my eleventh year, I was a plow-boy. The remainder of my schooling was after the crops were "laid by." In 1807, the fortifications of Mt Dearborn, near Beckhainville, were completed and gar? ?. ?. 1? ? " I rt -rt VIilifiiMir OaU/\/\1d llfufn rujuueu uy roguiuia. otuuvio hv?w . established all over the country, preparing for the war which took place in 1812. In 1810 I attended one of these schools, and received considerable military traiuiug. My father died in October, 1809. My mother in October, 1811. On the 1st of January, 1?12,1 commenced teaching school. I taught nine months, not losing a day. War having been declared, July 18th, 1812, my friend Col. Wm. Anderson drew up a petition, which was signed by * all the militia officers, asking to have me appointed a lieutenant in the regular army. After closing ray school, I clerked three months for Spencer Morrison, near the public works, he being both commissary and sutler for the troops at Mt Dearborn, where I had to attend two hours every day. Having failed to secure an appointment as lieutenant, I concluded to make an effort to get a classical education. On the 1st of January, 1813,1 commenced going to school at New Providence Academy, Mecklenburg county, N. C., to Rev. James Wallis. Here I speut two years; also six months with the Rev. John B. Davis, in the Fishing Creek neighborhood, at the end of x which time I was prepared to enter college. T? moonhmo T K u rl wit.h ? jlu vug UltUUi>l >UV| JL. iimu vvi ? ? ?? James B. Stafford, at Hampden Sidney College, Va., and John B. Gaston, at Athens, Georgia, being uncertain which college I would enter. By this time my funds had run out. 1 had only a plantation and one negro, both of which, if I went to college, I would be compelled to sell. My uncle, Daniel Greene, had always calculated on making me a merchant, he having amassed a large amount of cotton and built a storehouse before the war; but owing to the hardness of the times, did not go into business. In 1815, peace being declared and Bonaparte dethroned, thinking the times propitious, he urged me to commence. I eold my plantation for eight hundred dollars and entered into partnership with ray cousin, Col. ^ Wm. Anderson, having the privilege of using as much of my uncle's money as we wished. We went to Charleston and laid in our goods, but both of us being sick, did not open them until the 18th of August. We advertised that we would buy cotton and pay cash for it. We were very successful, and at the end of two years, had tripled our capital. I adopted the motto, "business before pleasure." 1 gave [ my attention to business, day and night. When I commenced merchandizing, my in- j tention was to follow it about two years, raise means and complete ray education; but, in the spring of 1817, our business being so I large, we concluded to have two stores. 1 re-' moved part of the goods to "Walker's," some J eight miles above. After the first year at "Walker's," we dissolved copartnership. I j then did business alone, being still successful; but in the fall of 1818, I bought cotton very largely at high prices, averaging about 30 cents per pound. In the spring, there being a decline in price, I sold at 12 cents, which : swept everything that I had made, leaving ! me about where I started four years before. I was married on the 29th of January,' 1819, to Miss Esther Gaston. In the spring, when ray situation was realized, it was not a pleasant one. After my marriage, I bought a piece of land from old Mrs. Walker, upon which I settled, afterwards buying other1 lands around me, on which I lived for fifty years. The merchants being willing to give me credit, I carried on a small business for I about two years. Selling out my stock, I t bought two or three negroes and turned my attention to farming. From the time I mar ried, a negro man I had inherited, carried on my farm, making a support for my family. In January, 1819, there being a desire to establish a post-office at Cedar Shoals, Johp G. Walker was willing to act as deputy, if I would take the office and make the returns for him, which I did. After his death, the office was transferred to J. A. H. Gaston, who kept it until the close of the late war. In 1824, the members of the legislature from Chester, had me appointed to the office of magistrate. On being informed of it, I concluded not to qualify; but at the urgent request of Mr. Robert Robinson, who had me appointed, I accepted it on the condition that I might resign in one year. At the expiration of that time, finding it a convenience to me, I continued to serve for more than twenty years. During the first two years of my magistracy, I married about one hundred couples. m;, * As a magistrate I was conservative, and very few cases ever went up to court. 1 dou't think that I collected more fees than paid for the paper I used. In 1845, the rule was adopted reducing the number of magistrates to one in a "beat company." There being two in our "beat," I requested Col. Davie to drop me and continue R. H. Fudge. He did so, haviug me appointed a notary public, which office I held for about twenty years. From first to last, I had the papers of ten pensioners to prepare and forward every six months. In 1822 I first administered on an estate, after which I was administrator or executor of thirty estates. I had the care of about twenty widows, and the guardianship of twenty or thirty orphans, some of whom I educated. Some of the estates were large and complicated; hence, I was kept in the court of equity for more than fifteen years. The largest fee I ever paid was two thousand dollars. I was employed by every one in the neighborhood to draw their wills. A great many persons, on moving from this country to the West and Northwest and leaving legacies here, employed me as attorney. to collect and forward the proceeds to them. I was frequently employed as an arbitrator between parties having difficulties. I have often been called upon by other administrators and executors to assist them in settling up estates and arranging their papers. For about twenty years, I was a puolic surveyor. I never had any aspirations for office. Still, I always read the papers and kept myself posted in the politics of the times. At T moo o Tofforcnnion 1UJ m11 ICOt I CUWiiCWtiUli x n ao u vuuv<auu*Mu* My father despised the adraiDistration of Adams on account of the still tax. I examined the "Exposition" of 1828, said to have been written by John C. Calhoun, and was decidedly opposed to the doctrines advanced. In 1830, the District (Chester) became politically divided. Many of my best friends were in the ranks of the Nullifiers. Yet, differing from them, my motto was "principles, not men." Although I differed from others in opiuiou, still, I retained their personal friendship. The press of the State having generally espoused the cause of the Nullifiers, it became necessary to establish a paper in Columbia, as an organ of the Union party, which was done. The paper was called the Hive, and was placed under the editorial control of Dr. Landrum. I frequently contributed short articles to this paper. In the canvas of 1830, all the lawyers were with the Nullifiers. They ?rst proposed to nullify the tariff through the legislature, but this Hid not Luke well with the DeoDle. Thev then - - -- r " 7 * # went for a convention, called a mass-meeting of the citizens of the District, to assemble on the first Monday of September, and argued before the people to leave it to a convention, which might nullify the tariff, or not, just as might be thought best. A young man opposed the call of a convention. He was denounced as a subraissionist, and an order was given to throw him out of the door. This was promptly met, by the crowd, with "Do if you dare; your blood .shall sprinkle this floor!" Several old men tried to say something, but they could not'be heard, so great was the confusion. The legislature, in 1830, failed to call a convention. The Nullifiers took the name of "Jackson and States Rightsthe other party took the name of "Uuion and States Rights," and the two parties became very bitter toward each other. The Nullifiers denounced the Union men as submissionists, and soaptails, and tariff men. The Nullifiers having formed associations all over the State by the name of "Free Trade Associations," issued tracts, monthly, to circulate among the people. The Union party then retaliated by calling them "Jacobin Clubs" and "Bombsuckers." About this time the office of colonel became vacant. Lieut.-Colonel John Moore, Maj. James Wood and Capt. James McDaniel, were candidates for the office. An election was held, but there being a tie and failure to elect, it had to be run over again. The Union party thought it necessary to secure the office. It was so managed as to elect James McDaniel, a son of a revolutionary soldier. I accepted, under him, the office of adjutant, and was elected captain of the artillery. Through the military, we had the most of our political meetings, such as the celebration of the Fourth of July, the militia being out under arms. In 1832 the Nullifiers caried the State? the district of Chester by a majority of over three hundred. At the commencement of 1832, they threw aside the name of Jackson, taking that of "States Rights and Free Trade." Iu September, the Union party held their first convention in Columbia, when they organized properly as a party and offered terms of compromise to the Nullifiers. The Union men placed Joel R. Poinsett at the head of the party, and adjourned to meet again in December. I was a member of both conventions. The State having passed au ordinance of nullification?the legislature being in session to pass laws to carry out the ordinance?the Nullifiers. having carried the State, were uu a ' o - ' der the impression that the Union convention would not meet in December ; but, contrary to their expectation, the convention met, according to adjournment, in large numbers. The legislature had passed a bill to the second reading, conscripting the militia in four classes. The meeting of the Union convention took them so much by surprise, that they stood idle for several days to see what the Union party would do. Discovering that we had them at bay, Judge Huger, in private caucuses, proposed that the convention should sit for months?members that were compelled to go home, sending others in their places ; but after delaying several days, the committee reported that they would not interrupt the acts of the legislature, that they would not be drawn into a revolution, and that they would act as peaceable citizens so long as they were suffered to do so. Mr. Poinsett, at the same time having'corapletely organized the party, the convention adjourned to meet again in the spring at his call. After the adjournment of the convention, the legislature dropped the conscript bill, and passed a bill calling for volunteers. This act completely separated the parties; the Nullifiers forming volunteer companies?the Union men composing the militia. Whenever we had a political meeting, the regiment was called out. In Decemher, 1833, the legislature reorganized the militia and passed a test oath of office. Elections in the militia took place on the 11th of April, 1834. The Union party, being two to one, elected all the officers of ' this regiment. After carrying the elections, we determined to take it into the courts. I went with Col. McDaniel to demand his commission, having a writ of mandamus from the court. General McMeekin refused, as was expected. I then served a writ of mandamus on him to appear at Lancaster, on a certain day, when ana where court would be sitting. He then wrote to Maj. Eaves to defend him. The writ being returned on Wednesday, Saturday was set apart for the trial, Judge Richardson presiding. Maj. Eaves' speech occupied about three hours. Thomas Williams' reply about two hours. Judge Richardson was about two hours delivering his opinion. I wrote an account of the trial and sent it to the Hive for publication. The case was taken to the Court of Appeals, which met in Columbia, the next*week, and the military test oath was decided to be a violation of the Constitution of South Carolina. Still, the alteration of the constitutional oath was to come up before the legislature in December. The Districts represented in the. legislature wrote to the nou represented Districts, for delegates to meet them in Columbia. The bill was discussed for several days in the House, and also for several days in the Sen ate?the Union party in caucus every night. The Nullifiers becoming alarmed, sought, through the Chairman of the Federal Com-, mittee (Daniel J. McCord) to know on what terms the Union men would accept the amendment to the Constitution. There was then a committee appointed, consisting of James L. Pettigru, John S. Richardson, Abrara Blanding, Thomas Williams, Judge Lee, Judge David Johnston, and John B. O'Neal. They accepted the amendment to the constitution, provided it did not interfere with the allegiance a citizen owed the United States, according to the Constitution of the United States. This was incorporated in a report made by the Committee on FederaJ Relations, and passed by the legislature, all the Union men voting for it except B. F. Perry. About twenty of the Nullifiers voted against it, declaring that the Nullifiers had given up all the ground for which they had been contending. Some of them left the State in disgust. This produced peace in the State, to ratify which, they elected Judge Huger to the United States Senate, and Richardson as Governor. Thus, peace being restored to my distracted State, I retired from politics, devoting my time and attention to my private business. In 1851, I took part in politics again. The secessionists had held several meetings in Chester District. The Union or Co operation party, thought it expedient to hold a meeting at Chester C. H., on the first Monday in Auno mn nn nn Matnrrlair guou juaiuncu muutu voiuo u|/ uu uuuua UUJ The secessionists bad runners out on Sunday at all the churches, summoning in their party, so as to outnumber the Co-operationists and pass resolutions over them. On Monday, it was so arranged that I should take the chair and Mr. Rhett be invited to open the discussion ; each side being limited to an hour and a half. A watch was on the stand to note the time. When the time was out, I gave a rap and he closed. Mr. McAliley replied, occupying the same time. Rhett then had half an hour to reply, during which he was very sarcastic ; belittling McAliley as an up country lawyer, with a great lack of constitutional knowledge. But this was a great mistake in Rhett. McAliley, in reply, far exceeded him in sarcasm and severe cuts, and when the discussion of four hours was ended, Rhett went off the stand, apparently chagrined and disappointed, and his party completely defeated. In 1860, at a Fourth of July celebration held at Union church, the candidates for the legislature were generally present. Samuel McAliley and T. W. Moore were candidates for the Senate. I was placed in the chair. McAliley being called upon, made a speech of considerable length, opposing secession. Dr. Moore replied, rather denyiug secession, but advocating the call of a convention, his object apparently being to avoid discussion at that time. On my return home that evening, I wrote an article for the local paper over the signature of "Spectator," quoting Thomas Jefferson, who on a similar occasion had opposed rash measures. The contest between McAliley and Moore was very excited. They canvassed the District thoroughly, making .speeches at every precinct. From this time, I wrote an article for the local paper every two weeks, over the signature of "Spectator." These were intended as a looking glass that they might see themselves as others saw them. The Hon W. W. Boyce, who had heretofore been a strong Union man, came out openly for secession. I attacked him over the signature of "A Spy," and exposed him somewhat. Pretty early in the contest, I wrote an article over the signature of "Ithaca," addressed to the understanding of the public, showing forth the evil consequences of secession. Our local paper was filled with communications from both sides, until the close of the election. McAliley was elected. This District (Chester), by his election, bad gone against secession ; probably the only one in the State in which an issue was made. McAliley was the only man in the legislature who voted against secession. The representatives from the District, elected on the same grounds, caved in and went for secession. When the election for a convention came, I refused to have anything to do with it, having then spent thirty years of my life in all those issues, battling for the integrity of my country. My desire was simply to be a spectator. But a revolutionary spirit was abroad in the land. Vigilant committees were formed everywhere, which I looked upon as mobs. The first case that came under my notice was during a snow-storm. A man, with dogs, came to my nephew's, R. W.Crawford's, and arrested his negro, Tom, for some words spoken, and carried him off to a meeting ot i i , mr the vigilant committee at Jttoaay-town. ivir. Crawford, being alarmed for fear that his negro might be hung, came to me and got me to go with him. When I arrived there, the committee asked me to sit with them. My reply was, "No, gentlemen, I am a lawabiding man. South Carolina has organized courts of magistrates and freeholders to try the negroes. If Tom has committed an offence, take him before such a court. Every one of you are trespassers and liable to indictment for a misdemeanor." The rabble in Fletcher's region hung Mr. McAliley in effigy. I then wrote a communication, giving an account of Henry Laurens being hung in effigy by the rabble in Charleston, because he did not move fast ' enough in the revolution ; but when the crisis l did arrive, Henry Laurens was at the head of ; the revolution, and this rabble was never ! heard of. I applied Mr. McAliley's case to | that, and it is probable that when the war did ! commence, those fellows wepe shirking. I ! wrote several communications, quoting from ; a newspaper, Laurens' letters, and Chattaloux' scenes of the Revolutionary war. These were continued for about two months over the signature of "Catawba." Aftor the first, enmnanies lmd volunteered. I wrote over ray own name, calling a meeting of the citizens of the District to organize j for the purpose of aiding poor families, proI vided the men were called into service; and, j that they should see that the laws of the country were respected, and that no one should be deprived of his rights without a legal trial. I was made chairman of the Board of Relief i for Chester, and served through the war. In 1860, the Democracy were divided and had three candidates in the field for the presidency. Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate, was elected by about one-third of the popular vote. , I still had hopes that the difficulties might be settled without war, the constitution of the United States being the supreme law of the land. Yet, seven wicked spirits in the shape of Northern Governors, congregated at Washington and tempted Abraham Lincoln to take the whole government on his shoulder, and, by usurping the judiciary and legislative departments, trampled the constitution of the United States under foot by issuing the proclamations ca lling for troops to put down the rebellion, suspended the writ of habeas corpus, and brought on a civil war in which probably a million of lives were lost. "He that killeth with a sword must be killed with a sword." He that killeth with the bullet must be killed with a bullet. Abraham Lincoln did not die in the house of the Lord; but rather in the tabernacle of Dagon. His worshippers say that he was like Moses on Mt Pisgah; but when the true history of this country is written in after ages, I think thati all future historians will place him, as I have done, as a warning to all usurpers. I opposed the violation of the constitution of South Carolina in 1832, and was equally opposed to the violation of the constitution of the United States in 1861. Snoh in a hriaf outline of mv narentace. #"w ** "" J m *'m - - fc? #' my earliest, recollections and training, business pursuits, political course and public life, and the opinion I entertained with regard to all usurpers. I deem it not out of place to add here, that I collected a large amount of ecclesiastical material, most of which is and will be embodied by Dr. Howe, in his history of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, of which church I have been a member near fifty years. During thirty-five years of this time I have held the office of Ruling Elder in Cedar Shoal Church ; have frequently been a member of Bethel Presbytery and the Synod of South Carolina, and in 1854, was the delegate from Bethel Presbytery to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America, which convened at Bufalo, New York. The above sketch was dictated by the subject hereof, in 1871. It is simply a statement of facts, applicable, in this case, to an individual ; but contains nothing of his domestic relations, or of the traits of character, religious, moral or intellectual, which in reality constitute the man. The site where he lived was very desirabje?his house roomy and com modious; and "She always made home nappy," is the inscription on the tombstone of her who, for a period of 35 years, divided the sorrows and doubled the joys of his life. To the truth of this declaration, the relatives and friends, the person on business, the neighbor who dropped in, the visitors, the travelers who lodged there, the judges, lawyers, and clergymen, of all denominations, entertained by her, could amply testify. This kind, amiable, pious lady?this mother in Israel?died in 1854, while her husband was absent attending a meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, in Buffalo, New York; and though a telegram was immediately dispatched to inform him of her severe illness, it never reached him. He knew nothing ot her death, until informed of it, by a friend, at Kingsville, on his return. At Camden, Columbia, and Charleston, attending civil and ecclesiastical courts; on surveying expeditions and collecting materials for history of church and state, be was frequently absent from three to twelve days at a time. On these trying occasions, the management of a large household devolved upoft. her, who always showed herself equal to the emergency. With affectation she cultivated no acquaintance. Her manners were easy and natural. Though inclined to corpulency, she was handsome. Intelligent, cheerful, industrious, economical, and of rare conversational ability, she was emphatically entertaining and interesting. From those blue eyes, bordering on hazel, beamed the soul of affection and pity. To the sick and suffering she was a ministering angel. Words of comfort, soothing and hope, fell from her lips, while tenderness And sympathy were ingredients in every action. Such were a few of the qualities of Miss Esther Gaston, to whom Daniel Greene Stinson was married on the 29th of January, 1819. They had eight children?two sons and six daughters. Of the eight, only two survive? Mrs. L. McDonald and Mrs. S. J. Lewis. Of the sons, the oldest died before he was two years old; the other in his twentieth year, I..: .1 1 _p iL- : _i oeing men a memuer 01 one seniut einos iu Franklin University, located . at Athens, Georgia. The oldest daughter, Mrs. Elder, died in Yorkville, in 1857. Mary Narcissa and Esther Emily, died, the one antecedent, and the other subsequent to the death of their mother. Mrs. R. S. Lewis, the youngest ot the children, died during the war; her husband being killed .two or three months after her death. Daniel Greene Stinson's second wife was Mrs. Henkle, the daughter of Mr. Turner and Margaret Morgan. At the close of the war, when slavery v,'as abolished?his property consisting largely of negroe3?he was insolvent ; and to do the best he could for his creditors, took the benefit of the bankrupt law, surrendering everything and receiving nothing on which to live as a prince afterward. With what the law allowed him, he purchased a small place, near the York line, but in Chester. To this he moved and lived on it two or three years ; but being old and feeble and unaccustomed to the management of freedmen, he and his wife went to Rock Hill, to her son-in-law, Maj. T. C. Beckham. Making this his home, he has spent the last seven or eight years there and with his children, occasionally visiting his relatives and old friends. The fireside, at his old home, when surrounded by the family group, was a very pleasant one, where some exploit of school-boy days, of revolutionary occurrence, or of later military date, was related by the head of the family to the no small merriment of the listeners. He was exceedingly fond of children, humoring their whims and entering into their sports with a zest almost beyond conception. He would often coax away from the arms of their mothers, infants of five or six months old, and keep them for an hour, while, as a nurse, he was one of the most awkward on record. When any of the family, white or black, was sick, his attention was unfailiug. Many sleepless nights he spent, walking from one negro house to another, watching the symptoms of the disease, and seeing that the medicines were administered according to the physician's directions. Provisions tor a ween were regularly given out, and proper clothing, for summer and winter, seasonably provided. Each darkey had his or her garden and "patch," where vegetables, aud corn or cotton, were grown at pleasure. His children were educated, religiously, morally aud intellectually. They attended their own place of worship, regularly, whenever divine service was performed there; but heard other preaching when convenient. At home, they were instructed in the doctrines and principles of the holy religion as taught in the Scriptures and standards of the church. Every kind of immorality was eschewed, both by precept aud examjde, while the mental faculties were expanded by proper culture and traiuing. It might be inferred that the religious part of Daniel Greene Stiuson's educa tiou was very strict, for he was raised a Covenanter. These people are exceedingly punctilious with regard to the observance of the Sabbath. With them, it is emphatically a holy day; and to all, this is what it should be. To him it was a day of rest?the Lord's day. A child may be brought to regard this day as a prison house, and the Bible and catechisms as instruments of torture, while these might have been made the gate of Heaven. Happy are they who here reach the golden mean. Did he and his children, and do those still living, manifest this in their lives ? To ask questions and moralize are out of place here. What he was as a professor of religion and church officer, the world already knows. Morally, he was very exemplary. Though raised at a still-house, and where his olfactories were constantly excited with the odor of rum, he abstained from the poison as carefully as if distilled from the viper's fang. The first temperance society ever formed in Chester District, was organized at the village?eight members signing the pledge. Of these, Rev. John B. Davies, Joseph Gaston and Robert Fee were tbrce; the names of the others the writer does not remember. He always regretted that his name was not put on that paper on that day, his whole life being a temperance speech. If he ever induleed in Drofanitv. oblivion has obliterated the tradition. To the filthy, expensive and murderous habit of chewing tobacco, however, he was seemingly a hopeless slave ; but for years before his death, the poisonous narcotic had not polluted his breath. Here also, he was a teetotaller, showing what a mind and a will can accomplish. How his mind was improved by education, the sketch, furnished by himself, informs us. This education was first English, then classical and mathematical, and then military. That he was no idler while at school, bis writings plainly show. Some passages in thfc "Women of the Revolution," are simply grand. In the military, he was thorough, both theoretically and practically, though ungraceful both as a rider and on drill. His voice was without compass, and was a great drawback in issuing commands. He was not an agreeable reader, but a fine debater. In the magistrate's book and-executive law, he was perfectly at home. His advice was law in the vicinity in which he resided, and his decisions were acquiesced in as fiual. He had a forehead a phrenologist would have envied. A friend who had seen'the mag-, nates from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from Canada to the Gulf, said it was the finest on which he had ever looked. He was a great talker, a living history, and particularly fond of company. Persons, names, dates and genealogies he seldom forgot. During Sherman's raid he "refugeed." By this exposure his hearing was impaired. As he advanced in years, this impediment in* creased until it became almost impossible for some persons to converse, with him. This was a great annoyance to him, being thereby frequently deprived of spending an hour pleasantly in an interchange of views and feelings and opinions with a particular friend. When in his prime, he was nearly six feet high, erect, and walked rapidly. When the imfirmities of age began to weigh upon him, he leaned a little forward, and finally became quite stooped. With the exception of two or three short attacks of bilious fever, and one of pneumonia, bis health was*generally good. In the beginning of the summer of the present year, he had dropsy of the chest or some affection of the heart;, from which he apparently partially recovered; but being cheerful and hopeful, talked of again visiting his children; yet, on the morning of the 10th of September, 1879, in the 86th year of his age,'his Master called his spirit home, which he yielded up without a groan or a struggle. IpSttHatJMMSi grading. THE LAST OF THE SEMINOLES. The Department of the Interior recently dispatched an emissary to Florida to inquire into the condition of the Seminole Indians in that State, with a view to the initiation of measures looking to their civilization. Lieut. Pratt, the agent referred to, has made an interesting report to the department. He was accompanied from Washington by the Cheyenne Indian, Tich-ke-mat-se, of the Smithsonian Institution, as taxidermist. From St. A nrpnatinn Vio nrncoOftoH trt T?nrf. Mpftdp PfllW UUgUOVlUV UU jk/A WVWU Vu VU A V* V a. wav county, and thence to the nearest settlement of the Serainoles, about thirty miles off. The report shows a bare remnant of the great Seminole nation, which, in the fastnesses of the everglades of Florida, kept the whole power of the United States at bay from 1835 to 1342, and again renewed the struggle in 1857, and after a desperate series of encounters dually succumbed. The total population of the Serainoles who still remain in Florida, Lieut. Pratt says, is less than three hundred, the last vestige of the most powerful and warlike of the aboriginal nations of this continent. Their desperate exploits, under the leadership of the Seminole chieftain, Billy Bowlegs?their strategy and deeds of heroism?l'or years were more than a match for such Generals as Jackson and Scott, backed by all the resources and power of the United States. The Indians in Florida are divided into four villages. One, governed by Chipco, a very old man, claiming to be one hundred years of age, is situated along the lake about Fort Clinch. The second village, under Chief Tuscuuugga, lies on the western border of Lake Okechobee. The third villaee. gov erned by old Tigertail, is scattered along the borders of the Big Cypress Swamp. The fourth, ruled by young Tigertail, is called Miami, and is situated on the Atlantic coast. Lieut. Pratt spent some days at Chipco's village, which stood in a fine forest in the vicinity of clear lakes, in which black bass and other food fish abounded. Tbebuildings were substantial, showed skill in construction, and were fully as comfortable as those 0/ the whites. The Indians possessed orange-trees, fields of corn, sugar-cane and rice, and were situated in the midst of a dense hammock, reached by a crooked pathway, and practically inaccessible except to those familiar to forest paths. The lands were cultivated by men and women, who used hoes instead of plows in the rich alluvial soil. Chipco himself assisted his squaw in planting sweet potatoes and melons. The Indians also possessed chickens, hogs, ponies and cattle in small numbers. The men wore a breech-clout, calico shirt and a shawl of bright colors, wrapped around their heads like turbans, and on state occasions wore moccasins and leggins. The women wore short jackets and skirts of calico, with bead ornaments. Lieutenant Pratt told Chipco that he had come to see what they wanted. . But the -old - - - ? i 1*1 il- .1 1? J! J cbiel was skeptical, ana repnea mat ne uiu not want to hear any "Washington talk." He declared that he wanted no education for his people, and no plows. In short, he emphatically desired to be let alone. He refused to attend the proposed conference at Fort Myers, which, in fact, turned out a complete failure. Some of the Big Cypress Swamp Indians were present, but they preserved a haughty and distant attitude; declined to shake hands, and were also positive in their objection to any "Washington talk." They refused the presents of food and tobacco which Lieutenant Pratt tendered them, saying proudly, that they could buy what they wanted. The progress made by these Indians in five years, was very marked. They live in comfortable houses and raise cattle; their revenues from sales of buckskin, pelts, hogs, cattle and produce, amounting to 86,000 a year. Whisky is their most formidable enemy. The women are said to be most notably correct in their morals. The Constitution of Florida provides for the represen^ga of the t Seminoles in both branches of the Legislature, but they have invariably declined to avail themselves of these privileges.. In 1871, the Methodists tried to introduce civilized ways among them, but without success. The tribes {referred their own ways, and desired to be et alone. They live apart from the whites, and strenuously oppose removal to the Indian Territory. It is to be hoped that their moderate requests will be regarded. Lieutenant Pratt recommends that the old fort barracks, at Tampa Bay, be mads into a school building and an educated Seminole from the Indian Territory, be sent there as a teacher. There is certainly room enough in Florida, at present, for both whites and Indians, and the expatriation of the latter cannot be necessary. The Lnited States Government has sinned enough against the Indians, and it is not surprising that the latter are distrustful of "Washington talk." SNUBBED BT GEN. SHEBHAN. North Carolina is attempting what has hitherto proved an abortive effort at "reunion-and fraternization." Old soldiers of the North and South are invited to Salisbury on October 23. We are told that the ex-Confederates are going in force, but there is not much show of Federal Generals, other than politicians. Gen. Sheridan declines the invitation with thanks and good wishes, besides many regrets that official duties and previous engagements will prevent him from attending. Gen. Wm. T. Sherman, however, whose letter is printed in full in the Charlotte Observer, bluntly refuses to be present and says: "There is no use in my mincing terms. Whenever and wherever the honest men ot North Carolina meet to allay the sectional and party animosities and to cultivate feelings of fraternity and respect for their fellow-citizens of the United States, it will be to me most tempting to come to Salisbury, * * * but I must not be construe^ as assenting to the proposition that Confederates and Union men were alike worthy of a celebration for the terrible history of 1861-'65." The General adds that he would like to go on some civic occasion when all are absolutely equal, all alike interested in the present and future glory of the common coun try. He would certainly be out of place at a Confederate reunion. He says: All soldiers in their social reunions glorify their deeds of heroism, and this reunion will hardly be an exception, and it would be a strange sight for Gen. Sherman to cheer the victories of his enemies and respond to the claim that because the soldiers of North Carolina were brave and true to their State and section, their cause was as Bacred as ours, which finally triumphed, and made our Union more glorious and more resplendent thifn before. Were I present and you should suppress this natural feeling, I would feel myself an intruder, marring the natural happiness of a festive occasion. I know that the *i-i . .? # t ;j_ it. soldier elements were toe nrst to layasiue toe angry partisan feelings of the war, and are now leaders in the new epoch which is sore to add wealth and prosperity to our whole country, and when some occasion arises when we may all meet on common ground in North Carolina, to celebrate some revolutionary event, or to encourage some modern enterprise, it will gives me great pleasure to come to Salisbury, to Raleigh, to Guilford Court House, or any other place in the "Old North State." INDIAN HORSE RACES. From a private letter written by Mr. S. B. Brumont, aated Southern Ute Agency, Pine River Postoffice, LaPlata county, Col., we publish the following description of an Indian horse race: . Learning from Charlie and Iagler, chiefs of the Men ache and Capote bands of the Ute Indians, that they were going to run their horses against the Wiemanunches of the same tribe, I accepted their invitation and rode out to their track one pleasant afternoon about three weeks ago, and became the spectator to one ot the fairest and best conducted horse-races I ever witnessed. No grand stand, no judges' stand, no fence to keep intruders from Jhe course, no police force to drive en enthusiastic backers from the quarter stretch, and yet everything was conducted, with the order and decorum of a Quaker meeting. The track is a straight stretch of perhaps a mile in length. On opposite sides at the comeout, .the head men of the opposing bands seat themselves on the ground in a circle, pass from hand to hand the pipe, from which each, in succession, puffs a blue wreath of nmoke. And while this is going on, a horse is ridden from one side by a nearly naked Indian boy and slowly guided down the track. As he leaves the stand, one of his backers rises from the group in council and brings forward, close to the track, such articles as he desires to wager on his horse?blankets, skins, furs, fancy clothing and ornaments, guns, saddles and silver dollars?throwing all together on the ground in plain view of the other side, who at once advance a like number of articles in a pile on their side of the track. Another bare legged Indian boy is mouted and started down the track. The riders turn at a point designated by the owners at head of the track, and, without any one to give the word, the start is made, and if both are satisfied, the race is run ; otherwise both go back, and when both are satisfied the first out is the winner. No claim of foul; no words of dispute; the man on the winning side walks across the track, fathers the stakes and returns unquestioned, 'our times the Weimanuche man walked to the side of Menaches and Capotes and bore off* the most valued prizes, while no word of complaint arose from the losers, and but few signs of exultation were exhibited by the winners. The Meaches and Capotes are now looking for a horse with which to win back their goods ancMiattels. PRESSURE ON THE BRAIN. . An American medical man was called one day to see a youth, aged eighteen, who had been struck insensible by the kick of a horse. There was a depressed fracture of the skull a little above the left temple. The skull was trephined, and the loose fragments of bone that pressed upon the brain were removed, whereupon the patient came to his senses. The doctor thought it a good opportunity to make an experiment, as there was a hole in the skull through which he could easily make pressure upon the brain. He asked the boy a question, and before there was time to answer it, he pressed firmly with his finger upon the exposed brain. As long as the pressure was kept up the boy was mute, but the instant | it was removed he made a reply, never suspecting that he had not answered at once. The experiment was repeated several times with precisely the same result, the boy's thoughts being stopped and started again on each occasion as easily and certainly as the engineer stops and starts his locomotive. On another occasion the same doctor was called to see a groom who had been kipkStl on the head by a mare called Dolly, andivhom he found quite insensible. There was' a fracture of the skull, with a depression tff bone at the upper part of the forehead. As soon as the portion of bone which was pressing upon the brain was removed, the patient called out with great energy, "Whoa, Dolly!" and then stared about him in blank amazement, asking, "Where is the mare ? Where am I ?" Three hours had passed since the accident, during which the words he was just going to utter when -H happened, had remained locked up, as they might have been locked up in the phonograph, to be let go the moment the obstructing pressure was removed. The pfe tient did not remember when be came to himself that the mare had kicked him; the last thing before he was insensible which he did remember was, that she wheeled her heels round and back her ears viciously.?Popular Science. ONE. OF FLORIDA'S MARYELS. Some seventy-five miles, almost directly east, from Cedar Keys, in Marion county Fla., is the celebrated silver spring, a basin of water eighty feet deep and issuing from the ground in such force and violenc as to present the appearance of boiling on the surface. The water is so pnre and clear that the white sand can be seen in motion at the bottom as it is rolled up by the action of the streams pouring from the veins that form the spring. This is supposed to be the Fountain of Perpetual Youth, of which Ponce de Leon had heard, and for which he made search in one of the most romantic expeditions on record. His ''trail" is still pointed oat from Lake George, on the St John's, where he had been led astray and sent to the northwest, when the foontain in which he wished to bathe, and by so doing give old age the slip, lay to the northwest I am told that out in the gulf, some distance from shore, a spring forces itself with so much power through the brine as to dispel the sea water for a considerable distance so as to be plainly discernible?pre- . senting a diameter of twelve or thirteen yards. These two fresh water springs-?the one on the land and the other in tne sea?are about on a due east and west line, and" are certainly objects of study. Assuming that Florida is almost entirely of marine formation, which it evidently is, the source of its numerous springs and lakes of pure fresh water is a matter of unbounded interest to the inquirer into nature's mysteries. But why should there not be springs and boiling fountains in the valleys and mountain of the ocean's depths as we find them on the land ? A Perfect Woman.-?A wife-seeking,' methodical youth, who has occasionally escorted a young lady home on Sunday evenings, and gone in for supper, after performing both services last Sunday night, suddenly said to her, "Do you talk in your sleep?' "Why?no," she answered, in surprise. "Do you walk in your sleep ?" he next inquired. "No, sir." He moved his chair an inch closer, and, with increased interest, asked, "Do you snore?" "No," she hastily replied, looking uneasily at him. At this reply his eyes fairly sparkled. His lips eagerly parted, and, as he gave his chair another hitch, he briskly inquire, "Do you throw the combings of your hair in the basin ?" "What ?" she asked, with a blank face. He repeated the question, although with increased nervousness. "No, I don't," she answered in some haste. Again his chair went forward, while his agitation grew so great that he could scarcely maintain bis place upon it as he asked, "Do you clean the comb when you have done ?" "Of course I do," she said, staring at him with all her might. In an instant he was on his knees before her, with his hands outstretched. "I love you," he passionately cried. "I give my whole heart to you. Love me and I will be your slave. Love me as I love you, and I will do every thing on earth for you. 0, will you take me to be your lover, your husband, your protector, your every thing?" It was a critical moment for a young woman of her years, but she was equal to the emergency, as a woman generally is, and accepted him. Steel Pens.?The early history of the steel pen is curiously obscure. The most diligent search fails to discover the first maker --- xi V?* J-X. Or W16 CttriiOb UttIA? U1 UllO luipicuicuu jkuvAo were steel, or rather iron, pens made, we believe, in Holland, as early as the middle of the seventeenth century. Harrison, an ingenious Birmingham mechanic, made steel pens for Dr.. Priestly. One of them is nothing ' more than a tube turned out of a flat strip of metal, with the sides and points filed away in the shape of a pen. The first actual supply of such pens, it is believed (the authority for the statement is no more than local tradition), was made by a Sheffield workman whose name is forgotten. From time to time, as fhr back as 1809, steel pens, hand-fashioned, turned and filed, were made as curiosities, or luxuries for presents; but it was not until about 1824 tbat such instruments were produced in considerable quantities, as regular articles of manufacture. ' Mr. James Peny was the first manufacturer, but the process / was tedious and costly. The metal was steel rolled out of wire, and for this Mr. Perry paid as much as seven shillings a pound. To the first person he employed he gave five shil. - V t.iT __j nogs ior masiDg. eauu pttu -t ouu cvcu nu?i the trade had become regular, he gave, for some years, as much as thirty-six shillings a gross to his workmen. Making Thimbles.?The process of making thimbles is described as follows: Bright new silver coins are reduced to ingots by melting in crucibles. They are then rolled into the required thickness and cut by a stamp into circular pieces of the required size. These circular disas are placed under a solid metal bar of the size of the inside of the intended thimble, which, moved by powerful machinery, descends into a bottomless mold of the size of the outside'of the thimble, and presses the metal into the desired shape at a single blow. The remaining operations of brightening, polishing and decorating are performed by means of a lathe. First, the blank form is fitted with a rapidly revolving rod; a slight touch of a sharp chisel takes a thin shaving from the end; another does the same on the side, while a third rounds off the rim. The polishing is done by a round steel rod, which is dipped in oil and pressed upon the surface. Small revolving steel wheels held against the revolving blank pierce the indentations on the lower half and end of the thimble ; the ornamentation is done by a similar process. All that remains to be done to the thimbles is to brighten and polish the inside, boil them in soapsuds to remove the oil, brash tbem up and pack them for the market ^ Ancient Mode of Living.?The ancient mode of living may be somewhat understood by reference to an old book, precious in the sight of the antiquarians?the household book of an Earl of Northumberland.- It appears that the old earl had a large family. It consisted of six hundred and sixty-six persons? masters and servants. Fifty was the average number of his daily guests. There was a very precise sumptuary code, and given out in parcels and by rule. From midsummer to Michaelmas, fresh meat was allowed ; for the rest of the year salted provision were alone admissible. Mustard was in great demand. One hundred and sixty gallons a year ifare used at the table; no doubt the character of the fresh and salted meat required a potent stimulus to make it go down. One bottle and a third of beer was given to each person daily. No sheets for the beds were used. The ^ table-cloths were few; they were changed but once a month, and washing days were rare. *^7*? Ninety-one dozen candles served the family for a year. The family rose at six in the morning, dined at ten, and supped at four. The earl and his lady had, at their breakfast, snmethinor hatter than the rest?a Quart of beer, a quart of wine, two pieces of salt fisb, six red herrings, and a dish of sprats. ' S&- A fellow stole a saw and on his trial he told the Judge he only took it as a joke. "How far did you carry it?" asked the Judge. "About two miles," answered the prisoner. "That was carrying the joke too far," replied the Judge. The prisoner got three months*