Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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TR1-WEEKLY EDLTO1()N.O WINNSBORO. S. C., SATURDA-Y. NOEl 16, 1878 WO-140 -------. TILE oIPI.,CC. 1OPIt Wijrrvir TME EX-GoVElRNOJC KTA NJ}S IN}IC TEl), His Connection'W.t t! e South Caroli. na Land itiag--Millions of Dollara Spent in Ono Year for Worthless Property--The Inwardness of the fjoll hole Transaction. [Pom the Wishhiwjtlon Post.] Thec indictmi nt, recently return - ed, againt ex-Governor Chamber lain in Soutb liarolina, is based on the evidence of the men who en gaged with him in the alleged fr audulent ranrisction. The scheme of having the State buy lands in large quantities and sell in small tracts on time to citizens for agri. eultnial purposes, originated with Chief Justice Willard, of the State Stupreme Court. The Reconstruc tion Constitutional Convention passed mn ordinance enjoining upon the Legislature the p.isage of a law providing for t hind commission to buy and sell the lands as con templated. The law provided for a land commissioner and ai advisory boaid, consisting of the Governor, State Treasurer Parker. Attorney General Chamberlain, Secrr,-tary of .8tate Cardozo, and Coriptrojjer General Neago. C, P. Leslie, a carpet- bagger from Brooklyn, was appointed comwissioner, and $200, 000 wats appropriated to give the .commission a xtaiL ,3eforo any money could be paid out for land the commissioner was required to approve the purchase in the first place, and then it had to be ap proved by at least a majority of the board. Tie first $200,000 appropriated was exhausted in a short time, ind there was nothing to sbow for it, whereat there was inuch grumbling among the negro members of the Legislature, who had prov) ieed each .of their colored coustituents a forty .acre tract of land on long credit. The commissioner and the board asked for an additional appropria tion of $500,000., bat the colored legislators, who were in the ma jority, refused to pass it unless Leslie should retire and gite the place to DeLarge, a colored man. .It was patent to everybody that all the moUey appropriat.ed for tihe commission was being stolen, and the negroes, who regarded the :Bcheme as especially for their benefit, .argued that one of their own eslor .would not defraud his race. Leslie was informed of the status of affairs, .and be emphatically refused to re. sign. This made the situation aw.k wNvard for tile ring, as they could not get any more money with Leslie i, and it would not do to forcu him -out, because he could make j.t une comfortable for the State adminis tration, who had been saring in the spoils. Finally Leslie proposed to resign and turn over his books for $40,000 in cash. On the assurance t.hat he mould retire in favor of DeLa:rge, the Legislature appropriated $500, .000 for the 'hoard, and out of this sum the ."Hell Hole Swunp" tract *wns bought at a cost to the State of $120,000. The land was utterly -worthless and is yet. It is a.swamlp, covered with water all the year, and :nover .can he made valaable, as it is .incapable .of .drainage , but $40,000 :had1 ,to .he raised :for L~eslie. This worthless property was sold to the State for $120,000,, of .wiceh amount $30,000 went to tile owners. ,of ,the "swamp" and $90,000 to .to ring. Leslie got his -$40,000 out of thme .margin, and the balance of $50.000 was divided among tihe others who managed and carried out the trans .action. The record shows that the sale was approved in dueti form by .Leslie as commissioner and tl.)en by Parker, Neagle and Chamberlain, .as a majority of the board. It was upon the evidence of Parker and Reagle that the indictment against Chamberlain was recentEly found, .and they hayo sworn that lie knew all about ,theu .transact.on, and was privy to the .sch)eme to get Leslie ,out -of Qflice iby paying him $40,000. During .the,~ ;i esee of thle lkoarvd, it expended nearly a nmillion of ,dollars, for whih' sthe State still holds a, lot of -worthbless hsdand. COhambei'laIih.was a member of Tbe iboaid,"and approved 1nearly NaI, the ,expenditures. -The defense made by <0hamberltitE ah'd his fri6tids is that ibis time was.soQ much occupied with ih. duties of the Attornay G4eneral'a offico that ho did not give any attntion to the board, and was ignorant of the frauds that wore being perpetrated with the assist anco of his namo. In short, that he approved purchases of land without taking time to make any inquiry about the matter, Major Earle, a prominent Re public. of South Carolina, and formerly Assistant United Sbtates Attorney, who is now in the city, being asked what ho thought of the matter, replied: "I don't believe Chamberlain has done anything wrong, and a good Many DeIocrats of South Carolina don't bolieve he is guilty, either, Now the truth is, that while Cham berlain was a member of that land commission he had no knowledge of the frauds committed by it. evory transaction of the coMImission was a fraud and a swindle ; that is paton t, and nobody will deny it; but Chamberlain knew nothing about the frauds, although his name was used to carry them out. He was Attorney General then, and his whole timo and attention were given to the law business of the State, He worked hardor during thoso two years than any poor devil I know, and his name was used to carry out the frands without his knowledge or consent The ftet is, ho di-.ln't pay any attention whatever to the land commission. That whole sceImo was devised by Gove-.or Scott to securo hit3 re election. He got $500,00f uppro, priated to buy in land in large (racts and sell it to the negroes in fortv acre lots on time. It n,ight have dono come good had the thing been smartly ninnaged, but it wias a steal from beginning to end. L:eslio was the first land commissioner, and the board bought m)or land than they had authority to ; then they wanted an appropriation to mako up the deficit. The negroes in the LegislAture wouldn't agree to make the appropiiation unless one of tneir rice was put at the head of the board. Leslie refue4 to res'gi, and finally Governor Scott agreed to give him $40,000 to give up the position and turn over his books, Leslie accepted and turned over his books, but thorf) waso't the scratch of a pen in them. No record had ever been kept of the proceedings of the board; they )u stolou eyery thing that came into their hanid and made no entry of it. Then the 'Hell Hole Swamp' was brought to make up the amount to pay Leslie." "How mako up the amount, Ma or ?" asked the Post. ' Why, on the margin ; there was a big margin. The land was bought really for almost nothing, amd sold to the State for ja ,i-g.3 amount over a hundred thousand dollars. The margin afforded the $40,000 necessary to pay Leslie." "What has become of all the land the commission bought ?" "Why, it's there yet,, worth noth .g, and never will be. The whole scheme was a swindle, but I don't believe Chamberlain made anything out of it;" "ewas a mnember of the swin. dll.ig -board, though 1" "Yes, he was a member of the board, and his nam.e was used in the trasasctio0aa, but I'm confident he didn't know of the frauds. As his name appears on the fraudulent pa pers an indictment is found against him among Tbe other" In an interview with a Ne $ork paper .Chamberlairi denounces the indictment as simply the rev.ival of threadbare charges .against him. He declu'es that his record as a S.ou.th Carolina official is pure and spotless, and that the indictment wvas found on the ewidence of de graded villains .(Neagle and Parker, his ,former associates,) who have committed per'jury ; that all charges of corruption agamest him rest on the unsupported statements of"'men whew ceyerybody kinows to be coim mon. p.erj urers, x,eady to sweaj.' to anything to save themselves." As t~o the motive for the finding of the Indictment Chamberlain says therie has been "a spesia.l :vindic'(iveness" felt toward him by thie people of South Carolina on' accouet of his' course in the campaign of' 187P. He says this *bitterness .hhs .been ist creased by his ddiense of E~iwpton, and b,y his ac.t ini getting a receiver atppointed for the South Carolina Railroad. Mr1, Obbrairb, in. ix intervjew, did sot touch upon 4'ho transtactions of the board. QI) nake a'i.y at.tewp.t tLAeyplajp how it came tha.t his name was put the fr'audu lent papers by his^ba ' hand. He .endeavored to hi)ke $t. ;appsar;',.that. he was being perecoute l Menuse .,Of his political principles, ~d 13ayt w is the extent of his d$efde e. narties indicted 'are Ohamberata Neaglo, Leslio and Kimptoi, the latter of whoin Chamborlain recont., ly defended in Massachusotts. What Charnborlain Says About it, [ +ont the New York Tribune. ] A reporter for the T'ribne callod upon ex--Govornor Daniel H. Chain borlain to speak with him rolative to the indictment said to havo been found against him in Colu:qbia, S. C. OMr. Chamberlain," asked the re portur, '"have you reoeived ity ofl! Cial notification of an indictment said to have boon found iginst yoursulf and others at6 b110n!14 on Wdnesdilty Iant ?" "I have no knowledge," tho e.1 Governor responded, "rosoecting tho fact of an indictment having boon found against me, excepting wbat I have scon in special dispatch, es to Democratie nowspapers. I was in 'tashington yesterday on businoss in the Supreno Court, and read the announcement in the Post of that city. This wias my first inti mation of any purpose to bring an indictment, agaiinst il at this par tiealar timo. But if it is true--and I havo no ro.son to doubt it-thAt an indictment has been found against me for allegod frauds if) Conlection with the land commis, sion in 1870, it is simply a revival of one of the most tlreadbaro of the charges which havo beon repea.ted "'inst nuo for eight, yrotais. Ttimra are no fL.c-therk cnbe no f rm. -wilch supIport any charge of frand ag tinst me, either in the land cou1ission or any oth.cr mutter in South Carolina. What soei do grade( viliain, wfillin'. to commit pe.rjury to s rvc himself from puilish nent, 1m)ay have sworn to before the trad jury, I do *lot knflow. If a small fraction of the information which has ro.cho0d mue since I left Sonth Carolina is true, their so called invetiga,ions there,hav, been principalhy fhom the start a hunit for some g.ound for an indictmont wit'l tle 1an. i v .. .. A sinlo 18. Wiiv have teY w.aito until now to proceed against 1me ? It willbu fo4nd that t1)j) 'ndictment rests solely on th -word of men whom everybody knows Jo be common perjurers, ready to swo.r to anything to save themselves. The disjaL,enes jo not m:ke it clear what the precise charge is in this indictment, but what I have now said applics to any cijaigo of fraud against nme. They ace one and all falsa, ald re: oljy qpon the Unsup - ported statements of the mnoF.t shameoss liarx, o have been manipulated for tisi purpose. Whu I know the ex let fati: which are embodied in the indictment, ,1 can speak more specifically regardig those facts. At present the u)ost I can say is that there are no trans actions of tny kind in South Caroli. na which can afford any possible ground for a p,dminal ind.i-tment against me." "What is your opinion as to the Motive which prompted the finding of this indictment ?" "There has been, in the first place, at all thm os a special vindictiveness felt toward me on accmount of nmy public political course in the cam paign~ of 1876, and the events which followed pending the decision of the Presidential election. The Democratic newsvpapers, legislators and stumnp-speaikers over,vwhere in South~ Carolina haye ben demand ing that Chamberlain should. be punished. In the next placQ, I have I supposo recently given them two causes of oflence, the first being the deofenco of K~imnpton ixi loston egainst the requisitio. of Hamnptonx, and the second, my agoney in se curing the appointment of a receiver of the South Carolina Blailload add my connection .with proceedings now -pending in ,the UJnited- States Circuit Court,for South Caroliga fo.r the appointment of a receiver for tihe Gr'edn'ille and Cohunbia Rails road. This last - case is to' be herd by Judge Bond dm'ing the 'ibst wseek of the present month at (Columb~ia. I anmunder egagemuent to be .there to represarmi.t! 'the1 Nrthern ibond. home4i'swo. are.nyovipg.;for' are, ceiver. 'Thee iailroad s 'hlikt, of lin. heyhae benmanaged s as to be.ef no value to ,their credj. 1fora, wyho .employ%d 4me dIo .gegr.e what..intko tI y be able Mo Aeezre fo.r therm in the United States .Courts. Tbe appoj,tnment of a re coivpr o.f tke.S.outh Carolga UaiJ xoad&'wb~ hinwy'blaw to )manyv n who MN infiuential in^puabhou$dit~ in donth" 'Cafbliis.' X Wd '6Wb e :tdoeritibiheir zdit esmxot of ' Judge"Bbcd at $41 tihlre irs teimba AM d I bna Lkann maa.tod1 informed that my prqfessional of forts thorg had giyon groat offonce to tlese people. i also kiow thai the newspapers of the State have rocontly been calling fQr tile indict Ilment of the man who wam thul 'in' sulting Governor Htnjpton in 3os, ton and tlildering our best peopk in Baltimore.' " "As an hoiiest man should, by going voluntarily to Columbia and standing ily trial, if thoy want I triL. I have already this norning sent. the following dispatch to the Attorney--General of 14outh Caro NEW YORK, November 8, 1878. The Ion. L. JF. Youman.s, Attor ney- General, 6,olum1bia, S. U. : "Flow do- you proposo to meet this it)1ietment 7" If it be true as represented bore that an indictment has been found against me, I shall voluntarily appear to meet it. I respectfully ask to be informed when the Statu will be ready for trial, and whethei any bond for my appearance ii desirod. D. H. C 1AME11LAIN, No, :MG Broadway. "Can you rely upon a fair trial ?" "I don't know. Those who seem to be best informed about it say I cannot. However that may be, it will miake no difterence with my action or my duty. If I do not have a fair trial, iiy friends 4nd the country Vill se and know it. I have always tried to (19 my duty without flinching, and while my enemies now have it in their power to cailse ne and family and friends tenporary w%rong and suffering, they caq nno) di.sgrace me or cause me to regret the part I have borne in public afairs in South Carolina." A LOOSE.JOINTEIP S TFI4DLEB.. Colonel Leroy Beaumont is the smewhat iliposing cognomen of a pe-on uarrste, in Patterson, N. J., .; few days. !go. Ho iyas gat.bered in by the 1:(ijco bpecuse he beat a ya!1u11, woicIm Wa.s sJmewhat n-, g.tllant in a gentlenat bearing such I an aristocratic namo. On taking him to j%il tUe authoritias were shockod tg discover that both arms were lroken, and Colonel B-tuimnt pathetically inquired how he could p)ssibly beat anybody with his arM f.gttxred. Thiis nonplussed eyery b.>dy until a letter was received from the President of the Boston & Maine Raili oad, which showed the re.oubtable Colonel to be a vil lain of a peculiar type, and it -is da ibtful if such another exists or pver did exist. It seems he is so loasely pt.t together .tha l,y ne strange fre1ik of ni.ture be cai) n)ako it appear that his arms or legs are )rokan, and has deceived some of the bez;t pIhysicitns in this way. At Lawrence, M iss., he stumbled oyer a defective siidewalk. aud apparently broke his arm. Ife was sent to the hosp,itl., his hotel bills paid., an his fare to Albany furnished him. H threatened suit, bnt cornpro mised on $300. Several surgeons in Lawrence decided that his arm was broken. IIe made a claim a yee aoginst the IThie Ra,ilroad for $250 because he caught his foot in a hole in a depot platform and broke his leg. He was caught at Lowell, M'ass., where he broke soyv eral of his limbs, lhav.ing snenehed 'hirneelf at the railroad s.tation there. He was'taken to J3oston where the hospittil ,physicians jiscQveredd the fraud; This pn,rtAeglarly b.r.itle man will now be s et at breaking sto.nes instead of bregicing bones. ,CosTI OF A RATLROAD SLAUGHTER. The recent accide.n .on the Old Colony Rail road, at Woolastan, one hundred persons injurec, teore or -less, will cost the company its dividends for the next two years, equal to the sunm of $700,000. Two seconds sometirzies mnakep .a great deal of difference* is things, and if the conductor wvho ran his freight train across the trackc of the Q)41 Colony Road hiad be-two .oeednda quicker with his watch thk accident would not have happeged. The -last bad ac.cient before ,the WooL, a,ston on.o was on the Eastern road, at .tha town of Revere, on which oc. ealfio); $$25,000 WQ,r.tli of humaui )ife ~was .serificed. 'ihe road. hras uot yet rcovyered1 frorn the teri'ible fnan cial shook. -Thr day pefoge. the a.cejden t oi -the 01 Od'd olo'ny 1Spad ?s tock sold at $1081.; it has sig.g A- 1entuelty wor#ek *tAe WatrIo a Mvr. Caio-a wecdM' T ji GIVANG trM 1401v 4. q4f 2\ A lonesome lookiig boy. ya yes torday hanging around a wood-yard in the northern part of the eity, whentho owner of the yard,. 4p,ying both charity. and phi.lanthropy lor boys with tears in their eye, aikog the lqd why he didn't peddla appleq or do something tp earn a few shil, lings. The boy replio4 that he had no capital, and the wood-yar4 man took out a nickel, an4 said "Now, my boy, I'm goin'g tQ start you i life. Take this niaelp and go and make a purchase of -sonae-2 thing or other, I'll buy:it of you for ten cqnts, no matter what it' is. Come, now, let'q ape iyha sort of a business head you have on you." The boy took tL nickel and went on, bit in ten minutes was back ,yith a gallon jug which he had pur. chased with the nickel. "Well, you are a heener," 'replied the man. "I never saw onp of those sold less than fifteen cents tq arig one, I want just such a jug, and hore's its fair price. Go now and lay out your fifteen cents in apples and Ill buy half your stolF." The boy did -not ret4rq. Perhaps he fell into a ?e)er som'eNyhere ; bu4 you can't nake the wood-yard man belleve qo. When he lif4d fhe jug froin under the tab.lp wller the boy had carefully placed it, he foilpd q hole in tho lJt>m larg. enough to let in a black.and- tan terrier.-e troit Free Pre8s. The New York World of Thurs day, in printing the telegrapl?c an nar ceinent -of the indi6tment of ex-Givernor ,3b%mberlajn,- saddo: "Mr. Chawberlain left New Tork City for Washingto4. ratler siui denly last evening."' "VEGTINE," af9 arstgn phys! cures aftr all tKorre .led,'Ivist. td ethe Laboratory, an con q Melt V Its genuine inerit. It Is preFdres reo bark ot and herb , each . 9t W4ch'is highly effta 4ve ad t4ymX4ci,V4,4e nor as Ito pr*.;Oo UL. ;lildS s.la ma Vegeting is $4o great 0ood turiQr. Vegetine Will cyre t4e worbi gaSo 9f. Scrofm?a. Vegti is recom%gended by hyeita a$ ptheda Vegetine Has effectc oe m9ryei991i,yr's 9 Cancer. 4egetine Cures the worst cases of Canker. Vegetine [eOt with wopdeyty1 speessj1 *Tr4".f4Vk| W.1.r4gctoIgt ieump $D959 tge Systr9. *Vegetip Removes:Pimples. 4Lnd UwmorB I rotx t41 ace, Veg elitge Cures constripation an regulates the oYW Is ,aluable r et ri e . Vegetinw WA2 ogrekpyspopslh. Vegotine gestores 9}}e entire system9 9o ,ahoiy. Vegetine Rlemoves the cauise of Riginess. Ve~getiime Belic.vesya.4ntzgess.of the 8er0tAQ0$. Vegetine Cures-Palps lin t1: ao -~ Vege tiue Effectually,cures EU4n0y Co pl l t Is effective ilttit40liO 9SeO slQ eP'~ 'Isa &n Ygoi o( S bwood)