The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, May 11, 1911, Page 3, Image 3
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"CANARY" TOM MILLER.
Seme Reminiscences of Dark Days in
South Carolina.
Sometimes a single name or a I
small incident will open floodgates)
of recollection for those who have j
seen and felt things and bring to i
very vivid life old times and long ar- j
rays of dead men. We read in the j
South Carolina newspapers that T.!
E. Miller has been removed summa- j
rily by the new governor from his
long held position as president of the
eolnrprl nnivprsitv at Oransrebui'S.
This is "Canary" Miller, quite an.
old man now and long ago reconciled |
io white rule and become a good and
useful citizen. He was different 34
years ago when he sat in the South
Carolina legislature as a representative
from Beaufort?a short, square
built man, seven-eights white, wearing
a heavy light gray sack suit,
with his habit of running his hands
into the pockets of the coat and fairly
clear indication of a loaded revolver
in each pocket. Other nasty habits
had "Canary." He sat as a member
of the last attempt at a Republican
legislature in a Southern State
in the last year in the reconstruction
era. He sat with "The Ring-Tailed
Roarer of the Combahee," a black
negro whose Gullah dialect from the
coast of Africa whose immediate ancestry
was so strong that a white
man from the up-country barely
could understand him when he addressed
the house; also with the
"Duke of Marlboro," an unctuous yellow
scoundrel representing the very
garden spot of the State who used
to rise up and thunder from a broad
ehest and a wide throat when the
house in chorus rendered: "Hold the
Fort for Hayes and Wheeler." How
it did reverberate, rendered to the air
of- "Hold the Fort for I am coming,"
when the South Carolina legislature
refreshed itself with .song.
"Canary" was not of the group collectively
known as "The Forty
Thieves" but he was about as full of
fight and venom as a rattlesnake.
One hundred and twenty-five was the
legal membership of the house of rep
> .
representatives, in the year of the
wighty uprising of the white people
wider leadership of Wade Hampton
the outbursting and explosion of a
ghting and desperate civilization
gainst a 60,000 negro majority, the
law and Ulysses S. Grant in the
ooot Tho Dpmno.rati? had
jpi COiUCUt O OVUV. AMV
elected 64?on the face of the returns.
By means they kept two or
three negro Republican representatives
at their homes; but when their
mames were called they answered '
"Dummies, ringers" had been put in
to answer for them and no Democrat
dared avow knowledge that the realities
were not there. Who could iden- i
tlfy one low-land corn field negro
from another. Then the Democrats, :
again by means,, won over two or
three. Tom Hamilton was among i
them. He must have been a descend- i
ant of a Zulu chieftain, because later
when his brethren clamored against
him, lie rose, tall ana straigm, ms
skin smooth and sleek as silk, and i
remarked that sometimes he went
out in his field and killed a rice bird
with a revolver for his sport; where- i
upon his brethren whimpered into
silence because they knew it was so.
Men, white or black, who could drive 1
a pistol bullet through a rice bird at
18 steps were valuable at that moment
and to be respected. But when :
the Democrats gained over recruits
the Republicans?"radicals" every- <
body called them then?simply went
through the formality of declaring
6eats from some Democratic counties
vacant and filled them with anybody
who might be handy wearing
any names.that might fit, and so re- 1
tained their legal majority, to be certified
to Washington.
So it befell that on a December day
the 65 Democrats and their colored
allies, sitting in Carolina hall at Columbia,
decided to go and occupy the
hall of the house of representatives
at the State house. They went trooping
close behind Lawrence Orr, of
Anderson county, six feet and four
Inches high and 260 pounds in bulk,,
who threw his weight against closed
doors and doorkeeper and burst one :
and overthrew the other.
Sixty-five and sixty-five and with
their quotas of sergeant-at-arms,
clerks and attendants the two houses
- " -""-ftnonfa + iwao oof in + V> a hall
U1 1 Cyi oak iu tuv uui*
three nights and the better part of
t' three days. Gen. Wallace, S. C. A.,
of Union county, the Democratic
speaker, and E. W. Mackay, of Charleston,
the radical speaker, sat side
* .j. 1
by side, each presiding over his own I
house and ignoring the other. United ,
States soldiers guarded the doors.j
Their orders were not to exclude the.1
Democrats, but if they went out not j
to allow them to-' return. The ses-!
sions continued through all those
hours of daylight and darkness, every
man armed and ready with his nerves j
strung for the desperate fight all be-;
lieved to be inevitable?a fight of
men shut in forced to fight until one
side or the other was exterminated
or somebody surrendered. Under
ach folded overcoat was a Winches
ter rifle, in some pocket of every
man's clothes a loaded revolver.
Four reporters sat at the head of
a table at the end of the aisle. They
knew that right behind Speaker
Mackey to his right two white men,
chosen and approved killers, were
stationed, instructed to shoot him
dead at the first outbreak. Mackey
knew it, too, but he was clear game
?that Mackey, radical that he was;
and he never moved or flinched or
in anyway departed from the strict
formalities of his assumed office and
now and then his laughing jackass
laugh pealed through the house as
something funny occurred. But the
reporters knew that the moment
troublebegan a storm of bullets would
come Mackey's way because Mackey
as a white South Carolinian the en
tire outfit was most hated of South
Carolinians and the first thought of
every man was to get "Mackey first."
And many men in the excitement
would shoot low. Also many of the
radicals, "especially among the 'Forty
Thieves,' " deadliest and bitterest
and most courageous of all, had
it in for the reporter's table. Therefore
the reporters consulted as they
smoked, who they would "get" before
they were got. One of them had
a pistol the like of which never had
been seen before or since that time,
when the ingenuity and most of the
thought of men were bent on devices
for killing somebody. It was
a section of a Remington rifle sawed
off and fitted to a pistol stock, carrying
a ball specially assigned to "Canary"
Miller, it was placed in a drawer
of the desk and trained on him
pressed into the bottom of the drawer
during the entire of the night;
and kept cocked, the calculation being
that when the fuss was opened
the drawer would be pulled out, the
trigger cocked and "Canary" dropped
as he rose in his place.on the
right hand side toward the rear. If
two or three men happened to be in
the way it would be all the better.
That cartridge was good for an elephant
and all of our fellows were
clear. All this was because "Canary"
rose every 15 minutes and conducted
this colloquy:
"Mr. Speaker!"
The speaker: "The gentleman
from Beaufort."
"Mr. Speaker, I rise to a point of
order."
"The gentleman from Beaufort will
state his point of order." I
"Persons are on the floor of the
house who are not members of the
house."
"The point of order of the gentle
man from Beaufort is well taken.
The sergeant-at- a^ms will proceed to
remove from the floor all members
who are not members."
This was where the trouble was
expected to occur. Orders were that
when the radical sergeant-at-arms
put his hands on a Democrat or allied
member the shooting would
start. Every time he was ordered,
the foot sergeant-at-arms would walk
up the aisle toward somebody and
nobody knew when with an extra
drink or two or on some signal, he
n'Anli) f/MinVi o mon T+ W35
iAULUdil V WUUlU luuvu a uiuu. ?,
trying on the nerves. An outbreak
there would mean not only present
slaughter, but civil war, because it
had not been decided whether'Hayes
or Tilden was to be the next president
and the nerves and temper of
the country were at strained tension
ready to be startled to the fighting
point by a less thing than wholesale
butchery in the State house of one
of the pivotal and disputed States.
By the special mercy of the Almighty
the country was saved from
that horror, as by the same gracious
means it was saved from so many.
The three nights and days the 150
odd armed and hating men slept and
ate and laughed and taunted and
threatened and locked in the hall together,
passed and the blow that
would have had such fearful consequences
was not struck. "Canary"
Miller did not get his fight or his
bullet. Gen Hampton got notice that
the United States troops were to
charge on his men and he moved
them out, and next day his Red
Shirts came in headlong and yelling
on horseback and on the dead run
and yelling afoot and swarmed over
the town by the thousands, and the
worst strain of it was over. And
"Canary" Miller, elderly, peaceful
and fat, looms up again after all
these years.
Mad days and bad days and mad
onri mprrv nights these times, with
a thrill for every hour and a danger
for every step. Newspaper men did
not have to look for news. They
could crowd the wires with it until
the wires could not take more.
This was before telephones, or typewriters
or street cars. Men depended
on their own legs and hands and
eyes and ears and brains and nobody
thought much of food or sleep or
cared much for anything because nobody
expected to live until spring or
that by spring there would be any
state or government/
And of all the bright, gay men
who chronicled that time from day to
day, who lived luxuriantly because
. # J -
CHAMPION BUTTER PRODUCER.
Holstein Cow Gives 37 Pounds in a
Seven-Day Test.
E. H. Dollar, of Heuvelton, is the
possessor of a cow of the HolsteinFriesian
breed which holds the
world's record for any cow of any
age or breed on butter production.
Within the last few days Mr. Dollar
has completed a seven-day test with
his cow. In that time she won the
blue ribbon, producing 590.7 pounds
of milk and 37.S7 pounds of butter.
Pontiac Pet was retested by two
Cornell university experts for two
days and gave 5.35 pounds of butter
in one day and 5.1 per cent fat on
an average.
Pontiac Pet is seven years old. She
is the -same blood as the famous Ra;y
Apple cow that Mr. Dollar sold recently
for $8,000.?Utica, N. Y.,
special to Baltimore American.
How's This.
We offer one hundred dollars reward
for any case of catarrh that cannot
be cured by Hall's Catarrh Cure.
F. J. CHENEY & CO., Toledo, O.
We, the undersigned, have known
F. J. Cheney for the last 15 years,
and believe him perfectly honorable
in all business transactions, and financially
able to carry out any obligations
made by his firm.
WALDING, KINNAN & MARVIN,
Wholesale Druggists, Toledo, O.
Hall's Catarrh Cure is taken internally,
acting directly upon the
blood and mucous surfaces of the
system. Testimonials sent free.
Price, 75c. per bottle. Sold by all
druggists. >
Take Hall's Family Pills for constipation.
Charleston Wants Hospital.
Charleston, May 3.?Charleston is
a competitor of Columbia for the
erection of a memorial in this State
to the late Dr. and Mrs. Simon Batmi
r> Vi fnrmorl v rdcidorfc nf rJonrfP
1 UVli j XVi UiVt A WW1S4VAAVU V M. V<VV?Q-'
town, but later of New York, where
Dr. Baruch attained great distinction
in the practice of his profession, the
claims of both cities being now under
consideration for the erection of
the proposed memorial at a cost of,
perhaps, $1|000,000
Dr. Baruch visited Charleston the
latter part of March, when he took
the matter up with several of the
physicians and surgeons with regard
to the memorial. He visited the
Roper hospital and Riverside infirmary,
and also the South Carolina
Medical college, in company of the
doctors, and was pleasantly entertained.
Nothing of a decisive character
has been done as to the Charleston '
memorial. The parties to the conference
have put Mr. Baruch in possession
of certain information which
he desired, and outlined in a general
way a form which the memorial may
take, preferably in the way of a
large and well-equipped, modern
laboratory at the Medical college,
1+ niae ti rw+ ovnoatoH + Vl o + Qnv im.
UUl IV ncvo UUV VUMW MUJ *?M
mediate conclusion would be reached,
and the Charleston parties have
not been advised as to when a decision
may be expected.
Starts Much Trouble.
If all people knew that neglect of
constipation would result in severe
indigestion, yellow jaundice or virulent
liver trouble they would soon
take Dr. King's New Life Pills, and
end it. It's the only safe way. Best
for biliousness, headache, dyspepsia,
chills and debility. 25c. at Peoples
Drug Co., Bamberg, S. C.
S. S. Crittenden Shoots Himself.
Greenville, May 3.?This commu
nity was shocked and saddened today
over the tragic death of Col. S.
S. Crittenden, who was found dead in
the bath room of his residence with
a pistol wound in his forehead.
Col. Crittenden was 82 years old,
ane one of the city's oldest and most
respected citizens.
He had been much depressed over
the death of his wife several weeks ,
ago, and this, coupled with other
troubles, had* much to do with his
sudden death. He was one of the
best loved men in Greenville, a Confederate
veteran, and only yesterday
he took an active part in Memorial
day exercises. e
A Father's Vengeance,
would have, fallen on any one who attacked
the* son of Peter Bondy, of
South Rockwood, Mich., but he was
powerless before attacks of kidney
trouble. "Doctors could not help
him," he wrote, "so at last we gave
him Electric Bitters and he improved
wonderfully from taking six bottles.
It's the best kidney medicine I ever
saw." Backache, tired feeling, nervousness,
loss of appetite, warn of
kidney trouble that may end in dropsy,
diabetes or Bright's disease. Beware:
Take Electric Bitters and be
safe. Every bottle guaranteed. 50c. !
at Peoples Drug Co., Bamberg, S. C.
with pern ana excitement men
nerves were strung happily and tense
always, who joined in chorus and
laughter to the rising of many wintry
suns or new days of hard work
and emergency, there is, so 4ar as
we know, but one left. When the
drama was over they scattered to
many parts of the world whence they
came and we think they are dead
now, but one?and they were young
men, too.
Here is thanks to "Canary" Miller
for recalling a time 34 years hack,
well worth living in.?A. B. Wil- ,
liams in Roanoke Times.
/
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. i .. .
MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.
Dr. H. B. Barueh Will Build One in
This State.
The State says Columbia will probably
have an opportunity to secure a
charity hospital costing about $1,000,000,
the erection of which, it is '
understood, is contemplated by a
former South Carolinian, now one of
the wealthy physicians of New York
City.
The report is that Dr. Herman B.
Baruch, of New York City, is investigating
desirable points in this State
with a view of placing such a hospital
at the most desirable point. This
charity hospital will be a memorial
to his late father and mother, Dr.
and Mrs. Simon Baruch, formerly
residents of Georgetown.
For such a hospital Columbia of
fers many and superior advantages,
as the climatic conditions are ideal,
and with the steady growth of this
city and the State of South Carolina
at large, such an institution located
at Columbia would mean much. This
was brought out at a meeting Tuesday
at which the situation was discussed.
The medical fraternity, as well as
the Columbia people, will offer every
inducement to secure the memorial
to his father and mother, fofmer
South Carolinians.
Physicians of the State have availed
themselves of the present hospital
facilities offered in Columbia. However,
with the increasing growth of
the community, present facilities are
not ample.
Information as to the erection of
this memorial reached Columbia as
a rumor; however, it is known that
there has been a meeting of the
medical fraternity to outline the advantages
of the city and offer such
inducements as would attract Dr.
Baruch's attention favorably to Columbia.
Saved Many from Death.
W. L. Mock, of Mock, Ark., believes
he has saved many lives in his
25 years of experience in the drug
business. "What I always like to
do," he writes, "is to recommend Dr.
King's New Discovery for weak, sore
lungs, hard colds, hoarseness, obstinate
coughs, la grippe, croup, asthma
or other bronchial affection, for I feel
sure that a number of my neighbors I
are alive and well to-day because
they took my advice to use it. I
honestly believe it is the best throat
and lung medicine that's made."
Easy to prove he's right. Get a trial
bottle free, or tegular 50c. or $1.00
bottle. Guaranteed by Peoples Drug
Co., Bamberg, S. C.
Capt. F. S. Evans Resigns.
Greenwood, May 3.?Capt. F. S.
Evans, for a number of years manager
here for the Southern Cotton
Oil company, having in charge the
local plants and several in adjoining
towns, has resigned that position and
will devote his whole time to the
Panola cotton mills, of which he is
president. He wjll be succeeded by
Crawford Clapp, of Greenville. Capt.
Evans is president of the South Carolina
Seed Crushers' association, and
is one of the most prominent cotton
seed oil men in the State. He has
had under consideration for some
time an offer from the Southern Cotton
Oil company to take charge of
more extensive territory in Arkansas,
but at present he believes he will find
it to his interest to remain here.
Balked at Cold Steel.
"I wouldn't let a doctor cut my
foot off," said H. D. Ely, Bantam,
Ohio, "although a horrible ulcer had
been the plague of my life for four
years. Instead I used Bucklen's Arnica
Salve, and my foot was soon
completely cured." Heals burns,
boils, sores, bruises, eczema, pimples,
corns; surest pile cure. 25c. at
Peoples Drug Co., Bamberg, S. C.
Winthrop College- Scholarship and
Entrance Examination.
The examination fdr the award of
vacant scholarships in Winthrop College
and for the admission of new
students will be held at the County
Court House on Friday, July 7, at 9
a. m. Applicants must be not less
than fifteen years of age. When
scholarships are vacant after July 7
they will be awarded to those making
the highest average at this examination,
provided they meet the conditions
governing the award. Applicants
for scholarships should write
tnlinoan hofnro th p py
amination for scholarship examination
blanks.
Scholarships are worth $100 and
free tuition. The next session will
open September 20, 1911. For further
information and catalogue, address
Pres. D. B. Johnson, Rock Hill,
NEW PRESSING CLUB
This is to notify my friends and
the pubilc generally that I have
opened a pressing club in the Spann
building on Main street, up-stairs.
We press and clean men's clothing,
ladies' coats and skirts, clean felt
and straw hats, and in short, do any
work in our line. We guarantee absolute
satisfaction. If your work
has not been done satisfactorily heretofore,
give us a trial. We will
please you. Will send for and deliver
all work, and shall use every
effort to give satisfactory service
along all lines.
R. O. RICE
Bamberg, S. O.
.-e
, * ,
- ^0*.
I Let Us Serve You II
II We have been in business in Bamberg for a nuru-f | ' |
II ber of years, and it is a matter of pride that the 1g --y,^
g number of our satisfied customers has increased i rls^l
1 each year. Are you one of them? If not, it will ! I
S not be amiss to see us when in need of first-class j ||fjj
I HORSES AND MULES 11
1 We have stock on hand at all times, and make a j ipSa
i specialty of fine -driving horses. Our animals { &&
Hf please, for they are selected with great care, be- Si y'M
1 sides we know what animals will suit our people. j$g9
|g We also carry a nice line of ' (li'lfS
I BUGGIES, WAGONS, HARNESS Iff
II and in fact anything in the live stock and vehicle x ^
|| line. Our vehicles are of the very best makes, and 8
J give satisfaction to the user. Come and see us. 8 ;|
JONES BROS., |
II BAMBEBG, .. SOUTH CABOLINA. j& ||||
1 Ladies, Look Here fl
|g If you are interested in Spring and j? I
|| , Summer Millinery 1 would be glad to jg M
|| show you some of the latest designs, |5
|| and at prices that will suit you. ra
i? fliss Kate Hiers (mv milliner") will be 1
I in charge and will 'gladly assist you & :|i
in selecting what you need
My line of Notions is also attractive. 9: 'ij
Remember, I have moved. 1 am now fl iJa
next door to Mr. Fox. Call and see me. S :^|g
Mrs. S. A. Smoak ll
Lodge, South Carolina fl|j|H
(ANNUAL REUNIONgB
United Confederate Veterans ||i
D' Little Rock, Ark., May 15th-18th, 1191-^^^8
For this occasion the Atlantic Coast Line U'":-ill
a Railroad has authorized snecial low rates. iSBBli
* May 13th, 14th and 15th, limited until May # ^
J 23rd. Ticket can be deposited at Little
J Rock, and upon payment of a fee of fifty J ^
1 cents at time of deposit, limit of ticket can
be extended to, and including June 14,1911 r-ll
For rates and infprmation, apply to near- ^
C. WHITE, Gen. Pass. Agent, Wilmington, N. Lj jffl
^W^^e^Iiso^^^earto use llj
1 vLi a
And when vau need anv re- ftfl
I member we have it and are ||1|
anxious to serve you. We j|||
have ice on hand the year round , j|||
F. E PRICE & CO. ||
E. BART PRICE, Manager.