The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, June 16, 1910, Page 7, Image 7
MARLBORO IN REVOLUTION
STORY OF THE KILLING OF COL.
KOLB BY TORIES.
>>
r
Interesting Revolutionary History of
. the Ayers, who Later Moved
to Barnwell County.
....The folowing interesting story of
old Marlboro is told by Mrs Lulah
Ayer Vandiver, of Anderson, in the
Sunday News, the main features of
which are recorded in Gregg's and
McCrady's histories of the Pee Dee
people.
"It is not a question of property,
but of liberty." This was the reply
made to Tory neighbors who urged
him to save his property by taking the
oath of allegiance to Great Britian,
^ by Thomas Ayer, one of the sturdy
Scotchc-Irish stock, which in the early
and middle years of the eighteenth
century poured into the new world.
Ayer located first in Virginia and alter
in Marlboro district, S. C., on the
n
banks of the Great Pee-Dee River, a
{ few miles below Hunt's Bluff, where
i'j he established a trading post and a
mill, and amassed considerable property.
This Irishman with his innate
love for liberty and his inherited hatred
to England, embraced heartily
the sentiments of the Revolution, and
joined Marion's partisan forces,
/ faithfully serving his adopted country
on many trying occasions.
On one occasion he was sent with
an armed force to take a band of To*
ries which had become very obnoxius
to the community by their law
lessness and depredations. Ayer captured
the party and effectually secured
the country against further
trouble from them by hanging them
to the nearest trees. For this act
I he became an object of especial de'
testation to the Britist officer, McArthur,
who offered a large reward
> * ~ for his detention. Being thus under
British ban, it became necessary
that Ayer remain away from his
home as much as possible. But the
men who rescued Carolina from
Comwallis and Rawdon ?were not
enlisted soldiers, they were citizens
* who shouldered muskets and sallied
forth under their peerless leaders,
fighting fiercely until their imV
mediate object was attained. Then
laying down arms, returned to their
homes and persued their daily avocations
until necessity called them
forth again. It was imperative that
the. men return frequently to look
afte^heir affairs and see to the wellbeing
of their families. The faithful
black slave, who protected his
> " - mistress and her children and worked
the plantation during his master's
absence was a later development,
reaching perfection during the war
between the States. When the men
who won the Revolution went forth
they left not a faithful, humble
^ friend, but a treacherous and cruel
black savage in their homes.
^ UX1 Uiie UI tiitr siuicu v 101 ld inuuias
Ayer was discovered by his implacable
foes and late in the afternoon
sixteen of them rode up to nis house
and took him captive in sight of his
wife and two sons. Binding him hand
and foot with buckskin thongs furnished
by his neighbor and quandam
friend. Magnus Corgill, they had intended
taking their prisoner at once
to McArthur, but a terrific storm
arising, they determined upon reaching
Blunt's Bluff, not to attempt to
cross the swollen and raging stream,
i but to take shelter for the night
in an abandoned hut near its banks.
' - There feeling secure, they stacked
arms and leaving their prisoner
bound, lying upon the earth floor,
* they proceeded to amuse themselves
by playing cards.
Very soon after the capture of
Thos. Ayer his eldest son, Hartwell,
. himself a soldier, with5 companions,
reached the desolate home. Learning
the state of affairs, the young
men immediately remounted and
started in pursuit of the marauders.
A Under cover of the storm they cautiously
approached the rude shelter
r taken by their adversaries. Then
making a sudden assault, they seized,
the arms, then bayonetted the whole
party, with the exception of Asal
John, son of a neighbor and former
friend of Thos. AyeF. The old man
ji with his own body protected the
youth, pleading for his life until it
was granted.
One other of the Tories escaped
death, he was pinned to the floor by
a sword and left for dead, but after
the victorious assailants, with their
rescued prisoner were gone this Tory
revived from the swoon caused
by tbe loss or Diooa, ana puning out
1 his sword, he crawled to the edge of
the river and plunged in; the cold
water stopped the deadly flow and he
lived for years after the war was
over.
Upon learning of Ayer's capture
, and escape, McArthur was more enraged
than ever, and determined to
* have the stubborn Irishman at any
cost, so he went to take him himself.
However, he found only the patriot's
wife and two young sons at
home. After committing every depredation
in his power. McArthur set
fire to the house, and carried off the
negroes. In the conflagation he
spared a big barn well stocked with
corn, which he wanted for his horses.
For some years after the war was
over, this barn was the family shelter.
Mrs. Aver and her two boys
escaped to the nearby swamp, and
there for severai days were fed at
nightfall by kind neighbors.
Or>o r\f tVi<xco crrns T.pu'ifi MfllnnP.
| was only eleven years old at the outbreak
of the war, but he soon began
to take part in the great struggle.
Born in Marlboro, he was truly a
son of Carolina? The boy owned a
sorrel pony, the swiftest steed in tbe
community, and upon its back he traversed
many miles of unknown country,
carrying messages of importance
from camp to camp, and from commander
to commander.
Of course the British soon learned
how information became disseminated
thereabouts, and the lad and his
pony were objects of vengeance and
desire to the invader. He always
attributed his escape from harm to
the inordinate greed of the enemy
for the horse. They wished to capture
it unhurt, and their care for
the animal probably saved his life.
The young courier witnessed the
treacherous death of Col. Kolb. Kolb
with two friends, had gone home for
a brief visit, and the Tories learning
of it, Major Gainey set out to capture
them. Col. Kolb's regiment, hearing
of Gainey's move, made ready to follow
and by holding his ferries and
various roads, hoped to rescue their
beloved commander, if he should be
taken prisoner. An enori, nowever,
should be made to warn him, in order
that he might escape. The only
hope was in young Lewis Aver and
his fleet-footed horse, Selim. The
boy was sent upon the errand, but
the Tories wer.e two far in advance;
he never succeeded in overtaking
them. When he came in
sight of Col. Kolb's home it was
surrounded by the blood-thirty band.
The residence was^a. two-story brick
building and was seemingly fastened
against the invaders while Col. Kolb
and his two soldier friends stationed
themselves beside windows in the
second story, commanding obliquely
the front and rear of the house. The
volley poured into the building by
the Tories was not returned, the
inmates having very little amunition,
and being so few in number,
felt it incumbent upon them to husband
their resources.
When the Tories dismounted, and
with logs of wood approached, intending
to beat in the doors, the well directed
shots from above laid them
low. This recurring several times,
the invaders withdrew a little distance
for consultation. Major Gainey
then sent a messenger bearing a
white flag and requested a parley
with Col. Kolb. The Colonel replied
that Mdjor Gainey and two of his
men, unarmed, might come as close
as they pleased. Gainey then went
forward and most solemnly assured
Kolb that if he and his two compaiions
wrould surrender themselves
prisoners of war they should be
honorably treated and exchanged at
the earliest opportunity. He even
named a British colonel, then a prisoner
in the hands of the Americans,
for whom they would exchange Kolb.
The specific statements and earnest
protestations deceived the brave officer,
and he with his two friends
.came down unarmed and passing
through the door of the house, surrendered.
The whole band of Tories
advanced to meet their prisoners,
and when they came within fifteen or
twenty feet of them, Gainey gave the
word "shoot the damned traitors."
The treacherous volley poured upon
them and the three defenceless patriots
fell dead. ?.
Lewis Malone Aver, hidden in a
dense willow thicket not far from the
scene of the tragedy, witnessed the
harrowing spectacle. Sad and mortified
by the failure of his mission,
the lad stealthily made his retreat.
But ere long approaching the house
of Mr. Caleb Nunnary, about six miles
away, hunger, and a stronger pas
sion, boyish love, made him halt
there for a time. Mr. Nunnary's
young daughter, Sarah, was the
lode star of his existence just at that
time, and in fact, became his wife
before he attained his twenty-first
birthday.
Halting at the house, Lewis tied
Selim, and entering was soon busily
employed eating supper and telling
his dreadful story. But in the midst
of his recital Gainey's men rode up to
the house and with exultation, beheld
at their mercy, the coveted
pony, Selim, which they immediately
seized, and upon which the exultant
Major Gainey fastened his handsome
saddle and a fine pair of army pistols,
the valued gift of Lord Rawdon.
Meantime, through a near door,
the lad made good his escape, his
route heinsr comDlatelv concealed
by an immense field of tall corn,
through which he fled. After a vain
search for the boy, the Tories comforted
themselves by the possession
of the horse, and entering the house,
rudely demanded supper.'
Mrs. Nunnary and Sarah busied
themselves in preparations for their
unwelcomed guests, but well Sarah
knew that Lewis would never abandon
his beloved pony without making
an effort to save it, so when the
party sat down to the table Sarah
took a chair and, seating herself in
it, tilted it back against the open
door, through which the Tories could
keep watch upon their prize tied
just without.
A very restless girl did Sarah prove
to be; she twisted in her chair, she
dropped it upon its legs, then she
again tilted it against the door on
two legs until, suddenly chair and
girl both fell heavily to the floor, and
the door slammed shut. Sarah set
up a mighty groaning; she had
hurt her arm dreadfully, she thought
it must be sprained and she had
bruised her ankle. In the midst of
her complaints and her mother's attempts
at consolation, there was
heard rapid galloping of a horse.
With an oath Gainey sprang to the
door and throwing it open beheld
Selim, adorned with his own saddle
and holsters, bearing the grinning
boy, who as he disappeared d6wn the
road amid Tory shot and curses,
turned and waved his hand to Major
Gainey with an impudent shout:
"Good-bye, Major, till we meet
again."
Wild with anger, the disappointed
officer cursed the girl and accused
her of shutting the door purposely to
which the saucy maiden replied:
"You must be an old fool if you
think I would hurt myself so for anybody."
Nevertheless, Sarah's injuries disappeared
with the disappearance of
her Tory guests.
Selim was never captured again
and with his proud master made
many more trips bearing messages
of importance over long and dangerous
distances.
Thomas Ayer died at his home in
Marlborough district soon after the
war was over. Lewis Malone remained
there with his mother until
his marriage at twenty to Sarah
Nunnary. When they went to Barnwell
district, he establishing himself
at Buford's Bridge in what is now
Bamberg county, living to become a
wealthy and influential citizen. He
was a member of the famous Nullification
Legislature. He died in
1855 at the advanced age of 95
years.
PROSECUTION ENDS.
Sentence of Two Years on Gang is
Stayed by Marriage.
Florence, June 8.?There was a
romantic and dramatic ending to a
case tried in court to-day. Commodore
Poston, a prominent young
farmer from the lower part of the
county, was tried and convicted of seduction
of Miss Ella Poston, who
though she has the same name, was
no relation of Poston's. The prosecuting
witness was her brother.
Judge Gage sentenced the young
man to two years on the gang, and
fixed the bond in case of appeal at
$3,000. After a conference between
the principals, they determined to get
married, and the services of Magistrate
McClenaghan were called for
and he tied the knot in the court
room with the judge and jury as interested
witnesses.
This acted as a stay in the sentence.
Confirms Crum's Nomination.
Washington, June 8.?With practically
no discussion, the senate committee
on foreign relations to-day decided
*t'o report favorably the nomi'
nation of W. D. Crum, of Charleston.
S. C., to be minister to Liberia.
Crum's appointment was announced
at tne wnue nouse yesteraay.
E. A. Brown, Esq., of Aiken, stenographer
of the second circuit, was
admitted to the Bar last week after
passing a highly satisfactory examination
before the newly created board
of law examiners. There were fifteen
candidates in the class and seven
were unsuccessful.
Serious Case in Darlington.
Darlington, June 8.?There will be
two men tried on the charge of criminal
assault at the approaching term
of criminal court, which convenes
here on Monday, June 20. One of
these will be the negro Johnson, who
was convicted of the crime committed
in Iiartsville over a year ago. His
attorneys argued an appeal before
the supreme court last fall, and a new
trial was granted by that tribunal
shortly after the February term of
court last. Johnson has been kept
in the penitentiary ever since his
first trial in February, 1909, when
he was convicted.
The other case is against a negro,
Harris, who has been practicing
among negroes of this county for
some time, claiming to cure certain
diseases by means of electricity. A
very respectable colored woman went
to him recently for the treatment,
and she was assaulted while in his
office. The defendant in this case was
lodged in jail three days ago, and will
face the charge during the approaching
term.
..... ..s. - -r
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