Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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COLITMBIA^ We dnesday Morning, Sept. 97,1885/ Abandoned Property.. In a recent publication . President Johnson has put forth instructions in respect to this . property, which may relieve the country from some of its fears, and 'embarrassment, and lessen #. greatly the wanton, and perhaps dis? honest, exercise of power on the part of those bureaus to which the subject has been already quite too much con? fided. There is to be no general sweep of property according to the desires and mere will of officers of bureaus. It is only in cases where, there has been no? pardon granted, .and where the property is confiscable in the cases of persons who have been ?pecially obnoxious to the Govgrn . .1 ent because of their peculiar and offensive activity in the Confederate ?cause, that the possession of their lauds will be withheld from them And each of these cases must be sub? ject to trial and adjudication, deter? minable upon ita own merits.- -In cases where the negroes have cro?s upon the ground, the crop must be purchased from them and their claims satisfied, or the lands will be retained for their use, until- the present crop has been fully harvested. The land will then .be restored. This impor? tant order of President Johnson will be published just as soon as we can secure a proper copy of it. Justly speaking, there is no voluntary aban? donment of any property in this or any other Southern State. Along our seaboard the owners were either driven off by the actual ' conflict of contending armies, or they were or ' dered off by the Confederate authori? ties, who'needed the land for military purposes, or desired to deprive the invading forces of those resources . which otherwise unjght have yielded them aid and comfort. The owners,, . in either case, had no choice but de? parture. To appropriate their lands, unless under some general act of for? feiture, such as Mr. Thaddeus Stevens , humanely proposes, would be a mon? strous act of cruelty and despotism would be a simple robbery of a peo? ple who had no sort of alternative, and their spoliation, as victims, for the enrichmeut of greedy bands of reckless adventurers. It will become the necessity of President Johnson especially to interpose for the protec? tion of these unfortunates, and to save equally the people and the Go? vernment from the schemes of gangs of plunderers, who find their law only in the possession of their p<*wer, and make of their official stations so many agencies for the accumulation of indi? vidual spoils. Already we ?ear of companies in formation for the pur? chase of these supposed abandoned lands, which, sold at prices purely nominal-for at this moment few owners are able to contend fpr them in the markewwill be subsequently poloniz?d by foreign emigrants, realiz? ing immense profits for that inter? mediate class whhfh, combining to? gether their resources, will have the entire control of the subject. "We are in hopes shortly to obtain such evidence as will prove to President Johnson the necessity of taking ' prompt and decided steps towards the full adjustment of the subject, and restoring to innocent owners those possessions, which, so far from vol? untarily abandoning, they have been most reluctant to leave. The distres? of the country is already too great for the endurance of the people, and to increase their sufleringg by-their utter confiscation, is a cruelty hot less than a crime, well calculated to drive them to.despair. Thc Governorship and Mr* Orr. It is particularly proper tha* Mr. Orr should be selected as the Goverr nor of the State at this juncture, and for properly adjusting and setting in motion the new machine of Govern V .ctr <'.. v..'. . .." . ... . -?.." ?". ment. It is In such large degree bis own handiwork, so completely "have his own ideas controlled the aotion-of the Convention, that it is 1 but just that he should be allowed to ' set in operation all the wheels and agencies which are necessary io? giving a fair chance to the experiment. And, ir? respective of this consideration, Mr. Orr is by nature and training especial? ly fitted for the Executive depart- j ment of the State. He has had large | experience, is a man cf bold charac- j ter, with an eager desire to dot has a strong will, with leading ideas which consort admirably with what is called the progressive spirit of the age, pos? sesses nerves of iron, as well as nerves of will, and possesses, in ?au eminent degree for work, the mens sana in corpore savo, which so largely constitutes the necessity of the pub? lic man. That he will 1work out his problems to their complete fulfilment, and the full development of all that is good in them, we have no question. He will have work enough on his hands ; much to distress and disturb him ; but his resources are such that we have the fullest confidence in Ms ability to put the engine fairly on the track, with all possible advantage of circumstance, as efficiently as any man living ; especially, as the general call . of the Convention itself upon him, assures him of the hearty sup? port, in good faith, not only of the politicians but- of the people. . Let him know this, and the interests of the commonwealth, under its present dispensation, may be safely confided to bis skill as chief engineer. The Convention has taken upon itself a very solemn-indeed, an awfmfrespon sibility. It has relieved the Govern? ment of the United States from the responsibility of what has been done ; for though all the radical changes in our Government have . been initiated by the decrees of th? United States, our people had still an opflon, and might have devolved upon the latter all the risks and duties, all the odium and evil which may follow from such extreme and sudden changes in our political and social condition. The greater problem remains in reserve that of the precess by v*hieh our peo? ple, stript of all their property, are made able to respond to the exaction of any form or degree of taxation which is yet to be enforced upon them. Tin's problem is one upon which the wisest statesmanship mfjy well pender in dismay^ The Richmond Times 4tells us that Mr. JJ. H. Chandler, the present United States District Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, (who is a gentleman of ability and long residence in Virginia.) is said io have stated to the people of Dinwiddie County, in ft public address, on- thc 18th instant, "that he.rejoiced to tell them that all confiscation is at an end, and that he had received orders to suspend all confiscations." As Mr. Chandler is the officer specially charged by the Government with the prosecution of the snits for the con? fiscation of. the property which has been libelled by the Government, this declaration-carries with it much authority. A traveller, just arrived from Aiken. I tells us of a serious affray at thal placb recently, in which several ne groes were severely wounded. It ap pears that a negro fellow beat a iitth i white boy very savagely. A .squad o: half a dozen of the littlefellow's com I panions made conimon cause agains" the negro and drabbed him in turn A group of negro men gathered t< his defence and began the punish meat of the boys, when some, gen tie men interfered, and with their knive: inflicted several wounds upon the ne groes, and dispersed them. Then was much cclfsequent excitement. Napoleon. Arkansas, is said to b< in-danger of totally disappearing ii a few years before the encroachment! of the Mississippi. . United Stoles Senator. " Wfe respectfully, propose for the consideration of the State and the next Legislature, .the name of the Hon. William W. Boyce as a highly suitable selection for one of our United States Senators. His long service and Experience in Congress, his eminent intellectual attainments, his devotion to the South and his native State, ? his statesmanly and conservative views as respect^ Federal politics, his unsullied reputation as a public man-all render him accept? able as a Senator to represent South Carolina in the national councils: At this particular juncture, there is a .special fitness in the choice of Mr. Boyce.. He is regarded throughout the North as a moderate man, and is both personally and politically highly acceptable to President Johnson, with whom, before the war, his relations were cordial. President Johnson hos now, and has so expressed himself, the utmost confidence in Mr. Boyce. By his election, then, we will have an able and incorruptible representative, and one who, by his standing in the North ?nd with the President, will be potent for good. DELEGATE. Theft and other virtues, in the shape of horse and hog stealing,-are reported to be of incessant exercise throughout the country. No man's mules or horses, hogs or poultry are now safe, no matter what sort of lock you use. The Indian proverb . is, | "My knife laughs at.your locks." The axe of the negro is quite as useful in destroying the integrity of locks, bolts and bars. The farmer is now frequently compelled to secure his horse or mule in his basement, and watch by night with his double-bar? relled gun. In this condition of, things, the prospect of making a crop, or of securing it when made, is a i>roblem which no rule laid down by Gunter is likely to elucidate. HOMICIDE.-A painful report reaches us of the murder of Dr. Dehon and his son, in the neighborhood of Wal terboro, by the driver of his planta? tion and certain other negroes, while he was riding in his buggy. We hear of no other particulars, but trust that the authorities in that quarter, if not too much busied with the abstract virtues of freedmen as they existed in the time, of Cato, will see to the fu? ture of the criminals, and adjust the balances on behalf of Fate. We fear that under the virtuous auspices of the agc, and other still more occult influences, these crimes are destined j bo a fearful increase. ' TIME LIMITED FOR PARDON Arru- j 2ANTS.-Tlie Washington Chronicle, of ? she 21st, says, in consequence of the jreat number #f pardon-seekers who laily besiege the Attorney-General's office, and the almost exclusive atten? tion they absorb in that department, the time for theil appearance at thif office has been hunted to between the aours of ll a. m. and I p. m. The wera ge number of applicants per day is 150-nearly all of whom are of the | twenty thousand dollar ?lass. A TERRIBLE CONFESSION.-Daniel' Andrews, Postmaster at Glencoe," Missouri, was recently arrested for robbing a neighbor, an! committed suicide in prison.- Before, doing so lie wrote a confession, vhich stated, xmong other things, that he murdered x returned Californian, tight or ten years ago, for the purpo;?e of securing bis money, which amouite<r"to about ben thousand dollars; tint he had the inJ?fiered man buried at his own ex? pense, many of the neighbors attend? ing the funeral, and giving him credit for charity to the dead. "He also in? forms Iiis iriends that since his ap? pointment as postmaster he had robbed the mails in search of money in many instances, and that he never lost an opportunity to appropriate* letters entrusted to bini,, with the in? formation that their contents were cainable. The most shocking state? ment in the confession is that he had Deen the means of killing two of his iwn children, and that lie had medi? ated the murder ot his wile,*procur ng a gun and loading it for that pur? pose only a few days before the date if the confession,. STATEJDOI^ENJJON. Tuesday, September BO, 1805. .The Convention assembled nt 10 o'clock, the President took the Chair, and ?he deliberations were opened with grayer. Mr. Bobertson introduced the fol? lowing resolutions, which 'ere agreed to: ? Resolved, That the Clerk of this Convention be charged? with the su jjervision of the printing of the jour? nal, reports, resolutions and ordi? nances adopted by this Convention, in permanent form; that he prepare and have printed with the same a com? plete index, and that he, be also charged with the distribution of the same, under the direction of the Pre? sident; that he also shall prepare, and have substantially bound, a correct manuscript copy of the journal, to be deposited in the Seeretary ofit^tate's office, Resolved, That the Clerk be paid for said ?services, and for services as Clerk of the Convention, ?the same salary as was paid the Clerk of the House of Representatives in 1860. Mr. Inglis, from the Revisory Com? mittee, made a report on matters, submitting a draft of the Constitu? tion, which was amended. The report ?was then agreed to, and the Constitu? tion committed *to the. Engrossing Committee, and 500 copies ordered to be printed. The President laid before the Con-" vention the following communica? tion: CASHTEB VAUiET, N. C., September ll, 1865. To ike President of the Convention of So nih Carolina. Sm: I have heard, though not officially, that I have been elected' a member of the Convention from Richland District, and I write to say that I shall do myself the honor to take my seat as soon as I can reach Columbia. Unfortunately* my means of transporiation are just at present not in a condition to be used, but I hope to have them available very soon. I ?have the honor to be, very re? spectfully, yours, WADE HAMPTON. . The report of the Committee on the Judiciary,, on a resolution as to co? lored persona testifying in certain cases, was referred to the Committee to be appointed by the Governor. The ordinance providing for the" election of Governor, Lieutenant Governor and members of the. Legis? lature, was referred to the Engrossing Committee. , Mr. Conner offered a resolution, which was unanimously agreed to, that Messrs. D. L. Wardlaw, Alfred Huger and T: N. Dawkins be a com? mittee to present to President John? son the memorial of this Convention in behalf of Hons. Jefferson Davis, A. H. Stevens, A. G. Magrath and G. A. Trenholm, and that the expenses be derayed out of funds rais?fl under ordinances of the Convention. , Messrs. Macbeth, Lesesne aird others presented sundry'reports. . The ordinance dividing the State* into four Congressional Districts, in? stead of six as heretofore, was passed. Mr. Simonton introduced a resolu? tion, which was agreed to, endorsing the administration of President John? son, and approving the mode of paci? fication proposed by him, and offer? ing to co-operate with him in the (vise measure he has adopted fdr se? curing peace and prosperity to the ?vhole Union. . r*-f The trial at New York of Anderson, he*captain of tu ?emigrant ship, who s charged with the most inhuman jonduct towards his passengers, is liverting attention from the jailor of Indersonville, the notorious Wirz. Anderson, it? seems, established a louting "Andersonville" upon the ligh seas, where he starved many ?undred men, women and children, vho were not prisoners of war. He s proved to have been liberal to his :ows and pigs, and to have kept Iiis inman passengers in a famished state; ?ut as the pigs and cows cannot tes ify for the defendant, his case looks *ery black*. One large family he al owed per week eight small potatoes .nd eleven crackers, and yet they are live to testify against him. He had alse bottoms to his measures, and heated as well as starved his pas engers. When asked for beer, he ;ave bones, and all that he gave, vhether liquid or solid, was alive nth loathsome insects. He made the 'good A No. 1 oopper-bpttomed pas enger ship 'Villa Franca' " a floating jell, andi his chances for being laid ip in dry dock at Sing Sing for a de ade are exceedingly promising. [Rickmond Times.# Mrs. Moore, the widow of the poet, s dead. Ijoc^l Items. . "Cotton Blanks" and permits-indispen? sable to all persons purchasing or shipping cotton-can be obtained at this office. . Members of the Convention and others : can procure comfortable scats in good vc |- hieles to Kingsville or any other point, at j reduced rates, by applying at this office. That useful institution, thc Southern j Eipr?ss Company, has again placed ns under obligations by the .prompt delivery of late papers. THE CATTCRE ASS DESTRCCTIOK OF THE CITY-OF COLUMBIA, S. C.-Originally Pub lished in thc Columbia Phonix-Revised and Corrected by the Author.-About thc middle of October, thc above work will be issued from the* press of thc Columbia Phonix-printed with new type and on fine paper. Persons desiring copies are re? quested to give their names as early as possible. Single copies will be furnished at tl. The trade supplied at a discount. PnoaRE-ss^F^RECo?sTRCCTio?i.-The re building of the city of Columbia goes on with rapidity, and though the fabrics now in coursft of erection but poorly represent the ancient splendor, beauty and wealth of the city, they must yet be held as encou? raging signs of that restoi ed and growing energy of the people which speaks well for their resolution and their faith, in tbe fu? ture. Our estimate ia that more than one hundred new buildings ar'- now in progress, taking their places promiscuously among the bods of ruin. Some of these fabrics are large and of brick-some rising unto two or more stories. ? Main street, the for? mer principal street for business, here and there looma ont with a new fabric, and here and there, throughout all the rained por? tions o* thc city, individual proprietors are reclaiming the land from the ashes, and making, comfortable, if not improving, habitations. Thc large number of shops and storehouses argues preparation for the resumption of trade, of no little importance and variety. So should it be. KEW ADVERTISEMENTS.-Attention ie call? ad to th s following advertisements, whieh ara published for the first time this morn? ing: A. B. Phillips-Furniture, Saddle, ?ic. Miss Bell-School Notice. Nomination of E. J. Arthur ior Senator. J. Meighac-New Goods. J. Woodrow & Co.-Southern Presbytn. Merchant's Hotel, Charleston. . Gea. Ames-Special Orders No. 10. j ' .? " -Circular No. 1. " " -General Orders No. 2.. Meeting of Columbia Medical Sociotv. i H. Hawkins-$50 Reword. ; COLONEL G. ST. LEGER GBEXFELL. We.find the fohowing account of this ; officer,, formerly of the Confederate ! States Army, in a New York paper of j the 18th:' j Late on Saturday night, Lieutenant 1 Wyman, of the Fourth "Regulars, I Hancock's Corps, with a squad of six I privates, arrived in Jersey City via ! the *New York and Erie Railway, . ; having in custody G. St. Leger Gren I fell, tried and found guilty as a rebel I conspirator and hotel burner in Chi : cago, and sentenced to be hung, the sentence remitted to imprisonment for Hie in the Dry Tortugas, and now on his way there. The prison?r was detained at the station house over night and yesterday. Lieut. WyjMan proceeded with him to New Yor^for the purpose of embarking on board the first vessel bound for New .Or? leans, to convey the convict to his destination. . FALSEHOOD.-A paragraph has been going the rounds of the press, stating that Mr. Howell, the father-in-law of Jefferson Davis," had expressed the' wish, in coarse- and profane language, that his son-in-law might be hanged. It originated with the correspondent of that mendacious . sheet, tpe New York Herald. How much truth there is in the statement 'will appear from the fact that Mr. Howell has bee? dead, as we learn from tho Vicksburg Herald', about three years.. Our impression is that there ?is as much lying just now about various matters and things in the South as there has been at any time in the last twenty-five years. It'i.s doing a great deal of harm. [Lou ist ?Ile Journal. The following from Gen. Sheamian's late speech at Lancaster, Ohio, gives' pretty clearly the responsibility of the devastation in his line of march : "So, soldiers, "when we marched through and conquered the country of tho rebels, we became owners of all they had, and I don't want you to be troubled in your consciences for taking, while on our groat march, thc property of' conquered rebels. They forfeited their rights to it, ami 1, being agent for the Government to which I belonged,?gave yon authority to keep all tho quartermasters' couldn't take possession?of or didn't want."