Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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EORICAL SKETCH 0 CLARENDON COUNIY (Continued from page two) ew county was Charles Frederick sesne, who served from the begin ing of the new county until the close fthe - war. Then the following entlemen filled this position, and in e following order: W. S. Bran, omas N. Broughton, Dr. John I. ngram, Capt. Robert B. Harvin, Dr. . H. Huggins, Joseph Spret, Jr., nd our present efficient ~County reasurer, Mr. Samuel J. Bowman. f this list we know of only two who re living, and these are our towns en, Messrs. Sprott and Bowman. The office of County Auditor is no of more recent creation, and mong its occupants have been the ollowing gentlemen: B. A. Walker ret, then James T. L. Thames, Junius E. Scott, D. J. Bradham, and he present incumbent, Mr.. J. Elbert avis. The office Probate Judge, form rly known as ordinary, has been lied from time to time by quite a umber, among whom were the fol owing: G. S. C. DesChamps, who ent to Texas and was assassinated n the pulpit, W. R. Burgess, R. M. hompson, W. H.. Ingram, J. D. lsbrook, and the present incumbent, r. Louis Appelt. The office of School Commissioner rior to 187* was Ailled principally y negro Republicans, among whom were Alfred Pack and the noted Peter mon, who was assassinated in the ublic road at a branch a few miles outh of Manning, and which branch ow wears his name. Since 1896, among those who filled this office were John C. Bagnal, Samuel J. Bowman, John J. Conyers, P. G. Benbow, L. L. Wells, L. M. Ragin, then Wells again, and our present Superintendent of Education, W. S. Richbourg. The County Commissioners have been too many to attempt to mention hem. Among those who represented this county with honor in the State Sen to have been John L. Manning, E. . Dickson, Dr. John I. Ingram, Col. I. L. Benbow, Joseph F. Rhame, Esq., Louis H. DesChamps and L. M. Ragin. There have been others among hom were three gentlemen of color as follows. Syphax Milton, Powell Smith and Jared Warley. Clarendon has had many represen tatives in the lower house of the Leg islature. I cannot with certainty give the names of all who served as rep resentatives before 1876, but here are some of them, and it will be seen y two or three names which appear, that our county was not always rep resented by her best citizens, black Republicans occasionally filling this high office of honor: Col. H. L. Ben bow, Col. S. Warren Nelson, John P. Richardson, W. J. McFaddin, Dr. G. Allen Huggins, James McCauley, and Gus Collins, colored, and Will Nelson, very colored, who fled from justice for stealing vegetables from a garden. That is probably only a partial list of our representatives be fore 1876. It was in 1876 that the black cloud of negro rule was raised from our beloved State, and though the writer was but a small boy he re members vividly the stiring scenes of that year, with its big campaign days and red shirts brigades. He also remembers well the standard bearers, and before he scarcely knew what it meant he learned to holler "Hurrah for Hampton!" It was Hampton for Governor, and in Clarendon Benbow for the Senate and Barron and Peter Richardson for the House. These, with others who supported them and held up their hands, carried the day na Clarendon and made the way poss ~ble for many other good Democrats. The following, then, is submitted ai a list of tho'se who have repre sented this county in the House of Representatives since 1876: B. Pressley Barren and John Peter Richardson;. Joseph F. Rhame and .ames E. Tindal; W. T. Lesesne and B. R. Gibson; Arthur Harvin and Dr. . G. Dinkins; E. R. Plowden, Jr., ;ndl H. B. Richardson; I. M. Woods, ~zra Tindal, .T. M. Richardson, S. A. .J'ettles, W. D. Kennedy, W. C. Davis, .0. M. Davis, and T. B. Owen. Thus it will be seen that there have been nany since the creation of Clarendon County who were elevated to posi ~ions of public honor, and further that of this number quite the ma iority have passed away. All of th~emi Lave made history, sonme good and some bad, but each one serves his little place in the memory of tho palst, IDon't Delay Xma For JAMES AL The Halbm 285 King St. Rstablinhe and of such is Clarendon's history made up. A desire to bring this sketch with the bounds of a limited length pre cludes -my enlarging upon that perior which perhaps plays the most im portant part in the history of our county and twon. The five years from 1860' to 1865, were important years, perhaps the most important that the past, the present, or future generations for centuries to come will ever witness, and the result of these five years' struggle has since been, and is today being felt by the peo ple of the eont y. Clarendom County and the Town of Manning were not wanting in making history then. Many noble sons, inspired by that patriotism which is only known among Southerners and Carolinians sacrificed their all upon the altar o? their country, and gace their lives for a cause whic hthey cherished. Other patriotic sons of Clarendon gave noble services to a beloved but lost cause, and through the wisdom of an unerring Providence were spared their lives to return and serve their people and their county in places of honor. Clarendon furnished several gallant companies to the Confederacy. The Manning Guards, for instance, formed a part of the Hampton Le gion, and was captained by that noble young patriot, who was gallant al most unto wreckleness-Brown Manning-with G. Allen Huggins and John Haynesworth as first and second lieutenants. They did splen did service and upon many battle fields did 'the deeds of this command reflect the" bravery and the patriotism of their town and county. Let the sons and daughters of members of this noble command ever cherish their memory. The organization known as Keel's Company also contained some of Clarendon's young men who were willing to volunteer. for their country's cause, but perhaps the largest com pany which went from Clarendon to battle fo rthe cause which was finally lost was Company I., of the 23rd Regiment. This gallant command was usually full to the limit. It was made up principally of the sturdy yeomany, which is the bone and sinew of the land itself. Its first captain when organized for active service was H. L. Benbow, with H. H. Lesesne, R. B. Harvin and Thomas N. Slawson as first, second and third lieutenants, respectively. Our townsman, Capt. Bradham, was orderly sergeant. Be ing in possession of a lot of war re cords, the writer could elaborate upon this command with perhaps interest, but must forbear. Many promotions were made from its ranks from the beginning to the close of the war. At its close Capt. Benbow was Col onel of the regiment; Liuetenant Lesesne was Major of the 23rd, and Lieutenants Harvin and Slawson had received deserved promotions or were transferred to other posts of service. Sergeant Bradham having lost one arm and being disabled for service upon the field, had rendered services at home among the reserves. On the 9th of April 1865, when the officers of this command, with the immortal Lee at Appomottox, gave up their swords and yielded to a force only superior in numbers, they were followed by many of Claren don's noble sons. All honor to their bravery! All praise to their noble service! All glory to their chivalry! They had won for Manning, for Clar endon, and for Carolina a noble dis tinction, and one which we, as their sons and their daughters, should ever cherish in hallowed remembrance. The Town of Manning was named in honor of Governor John L. Man ning and its age almost simultaneous with that of the county. It has much history. Granny's Hill, near the old graveyard just back of the Thames place at the head of Brooks street, was the home of an old woman by the name of Granny Ridgeway, and was a small settlement when the town was built. It has been trad itionally said that the place was so healthy that Granny had to move away before she would dlie, and per haps this helps to account for the health of our delightful town. It is also said that many decades ago, in colonial times ,an Englishman, whose name is not now known, made a set tlement near where is now the cem etery. But the oldest house stand inst in town is the Dickson house. This place was cleared up by the Ridlgeways, and the house was built by Capt. Burgess. The two D~rs. H~uggins came here at the beginning or soon after the town was comn menced, andl Dr. Allen Huggins set tIed what is now the Levi place. Mr. [Levi built wvhat was the original Rigby house, and Dr. Dinkins lived ummttttttttm ttm ttttttttm s is Drawing Near Watches,. Jewelry or Silverware that you can't get at home, write to us. We have a truly wonder ful stock. Goods sent on ap.. proval where satisfac tory references are given. LAN & CO. ark Jewelers CHARLESTON, S. C. d 65 Yar. where Dr. Brockinton new owns. Dr. Herman Huggins built a fine two story residence oni the lot now used as the tobacco warehouse lot, nearly Dpposite the Presbyterian church. Dr. Allen Huggins also built, where irs. Thames lives, and our beautiful trees stand as a living monument to his broadminded citizenship. Mr. Henry Kelley settled what is now the Rhame place, and Col. Barron's residence was originally built by Mr. John Hayns worth, a prominent lawyer who came shre at the settling of the town. The old court house, a large brick structure, was built where the present court house stands, by Capt. Morgan Butler as contractor. A Mr. Charles Pack had the first store in Manning, pituated about the spot where our friend Jenkinson's store now stands. But to prolong this list would make my sketch too lengthy. The build ing and improvement of the town was rapid, and it might be incidentally mentioned that one of the most prom inent figures in the immediate vicin ity of the town during its early his tory, was Mr. Charles R. Harvin, father of our townsmen Messrs. C. R. and W. S. Harvin. He cared naught for public position, bu' was a citizen of great energy, and at the time of his death had the contract and was building a causeway across Black River leading to Manning. His mill .awed the lumber for most of the earlier buildings of the town. Among the first lawyers who set tled here wer Dr. Joseph Galluchat, Moses Benbow, T. C. Coogler, John Hlaynesworth, Charles Wolfe, who af terwards moved to Kingstree, and Capt. Keels. Our fellow citizens, Messrs. B. Pressley Barron and Joseph F. Rhame, located here soon after the town was settled and have ever since been honored members of the bar and well known in the State. Among Manning's early physicians were the Drs. Huggins, Dr. Ingram, Dr. Moore, Dr. McCauley, Dr. McLeod aid Dr. Richardson. Our old friend Mr. Moses Levi was among the first to build a store here in 1856, and has remained in the mercantile business continuously since. Mx. S. A. Rigby was also among the early merchants, begin ning business in 1860. The first newspaper published in Manning was "The Clarendon Ban nier" and was published by Robert Machem. Truly our Town and County have much history which might be written at length. In regard to the county many his torical traditions might be given about the passage up the Santee Riv er, during the revolution, of Lord Cornwallis, whose road of march is still in many places visible; of Fort Watson, near Scott's Lake; of the old Georgetown road, still easily discern ed at some points near our Manning depot; of Marion's camping in Black River, near town, and of this famous "Swamp Fox's" recruiting on the "High Hills of Santee" near where is now old Fulton. Concerning our town's history much might be written of her strug gles during the late war, of the ex citing times when General Potter was encamped here, with his head quarters in the Huggin's residence, (the one spoken of i being opposite the Presbyterian church); of the kill ing of a Yankee in the street in front ' of Mr. John Wilson's house by Charles Jones, of Sumter, and of his a desperate flight to save his life, being pursued by the Yankee soldiers; of the burning of the court house and s the town by General Potter, and ninny other recitals. But we are now in a new era. Ou rcounty today is by no means what it was in 1855. Now we have one of the foremost counties in this ~ middle section of the State. Our ~ tax books show a total of 471,469 ~ acres of hand and 311 town lots at a valuation of $1,371,215. In personr.A piroperty we show 1517 horses, valu- ~ ation $75,000; 5339 cattle, at say $50,000; 1708 mules, worth $100,000; 360 sheep, 9988 hogs, and 2412 dlogs, ~ valued at $10 a piece. We have a county population of about 30 thous and, and a town population of about 1350, and last but greatest of all, we have the Manning Social and Literary Circle. Its male membership nm bers about fifteen, some of whom have no known value, but a few are worth $1.00 per head, according to the county andl State's estimate. Its female membership is about seventeen. Their valuation has never been truly estimated, and is known by us all to be very high; but if it were estimated by a special com mittee consisting of Messrs. A. J. White, J. H. Rigby andl A. I. Harron, I have no dloubt but that they would pla5ce it above the combined worth of the gold mines of California, the dia mond fields of Cape Colony, the mythical treasures of King Solomon's mines an dIthe riches of the Klondike Valley. Then who says we have not a great county andl town? And if this is what we have acquired during a history of forty-two years, what must we he in forty-two years more ? The writer hopes that forty-two years from now he may be called upon to write the history of the Man nmng Social and Literary Circle, and that in doing so he may be able to chronicle many pleasant happenings, among them the nuptial ceremonies of his esteemed fellow-members, Messrs. G. L. Dickson, P. 0. Richardson and R. B .Loryea. AD)VERTISE 1N THE TIMES UALED TVNS O#4.V Q.Mia QCER L'COF5Etef REAl Our Compi and HART SCHAI KNOX AND S JOHNSON & I MANHATTANb Underwear, H( your choice. Remember, no are giving you real The Br~ The Hom Phone 5105. C n the District Court of the United States, For the Eastern District of South Carolina. 'I No. 2195 in Bankruptcy. In the Matter of t rinity Mercantile Co., and T. 0. ( Schwartz, doing business as such ' leged bankrupt. ( To Trinity Mercantile Company in fi aid District, Greeting: V For certain causes offered before the t istrict Court of the United States of f Lmerica within and for the Eastern lstrict of South Carolina, as a court f bankruptcy, we command and trictly enjoin you, laying all other intters aside and notwithstanding ny excuse, that you personally ap ear before our .said District Court a be holden at Charleston, in~ said 1 )istrict, on the 15th day of December,e tD. 1920, to answer to a petitiont led by Rittenburg & Co., et al., inr ur saidl court, praying that you mayi e adjudged a bankrupt; andl to do urther and receive that which our aid District Court shall consider in his behalf. And this you are in no - v'ise to omit, under the pains and 'enalties of what may befall thereoni. Witness the Honorable llenry A. M. imith JTudge of said Court, and the enl thereof, at Charleston, in said )istrict, this 13th (lay of November, L. D. 1920. (Seal of Courts Richard WV. Ilutson, Clerk. NOTICE This is to notify the public that no respassing, hunting or fishing will e allowed on any of my lands. C. M. DAVIS, 15-6t-p. , Summerton, S. C. F( 3*Nev Modern Cc Price, 8 DuRi MANNING, ,VAL ete Stock of N( Ilse of Best Qual At Cost ! FNER - MARX CLOTHE TETSON HATS. MIURPHY and THOMPSOl I SHIRTS. siery, Gloves, Trunks, Bags old goods made up and mai values. an Cloth a of Hart Schaffner & Marx >r. Hampton and Main. TRESPASS NOTICE Cedar Grove Plantation, St. Paul ownship. All parties are warned against respassing upon the lands of the edar Grove Plantation, St. Paul ownship, Clarendon County, South arolina. No hunting is allowed. No shing is allowed. The lands are yell posted along the lines, and all respassing will be prosecuted to the ull extent of the law. Robert A. Smythe, Manager, Joe Ht. King, Iocal Manager. - o TROOPS IN TRO UBLITE ZNN E Williamson, WV. Va., No _. M.A rovisional battal ion of~ approximate y 500 men of the United States army amp at Chillicothe, Ohio arrived here odlay at nloon fo duty in the coal egion. Col. Herman Hall, commrand ng, immediately took up his head uarters at the county court house nid armed guards were thrown out Hill Plumbing Water Works, PLUMBING, PIPELESS FURNAC Next Express Oi MANNI )R SALI Bunt >nveniences. B< 2.OOO.OO to $5, EASY TERMS cnt & F UES !h w Merch ity :S. F IS t BROS., SHOES. Suit Cases, take -ked down. We e3 ring Co. Clothes. SUMTER, S. C around the building. The troops are here in response a request of Governor John .J. Co wall, who decided that the disord of the past few weeks had created situation with which the State a.. county officers could not cope. Officers in charge of the troops v. be billeted in the court house the enlisted men are being quarte in the city hall and an old hot which was recently turned into a h pital. Detachments of soldiers he already been sent to Kermit, Bord' land and Matewan for guard du Thero ha been no disorder since t. troop)s arrived. i AKE YOUR SICK SKIN WE.' If you suffer from eczema, it pimples, etc., gzive Zemerine a tr It stops the itching, allays the irrii tion, and soon your skin is resto to a healthy condition. For sale . Dicksoni Drug Store. and Heating Co. Lighting Plants, H EATING, ES. R E PA IRS. Tice. Phone 155 NG, S.C. ~alos!. ast Section. 500.O0. loyd, South Carolina.