Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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KOrTHLAW STORIB& ?<? ? ' ? J lsrry <;?ntt Glvea Son* Interesting Itorolleetton*. /Written for The Chronicle by % 1 l.arry (Jan It.) UurUw old, aate-tiellujn days 111 HvuUi Ctriilftflft the code duello was as eiliWisil^ and tti-ooptpd an instltn tio'lt #g Written Jaw and was eonsid qqA |,v hot Idooded members of tin* '^??holding aristocracy as the prop ~ (!(| only manner iuwhtch gentle Melt could SOtti? tl??dr differences and ,l!spiite<. And any mail who refused u, aivcpi i challenge and meet an an fcsoid-t <'!' ",r Add of ll,,|ml' hml l,s f?U quit the state, for tin- brand of cowardiot? wns indelibly fixed upon jji ^ro\y iini in- was ever after a social ()lll(.asi, hvid in contempt by all Qi0a a ml women of Ids class. Of etnirse, no man with a spark of pride could atl'on* to accept and live under such h verdict,, and the result *as (bat many little islands In the Savannah river, also certain lo ndiiies <>u the banks of that s treaty in both Georgia and South Cfu'ollua, were selected OR duelling grounds. The er roneous Idea prevailed that the Savan nah river, being the dividing line be tween the two States, Its islands were a "nouian's land" anil there was no legal machinery to punish offenses committed on said islands. Hut in truth the courts have several times de cided that the Savannah river belong ed iu Georgia afui its islands were as jauPli a part of the territory of that State as Its mainland. T.Ijo 'duelling practice also prevailed in. Georgia. Hut not to the extent us in South Carolina. The Georgians, claiin is# the river as thylr own, crossed the stream and exchanged their shots on South Carolina soil. They thus cscap ix] presoention in their own' State and placed themselves under the jurisdic tioi of a people who looked upon the code duello with a condoning eye. v. I new knew or heard of a man being punished for Killiu an antagonist in a duel. One. of the favorite duelling (.'round* for Georgians was Sand-Bar Ferry, helow Augusta, and the soil there has often been crimsoned with the life Wood of chivalrous Georgians. While duelling was practiced to a greater or less extent, In all the South ern States, hut not near to the fro 'luecc.v as in South Carolina aipl Louis iana. Ami ()iis rlui racteristic is transpa rout to anyone who has studied the early settlement and nativity of t lie two peoples Louisiana was first set tled by the French and then acquired l?y Rpain, :i m< 1 until several years after our Civil War a preponderating ma jority of her population constituted those two hot -l flooded and impulsive nations and to this day they retain their characteristics#. The lower section of South Carolina, and until the triumph of Tillmanism, t!if doiniimt in:: and ruling portion of the Palmetto State was largely settled by Cavalier* from England and IIu ^ucunt < ?1 r i \ ??n from France after Louis Nl\ hail revoked the Kdict of N'antev P.otli these claimed the bluest ?f blue hi 1. they were brave to reck l"?snc>< and haled tyranny, unless "*Uih tyranny a- the.V themselves exer cised over their black slaves and the l-oUtkal tyranny through which they 'laminated their State. The ancestors ?f the Kn*?ll?h >euler< had been porse vjtcd !?> Vin- Puritan Oliver Cromwell fii'l the I r> ? 1 1? -1 1 l iv the Roman Catholic Iti'Oo'iii-ti w'tl' '!:? !?!?>., d >.f stnili .ancestry ?v"rsit..' ?i pi i_'li their veins the code | . ? i.tI> was as natvyul a . > fur water to flow down | *" i -:m? f..r duelling argue, *'<! with x ti . r<'ason. ton, that fewer 1 v-v h;i vt i,,st jn such encoun r' 'l.ai in hrawls. Where an ??Ti.:a!.,v ,, rth niejit i< possible it is w , 1 1 * hloOt Ished. Again, the " ?'?i pa* ?> t Mua 1] and weak man on " ? ^I'la! ;t \ \v larger and pliysl x 7 Mr ? if. r antagonist. The duel E 1'iM.,! 1 1 ?? ,i it ten inches lone and '",rr;- a :? bullet wi-- da?-l fought in South Caro ..a u ? *-i, r?t?h and Shannon. ia*ter wn< killed at the first fire. rv i r< \ '? 'lvi vr hot-brained planter. f"' 1 1 on a church worker and 1 ftwv'r universally respected. In rr" -Miration. Shannon submitted ' T * 1 r* interrogatories to Mrs. Cash "^w'?ich her husband declared in -'ii.c and would listen to no expla :o* and er.aT'enged Mr. Shannon. C;?id that Shannon had decided rpf|i>?' to meet Cash, as he was con ' . i y oppo-a^ to duelling, *hut 't ).,* con?, n young man just of . ^ 'a red that he himself would ^ inn ^arfel nnd rather than have * ife endangered. Shannon rash. ^ hl? 4\rrA pr. .voted puch an outburst J"1 ' ' i.gnation that duelling Wfts r legislative enartrflent in ^ 1 1 ( ? S f nod the sending or ~ "? R challange wns made not. m "r 'fiw* di?frnnchls -fv render and bearer of a ?rt*l ! with narratives ' 1 A r? of honor I have heard about but will confine myself to it 1 brief port of the Perry-Byuum duel, anil t lit' detail* of- which were given me by u son of Governor Perry. It.vnuiu WM u North Carolinian and a member uf the eminent family of that Qinit To understand the cause* that brought on this duo),, the reader uiusl understand tbut for years there had been a growing restlessness in the white counties of the Piedmont lull of South Carolina against the dominat ing political power of the seaboard count les and of which Charleston was the tenter. Nntu rally the lower couu. ties resisted any Miange that weaken ed their power. Tho champion of the rights of the up country was a bright and aggros si ve young lawyer, Iteujaminc Terry, of (JreenvlWt. Mr. Perry afterwards attained distinction as Ju statesman uml writer, lie opposed secession, hut east his lot with the South, as did Alexander 11. Stephens of Georgia. In recognition of his Union sentiments, President Andrew Jackson appointed him Provisional Governor of his State, but after a lulef administration he was removed to make. place for that carmagnole of corruption that characterised the reconstruction em. . To assist in bis fight for the rights of his section Ben Perry established a weekly paper In Greenville, called the Mountaineer, and being a strong and aggressive writer, l>egan to put in some telling lick:) agaist the political situation in IiIh Slate uiul dema uding a fair deal for the upper white eouu tles. Naturally these editorials were M wormwood and gall to the ruling dy nasty lit South Carolina and young I'tny a writable thorn in their flesh. It Is Mii'l thst all manner of efforts were Iliad* to squelch or silence lieu Terry, but without avail. It was then that u handsome and ? bivalioiis young man named Oynum from North Carolina came to Green ville ami ostablished au opposition paper to the Mountaineer, named the l'atriot. T|?e reputatlou of Hynum had proceeded him to Orceuville. He was said to be a man absolutely with out fear, would fight at the drop of a hat and drop the hat himself, lie was also a noted duelist, hail been engaged in several affairs of honor, and had novel f.iibd to bring down, his antag onist at th? first shot. He had a piercing eye, a nerve of steel and it is said that standing with pistol In hand, lowered at his side, he could raise the weapon, take his sight at a glance and cut a thread at ten paces betwoen the words: "One ? two ? three ? Fire!" tluL^signal for duel There ary two side* to this affaiy and at this day of course it is impos sible to say which is correct . The/fld heron ts of l'erry charged nnrflfynuro was brought to Grceovllle t<) force a duel on Perry and kill him. Friends of Bynuin deny this. but assert that lie c*Ufte of hia owu free will to Greenville un<l tlie duel was the termination of a political controversy between rival and warmblooded youwd editors. llut from the' first issue of lit* pai?er Bynuin heggn an aggressive criticism of Ben Perry and his pa jrt and to which .articles Perry replied with abib ity, but ho evidently ? sought to avoid any -appeal to arms. The tour o f the two papers each week grew warmer, until finally Bynuin penned an article so bitter and pergonal that uo alter native was left Perry but to cluillangc or forever wear the brand of a craven. It. l-\ Perry was a brave man, bnt utterly unskilled In the use of weapons. But Perry knew that ho could not live iu South Carolina under such a stlg nnt and so he sent Byiuui a challenge and which was promptly accepted. Bynuin feeing the challenged party hud the selection of weapons and he named pistols and the distance feu paces. In sending this cartel Ben Perry and everyone else felt that he had signed his deatli P^^*CC?v9? tbM Southern rail way/crossing Thgalo /liver, one of the tw?' rea ins Oi.if farm the Savannah 'tflver,. by looking down that stream will notice a small wooded Island. It was on a sandy beach n* the lower end of tills isle thai the duel was fought. So confident was Bynum and his second and friends that it is said they did not even have a surgeou. Those who witnessed tlu> duel sAy they never saw such nerve us both prin cipals manifested ? Bynuiu being un usually gay, but Terry with a .stern and rathor severe expression ou his face. There was but one round -the handsome and gallant young North Carolinian fell with a bullet through his heart. 1*. F. Perry was untouched. The termination of this; duel was a surprise to uveryouo most of aH to Ilymuu's friends. The duel was fought lute one Cold wiutt4r evening. Perry anil his friends left the ground and the corpse of Hynnm and his band of friends ou tho island, .And now .comes a strange part of this tragedy. A litter was formed of two small pine saplings that had been part ly washed up by a recent freshot the body was placed on this and carried to the graveyard of the old Stone Church not far from Clemson College. With ; rude tools borrowed from a farmer a shallow grave was dug and the body of the victim of the eode duello burled without shroud or roffln. As markers at the houff and foot of the grave were, set the two* ?mall pines. They, took root and grew into stately trees that would square ten or twelve inches. A few yea r* ago I visited this historical old church and burial ground. I found that In cleaning off the cemetery both of these pines had been felled and when their stumps decay nothing will retnain to mark the In&t resting place of a brave and chivalrous North Caro linian who sacrificed his lift* in what the world now looks upon as a wife taken, ytvr criminal method, of vindicat ing one's honor. 10 yen the mound over Hyuillh* grave has been leveled with the earth, Hut lils dust mingles with that of some of the greatest statesmen and warriors that South Carolina over produced, and at the great rosurrec. tlon morn the .spirit of this valiant atrangw will mingle with eougeulal and kindred spirits -loader* In every early way in whieh their country wa? engaged, brave men who held the same Vluw* about t'he code of honor thai Hy iiuiu held. The killing of Hynum oast a -mill over the life of Governor IVrry, One of his sons told me that he had but once heard the duel mentioned In tho presence of his father, who raised his Jiand to command silence, with, ^Never again lot me hear a member of my family speak of that unfortunate af fair!" Truly does the shedding of the blood of your fellow man leave an in dellahle stain. . ;J Dangerous Word Friend ? What's the matter? Been in an automobile wreck? M ovie Director (all lift ml aged up) --No; I engaged a lot of ex-dough boys Tor a battle scene. I got then* all ready, and then shouted. "Cam era !" Huh! they thought I said kam? erad. 7 ? V Motor Efficiency vs. Gasoline Efficiency Why the Standard Oil Company (New Jersey ) Maintains a Great Experimental Department THERE is a point beyond which the efficiency of a motor car or truck cannot be guaranteed by its manufac turer. 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