HOYT & CO., Proprietors.
ANDERSON C. H., S. C, THURSDAY MORNING, AUGUST 1, 1872.
VOLUME Vm.?NO. 4.
Correspondence of the Nation.
Bice-Field Sketches.
the low-cou>*try j?*egro as A2f elector. !
Charleston, S. C, June 1.
To a stranger in a Southern latitude, a ride
along the causeway of a rice-field in the month
of May presents an interesting sight. The
rice-field of to-day is in most respects the rice
field of "slavery times." In the vast tracts of
land lying along the coast the current of life
is almost as stagnant as the water of their
swamps, and, to outward appearance, the past
seven years have made few changes. The
month of May is the most favorable season for
observation, for at that time a siugle sweep of
the eye over one of those fields of hundreds of
acres will show nearly the whole process of
rice growing. From the causeway of one of
the largest fields cn Mr. JB.'s place I was fa?
vored with just such a view. On one side of
the causeway a hundred negro men were at
work, using their heavy, clumsy hoes in cutting
down "volunteer" rice, one of the pests of the
planter; while upon the other side another
hundred?all women?were performiug the
same work, using the same implements, and
receiving the same pay as their male comrades.
The Woman's Righta party should take cour?
age ; Mr. B. informed me that the work of the
women was fully up to that of the men, and
was apt to be more thoroughly done. Both
sets or "gangs" of workers were doing "task"
work, and were paid at the rate of fifty cents
a task. In former times, a day's work for a
slave was laid out in tasks, or half acres, and
this custom Mr. B. still keeps up, finding it to
be the most satisfactory wherever the nature of
the work will admit of it. By rising betimes,
the negroes finish their tasks by one o'clock
p. m., after which no pay can keep them in
the field, and the afternoon is spent in working
their own parcels of land, in fishing or iu sleep?
ing. The fifty cents, however, is but a small
part of the pay, all the elements which go to
constitute negro happiness?house and fire,
bacon and rice?are furnished him in addition.
Mr. B. has over two thousand negroes scattered
over fifty thousand acres of land, and each
family has an almost unlimited choice of a
spot upon which to settle. To clear a space
and build a log-hut chinked with mud takes but
a short time, and nothing better is desired.
Each one can cultivate all the rice he wishes
upon the land set apart for the purpose, and
there are hundreds of acres of woodland
through which his hogs may roam and from
which he cuts his fuel. Their bacon and rice,
however, are generally carried to Mr. B. to be
purchased. This he never fails to do, evon if
he pays above the market price. To him la?
bor is a necessity, and he says he finds that so
long as the negro has enough to eat, nothing
can induce his further exertion until necessity
compels it But rice, bacon and money gone,
hunger and labor follow as a natural sequence,
and even then, one who works the six days of
the week is the rare exception. The foremen
of the gangs are paid by the day, at a higher
rate, the wages varying according to ability,
and rank. Each field hand is paid for his day's
labor in coming from his work, and either im?
mediately or by Saturday night the money will
be spent at some one of the stores erected by
Mr. B. on different portions of his estates. The
negroes can buy at them to better advantage
than elsewhere, and thus there is a mutual
benefit. ,
The' negro foremen are chosen either from
long experience or superior sagacity, and in
the rice-field referred to, the head-foreman of
each gang, assisted by several sub-foremen,
was moving about correcting and assisting the
the rest at their work. On the causeway sat
the white overseer on horseback overlooking
the whole. A little beyond where these hands
were at work, separated only by an embank?
ment, mule-teams were breaking the ground
for planting. Still further along were rice
fields covered with the first or "sprout" flow of
water, and others again with the second or
"stretch'1 flow. From others the latter had
been drawn off, aud the rice, weak aud flaccid,
lay flat ou the ground, receiving new life from
the burning rays of the midday sun. Far
away in the distance miniature figures moved
along an embankment, and a nearer approach
showed another gang of hands engaged in the
repair of a leaking gate. Earth was to be re?
moved, and to accomplish this an endless chain
of half-hands of both sexes were slowly moving
to and fro, each bearing on his or her head a
basket made of a peculiar wiry grass filled with
the dripping sod. The sun was in one of his
warmest moods, causing the disturbed soil to
five forth a deadly miasma distinctly percepti
le to the senses. There were at least a cou?
ple of a dozen of these half-grown hands en?
gaged in this somewhat shiftless manner ou
work which a half-dozen Irishmen with shovel
and wheel-barrow would have done better in
less time. Mr. B. said it was impossible to in?
duce them to use wheel-barrows, and that, so
long as such labor was to be had in abundance
at half price, it was his best policy to keep
them employed.
It should be understood that the ''low coun?
try" negroes are in many respects entirely dis?
tinct from those of any other portion of the
South. As a class, they arc undoubtedly the
purest specimens of the native, unadulterated
African on Southern soil. Among the hun?
dreds coming under my observation, I saw but
one mulatto, even the copper or tawny complex?
ion of the up-country is lacking ; coalblack is
the universal color. In speech they make use
of numberless contractions in addition to the
usual negro dialect, and the rawest Yorkshire
man is not more distinguishable than the low
country negro, wherever met with. The vow?
els, too, are given a peculiar significance, and
to a stranger these causes combine to create a
great difhculty, if not utter impossibility, iu
understanding the simplest remarks. In ap?
pearance these negroes are simply brutish?the
word is not too strong. The projection of lip
and flatness of nose struck me as remarkable,
even for the negro, and I called attention to
this fact while riding with Mr. B. Stopping a
passing negro, he called him up close to the
carriage, and taking a knife from his pocket,
applied one end of the handle to the tip of his
nose, endeavoring at the same time with the
other end to touch his chin. But the projec?
tion of the lips was too great, and the lower
end of the knifo-haudle stood out an inch or
more from the chin. If the operation had been
of daily occurrence the man could not have
stood it more stolidly, aud when told to move
on, did so without a word or a smile. "Now,"
said Mr. B., "if I were selecting a negro, and
wished a common field hand, all muscle and no
brain, I should choose jiHt such a man, while
if I wanted intelligence, I would bring my
knife into play, the straightness of nose and
thinness of lips being indicative in a direct ra?
tio of the desired quality. The same experi?
ment was repeated a half doz.en times in the
course of the afternoon, always with precisely
the same result.
The knowledge of an ordinary town negro is
limited enough ; but it is wisdom compared
with bis country cousin. "Cain," said Mr. B.
to one of his head foremen, in a rice-tield where
upwards of three hundred "hands"' were at I
work, "how many among these can read or
write ?" "Not one, sah," was the reply, "cep'
Jim Crow; him spell um letters berry little."
This was true. Out of the whole number, not
one could read or write. Their ignorance is
dense. I saw but one foreman who could read
or write intelligibly. The representative of
the district at Columbia was an old family ser?
vant of Mr. B.'s, and was taught to read by
his mistress that he might be better able to
follow his avocation as a preacher among his
fellow-servauts. His acquirements were not so
great, however, as to prevent, his rising in his
seat when an additional tax of several mills on
the dollar was under discussion, and declaring
that "Mas B. had more mills now on his place
than he could use, and he didn't see how any
more could be needed."
A striking element in the negro's character
is his emotional nature?in fact, it may be said
to include his religious perceptions. They are
perpetually falling from grace, and their re?
ligious life is a continual ascent and descent.
But their method of ascertaining the genuine?
ness of the reform in each other is novel:
When at one of their meetings an individual
of either sex professes a return to a better life,
a ring is formed upon the floor or ground by
loosely dropping broken bricks in a circle.
Around this circle, on and among the bricks,
th? unfortunate individual must hop, on bare
knees, while those present join in singing a
chosen hymn. If the hopping is not comple?
ted by the time the hymn ceases, the backslider
is considered unworthy of readmission, and, is
consigned back to the dominion of Beelzebub,
or vice versa if the result is different. They do
not enioy having outside observers of their
proceedings?preferring the darkness and some
retired spot in the forest. Here they frequent?
ly dance, sing and shout the livelong night,
falling into paroxysms of excitement, and prac?
tically illustrating their own idea of "religion."
Here is a field for missionary labor unsurpassed
by any under the care of boards of foreign
missions. Honesty, Mr. B. said, was a virtue
he never expected to find; it was the rare ex?
ception. He made allowance for so much to be
stolen, and only guarded n?:;:nst its becoming
ruinous by selecting the worst thieves and
placing them on guard around the rice store?
houses and buildings generally. For any neg?
ligence, their wages are "docked" to the amount
of the loss incurred.
In manner they are very much the same as
formerly?perfectly respectful as a rule, and
invariably using the prefix "mas" or "massa."
The very great objection upon their part to
seeing one of their own number show evidences
of wealth is worthy of note. They consider it
only right and proper that their old masters
should ride good horses or drive handsome
equipages; but let one of their own number do
so, and there is a furious huc-and-cry of "he's
notin' but a nigga." Mr. B.'s own conviction
in regard to the conduct of the negroes with
whom he had come in contact since the war
was that under the circumstances they had
been expected. This opinion I find very gen?
eral. But there can hardly be a doubt that
had they been properly "let alone," there never
would have been the present trouble or the jeal?
ousy and suspicion with which the races now
regard each other. The trouble has come from
outside sources and from the formation of
leagues for political purposes. The power of
these associations over the negroes is something
all the leaders need to do is to raise the cry,
"You will be put back into slavery," and it is
enough to look upon any candidate with sus?
picion for whom their old masters or present
employers vote. Their release from slavery is
of course attributed to the Republican party,
and there seems to be a charm in the name which
is perfectly fascinating. "There is Scowling,"
said Mr. B., pointing to the foreman over a
gang of a hundred hands in a rice-field; "I
consider him one of my most reliable, trust?
worthy men. He knows me well, and I really
think he would do anything I would ask him
except vote for me; and, if he had his own
choice, he would do that, but as matters stand
now it would be as much as his life is worth to
attempt it. He would vote in preference for
the veriest rascal in the district?one whom he
knew to be such?provided he called himself a
Republican. Although I do not know that I
have a single personal enemy among them, I
could not count on more than eight votes out
of all the men I employ." Mr. B. never med?
dles in politics, and these remarks were made
in reply to my question as to what chance he
would stand were he to run for office. To the
Suestioh whether he "knew General Grant,"
..cowling replied, "Yest, sah, I vote for um."
"And you knew Mr. Lincoln?" "Fader
Abrumf Ah, yest, sah." "And Mr. Charles
Suniner?" "No, sah, nebber hecred o' dat
gemman." "But you know Mr. Grcclcy?"
2fo. massa, I nebber did." Concerning the
two latter I tried to aid hi3 memory, but it was
useless?he had "nebber hecred." he said, and
I could not find a single man who had. I will
venture to say that his case is identical with
that of four-fifths of his race in his State.
Scowling struck the key-note. "Scowling,"
6aid Mr. B., "just suppose I was running for
the office Robert holds at Columbia, and a Rc
Eublican ran against me. Suppose you kuew
e would lie and steal whate\er he could?
which would you vote for ?" He tried to evade
the point, but upon Mr. B.'s exhorting him "to
tell the truth.7' he said, "You knows berry well,
Mas B., I hasn't no d'jections to voting for you,
but dc rest wouldn't let me. I must vote do
'Publican ticket. Dat's de trut, sab." The
same questions, put a score of times, both in
Mr.. B.'s absence and in his presence, elicited a
like reply.
Excused for a Cause.? Capt. Tom Bug
bee was out with his company on detached du?
ty. In fact, he had two companies under his
command. He had with him a small brass
Napoleon and an ambulance. Captain Tom
was a strict disciplinarian, but a convivial fel?
low withal, and fond of creature comforts, not
many of which were obtainable in the wild
country through which he was marching. The
column had just left the small hamlet of Jas?
per's Cross Roads, below Jacksonville, when
the Captain observed that one of the Vums
was not beaten, and he directed a lieutenant to
inquire the cause. The lieutenant sought the
delinquent, and demanded to know why he
was not beating time. The fellow nodded mys?
teriously, and whispered into the officer's ear:
"I've got a pair of roasted chickens and two
bottles of whiskey in my drum ; and a chicken
and a bottle are for the Captain." The lieu?
tenant returned, and, in a whispered tone, re?
ported to the Captain. "Zounds !" cried Capt.
Tom, with vehement sympathy, "why didn't the
poor drummer tell us that his legs had given
out? I don't want men to march if they're
lame like that. Put him in the ambulance,
sir!" The. drummer was consigned to the am?
bulance, and not long afterward Capt. Tom and
the lieutenant went to examine more particu?
larly into the nature of his trouble.
done as well and even better
If there is a symptom of rebellion,
? Value the friendship of him who stands
by you in the storm ; s^wnrms of insects will
surround you in the sunshine.
For the Anderson Intelligencer.
Our Trip to the Falls.
Slabtowx, July 20,1S72.
Mr. Editor : Early Monday morning, the
Sth inst., a small party from Slabtown started
on a trip to visit the Tallulah and Teccoa Falls
in Georgia. We had heard much of these
Falls, and often wished for an opportunity to
visit them, but circumstances always rendered
it impracticable; so our feelings may easily be
imagined when on the eve of disappointment
we found suitable arrangements were made for
us to accompany the party. We not only an?
ticipated a good time in viewing the Falls and
other scenery on the way, but the contemplated
pleasure of traveling and being with friends,
some of whom were once school-mates and as?
sociates, bade fair to contribute greatly to our
enjoyment. In all this our hopes were fully
realized, for with the exception of an occa?
sional break-down, having to go farther and
over more mountains than we anticipated,
nothing fell short of our expectation. The
trip was indeed an unusually interesting one,
wrought with incidents long to be remembered
by the humble writer.
On leaving home the morning above men?
tioned, we arrived at Pendleton, a little village
near us, about 9 o'clock, and after halting a
short time to await the arrival of our party,
we drove leisurely on, not aware how fast time
slided by, 'till soon we found ourselves on the
banks of the Seneca at Cherry's Ferry. Here
wc halted for awhile uuder a cool and pleasant
shade, strolling up aud dowu the margin of the
river, thence out to the trestle of the B. R. R.,
not far distant, where wc had a splendid view
of the surrounding country. Harnessing up,
we traveled on. Our route to the Falls was
now marked out along a scope of country en?
tirely new to us. This added to the interest.of
the trip, for on a new road we always find
something to attract attention. A few hours
ride brought us to Mr. Walker Russell's, near
Sitton's Mills. After visiting the Mills, situa?
ted on a beautiful shoal of the Coneross River,
we spent the night very pleasantly. Wc were
highly pleased with the machinery running
these Mills. Every part so simple, yet fully
adapted to the purpose intended, far surpass?
ing in simplicity and economy of construction
anything in the line of mechanism we have
ever yet witnessed, all, too, of which is due iu
a great measure to Mr. Sitton's own planning
and ingenuity. But to proceed.
Tuesday morning we awoke very much re?
freshed. Wc were informed of some Falls on
the Coneross above this point well worth visit?
ing, but they are rendered almost inaccessible
by the steep, rugged mountains surrounding ;
so we resumed our journey, soou arriving at
the "Centre of Creation," a church on "Nub?
bin Ridge," noted for big camp-meetings and
great revivals. All along on this road, we
found very poor land, no settlements, except
now and then an occasional log-cabin, with
poor-looking inmates; but as we approached
Bachelor's Retreat, we began to sec evidences
of improvement and prosperity. Two miles
above this place, on the Air Line Railroad, we
halted for refreshments. Here we had an op?
portunity of witnessing railroad hands at work,
and we took a note of their movements, that
we might thus be enabled to compare free
hired labor with that of the convicts now em?
ployed on the road in Georgia, and on arriving
there we observed quite a differeuce in favor of
the convic ts, who perform at least a third more
labor to the hand. Hearing the distant thun?
der, we decided that it would be impracticable
to remain longer, so harnessing up wc drove
off toward Dr. Doyle's, on the Tugalo River,
with whom wo were to spend the night. The
distaucc, however, precluded tho possibility of
arriving in time to escape the shower. Bright
and early the next morning we started for Tal?
lulah Falls, distant twenty-six miles, over a
rough and mountainous road, but the rain in
the afternoon halted us this side. Eight miles
from Jarrett's Bridge, on the road lending to
Clarksville, we were within a short distance
of Teccoa Falls, but as wo intended to visit
these Falls on our return, in company with a
party from the vicinity of the bridge, who
were to meet us there, wo passed on. On ar?
riving at Tallulah Falls, wo first visited Lov?
er's Leap, at which point we could stand on the
edge of the precipice, and look down several
hundred feet into the chasm below. The Falls
were invisible from this stand-point, but the
mountain scenery around almost equalled that
of Table Rock. Our guide directed us to tho
Devil's Pulpit, Reed's Squeeze, Hawthorn's
Pool, and other prominent points. In the af?
ternoon wc descended the mountain to view
the Falls. Hero tho scenery was grand?al?
most indescribable. As we stood near the
Falls, with tho waving cataract at our feet,
and the mountains around and above us, bright
thoughts and fancies came and went, like the
visions of a better land. Yet, how few of us
arc genuine lovers of Nature?persons who
adore the visible majesty of the universe in all
the forms in which it is made manifest to the
human eye; who regard such scenery as this
with appropriate feelings, and whose thoughts
penetrate beyond what is visible to the throne
of the Invisible ! Want of acquaintance with
natural objects, as well as familiarity with them
from infancy to manhood, disqualifies thou?
sands for the true worship of Nature.
Retracing our steps to the summit of the
mountain, where our vehicles were, and bid?
ding adieu to Tallulah, wc returned to the
Hotel, four miles from the Falls. The next
morning wo visited Teccoa Falls, where wc
were pleased to meet tho party we were ex?
pecting. Many thanks to these kind people,
for their prcscucc certainly contributed greatly
to our enjoyment. Of Teccoa we need write
nothing, as your readers have already been fa?
vored with a sketch of its heautyand grandeur.
Suffice to know that the Falls are well worth i
visiting, and trat ere long, when the Railroad
near by shall have been completed, thousands
will flock to these parts for health and scenery.
Late in the afternoon our party dispersed, and
we accepted an invitation to Mrs. Jarrctt's,
near the bridge, where a few young persons
gathered in, and those who were apt to in?
dulge for a short time engaged in the giddy
dance, when we retired and were soon lost iu
dreamland.
On Saturday we were homeward bound, but
our thoughts lingered with friends behind.
We returned a different route, and met with
several break-downs; but notwithstanding this
and the inclemency of the weather, all were
highly pleased with the trip, and none who
may be so fortunate as to visit these Falls will
ever have cause to regret it. G.
Which Manhood?A Word to Young Men.
One of the greatest blunders of the world,
and against which we write to warn the young
men of our day, is the thought of a manhood,
other than that which is developed from with?
in. We have evidence of this terrible mistake
every day; for every day do we see young men
rejoicing in what seems to them to be man?
hood, but which in reality is no manhood at
all. But they accept it as such, and conse?
quently fail to pay attention to the only true
manhood possible?that which is developed
from the soul. As a sad result the vast ma?
jority of them have no real manhood at all?
they are manless men. Let us speak of these
pscudo manhoods, false and damaging to a
most alarming extent.
There is first, the Manhood of Clothes.
This is the most common type of manhood.
It is seen almost everywhere, especially at
church and parties. There the vast majority
of our young gentlemen show what splendid
young men they are by .their broadcloth, their
shining boots, and still more shining hats. To
their eyes it is just magnificent! They want
no other. It takes the eyes of the girls, and
that's all they care for. How they estimate
this manhood may be seen, when it is told that
they would not trade it for the best manhood
that Wilberforce, or Lincoln, or Howard could
produce! To them it is par excellence, and
though some ambitious rogue stole it away,
they would work five long months, at ten dol?
lars a month, and get another. Hurrah! for
the Manhood of the Dress.
But we speak secondly of the Manhood of
the Cigar. This type of manhood is of the
same grade of the first, in that it may be
bought. Indeed, it is but a continuation of the
first-named, which would be incomplete with- j
out it, for howsoever grand the first is, yet
must it need have some "foreign ornament."
In disposing, then, of his salary, our young
men always manage to keep enough on hand
to get his perfumed "cinnamon." Havanas
are not popular with him. They, indeed, cost
but five cents; yet in the disposition of his
funds, he often finds himself short. With
him, what to do is the question. He must
have his cigar. With him it is a sine qva non.
Precisely like other men, he would not appear
in the street without his (cigar) manhood. The
worst having come to worst, he remembers an
old stump, long laid aside, but most opportune.
It is fired, and with the lungs of Grant, he
puffs his manhood away. But he can buy an?
other.
Our third manhood is the Cane. Conscious
of weakness, and of his want of dignity and
respect, he borrows a cane! With th is in
hand?broadcloth, cigar and all, he saunters,
glorying in the completion of his mauhood;
nor did JBcau Brummell ever cut such a dash.
Now, young men, we have asked you, which
Manhood? And we repeat it. You must
make a choice. By the very instinct of your
soul, you will be compelled to decide. Which
manhood do you desire, the one from within,
or the other from without; the ouo consisting
of imperishable qualities, or the other of per?
ishable rags. Choose ye this day.? Christian
Recorder._ _ _
A Defence of Pretty Women.?After
all is the world so very absurd in its love of
pretty woman ? Is woman so very ridiculous
in her chase after beauty ? A pretty woman is
doing a woman's work in the world, but not
making speeches, not making puddings, but
making life sunnier and more beautiful. Man
has foresworn the pursuit of beauty altogether.
Does he seek it for himself, he is guessed to
be frivolous, he is guessed to be poetic, there
are whispers that his morals arc no better thau
they should be. In society, resolute to be ugly,
there is no post for an Adonis, but that of a
model or guardsman. But woman does for
mankind what man has ceased to do. Her
aim from childhood is to be beautiful. Even
as a school-girl she notes the progress of her
charms, the deepening color ot her hair, the
growing symmetry of her arm, the ripening
contour of her cheek. We watch, with silent
interest, the mysterious reveries of the maideu:
she is dreaming of a coming beauty, and pant?
ing for the glories of eighteen. Insensibly she
becomes an artist, her room is a studio, her
glass an academy. The joy of her toilet is the
joy of Raphael over his canvas, of Michael
Angelo over his marble. She is creating beau?
ty in the silence and the loneliness of her
chamber; she grows like any art-creation, the
result of patience, of hope, of a thousand del?
icate touchings and retouchings. Woman is
never perfect; never complete. A restless
night undoes the beauty of the day ; sunshine I
blurs the evanescent coloring of her check,
frost nips the tender outlines of her face into
sudden harshness. Care ploughs its lines
across her brow ; motherhood destroys the elas?
tic lightness of her form; the bloom of her
cheek, the quick Hash of her eye fade aud van?
ish as the years go by. But woman is still true
to her ideal. She won't know when she is
beaten, and she manages to steal fresh victories
even in her defeat. She invents new concep?
tions of womanly grace; she rallies at forty,
and fronts us with the beauty of womanhood ;
she makes a last stand at sixty, with the beauty
of age. She falls like Casar, wrapping her
mantle round her?"buried in woolen ! 'twould
a saint provoke!" Death listens pitifully to
the longings of a lifetime, and the wrinkled
face smiles with somelhing of the prcttiucss of
eighteen.?Saturday Rcuictr.
Cotton Picking ky Machinery.?The
Journal of Commerce says : "A cotton gather?
ing machine was exhibited lately in the Cotton
Exchange. It is iu the form of a double car,
open in the middle, and supported by a large
wheel on each side. It is drawn by two mules
who walk between the row of plants. As it
moves forward, the plants between the mules
pass into the open space between the cars, and
arc caught by a series of melalic fingers which
allow the stalk and leaves to pass, but catch
the boll, break it from the stalk, carry it to the
interior of the car and drop it on an endless
cloth running on guide rollers. The cloth is
moved by belts connecting the wheels with the
guide rollers, and feeds the bolls into sacks sus?
pended at the. rear of the machine. The in?
ventor claim? that it will do the work of fifty
two men."
The Ruin of South Carolina.
The history of the civilized world furnishes
no example of deliberate and enforced ruin,
such as is now witnessed iu South Carolina.
It is appalliug to contemplate this sad specta?
cle of corruption and decay, right in the heart
of the Atlantic States, and in the midst of
what is called our most advanced civilization.
There the Radical problem of reconstruction
has been worked out to its logical conclusion,
with every possible influence to favor the ope?
ration. The result is before us, and it tells the
whole story. With a large majority of blacks
as the capital for the experiment, disciplined
and drilled by secret societies, and docile in the
hands of managers who wrought upon their
superstitious nature, the political power was
readily seized and held. The Administration
threw the whole weight of its influence into
the scale to degrade and humiliate the white
race, and sought pretexts for military interven?
tion, to make the interference more hard to
bear.
The agents selected to reconstruct South Car?
olina were known as peculiar friends of the
President, and have adhered to him consistent?
ly throughout. They knew he held the power
to crush them at any moment, and to destroy
the whole fabric which had been reared up by
their fraud, venality and robbery. Selfishness,
therefore, insured their fidelity. If General
Grant had raised his hand against the conspi?
racy of rogues and thieves who now hold pos?
session of South Carolina by his favor and
protection only, they could not have existed a
day. He and his Administration are directly
responsible for the degradation, destruction and
decay of that State. They have criminally
and wilfully sacrificed it to serve a groveling
ambition.
And now, at the end of more than three
years of this arbitrary rule, what do we behold?
1'he virtue, intelligence, and property of the
State have been disfranchised, while vice, igno?
rance and barbarism have been raised to the
highest dignities, entrusted with the executive,
legislative and judicial powers, and given com?
plete control of every great interest. The
shrewd knaves who were chosen to carry out
the policy of the Administration, knew that if
the State was secured to Grant, they would have
perfect immunity for every crime. That was
the only condition imposed at Washington.
They organized a Ring, and made the negroes
at once the instruments of their corruption and
of their loyalty to the President. After a ca?
reer of unchecked license, with hardly a sign
of effective opposition to restrain it, the State
and county treasuries are now empty. War- {
rants and pay certificates are selling for what J
they will fetch in the market. Nearly all the
public institutions are closed up or closing.1
The public schools for the colored race are sus?
pended, and their teachers unpaid; charitable
asylums for the deaf and dumb, for orphans,
and for lunatics are without means of support,
and the interest on the public debt is in ar?
rears.
Appropriations were made for all these and
many other objects not less important, and the
taxes were collected with arbitrary exactness.
The State Treasurer admits having received
under one act of the Legislature $1,200,000, out
of which $1,000,000 had to be expended for
specified purposes. Not a dollar of that money
has been paid. Last year about $3,000,000
were extorted from the people in various forms
of taxation, all of which have disappeared
without an account being rendered, and this
year $3,500,000 will be raised to swell the cof?
fers of the Ring. These enormous sums of
money have been absolutely stolen from the
treasury, and divided among the thieves who
arc now shouting for Grant, to retain possession
of power.
Hut this barefaced brigandism does not stop
here. They issued State Bonds as long as pur?
chasers could be found, and have resorted to
every form in swindling in railroad jobbery, to
fill their pockets at the public expense. First,
bonds were put out fraudulently, and then the
Legislature was bribed to validate the swindle.
Twenty-five millions of dollars would not cover
these frauds aud forgeries. Since the negro
legislators came to feel their power, they have
demanded a share in the spoils. The utter ve?
nality of that crew may be illustrated by a
single example. Ou one day articles of im?
peachment against the Governor and State
Treasurer were adopted by a vote of two-thirds,
and the next defeated by three-fourths. They
had been bought up in twenty-four hours, and
the cost of the purchase was added to the tax?
ation.
And as if to pile Pelion upon Ossa, and
make the burdens still more oppressive, the
property of the State has been assessed at near?
ly double its value. It is doubtful if the whole
real and personal property is worth a hundred
millions of dollars, and yet it is taxed at a val?
uation of nearly two hundred millions, to pro?
duce a forced revenue of three and a half mil?
lions. Such is the condition of South Caro?
lina, after three years of Grantism. The
wonder is that any people educated in our
ideas, have peacefully submitted to be plunder?
ed before their eyes by an organized gang of
robbers and rascals, who are outlawed by all
the rules of justice. That they have consented
to bear those atrocious wrongs is the best proof
of their unwillingness to afford any pretext for
a collisiou, which has been sought by their
enemies, in order to raise a new outcry against
the South, and to furnish the exeuse for more
military intervention. Extortion and iniquity
have been pushed to the last extremity. Pub?
lic sentiment has at length been roused against
these infamies and their authors. The tide be?
gins to turn and the current to swell, which in
November next will sweep away every vestige
of this licensed scoundrclism, and consign all
concerned in it to the scorn and resentment of
an indignant people.? Washington Patriot.
A Romance in Real Life.?Many years
ago the daughter of an English barrister in
high practice eloped with her father's coach?
man, much to the indignation of the offended
parent, who vowed that he would neither ad?
mit the inconsiderate one to the shelter of his
roof again nor allow her even the proverbial
shilling. Mr. and Mrs. S-settled in the
Island of Jersey, and convinced that the father
would not relent, worked night and day for the
maintenance of an ever-increasing family.
The husband, it appears, obtained employment
as a laborer, earning twelve shillings per week,
and the wife kept a small shop. Three weeks
since, as the ci (levant groom was digging in a
potato field, the solicitor of his wife's father
touched him on the shoulder and informed him
of the death of the, till then, inexorable bar?
rister, who, however, had at last relented, and
had left each of his three daughters one-third
of a sum of $170,000, besides other (landed)
property.
? Kale Hanley, an eighteen-year old girl of
Tcuicschal, Gal., who has been an idiot all her
life, after a deep sleep of seventy-two hours, a
week or two since, awoke as bright and intelli?
gent as others of her age, to the great joy of
her friends.
? Green corn i3 selling rapidly in the mar?
kets?so are eofhns at rhe undertakers.
A Kentucky Anecdote.
It was customary in former days for all the
ladies of the best families to attend the promi?
nent barbecues; and this was especially the
case in the contest between Mr. Breckenridge
and General Combs, in 1840. Out of these
affairs grew the authentic story of the nicest
widow in the blue-grass region. Not far from
the Forks of Elkhorn lived the pretty little
widow Fauntleroy, and one of her nearest
neighbors was General Peyton. The general
bad looked upon the little widow very much as
he looked upon his blooded horse Powhattan?
"The finest horse, sir, in the blue-grass region."
The pretty Mrs. Fauntleroy haa been a wid?
ow more than a year; while the general, hav?
ing a great regard for etiquette, had waited
patiently for that time to elapse, in order to
declare himself. But the widow, with her wo?
man's art, kept her lover at bay, and yet kept
him in her train.
He had escorted her to this barbecue, and
when returning had expressed his satisfaction
at the prospects of General Combs, and the
success of the Whig party.
The widow took sides with the Democracy,
and offered to wager her blooded saddle-horse,
Gipsey, or anything else on her place, against
Powhattan, or anything else she might fancy
on the general's place.
The general's gallantry would not allow him
to refuse the wager, which he promptly accep?
ted. By this time they had reached the north
Fork of Elkhorn, and were about to ford it
(bridges were not plenty in those days,) when
John Peyton, the general's only son and heir,
came up at a sharp gait behind them.
The widow turned and bowed to John, and
rode on into the stream, but a little behind her
companion. The east bank was very gteep,
and required the horses to put forth nearly al I
their strength to reach the top with then*
loads.
As luck would have it, good or ill, the wid?
ow's girth broke when just at the commence?
ment of the steep part. The lady, still seated
on her saddle, slid swiftly back into the water,
while her horse went up the bank like an ar?
row.
John Peyton leaped from his horse, and in
an instant caught the floating lady and saddle,
and, before the general had recovered from his
astonishment was at the top of the bank with
his burden. The little widow was equal to the
occasion, for she begged the general to ride on
and stop her horse, which had now began to
understand his part in the mishap, and was
beginning to increase his gait toward home.
The general did as he was bid, and soon re?
turned with the horse. In the meantime John
Peyton had secured his own horse, and when
the general came back with the widow's horse
she and John were laughing merrily over the
ridiculous accident, but what further passed
between them is only known to themselves.
John Peyton repaired the broken girth, fas?
tened the saddle again on the horse, placed the
lady in her seat, bade her good evening, moun?
ted his horse, and taking another road to Elk?
horn, rode rapidly home, leaving the general
to escort the widow.
It is not necessary to relate how he enter?
tained his fair companion with ponderous an?
ecdotes of Mr. Clay and other famous public
men; but when he reached the Fauntleroy
place, he accepted the lady's invitation to dis?
mount and take tea with her.
After having changed her wet clothing, the
pretty widow entertained her guest with her
brightest smiles, and some new songs. The
general was delighted, and expressed his de?
light as Kentucky gentlemen of that day would
do. "You are the finest songstre?s, madam, in
the blue-grass region."
When he bid her good-night and shook hands
with her on the porch, the wicked little widow
gave his hand a little squeeze, only a little, but
it thrilled like an electric shock through his
great, ponderous frame, while she laughingly
reminded him of his wager. That qight in his
dreams, the little Widow Fauntleroy was re?
peated so often, and in so many bewitching
forms, that he resolved to propose to her at the
first meeting, nor did he dream that he could
be refused.
The next morning a letter from his tobacco
factor called General Peyton to Louisville, and
before his return the political contest in the
Ashland district was over; and, wonderful to
relate, John C. Breckenridge, the young Dem?
ocrat, was elected to Congress.
General Peyton was both astonished and in?
dignant. "Mr. Clay's district, 3ir, the finest
Congressional district in the blue-grass region,
has disgraced itself, sir," was almost his first re?
mark to his neighbor, Colonel Beaufort.
To his son, John, he communicated his in?
tention of bringing Mrs. Fauntleroy to adorn
the head of his table.
"Sir, she is the finest lady in the blue-grass
region, and I hope, sir, you will always respect
your future mother."
John with a quiet smile, assured him that he
was pleased with his choice. This pleased- the
general highly, for he had been a little afraid
John would object to a step-mother younger
than himself.
The next morning the general ordered Pow?
hattan brought out, and led over to Mrs. Faun
tleroy's. Calling John, he requested him to
call lipon Mrs. Fauntleroy.
"The Whig party has disgraced itself in Mr.
Clay's district, sir, and I am compelled to part
with the finest blooded horse in the State to
pay my wager with that lady, sir."
The black boy had led Powhattan to the
hitching rail in front of Mrs. Fauutleroy's
yard. And having tied him, had gone into the
quarters to tell his colored brothers and sisters
of their mistress's great good luck in having
won the famous horse, Powhattan.
When General Peyton and John arrived
they found the pretty widow and two young
lady friends in the yard admiring Powhattan.
"Madam," said the general to Mrs. Fauntle?
roy, "I have come like a true Kentucky gen?
tleman, to pay the wager I have lost. " Pow?
hattan, madam , is rightfully yours."
"Hut, General, 1 believe the wager was con?
ditional. It was the horse or anything else on
the place, was it not?"
"Madam, you are correct; but I cannot per?
mit you to select an inferior animal."
"You have another and superior animal
here," replied the widow, blushing. "Your
son John ; if he would but use his tongue. I
think I shall choose him."
The general rose, and, in his blandest man?
ner, bade the ladies good morning. To John
he said:
"Sir, you will remain."
General Peyton never forgave his daughter
in-law her practical joke. In after years he
use to say:
"Sir, she is the finest lady in the blue-grass
region, but she lacks taste, sir.
? A Grant organ produces the following:
"Motto of the Greeley Democracy?'We stoop
to conquer.' " This is almost as good as the
motto of the Grant office-holders'a party?"We
steal to conquer."
? The Davenport (Iowa) Democrat says tho
German vote there will be a unit against cor?
ruption and centralization, and qucsticni if a
hundred votes will be polled by the Teutonic
element in al! Iowa for the gift-taker.