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HISTORIC SAND BAR FERRY BLOODY DUELLING GROUND Graphic Story About the Duelling Written More Than 40 Years Ago by Col. James T. Bacon. Augusta Chronicle. Now that the old Sand Bar Ferry is about to pass into the dim, dismal, past, by the old swamp being turned into a fertile field, and the old boat be ing discarded for the more modern steel draw bridge, it will be interest ing to many to read the following ac count written more than 40 years ago by Col. James T. Bacon, editor of the Edgefield Chronicle. Col. Bacon was well informed about the old duelling grounds and the code used in those days, and for that reason his article is one of authority on the subject. The following is what Col. BacoD had to say regarding the historic duel ling grounds: "Thlere is not a spot of greater in terest in any part of our country than the secluded glade known \in the his tory of the South, of South Carolina and Georgia, especially, as Sand Bar Ferry. A commonplace name enough, but attached to a glade of fairy ring set apart for the conventional duelling ground whien the Codte Duello was the first resort of a gentleman in settling personal difficulties. "In some respects it would seem that this spot were fashioned for some such purpose, so quiet, so perfectly se-. eluded, so easy of access and at the same time so out of the way that a most bloody duel could be fought to a finish before authority from any point could arrive to interfere. "This historic duelling arena lies three miles southeast of the city of Augusta, over what was once a wheel scarred and rugged road, heavy in places with fine sand, and again marshy where it dipped 'into a bit of lowland or struggled through a ton gue of undrained swamp. The road lies along pleasant farm lands, and plume-like elms meet in leafy arches overhead. Now it runs deep into the heart of the dim swamp, -now close along the margin of the rushing mud dy, turbulent Savannah, bordered by thousands and thousands of finest specim'ens of the trailing water wil low. "This duelling ground lies on either side of the river. With the belliger ents of the Carolina side, who wished to settle differences with leaden asr guments, the fairy ring beneath the hoary moss-draped trees on the Geor gia side was chosen for the scene of action. With those already in trouble on the latter side, the clean, firm sands' of .tbie whbite river bank were preferred. On the Georgia side the famous spot might well have been mistaken for the artificial work of men, fashioned with a view to the purpose which it served. The ground is as level as a dancing floor; a soft carpet of moss covers it, through which the vivid fruit of the partridge vine or ground ivy glows like thre crimson stain of blood. All around tall cedars, feathery elms and towering gums, interspersed with a few black-boled pines, draped with long streamers of furneral gray mosps, shade the tiiveller' from the .too-ar deat rays of the semi-tropical sun. "On the left the river runs, broad ening out into wide shallows, the sand bars shoaling out from either bank, until at low waiter, or during the sum mer months, person stnding on the rend of . could cJipp wering juniper shu off the' view trestle, poised high and spanning the* Tiver from bank to bank. On the Car olina side white chalk cliffs ldom up, cut by a road that winds up and upl until lost to sight over the high brow of the white bare hills." It is a singularly quiet place, this famous Southern duelling ground; the natural flace of which seems never to change. No sound breaks the stillness but the occasional flutter of the wing ed inhabitant of the bushes, the lap of the water over the sand bars, or the grinding wheel of an occasional1 vehicle, that has just been ferried over. Formerly when the only communica tion between the Georgia and South Carolina coasts was by means of this ferry, a much-trav~eled highway skirt ed the duelling grounds betwveen the g':ide and the river, but now ;a route to the sister State is practically abandoned for a nearer way and a nearer road 'to Augusta f-rom the Car olina side. "Nevertheless the ferry still remains a primitive, old-time, ramshackle af fair, consisting of several small boats, strung together on a sort of a cable, and resting at equal distances on the uneasy water. These boats in some manner propel the huge raft--'fiat' as we South Carolinians and Georgians call it-which when pushed off from the bank by a pole, slowly waver or wobbles across the stream. It takes many moments to make the journey between the shores, so leisurely is the motion of the primitive raft. And the ferryman, what an object, of novel in terest to a Northern man or a Northern woman! He is picturesque to the last degree-in his way. He is quite as primitive and ramshackle as his raft and many thousand years older. Oldl he is to very truth, stooped and bent with many years, his small, black, weazened face as seasoned, dried and wrinkled as a decaped prune. In for mer times he was wont to manage the ferry alone, but now a small, black, bead-eyed gnome assists him-at least nominally; and the ancient manner I says: 'Fore God, Marster, dis nigger boy bin tormeant my life outen me."' "But hear ye that sonorous hum ming and buzzing? The mosquitos in the lagoons below the ferry. We have said that all is silence on the shores of the horrible lagoons. While the sun shines this is so, but when he sinks to rest, and the inky shadows creep be tween the overhanging, close growing i trees, a sound, long-drawn, shudder ing, terrible, echoes and re-echoes on the dense silence of the desolate waste of noisome greeting things and blue black turbid water. The sun is sink ing behind the horizon at this mo- l ment, and our companions, rather guides, two stalwart negro men, say: 'Marse Jeems, dis trip aint kwine to be no fun fur you.' Through all the hours of twilight and early night yca hear the horrible hoot of the forebod ing owl-the great, staring, death foretelling night owl. This unholy hoot racks the silence interspers-edi with the clash and clangor, the shrill pipe, the hoarse 'horn and rattling whistle of many millions of frogs of' all possible sizes-." c 2 "Sometimes, we have been told, and it has been said by hunters who have passed much time among the lagoons that they are bottomless, that no soun der they could devise -has ever touch ed bottom. Yet they swarm with many kinds of fish, yielding them gen erously, but th1ey, the fish, are value less, because of their bad-tasting flesh:! "Many of the lagoons have never been explore4, and just how many there 'are can not be ascertained. Dese canebrakes absolutely as in-i pregnable as a stone wall, shutting out daylight in their vincity, cut offC from communications except where the tilled lands ,skirt them, or where a narrow and tortuous passage leads into the Savannah. It is a curious phe-, nomenon, that, however high the river rises, or however low it sinks, the wa ters in 'the lagoons remain the same wierd, ghostly, mysterious, a freak of nature in her most sombre mood spots of eternal mourning mayhap for bygone transglsrssions-blots upon the fair face of nature beneath the ardent Southern sun. .But let us climb up to 'the top of r the high white cliffs of Beech Island i 'on the Carolina .side, whence spreads out the lev'el duelling ground. The s September moon 'is rising, and the sil- C ence is intense, almost palpable' or h tangible, as it were. The reddening B gum leaves flntter in the lazy breeze flu'ring lightly over the moss with a sound .that might be made by the ghostly .footsteps of the things un seen. Even the bird voices seem far s away and hushed; the moonlight filt compl?'n i tones ; a nd here one .W a though civilization and the fret a .e and the Strife of man had been left d many miles behind, and that the land b in which it is always afternoon--if not black night-were well at hand. "We do not shudder, but we feel in- ti tensely sad, and as the red and yellow gum leaves flurry softly over our feet, we look, almost longingly, for the C fair shades of our two sl'ender and youthful uncles who perished here on the field of honor-long before we were born. "Some of the bloodiest duels of mo3d er times have b.een fought here-' duels that make up bits of the fate ful and dramatic histories of South Carolina and Georgia-affairs of hon or, rivalries, personal and political feuds, broken hearts of mothers, vain tears of women-all culminating in this quiet spot, and amid these scienes, it is not 'hard to conjure up a vast and1 I weird phantasmagoria of victims of d the Code Duello--vCtimis of human b folly and wailing and long despair. ; "Beech Island is' a fair and blessed ' land, but there hangs a dark and 0 bloody fringe 'along some of her hor ers."S Not Appropriate.f "A skating place ought not to have' a fixed charges." t. "Why not?"a "They ought to be more on a slid- a OPERA HOUSE Saturday, December 16 MATINEE AND NIGHT The New York Lyceum Theatre Success THE THIEF A Dramatic Sensation of Three Seasons. Special Matinee 25 & 50c Evening Prices 25c. 50c. 75c. Two Rows $1.50 Seats on sale at Newberry Hardware Company. eteorological Record November, 1911. Temperature. Mean maximum 59.7. Mean minimum 39.1. Mean 49.4. Maximum 77, date, 12t-h. Minimum 23, date, 25th. Greatest daily range? 37. Preciitation. Total 4.14 inches. Greatest in 24 hours 1.22; date, 28th. Number of days with .01 or more recipitation, 9; clear, 9; fair, 6; loudy, 15. Dates of killing frost, 13, 14, 22, 25, 6, 30. Rainfall for 11 months 1911, 34.29 iches. W. Gk Peterson, Co-operative Observer. STATEMENT Of the Condition of the Newberry avings Bank, located at Newberry, S. ,at the close of business December 1911. Resources. ans and discounts.. .,.. .$207,385.51 verdrafts.. .. ...........7,176.39 urniture and fixtures .. .. ..2,275.00 her real estate ownesd ..9,422.40 e fro~m banks and bank ers... ...... ....... ... 32,789.261 2rrency..... . ......-.-...5,332.001 ld................-....24000 iver and other minor coin 616.27 eks and cash items. .... 1,736.50,1 Total... ... .. ........$266,973.33 Liabilities. pital stock paid in.. . ....? 50,000.00 rplus fund... ... .......12.500.00' divided profits, less cur rent expenses and taxes paid... ... .. .... ... ... 9,243.38 e to banks and .bankers 549.40 videndls .iipai-... .......31(;09 dividual deg>sits subie3t . 1 to check... ... ... .....-.71,639.10 aings deposits.. .... ...108,985.96) shier's checks.. .........3,739.49 I otes and bills rediscounted 5,000.00 lls payable, including cer t,ificates for money bor rowed... ...'...... .....5,000.00 Total... ... .... ... .'.J.$266,973.3' ATE OF SOUTH -CAROLINA, COUNTY OF N RRY] , ih duly s at the above i&foregoing st is a true con [tion of said bank, as .shown by the )oks of said bank. J. E. Norwood, Sworn to and subscribed before me s 11th day of December, 1911. B. A. Dominick, Notary Public. orrect Attest: C. E. Suimmer, R. McC. Holmes, James McIntosh, Directors. ATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, l COUNTY OF NEWBERRY. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. e Newberry Real Estate Company, Plaintiff, vs. ~annah B. Leitzsey, Defendant By virtue of an order of the Court erein, I will sell to the highest bid-1 er, before the couart house at New-1 erry, South Carolina, within the legal ours of sale, on Tuesday, salesday, anuary 2, 1912, all that piece, parcel lot of land lying and being situate 1the Town of Newberry, County andi tate aforesaid, known and designated1 , Lots Nos. 101 and 102, Block "D,"i onting 50 feet each on McCaughrin] enue, and running back thereform o hundred and nine feet each, with: width in the rear of fifty feet each;1 id lot being more fully described on1 plat of, a portion of the land r1of TheI Newberry Real Estate Company, made by F. W. Higgins, surveyer, on the 18th day of October, 1905, and now of record in the office of the register of mesne conveyances for Newberry County in Plat Book "D," at pages 210 and 211. Terms of sale: Cash. Purchaser to pay for papers and recordlng or same. H. H. RIKARD, . Master for N. C., S. C. Master's Office, Dec. 11, 1911. EXECUTOR'S NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT. Notice is hereby given that on Mon day, January 15, 1912, at 11 o'clock a. m., we will make a settlement of the estate of the late Mrs. M. A. E. Werts, in office of Probate Judge.' at Newberry, S. C. All and singular the creditors ar'e hereby notified to present their claims duly attested to Clarence F. Werts, executor, and all parties in debted are required t> make payment to the undersigned on or before said date. Susan M. Werts, Executrix. Clarence F. Werts, Executor. Of Mrs. M. A. E. Werts, Deceased. STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. COUNTY OF NEWBERRY. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. The Newberry Savings Bank, Plain tiffs, vs. Frank G. Spearman, Jr., and John R. Spearman, Defendants. By an order of the Court herein I will sell to the highest bidder before the court house at Newberry, S. C., c within the legal hours of sale on Tues day, January 2, 1912, all the interest a and estate of Frank G. Spearman, Jr., C in all that tract or plantation of land C situate, lying and being in the Coun- a ty of Newberry, State of South Caro- g lina, containing three hundred and g forty-seven (347) acres, -more or less, and ;bounded by lands of. Mrs. Fannie Maffett, A. J. S. Langford, Thomas 33 -Ienry Spearman, and Sallie R. Hud C Son, (formerly -J. S. Spearman, J. R. r Spearman and G. C. Williams.) Also all the interest and estate In t all that other tract. or plantation of land lying and being situate in the ounty of Newberry, State of South v Carolina, containing two hundred and c orty (240) acres, more or less, and t ounded by lands of, or formerly of, -a ill Sanders, Charlotte V. Spearman, ~ and others, being sometimes known e s Little River Place, of the late John a . Spearman, the said interest in said ands, both tracts, being derived un er the terms of the last will and tes ament of the late John R. Spearman,: S eceased, the grandfather of the de endant Frank G. Spearman, Jr. Terms of sale: One-half the pur- 'I ~hase money to be paid in cash, the E alance on credit of twelve months, the credit portion to be secured by the J ond of the purchaser and a mortgage f the premises sold with interest at the rate of 8 per cent. pe" annum, and, a case said bond :bnd mortgage is col cted by suit or put in ,the hands- of n attorney for collection, 10 per -cent. ust be added to the amount due hereon, as attorney's fee. The pur ~haser may pay all his bid in cash if h e so desires. Purchaser to pay for d ~ape's and recording of same. b H. H. RIKARD, h KMaster. ? Master's 'Office, Dec. 11, 1.911. . II' TATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, . Ic COUNTY OF NEWBERRY-. "a COURT OF COMMON PLANS. Ip . L. Par Plain 3 , v. 'nnie W.r Ung , ppand By an order of the Court hereini vill sell to/'the highest bicfd'er, before lo he Court house at Newberry, S. C.. L ithin the legal hours of sale, Tues- 1; lay (salesday) January 2, 1912, all p) hat lot or parcel of land situate, lying si nd being in the town of Newberry, ta state of South Carolina, containing 11 ifty-seven one hundreds, (57-100) of o: .n acre, more or less, ..d bounded by o: ollege street, by lot .of W. W. Bul- o .ck, Caldwell street, aUi l by lot of s< and, known as town council lot, the fi ame being the identi:a1 lot of land E ~onveyed to Nannli.3 W Dasenport by G 4artha C. Schump et by her deed dat- o: d, the 7th day of October, 1903. L Terms of sale: One-half of the pur- E hase money to be paid in cash, the F ,alance in twelve months, at the rate )f 8 per cent., per annum, to be se- tl ured by a bond of the purchaser and n mortgage of the premises sold with c: eave to the purchaser to pay all his ti d in cash, said bond and mortgage to t( ~ontain a stipulation of 10 per cent. p )f the amount due thereon, as attor- p ey's fee in case said bond and mort- p rage is collected by suit or placed in tt he hands of an attorney for collec- f( ion. The purchaser shall be required b: o pay $500 immediately when said c] 3roperty is knocked down to him, and ci shall be required to insure house on P said lot in the amount required by the c4 aster, and assign the policy over to he master as required by said order aerin adi ae of failure of the purchaser to insure said house, the master will insure the same at the purchaser's expense, in such amount as he may deem proper and charge ' expense of policy to purchaser with interest on same at the rate of 8 per cent. per annum and charge same to the purchaser when he pays in his bond and mortgage. The purchaser to pay for papers and recording of same. H. H. RIKARD, Master. Master's Office, Dec. 11, 1911. TATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, COUNTY OF NEWBERRY. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. Walter I. Herbert, Thomas G. Herbert. C. C. Herbert, Mary Bryce Herbert. Lillie Haynes McMullen, Hattie Lee Haynes Morris, Abba Haynes and L. B. Haynes, Plaintiffs, against ampbell Bryce Haynes and Hilliard Galbrath Haynes, Defendants. By virtue of an order of the Court terein, I will sell to the highest bid ler, before the court house at New erry, South Carolina, wifhin the legal Lours of sale, on Tuesday, salesday. Fanuary 2, 1912, all that piece, parcel ir tract of land lying and being situate n No. 8 Township, County of Newber y, State of South Carolina, containing our hundred and fifty (450) acres, aore or less, bounded by Beaver Dam I reek, land of W. I. Herbert, land of t state of I. H. Boulware, the Bouk- t ight 'Ferry 'road, land of Hannah t hurch and others. Also, all that other s iece, parcel or tract of land lying i nd being situate in No. 8 Township, e ounty of Newberry, State of South E IaTolina, containing sixty (60) acres, lore or less, bounded by Beaver Dam t reek, land of W. I. Herbert and the chumpert mill road. I'rerms of sale: One-third cash, and 3e balance in one and two equal an ual payments, with interest on the redit portion from gay of sale at the ate of 8 per cent. per annum, interest t ayable annually, said credit portion be secured by a bond of the pUr- b haser aid a mortgage of the premises c ld, said bond and mortgage to pro ide for 10 per cent. attorney's fees iD ase of collection by suit or by an at-. yrney, -with leave to the purehaser to nticipate the payment of the credit ortion in whole or in part Purchas r to pay for papers and recording of ame. - ' H. H. RIKARD, Master for N. C., S. C. Mstier's Office, Dec. 11, 1911-. TATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, COUNTY OF NEWBERRY. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. Ie Newberry Real Estate Company, laintiff, against ames J. Lane, the First National Bank of Clinton, S. C., the Palmetto National Bank, Carolina National Bank of Columbia, S. C., the Bank of Columrbia, S. C., South Carolina Loan and Trust Comapany, Georgie Chemical Works, M. S. Bailey & Son and Wallace B. Todd, Defendants. By virtne of in order of the Court rein, I will sell to the highest bid ar,. .beforet the court house at -New arry, South Carolina, within the legal ours of sale,~on Tuesday, salesday, nuaary 2, 1912, 'all that piece, parcel r tract of land lying. and being. situate the County and -State aforesaid. )ntainilg ten and 71-100 (10 71-100) 3res, more or less, bounded by -aa blic road known as the "Columbia '~ . L by ie-hundredths (6 42-e less, confeyed't g ane by Henry M. Sli February c i, 1907. Also, all th&+ other piece, arcel or lot of .land lying and being fi tuate in the town of Newberry, Coun- t6 Sof Newberry, State of South Caro- E na, containing seven and fifty-eight D ae-hundreds (7 58-100) acres, more 0 r less, and bounded orn the north by t.her land of J. J. Lane, east and .J >uth by a branch which~ separates it p -onm other land of the Newberry Real o state Company, and on the west by a lennl street. Being the same tract f E land convieyed to the said James J. ane by the said the Newberry Real b state Company on the 1st day of V eruary, 1906. t Terms of sale: One-third cash, and fl ie balance in one and two equal an- f ual payments, with interest on the edit portion from date of sale at ii te rate of 8 per cent. per annum, in- u rest payable annually, said credit s artion to be secured by a bond of the c rchaser, and a mortgage of the remises sold, said bond and mortgage e provide for 10 per cent attorney's ; es in case of collection by suit or t i an attorney, with leave,.to the pur- n 1aser to anticipate the payment of the b redit portion in whole or in part. p urchaser to pay for papers and re yrding of same.t H. H. RIKARD, Master for N. C., S. C. aser'sfi e, Dec 11, 1911. STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, COUNTY OF NEWBERRY. COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. Corrie Kennedy and Rufus Eichelber ger, Plaintiffs, against J1-sse Eichelberger, Louise Eichelber ger, Cannon Eichelberger, Fred Eichelberger and Earle Eichelber ger, Defendants. By virtue of an order )f the Court herein, I will sell to the highest bid der, before the court house at Newber ry, South Carolina, within the legal hours of sale, on Tuesday, salesday, January 2, 1912, that lot of land lying and being situate in the town of New-. berry, County of Newberry, State of South Carolina, described as follows; .ll that piece, parcel or lot of land ly Ing and being situate in the town of Newberry, County and State aforesaid, :ontaining one-half (1-2) of an acre, nore or less, bounded on the north by I street separating it from land of Istate of William Langford, deceased, ,ast by lots numbered 1, 2 and 3, west )y lot No. 19, and south by lot No. 7. 'his, being lot No. 20, of a plat of land urveyed by James F. Glenn, survey >r, on the 15th day of December, 1890. [he said plat is now of record in the >ffice of the register of mesne convey .nces for Newberry County, in Book io. 6, -at page 407. The said lot of and was conveyed to Lucinda Eiehel erger by Thomas F. Harmon, execu or of Cora B.~Harmon, deceased, on he 7th day of January, 1902, and the aid deed is now of meord in the of ce of the register of mesne convey nces for Newberry County in Ded look No. 12, at page 6. Terms of sale: One-half cash, and bhe balance in one year, with interest n the credit portion from day of Bale t the rate of 8 per cent. per annum, aterest payable annually, said credit ortion to be secured by a bond of the urchaser, and a mortgage of the remises sold,s aid bond and mortgage D provide for 10 per cent. attorney's Fes in case of collection by suit- or. y an attorney, with leave to the pur haser to anticipate the payment of the redit portion in whole or in part. 'urchaser' to pay for papers and re ording of same.. H. H.lIKARD, Master for N. C., S. C. Master's Office, Dec. 11, 1911. LSSESSXENT OF PERSONAL PROP EBTY FOR FISCAL YEAR 1912. I, or an authorized agent, will be .t the following places named below or the purpose -of takng returns of ersonal property for ,fiscal year 1912: Newberry, January 1 to 9, inclusIve. Kinard, Wednesday, January ,10. Whitmiire, Thursday and Friday, anuary. 11 and 12. Jolly Street, Monday, January 15. Pomiaria, Tuesday, January 16. ~ Walton, Wednesday, January 17. Glymphville, Thursday, January 18. Maybinton, Friday, January 19. Prosperity, Monday and Tuesdiy, anuary 22 and 23. Little Mountain, Wednesday, Jaun ry. 24. O'Neall, Thursday, Janutary 25. St. Lukes, Friday, January 2&. Longshores, Monday, Januay 2~-~' Bilverstreet, Tuesday, January 30. Chappells, Wednesday, January 31, And at Newberry unti Fel)ruary 2.0, tter which date a penalty of 50 pOr ent. will be added against all persons, ' rms,p~r corporations failing to make Th aw requires a tax to be cha g- - d on all moneys, notes and mort ages;9also ati income tax3in gross in ames in excess of $2,500. There shall be a capitation tax of fty cents on all dogs, the proceeds > be expended for school purposes. ogs not returned for taxation shall ot be considered as properj;g~i a'y ! the courts of this State~. All male persons between the ages f 21 and 60 years are liable to pay oll tax, except Confederate soldiers, r those persons incapable of earning support from being maimed or rom any other cause. Nothing but personal property Is to e assessed this year, but all persons rho .have bought or sold any Teal es i,te since last return are required to ote such transfers on their returns r 1912. All property must be assessed "at s true value," which is construed to iean "the sum of money for which uch property,, under ,ordinary cir uimstances, would sell for cash." Please do not ask that your prop rty be taken from the auditor's dui licaite the same as ]ast return, for 1e law requires that all property iust be listed on regular tax return lanks and signed and sworn to by erson listing same. Name of township and school dis -ict must be givien on every return. EUG. S. W\ERTS, Auditor Newberry County. Newberry. S. C.