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lkwis vi. (iitisT, Proprietor, j %\\ Jnbejpbcnt Jkmilj ^ttfospapfr i Jtr % |)romo(nm of % political, Social, ^grimlfaral anb Commercial interests of % Soutlj. j TERMS--$2.50 A YEAR, IN ADVANCE. Vol. 30. yoekville, s c., thttrsda.y, December 4, iss4. no. 49. WHAT DID THE DOG SEE? Montague observes, "things unknown are the principal and true subject of imposture, forasmuch as in the first place their strangeness lends to them credits and moreover, by not being subjected to our ordinary discourse, they deprive us of the means to question and dispute them." The incident I am about to relate is strictly true in all save that I have appropriated a fictitious name for the parties involved in the narrative. In the summer of 1867,1 was journeying leisurely through Western Ohio, on horseback, when, late one afternoon, I discovered my horse had suddenly become lame in one of his fore legs. Dismounting, I made an examination, with the purpose of discovering the precise location of the injury, but, failing in this, I flung the reins over my arm, and led my poor beast toward a farm house which was near at hand. I found the owner, Abel Shelly, seated on the porch, smoking his pipe, with his wife sitting by, engaged in knitting. Introducing myself, and eYnlaininer mv situation, I inquired if he could accoVnmodate me with a resting place until I could resume my journey. He acquiesced at once, assuring me that I was perfectly welcome, and presenting me to his wife, laid down his pipe and began to examine the feet of my horse. "I can see nothing at present," he remarked, "that indicates the seat of the injury, but I'll put him in the barn, and if he does not improve by to-morrow, we'll determine what is to be done." Leading the animal away, he shortly returned to the house. In the meantime I had entered into conversation with Mrs. Shelly, who was a very well informed person, but I judged by the remarkable pallor of her face that she was not in particularly good health. Mr. Shelly conducted me to a room, where, having deposited my saddlebags and taken a refreshing wash, I returned to the porch, and was soon engaged in an interesting conversation about crops and the general topics of the day. I discovered my host to be an unusually bright and well-read farmer, with a certain seriousness about him that forbade anything like unseemly familiarity, and which was sure to inspire respect in a considerable degree. He was an eastern man by birth, but had been settled in the west for twenty years. Beyond his wife he had no family, and it struck me as being somewhat singular that I saw no hands about the place save an old negro, who was slowly performing some duty in the cow yard. After a hearty supper and a smoke with a corn-cob pipe, I went with Mr. Shelly to the stable, to take a look at my horse. In turning an angle of the building, he grasped me by the arm and pulled me quickly aside. His action startled me for an instant, but the next moment I perceived his motive. Chained near the path was one of the most immense and ferocious looking mastiffs I ever beheld. A magnificent creature to look upon, but a terror to meet, if one were unprepared. "Down, Captain!" commanded my companion, as the dog was in the act of springing to his feet. ^The animal resumed his crouching attitude, and Mr. Shelly went on to say: "That dog is invaluable to me as a 1 - * 1 guard, lie lsaDsoiuieiy ienness, nuu win shrink from no danger, no matter how appalling it may appear. But his ferocious nature compels me to keep him chained during the day, for I verily believe he would killa stranger, if he encountered him in the place." "He is certainly a splendid creature," I remarked, looking back; "I would like to make friends with him, fori have an innate fondness tor dogs." Mr. Shelly shook his head. "Don't try it," he said. "I wouldn't have you approach him under any consideration. That dog will throw an unruly steer, and hold him so securely that he can't rise. An ordinary man would stand but a poor chance of getting away from him alive." On our way back from the stable, we again passed Captain's kennel, and paused to look at him. Mr. Shelly patted his head, while the animal stretched the length of his chain toward me, regarding me all the while with a look that seemed to be anything but unfriendly. There seemed to be so honest a purpose in the brute's eyes that I instinctively put forth my hand, and laid it caressingly on his huge head, when, to the amazement of his master, the creature actually licked my hand in token of amity. I really laughed at the consternation depicted in Mr. Shelly's countenance. "Well!" he exclaimed, drawing a long breath, "if I had not witnessed the thing, I never could have believed it. Why, that animal is a tiger in disposition, and I never believed him capable of friendship for any but my wife and myself. Old Reuben, the negro, is terrified when he comes in the vicinity of that dog. Ilis demeanor toward you is certainly very surprising." It was the custom of Mr. Shelly to loose Captain when they were about closing the house and retiring, and to chain him up . early in the morning, before it was likely there would be any callers at the farm. The following morning I arose very early, having passed a restless night, and finding it impossible to lake a morning nap, I dressed and went down stairs, seating myself on the porch. I had entirely forgotten the fact that Captain was loose, and as I sat inhaling the fresh air from the pines, I was startled to behold the dog standing by my side, gazing fixedly on my face. For a moment 1 was undecided how to act. Retreat was impossible?to show fear might induce the brute to fix his fangs in my throat in an instant. I was afraid to speak, lest a strange voice might alter his purpose if it was pacific. I, therefore, looked kindly at him and smiled. Majestically striding up to me, he laid his broad head upon my knee, and I cautiously began to caress him. During the operation Mr. Shelly fortunately appeared on the scene. He gave a quick glance toward me, and calling the dog, took him to his kennel and chained him. Then it was I explained the circumstance of my early rising, and the unexpected meeting of Captain on the porch. "I don't quite comprehend your good luck with the dog," he remarked ; "but I would advise you in future, to keep in doors until you have seen me about." v "If you have no objection," I replied, "I would very much like to feed thedog once? only once. I will be very careful but I really will consider it a favor if you will consent to my request." "All right," he returned. "You know what I have said about his terrible nature; therefore be on your guard." That day I carried Captain his dinner, and he devoured it while I stood by his side. From thenceforth I had not a misgiving of his good disposition toward me. ******* I was detained at the farm for six days, before the lameness of my horse allowed me to resume my journey. During this time I became very much attached to Mr. Shelly and his wife. Captain and myself had grown to be such good friends that we had taken several strolls together over the land. Notwithstanding my host and hostess appeared to be affectionately attached to each other, there was certainly something wrong at the farm, and it could not escape my observant eye. ()nce or twice I had come upon Mr. Shelly and his wife unexpectedly, and I thought I detected traces of tears in her eyes, while her manner evidently betrayed fear. Still her husbnnd was so kind all "the while that 1 could not avoid pondering on the matter. I never intruded my presence upon them if 1 could avoid it, but it sometimes would occur, in spite of me. One afternoon I came into the room abruptly, and found Mr. Shelly fanning his wife,* and caught a remark he uttered with strong emphasis. "We must sell this place for it is impossible for you to have a day's happiness here, and I would sooner sacrifice it than see you die slowly before my eyes. Oh, 'tis too hard," and he kissed her brow. j _ Tu rning about he saw me, and knew I had heard his expression. 1 "I think I will lie down," said Mrs. Shelly, and as she passed me I noticed her face I was as pale as the dead. When she had gone up stairs, Mr. Shelly I turned to me and said: "I suppose that you perceive there is something amiss here. You see no hands tl about the place, and a general state of tl idleness reigns supreme. Of course there is c< reason for it, and I am going to tell you f< what it means. The only thing I am afraid si of is that you may consider me a madman tl or a fool, but I swear to you what I am about to relate is as true as Holy Writ. I h am an honest man, sir, and a truthful one, c consequently I do not lie when I say we o ~-l L - .Urs-mr* I nave an?apparauuu?iu?nurt, n^uuswicic. I * I pray you do not hastily imagine that I I o am a weak and superstitious man; you j a shall be convinced, for you may see the v whole matter with your own eyes, and then (' judge for yourself. My wife's health has S been failing ever since this thing came S about, and it breaks my heart to witness u her suffering. I can't find a ready purchas- a er for the place, and old Reuben is the only a person who will remain with me, but, you a see, he hides as much as possible indoors, d Look," he continued, pointing across the fi road to a piece of woodland, "do you ob- d serve yonder fallen tree?" $ I gazed in the direction indicated, and t< saw the trunk of a fallen tree lying prone A on the ground. It was, in fact, a huge log, tl from which the bark had been peeled, h "Well," he continued, "at irregular inter- n vals the apparition appears on that fallen h tree, arrayed, in the traditional white dra- a perv, and it walks up and down, swaying s< to a*nd fro, and all the time waving its arms o towards the house. A half hour ago it was h visible, but it vanishes as quickly as it ap- c pears. I am not under any powerful hallu- h cination. I am a rational, sane man, and b what I tell you is the earnest truth." ii "I have witnessed some strange affairs, i? myself," I rejoined, "but let me ask you S if you are positively sure that there is no a trick in the thing." t; He gave a hollow laugh. "Hanging in o the house," he said, "is my repeating rifle, r Men will tell you that I am the best shot in a the country, and that is saying a good deal, tl I can kill a sparrow, and perhaps a butter- il fly. You observe that log is not more than y fifty yards distant, and yet I swear to you b ' "* /1nou?n n /Inorl oim nn i< i nave icjjctiicuij uianu ? uvuu , .. the thing, as it danced plainly in sight.! o I have fired, but still it always stood shak-! ii ing its arms wildly in the air. I've shot! tl dozens of times at it, but I can't kill it for 1 a it is not human." e "No one would try the prank for some ii motive or other?" I questioned. "For in- o stance, suppose they wished to buy the a place cheaply, perhaps this ghost story e might induce you to sell at a sacrifice." "Do you think," he returned quickly, c "that any one who knows Abel Shelly e would care to assume such desperate chan- j h ces before his rifle? Oh, no! There is no-; n body who would take that risk. Besides, I j a should have killed it long ago, if there was I n anything to kill. It always comes in the 1 n afternoon, continued Shelly, "but never at j 1< night. You perceive it reverses the accept- j tl ed time of nocturnal visitation." 1 b "I do not consider myself more courage- a ous than men generally," I replied, "but I e would be glad if you would notify me if d i this object appears again during my stay. f< 1 Perhaps I may be able to investigate more I : satisfactorily than you have done." tl ! "Very well," he replied, "I will do so." j n I had a sweet sleep that night, and no v ghost haunted my dreams, and it was only u i when I awakened that I recalled the con- ti versation of the previous day. I could not tl doubt that Mr. and Mrs. Shelly were both p thoroughly honest in their convictions, still t< I could not bring myself to accept the thing j c as supernatural. I dressed, and, as was my i c custom, went out to visit my friend Captain, tl ! for by this time there was a mutual attach- b ment between us, and I would sooner have n j trusted the beast's loyalty than I would a | most men's. With Captain for an ally 1 a | should feel comparatively safe, for he was b j the perfection of bravery. The day was pleasant, there was not a It* cloud in the sky, and a gentle wind blew j e J with delicious coolness. Dinner had been | $ 1 very late, for Mrs. Shelly was not well. It; rI j was drawing toward 5 o'clock, when I took j a ; my accustomed seat on the porch with my j b I pipe. Shelly joined me; his wifesitting in-1 b ! side, hv the window. Mv eves were in vol-1 o j untarily turned toward the fallen tree, j p | Shelly divined my thoughts, for he shook n his head gravely, smoked, and said nothing, b Suddenly there came a half-suppressed cry tl ! from Mrs. Shelly, and at the same instant her husband exclaimed : : a "There, don't you see it? Look !" I gazed steadily at the spot, but could see j nothing, and told him so. "And you don't see it?" he cried. | i "Watch how it waves its arms towards, us | and dances on the log!" rl I arose to my feet, and went to the edge j 1 of the porch. Every foot of the tree trunk j $ was visible, but nowhere could I discern a h ghost. I absolutely could see nothing but! n ; the old weather-beaten and decaying log. d "Heavens!" exclaimed Shelly, "observe 1 c how wildly it tosses its arm, and see how j p ; its drapery trails." ! d ; 1 took a steady look at the speaker, for I j s< could not reconcile the matter, and I said: tl | "I will try and solve this thing." j I "Don't go there," implored Mrs. Shelly, si j as I stepped down on the ground. tl I made no reply, but walked straight to p j Captain's kennel and unchained him. tl "Old boy," I said, patting his head, "you t< I and I will try it together. Come along." tl ' The noble fellow appeared to comprehend 1: me, for he looked up in my face, licked my I a hand, and walked gravely by my side. lie I o didn't frisk or gambol, but behaved with a f j?: | seriousness becoming the occasion. 1 went j tl ' straight down the road, mounted the fence, and jumped over, Captain keeping a little 1 si in my advance. -I had excited the noble t< S creature, by talking to him, until the hair S ! stood stiffly up on his neck, and his eyes v ! glared like coals. To my utter consterna- ft tion, when he was dashing ahead bravely, ii and about twenty feet from the tree, he ! & gazed in a dazed manner for an instant, and o [uttering a sharp cry, dropped his tail be-, tl tween his legs, and rushed back to the house , a with all his speed. I lopked at his retreat- b ingfortn with a sort of bewilderment, and ti then at the tree. There was certainly noth- si ing unusual visible to my eyes, at least. The n bare old tree trunk?that was all. I smiled ri as I mounted it, and took several turns up j c: and down its length, and then walked back p leisurely to the house. Captain was lying h by his master's chair, trembling in every v limb. The dog was surely terrified. j d "I saw nothing," I remarked. t< "But we did," returned Mrs. Shelly. | "Every step you took the thing followed g you, waving its arms over your head. Oh, t< I am so sorry you went there. Something C will surely happen you, if you are not care-, p ful. You were too rash. It was too peril- f< ous." and she wrung her hands. si "It has gone now," said Shelly. tl Seventeen years have elapsed since then, and I am not conscious of any particular p evil having overtaken me ; but there is one a thing I would very much like to know?if u j Shelly and his wife did not see a ghost, n what did the dog see??Philadelphia Time*, p ?STThe prohibitionists have good cause < '< to be proiul of the little town of Xewington, o X'. II. The town has no liquor saloon, no-j j1 body in the poor house, no debt, no lawyer i> i anil 110 doctor. It has one]church, and the a inhabitants spend their time in thinking j a i and talking about the last job of whitewash} ing done in the village. Xewington was h finished and fenced in fifty years ago. C - n Fi)ktuxKTRli.Kus.?Fortune tellers were ti | considered quite as disreputable thousands j tl I of years ago as they are to-day?indeed, ; j even more so; and they have always made u I most money from those who professed not g 1 to believe in them at all. > Affairs the ftatc. <so u GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE. E.\ECUTIVK ClIAMHEH, Columbia, S. C., November 20, 1884. Gentlemen of the General Assembly: In the discharge of the duty imposed upon tie Governor by the Constitution, to give to tie General Assembly information of the ondition of the State, and to recommend ir their consideration such measures as he hall judge necessary or expedient, I have he honor to transmit the following message: The estimated amount of the public debt i almost the same as last reported, the only hanges being the purchase and cancellation f $11,000 of deficiency bonds by the Sinking "und Commission, and the funding of $3,893 i " " ? 1~ * ,,lnrl , I lire lOUIl UUIJUS Hilt jJicvmuoi^ mi iuuv.u v mong the outstanding securities. The fhole estimated debt is as follows: Consols valid) $5,464,656.77; Deficiency Bonds and tocks, $450,456.29 ; Agricultural College crip, $191,800; and bonds and stocks still nfunded under the Act of 1873 and the mendments thereto, amounting, principal nd interest, to about $415,356.96; the whole ggregating $6,522,270.02. The unfunded ebt, $415,856.96, includes interest unpaid com July, 1872, to January, 1880, which uner Act of 1873 is fundable at par, and also 624,322.72 of old bonds and stock with invest estimated to 1880, and which under kct of 1878 are fundable at 50 per cent. Of his last class of bonds, notwithstanding the irge amounts still unfunded, but few are ow presented for exchange, only $27,000 aving been funded during the last year, nd less than $60,000 in the last two years, o that it is reasonable tosuppose that many f them have disappeared and will never ave to be redeemed by the State. The exhangeof Green Consuls for Brown Consols as progressed satisfactorily,there being now ut $963,372.42 of the former class outstandng, and of which $699,149.36 or 72] per cent. ? invalid. In addition to the debt of the tate, theComptroller-General has prepared statementshowing the debts of every couny, city and town, with the character of the bligation and the purpose for which incured. No greater evidence of the progress rid prosperity of the State is needed than he exhioit made by these tables, by which t appears that in the short period of four ears the indebtedness of the counties has een decreased by very neaaly $1,200,000. It " ' 4/? rkA/irvlo 5 a mauer 01 coiigrmurauuu u? mc pcupjv; i f the State that by the regular and unfail- i ng payment of the intereston herdebt, and i he prompt settlement of all valid claims t gainst her, the credit of the State is now ( stablished beyond question,and confidence s a her willingness and ability to meet her ' bligations so restored as to place her bonds r ta high premium in the markets of the i ountry. < The attention of the General Assembly is ( ailed to that portion of the Comptroller Gen ral's Report which refers to the year which i as been lost in the collection of taxes. No i aore important question will claim your i ttention than that of providing some i aethod of meeting this emergency. The r ecessity of depending upon temporary ( jans from the banks to meet the interest on t he State debt, and at a time, too, when the t anks may be unable to give the needed i ssistance, is much to be deplored, and no 1 ffort should be spared to relieve the fiscal t epartment of the State from such an un- t artunate and unbusiness-like position. 1 luring the last Summer, the condition of 1 he money market was such as to make it a latter of serious doubt whether the banks s rould be able to allow the advances agreed j pon with the State Treasurer, and, in order t a relieve the pressure as much as possible, t he Comptroller-General was forced to susend, for a time, the issuing of warrants | i all charitable institutions and general ( laimants, compelling these creditors to dis- f ount their claims, and thus entailing upon ( hem losses which should properly have i een borne by the State. I will suggest no lethod of correcting this evil, satisfied, 1 s I am, that you will, in your wisdom, 1 doptthat remedy which is most practica- < le under the circumstances. 1 It is estimated that it will require $372,195 i ? meet the ordinary expenses of the gov- i rnmerit for the fiscal year 18S4-85, and 1 391,337 to pay intereston the public debt, i " 1 ?? . jiir.o nnn > Jltf iw^vaiij oiiwuni t nd there will be in the treasury an est i maud surplus of $124,255, leaving but$489,27(5 to i e raised by taxation, and requiring a levy ( f three and a half mills. This amount will ( robably be increased by appropriations not 1 ncluded in estimate for current expenses, t ut the rate of taxation need not exceed s hat of the last year. The amount of property returned for tax- 1 tion for 1884 is: i Heal estate $87,551),5:18 * Personal property 4(5,904,705 i Railroad property 15,263,30(5 t t $149,727,009 'his is a loss of $881,095 on the return of c 883; personal property having fallen off by i 1,345,234, while real estate has gained $428,- a 37, and railroad property $35,402. It is a ( otable fact that the increase in real estate, i uring the last year, is altogether in the ities and towns, the returns of country c roperty having decreased by about $90,- s (JO. That these figures do not truly repre- ! ant the value of the taxable property of r he State, is clearly demonstrated by the < teport of the Comptroller General, which ( hows that real estate is assessed at less i han 08 per cent, of its market value, while j ersonal property is taxed at less than one- t hird of its estimated value. In addition -) this, the Comptroller General estimates i hat there are at least 2,000,000 acres of i ind which are not upon the tax-books at all, n nd this estimate is sustained by the Report ^ f the Secretary of State on the same sub- < ct. The value of the taxable property of rJ he State may fairly be estimated at about 205,000,000, instead of $150,000,000, as as- i ?ssed. In this connection I beg to call at- t ?ntion to the Report of the Secretary of t tate to the Sinking Fund Commission, t :'herein it is shown that there are upon the c )rfeited records of the State, and nominally i i custody of the Commission, no less than t 5(5,292 acres of land, representing a valuation t f $2,503,331, upon which there are due c he State accumulated taxes and penalties t mounting to $313,80(5. When it is remem- f ered that not an acre of this land pays c ixes, and that it is only nominally in pos- t ussion of the State, while the owners re- a lain undisturbed in the enjoyment of the f evenues therefrom, the necessity of de- ? isive legislation on the subject will be ap- i arent. Any further abatement of, or re- t ?ase from, the taxes upon this property, t ,-ill act as an encouragement to still greater elinquencies, rather than as an inducement \ i Ito rn/ltiMinttnn ' ; I would cull especial attention to the sugestions made by the Secretary of State as > the legislation necessary to' enable the 'ommissioners of tin* Sinking Fund to disuse of the large amount of land on the For,'ited Land Record, and I recommend that ueh legislation be had as will accomplish [lis much-to-be-desired object. Inasmuch as a Commission has been apointed to revise the tax laws of the State nd report a more suitable system of assesslent and taxation, I shall not attempt to lake suggestions on this subject. The re-! ort of the Commission will be submitted > the General Assembly at this session. I incur, however, in the recommendation f the Comptroller General as to a change 1 the time of taking returns and of collectlg taxes; and if consistent with the gener1 scheme of such tax laws as may be passed t this session, I recommend its adoption. 1 I would ask your careful attention to the 1 dl and able Report of the Comptroller p feneral, which contains much useful infor- \ lation and makes many valuable sugges- p ons touching the important department of 1 le State government under his charge. e The Report of the Superintendent of Ed- c ctaion shows marked improvement in the t eneral condition of the public schools, i Notwithstanding the existence of many i :auses tending to impede the work during it he last year, very decided advances have 20 )een made. There were enrolled in the T1 )ublic schools 84,028 white pupils, and 101,- gl >91 colored, making a total of 185,619, an co ncrease of 12,524 pupils over the large en- te ollment of the previous year. According en :o the calculations of the Superintendent, ' his enrollment is found to be 05 per cent, id )f the total school population; or, stated bj iccording to race, 821 per cent, of the white, vu ind 56 1-9 per cent, of the colored children ou ,vere enrolled. This percentage shows that go he schools have been brought within the an each of the children as fuly as is done in an New York or Pennsylvania. The increase Tl n the number of teachers is 190; in the di lumber of schools, 218. The school fund is ce ilso increasing with the enhancement of vn iroperty values. The total available school as unci for 1S81-82 was $471,171.19; for 1882-83 it; t was $7)17,937.27. The amount for 1883-84 ar :annot be definitely ascertained until the tri inal accounting of the County Treasurers of lext April, but there is every reason to be- ta ieve that it will exceed that of the preced- au ngyear. Most of the School Commission- th ?rs report better teachers, better school pi louses and a greasier interest in education th >n the part of the people. These results, in co he opinion of the Superintendent of Edu- th ation, are largely the outcome of the Nor- an nal Institute work inaugurated in 1880. lit The complete and suggestive report of.Dr. ne S. S. Joynes, which forms a part of the sci superintendent's Annual Report, gives a an iroad, comprehensive view of educational in orces brought into play through these In- in ititutes. They have become factors of great ic mnortance in the development of the State, in incl I cordially recommend them to the an :ontinued support of the General A&sembly. g.> The Superintendent of Education makes of /arious suggestions for the improvement of de he public school system which I commend vn :o your earnest consideration. Among pi ;hem is one asking for the enactment of a th aw giving, under certain restrictions, the af lower to cities, towns and incorporated vil- tu ages to levy local taxes for the support of th lublic schools. The power to levy local nc vhen conferred by the Legislature, should be so guarded as to prevent the possibility of ar jnjust and burdensome taxation, and to pro- ti< :ect fully the rights of property against en- A . roachment. Several Acts nave been passed th Tom time to time giving to special eommu- lit lities the right to levy such taxes. The uni- in brm success which has attended the workng of the public schools wherever the plan gi if local taxation for their support has been th airly tried, proves that this mode of raising of _ I * : ??nn1n | .... revenues IS Uie one ueai auiwru iiu 3U|i['icnenting the State school fund. Under our ro system of government public education can re jnly attain the highest results through local th support and local control of the schools, etl The local governments, reaching as they do be nost closely to the homes of the people, tii . an best be entrusted with the care of the sa iducational interests of their respective m communities. In giving further shape to our education- w il work, we should not overlook the import- fo ince of attaching to it that feature which si! outs the management of the schools almost u[ vholly in the hands of local authorites. to The best goverment for the schools is that in of the people, with no more State control is ;han is necessary to secure the harmonious ou ind orderly working of the system. Ex- is< oerience in other States has shown that ed ocal management is the vital principle of ar i well organized public school system, and [ te; ;hat without it all that is most essential for | op he full development of any scheme of pub-1 an ic education will be lost. : tu One of the pressing wants in our school j or system is for good high schools. The only I ad alan which I can suggest by which such ) te schools can be supplied is to supplement C'< :he State school tax by local levies. The University of South Carolina, as at gi present constituted, comprises the Claflin ! to College, for colored students, at Orangebiirg; I U he South Carolina Military Academy, at ne Charleston, and the South Carolina College, I be it Columbia. th No report of the operations of Claflin Col- th ege for the last session has been made to me, mt I have 110 reason to doubt that the work ti< lone last year compares well with that of th "ormer years. Under the able and efficient th nanagement of Rev. E. Cooke, D. 1)., this ed nstitution has accomplished much good for fu he youth who have had the benefit of its pr nstruction, and through them for the im-j at: irovement of the colored race in this State. 1 ed I ask to call yourattention specially to the I eport of the Board of Visitors of that branch 1 sa )f the University known as the South Car- j th ilina Military Academy. It exhibits a 1 ni ligh-grade scientific and practical school,! ati he curriculum of which is thoroughly pur-1 w sued. j yc This institution was reopened on October ; ch [, 18S2, since which time it has been in j re ictive anil regular operation. One hundred ; re 1 a-- - -i- i. r it. ..it. f inci ininy-eignt 01 uiu tvuuui hi ouuui v.m- j w )lina are now receiving1 its instruction, and j Tl lie result cannot but redound to the best in- j in erests of the State. Every county in the j ta state is at present represented in the Acad- j hi >my, and the number of cadets would be j H nuch larger were it not that the standard of I or scholarship, which the system in its thor-! th mghness demands, annually depletes the j tu anks of the classes. ! tu The course of instruction embraces a thor- i in nigh and comprehensive scheme of studies, I ra iueh as addresses itself to the needs of the j gr state, especially in the sphere of technical sit ind industrial training. Xor should it be ; pe iverlooked that the military regulation and i dc liscipline which lie at the foundation of this j ye nstitution are valuable agencies in the j tli iroper moral and physical development of: he youth of the State. , j ye The corps of officers and professors, agree-1 ' ibly to the application of the Hoard of Vis-1 of tors, has been reinforced by the addition of | ry i competent officer of the United States of \rmy, detailed by direction of the Presi- j floi lent'as Professor of Military Science and j inj Tactics. 8">i By virtue of my office, I have been a j 00 nember of the Board of Visitors for the last I w< wo years and I have given close attention j pr o the affairs of the Academy. I am satis- as ied that it has been conducted with all the ! th iconomy consistent with the standard of ti( isefulness that has been established, and wi hat the estimate submitted for the main- wi enance and education of the beneficiaries co >f the State cannot be safely reduced. If ' he full amount of the appropriation asked to or is not granted, some of the beneficiary | ofi adets must be dismissed at once. From sei he fact that these cadets have entered into 1 un in obligation to teach for two years after 1 vi: graduation, in the public schools of the ,ju< State, it is but due to them that none of the j 'lai lumber be dismissed without fault before tai he completion of the course upon which by hey have entered. i ca The wisdom of the legislators of our State re; vho in 1842 established the State Military j Tl \cademy has been amply vindicated by ; tai ime. It stands to-day an important ele-1 Sti nent in our educational scheme?one which 1 tli veil deserves your fostering care and liberal Tl upport. * - wt The prosperous condition of the South j f>l' 'arolinsi College is most gratnying, aim ?.>i bundantly demonstrates the wisdom of tin lie policy which effected its reorganization ; Ca 111882. The last session was most success- ed ul. The catalogue shows a total enrollment; tin if 202 students?a number exceeded but | toi wico in the history of the institution, j 1,(1 >f these 202 students, 108 were natives | wt if this State, the largest number of South j eai 'arolinians ever assembled at one time j elf vithin the walls of the institution. If; an omparison he made of the fourteen leading; tin miversities of the South as regards atten- of lance and collegiate charges for theses- is< ion of 1883-4, it will be found that this col-! in ege shows the third largest number of col- tin eginte students?the University of (ieor-lgu ;ia having but thirteen more and the Uni- is ersity of Alabama eleven more. As re-jtir rards cheapness, it stands at the head of the j cic ist. It can be safely affirmed that equal | if a ducational advantages are not offered as < heaply to the students and at less cost to w< he State, by any other institution of learn-1 for ng in this country. The number of matric-1 sei dates for the present session is now l(i(), and 1 tin is confidently expected that it will reach j f) before the close of the second term. ! lat the general business depression and j oomy agricultural outlook in/so many unties of the State have affected the atndance so little, is as surprising as it is couraging to the friends of the College. The work of reorganization has been raply perfected. The courses of study offered ' the institution are comprehensive and tried, and the instruction afforded thorgh and progressive. The discipline is od, the bearing of the students admirable, (1 the relations existing between them d the faculty kindly and harmonious. ie requirement for admission, at first juciously conformed to the educational nessities of the State, art? being steadily admeed, and the standards for graduation, high as those which obtain in the major/ of the leading colleges of the country, e rigidly enforced. While loyal to the idiHons of the oast, and therefore desirous maintaining its reputation in the inipornt department of classical learning, the thorities have wisely determined toadapt e college to the circumstances of our neoe and to the activities and the demands of e present day. During the last session the urses intended to prepare young men for e learned professions, for scientific pursuits id for the ordinary business avocations of e have been extended and improved, and i\v courses of instruction in law, in the ience and art- of teaching, in physiology id pharmacy added. The scientific teachg is not confined to theoretical instruction the class room. Thorough and systematdrill in the laboratory and field is offered surveying and engineering in general, id in agricultural chemistry, in mineralo', in botany and in pharmacy. The series experiments made by the agricultural 'partment during the year is extensive and iluable, and the results will be given to the iblicthis winter. That the influence of e college is already felt in our educational fairs, is shown by the fact that of the /enty-four graduates sent out last year, irteen, or more than fifty per cent., are >wengaged in the work of teaching. The organization and work of the college e beginning to attract the favorable no,'e of the leading educators of the South, distinguished college president predicts at "this work will soon place South Carom in the lead among the Southran States un i versity education." What has been already accomplished ves abundant promise that the future of e institution will be in every way worthy its past, and that it will, as in former ;ars, repay the liberal support and patnage of the State by equally liberal turns. To the value and largeness of ese returns many of the most distinguishI among my predecessors in office have irne willing and eloouent testimony?tes tnony with which every one at all convernt with the history of the State is failiar. To dwell upon the many beneficial results hieh can, with confidence, he expected to llow from theestablishmentof the Univerty of South Carolina in all its branches >on a safe and permanent foundation, or press upon the General Assembly the lportance of according to it liberal support, surely unnecessary at this time, when ir political skies are so bright with promwhen hope and confidence have returnl to our people, when loyalty to the past id proper regard for the future, when the achings of experience and the best philosihy of the day, when enterprise, progress id'true wisdom all demand that our institions of higher educations should be honed and charished as a certain means of Ivancing the material, the moral and inIlectual interests of the citizens of this >m moil wealth. The reports to be submitted to you will ve full estimates of the amounts required support the different branches of the niversity during the year. I would ear>stly recommend that such appropriations i made as may be necessary to maintain eir usefulnessand to promoteand increase eir efficiency. The Governor next reviews the opera>ns for the past year of the Institution for e education of the deaf and dumb and e blind, to which a department for colorI pupils has been opened and is in success1 operation ; and he recommends such apopriations for the repair of the buildings id the support of the Institution as is askI for by the board of commissioners. In reference to the Lunatic Asylum he ys the report of theSuperintendent shows at the number of patients at the beginng of the last fiscal year was GO.'}; number Imitted, 203; readmitted,"); making the hole number under treatment during the iar 901. The number of inmates at the f)se of the year, G2S, was diminished by manding 33 imbeciles to the care of their speetive Con nty Commissioners, asauthor:)d by Section loOo of the General Statutes, le average number of patients was GG ore than in the year previous. Thesaniry condition of the institution has been ghly commended by the State Board of ealth. It appears that the number of coled patients is so steadily increasing, that ey will, probably, in a few years, constite a majority of the inmates of the instiHnn. The noliev of nrovidimr for them separate buildings, or, possibly, in sepatu institutions, on economic or otiier ounds, is commended to the serious conleration of the General Assembly. The r capita cost of maintenance has been reiced from $14G.">4 last year to ^142.78 this ar, and the estimates for the support of e Asylum for all purposes are less by ,482.05 than the amount appropriated last 'ar. The Governor next refers to the report the board of directors of the Peniientia, from which it appears that the number convicts on the .'list of October last was [J, an increase of (id over the correspondg period of last year. Of this number [> were colored males, 38 colored females, white males and 2 white females. .The irk of completing the North wing of the ison lias been pressed forward as rapidly possible, and a large workshop similar to e one now in use is in the course of erec>n. Until the North wing is finished it 11 be impossible to provide accomodations thin the walls of the prison for all the nvicts now undergoing sentence. The plan of hiring convicts to contractors be worked without the supervision of the leers of the prison is open to many and rious objections. Whenever employed ider contract they should have thesupersion of officers who have the vigilance, igment, and skill in the management of ge bodies of convicts which can be atined only-by experience and secured only official responsibility. In no other way I n the great object of prison discipline?the I formation of criminals?be promoted, j ic Penitentiary is now not only self-susining, lint is a source of revenue to the lte. With continued good management I e income from this source will increase. io cash receipts for the last fiscal year i -** AO.) O.) . ik/\ <7 1 *rc ^#'J,>?< >*)._i? j uu; uinuuinciiiciiio, tn,- i 1.74, leaving on hand a cash balance of 35.48. The disbursements include all of L' expenses of the Penitentiary and of the i nal. To the cash balance should be add, as showing the earnings of the Peniteniry for the year, $x, 142.01), due by eontrac- j -s for the hire of convicts, together with ino,()()i) bricks made by convicts, which are I >rth $8,500. From personal observation I j a bear testimony to the Wal, economy and I iciency with which the Superintendent { d his subordinate otticcrs have conducted : e affairs of the prison. No better evidence I the economy practiced need be given than i contained in the statement which appears i the lteport of the Superintendent, that e? cost of maintenance, including feeding, i arding, clothing and medical attendance, 1M cents per capita per day, while the ene cost, including improvements and inlental expenses, is about 88 cents per copper day. _ i )n this subject the Governor reviews the >rk accomplished on the Columbia Canal, which the last Session of the General As- i nbly autorized the Hoard of Directors of i e; Penitentiary to expend during the last year in the prosecution of the work the sum of !?17,0")0 of the income of the Penitentiary over and above the amount necessary for the support and maintenance of the institution, and to employ the services of 200 able bodied convicts. Of the amount authorized to be expended, but $13,080.20 was spent last year. In consequence of sickness prevailing in some of the convict camps, the contractors declined to accept the full number of convicts to which they were entitled, and the revenue of the Penitentiary for the hire of convicts was so reduced as to make it impossible, with proper regard to all interests of the institution, to expend on the canal the full amount authorized by law. A daily average of 1!)2 hands was employed on the work. The message notes the fact that the canal furnishes employment to a large 'number of convicts who would otherwise be comparatively idle, and urges the completion of the work as rapidly as the finances of the .State wil permit. The Adjutant and Inspector General reports that he has made a personal inspect-inn oil tlio mmniinioi in thp Stiltp OY cept three. Notwithstanding the difficulties with which they lnive to contend, and the insufficiency of the means provided for sustaining these organizations, he has found that in nearly every instance, they have increased in efficiency. There lias been a decrease on the rolls, as compared with last year, of 520 officers and men, while the number present at inspection was 3">2 less than last year. The Adjutant and Inspector General expresses much gratification at the prospect of the increased appropriation for the militia for the present year, as was provided for by the last Legislature, though even that appropriation will still be inadequate provision for the maintenance of a well organized body of militia. The report of tlie Railroad Commission furnishes full statements of the operations during the last year of the railroads in this State and of the workings of the Commission. The carefully prepared tables, which form part of the report, give in a condensed form much valuable information of the condition of the different railroads. The report makes no recommendation as to any changes in the law prescribing the powers and duties of the Commission. The Commissioners report that there is "less discriminnfi/in inn t-r? o+.iKili + \r i r> fll pftni. plaints and greater harmony between the railroads and the people than at any time during the administration of the present board, or of their predecessor." A portion of the message is devoted to the Department of Agriculture, reviewing its operations for the past year; also, the State Agricultural and Mechanical Society, and the State Board of Health; and after referring to the present condition of the State House, for which it is estimated that it will cost ?738,475 to complete the building according to the original design, the Governor says that while the completion of the work may well be postponed for the future, he desires to repeat the recommendation made to the last General Assembly that steps be taken to preserve the property and prevent further damage to the offices and their contents from the elements. As requested by the concurrent resolution of November 30, 1883,1 authorized the Attorney-General "to defend all persons prosecuted in the United States Courts for any charges that may be preferred against them while in the discharge of their duties under the State election laws." The Attorney General, in his Report to the General Assembly, gives a full statement of the trial and result of these cases. Ten thousand dollars, if so much be necessary, was appropriated for the purpose of paying the expenses incurred in the election trials in the United States Courts, to be paid on the warrant of the Comptroller General on orders of the Governor. From this appropriation I have paid for the transportation, board and expenses of defendants and witnesses and other necessary expenses incurred in the trials, the sum of. 8 2,554 20 For fees of the three general counsel, representing all the defendants 1,500 00 Total $4,054 20 Vouchers for these expenditures are on file in the office of the Comptroller General. In this connection it is proper to say that very valuable services were rendered by the learned local counsel for the different counties, who represented the several defendants, but I did not feel authorized, under the terms of the appropriation, to make any compensation for their services out of this fund. The unexpended balance of the fund now in the Treasury is 85,945.80. Iii July last 1 received from the Jion. W. II. Trescot, a draft of the Treasury of the United States for ?00,.'170.98, which amount had been appropriated by the General Deficiency Appropriation Act of Congress of 1884, "for the payment to the Governor of the State of South Carolina of one-fourth of the proceeds of leases and sales of land in the said State under the Act of Congress of June 7, 1802, according to the amount stated by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury." This amount was collected and received by Air. Trescot as one of the Commissioners of the State of South Carolina, appointed in 1870 under the authority of a concurrent resolution of the Legislature, passed in 1875; the late Hon. James 13. Campbell being the other Commissioner. The compensation of Messrs. Cainpell and Trescot for the services then rendered and thereafter to be rendered in the discharge of the duties imposed upon them was fixed in 1883 by a Commission which was authorized to agree upon the same by the Act of Assembly approved December 21, 1S82, (18 Statutes at I^arge, page!).) The compensation was fixed at ten (10) per cent, for expenses and twenty-five (25) per cent, for fees, "to be paid out of such moneys as they may recover and in no other way." Under this agreement the fees of the Commissioners, thirty-five (35) percent, of the amount received, viz., $21,131.59, were paid by me. The balance remaining, $3!),244.39, was deposited with the State Treasurer, subject to the order and direction of the Governor. The money so appropriated by Congress, $(50,375.98, is one fourth of the amount realized by the United States from sales and leases of lands bought in by the United States at tax sales for want of bidders, in excess ot amount due for taxes on said lands, and is "for the purpose of reimbursing the loyal citizens of the State, or such other purpose as the State may direct." (Act of Congress 7th June, 1862, Section 12, 12 Statutes, 2 Brightly's Digest Laws of United States, 1857-65, page 422, Section 59.) I invite your consideration of this sub * ? ? -.i-x; ject, that appropriate legisiuuou muy uu had directing the disposition of the amount, $M,:M4..'1!>, which is now in the State Treasury subject to the order of the Governor. it is provided in Article 11, Section 4, of the Constitution, that the enumeration of the inhabitants of the State for the purpose of the apportionment of the .Representatives be made in the year 187"), and in the course of every tenth year thereafter. This enumeration, should therefore be taken during the next year, and I recommend that such appropriation be made as may be necessary for this purpose. In obedience to the requirement of the law, 1 submit herewith a statement of the pardons and commutations granted by me during the last year and the reasons therefor. Hy an act passed at the last session of the General Assembly it was made the duty of the Hoard of Directors of the penitentiary to report quarterly to the Governor such cases as, after examination, they may deem fit subjects for executive clemency. In consequence of these examinations recommendations for pardons have been made in several cases, which otherwise would not have been brought to my attention. In most of the cases recommended by the Hoard of Directors under the Act referred to executive clemency has been exercised. Gentlemen of the General Assembly: You meet at this time under circumstances of peculiar encouragement, yet of peculiar responsibility. At the close of a heated political contest, which has effected a change in the Federal administration, our people are looking forward with brightened hopes; with renewed confidence in the security of free institutions and with quickened affection for the government of our fathers. All signs point to a revived and increased prosperity for our State. We may justly hope that, so far as our Federal relations are coucerned, every pledge will be given for the j security and welfare of our people. But the Federal administration, however important I in its political bearings, cannot ensure the internal and domestic welfare of a State. The more intimate, essential and universal interests of our people will be entrusted to I your care, and henceforth only more fully, j more freely, and thus with larger responsi: bility than heretofore, while the eyes of the State and of the whole country will be : turned more than ever with anxious and hopeful solicitude to your proceedings and to the unfolding of our domestic policy. Under these conditions, alike auspicious and critical, let us thank God and take courage, nnri lot n? nlofliro tn pjioh other in everv branch of the State government to secure to all our people the blessings of protection, peace and prosperity. HUGH S. THOMPSON. SHEKMAN^S. DAVIS. A St. Louis, Mo., dispatch of November 24, in the New York Herald, reads as folj lows: At the opening of the new hall of the Frank P. Blair Post, Grand Army of the I Republic, in this city a few weeks ago, Genj eral Sherman addressed a gathering of old j soldiers, and in the course of his remarks ; took occasion to pay his respects to Jefferson Davis, which he did in sucn a vigorous way j that Mr. Davis has repelled the charges there made in language equally forcible. General Sherman referred to the late war and said that secession was merely a conspiracy and that Jeff Davis was a conspiraj tor whose aim was to use the Confederacy j as a fulcrum with which he could operate against the other sections of the country ! looking to a practical dictatorship. I "I have been behind the curtain," said General Sherman, "and I have seen letters that few others have seen, and heard conversations than cannot be repeated. I have seen a letter from Jefferson Davis to a man whose name I cannot mention, because he is a United States Senator. I know Davis' writing, and saw his signature, and in that letter he said he would turn Lee's army against any State that might attempt to secede from the Southern Confederacy." reply of mr. davis. , This morning the Republican printed the following letter from Mr. Davis in reply: Beauvoir, Miss., November 6, 1884. Editor St. Louis Republican: Dear Sir?I have to-night received the enclosed published account of remarks made by General \v. t. rsnerman, aim usk. mc usu ui juui columns to notice only so much as particularly refers to myself and which is to be found in the following extracts. The following is taken from the St. Louis Republican : Frank P. Blair Post, G. A. It., opened their new hall, corner of Seventeenth and Olive Streets, last evening. General Sherman addressed the assemblage. He had read letters which he believed had never been published and which very few people had seen. These letters showed the rebellion to be more than a mere secession?it was a conspiracy more dire. Letters which had passed between Jeff Davis and a man whose name it would not do to mention, as he is now a member of the United States , Senate, had been seen by the speaker and showed Davis' position. He was not a Secessionist. His object in starting the rebellion was not merely for the secession of the South, but to have this section of the country so that he could use it as a fulcrum from which to fire out his solid shot at the other sections of the country and compel the people to do as he wonld have them. Jeff Davis would have turned his hand against any State that would secede from the South after the South had seceded from the North. Had the rebellion succeeded, General Sherman said, the people of the North would have all been slaves. another report. The following is from the Globe Democrafts report: Referring to the late war, he said it was not, as was generally understood, a war of secession from the United States, but a conspiracy. "I have been behind the curtain," said he, "and I have seen letters that few others have seen, and have heard conversations that cannot be repeated, and I tell you that Jeff Davis never was a secessionist. lie was a conspirator. He did not care for the division of the United States. His object was to get a fulcrum with which to operate against the Northern States, and e hp wrmld tn-dav have been the master spirit of the continent, and you would be his slaves. I have seen a letter from Jeff Davis to a man whose name I cannot mention, because he is a United States Senator. I know Davis' writing and know his signature, and in that letter he said he would turn Lee's army against any State that might attempt to secede from the Southern Confederacy. unqualifiedly false. This public assault under the covert plea that it is based upon information which regard for a United States Senator does not permit him to present, will, to honorable minds, suggest the idea of irresponsible slanders. It is thus devolved upon me to say that the allegation that my ever having written such a letter as is described is unqualifiedly false, and the assertion that I had any purpose or wish to destroy the liberty and equal rights of any State, either Xorth or South, is a reckless and shameless falsehood, especially because it was generally known that for many years before, as well as during the war between the States, I was an earnest advocate of the strict construction State rights theory of Mr. Jefferson. What motive other than personal malignity can be conceived for so gross a libel? If Gen. Sherman has had access to any letter purporting to have been written by me which will sustain his accusations, let him produce them or wear the brand of a base slanderer. Yours respectfully, Jefferson Davis. blood ix tiie eye of teuumseh. Of course this letter called for a rejoinder from General Sherman, and the General's residence 011 Garrison avenue was visited to-day by newspaper representatives, all of whom he received in a courteous but not altogether friendly manner. He anticipated the leading question by remarking: "T have read the letter of Jefferson Davis ; in this morning's paper, and I nave nothing to say to the newspapers." I He laid down his pen, and, turning in ; his chair, said, with that firm tone which showed that the subject had stirred up ! his ire: "This is an affair between two gentlei men. I will take my time about it and ! write to Mr. Davis myself. * We will settle i the matter between us." "Have the papers misrepresented you in your remark? before the 1" rank Blair Post, li. A. It ?" was asked. "I say nothing about that. My reply to I Mr. Davis will not be through the papers. They are not the arbiters of this question nor the go-between for any dispute. I have no more to say." Tiib "Husks" ox Which the Prodigal Sox Fed.?The husks upon which the prodigal son fed are not, as the reader is apt to imagine, the husks of maize, that is, of Indian corn. They are the fruit of the Kharub tree, and are from their shape called in the Greek little horns. From the popular notion that they were the food of John the Baptist they are called St. John's bread. Dr. Thompson describes them as "fleshy pods, somewhat like those of the honey locust tree, from six to ten inches long and one broad, lined inside with a gelatinous substance, not wholly unpleasant to the taste when thoroughly ripe, i have seen large orchards of the Kharub in Cyprus, where it is still the food which /