Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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? 5 tHK S?fftKR WATCHMAN, KstablHbed April, 1850. g ? ~ -S - jg . _;_ CoMrft??ed^Au?. 2, 1881.1 'Be Just and Fear not-Let all the Ends thou AifflS't at, be thy Country's, thy God's and Truth's tHft TRCE SOUTHRON, Established dbne/ ?s??* SUMTER, S. C., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 32, 1887. New Series-Toi. fl. No. 47. SUMTER, S. C. TERMS : Two Dollars per an o um-ia advance. ^fcj^r JW?*? W" * H ? s One Squar^fi%^iiweit?qn..................$l 00 Every subsequentinserci?n....-?...- 50 Coiitraojfe "fbf thrW'rj?riehs, or longer will be made lt S&QB^ cates^ ? | AU <Mraf?mc&\b)et? wt?ch subserve private Interests will be charged for as advertisements. Obituaries and tributes oC resnec^will be charged for. POWDER Ablolutely Pure. Thu powder never varies. ? marvel of purity, -strength and wholesomeness., More economical han the ordinary kinds, ead can? not be-sold io com- -ri ti on with the multitude of low test, short weight, alum or phosphate powders. Sold only in cant. ROYAL BAK? ING POWDER CO., 106 Wajl-Pt., N. Y. jl mYl , CATARRH Cream BalinHR^^ w H?? rzYES. mp Snuff ot Barder F rte from Tnjuri m^?^^^^^^^ ons Drugs.and jmp?T^ * fenxioe ?iors. ~ ?;|?A?PmFEVER A particle of the Balm is applied into each nostril, is.agreeable to use and is quickly ab? sorbed, effectually cfeansi ag the ' nasal passa? ges of catarrhal virus, causing healthy secre? tions. It allays psin and inflaramationv protects the tnynbcanai liniAgs of the head from addi? tional toidi,' completely heals the sores and restores the sense of taste and smell. Bene? ficial retalia *ae.realized by a few appications. '?tTkorPZak. Txxatvitnt w?l Cure, Priq^W^nt^a? druggist ; by; mail, regis? tered, ftgfcests- j Ci tedi a rs sent free. ELY BROTHERS; Druggists, Jan. 13 Owego, N. T. gol Ht lill m Soot Jd ixj used A few, months "before confinement. Beni.'for "boot "'To SOTHXKS,"" mailed free. l?ujJTirrj) BX?CXJ?TOB Co., Atlanta, Ga. ONf UVED, THE OTHER DIED. A woman: formerly our slave is DOW our cook. About eighteen months ago she became sickly and had a cough and was con? fined to bed, and it .was thought that she bad consomption. The treatment by physi? cians failed to give relief. IQ December, 1884, a node or knot the size of a goose egg formed jaar abo re. ?th e pit : of the stomach, which wheo lanced discharged matter for 8 or 9 months. One of these also formed under ber arm, and three on her back, which dis? charged matter for a considerable time.. For six months of .this time,she was confined to the"house, and most of the time ia bed. The stomach often refused food, by rejecting what she bsd eaten. S be-used a great deal of med? icine, bat failed to be cured. I bought one bottle of your B. R. B. (made ia Atlaata, Ga.,),and gave it to her and she commenced to improve. ...?. then bought and gave ber three bottles more, and she continued to im? prove and ia. two-months' time her cough bad ceased, ber constitution strengthened, appetite and digestion good, all discharges ceased, nodes or knots disappeared and she went to work apparently healthy and fatten? ed ap greatly. This woman had a married sister of near same age who was affected io precisely the same way and about the same time. She had node or knot on pit of stomach, back, etc. She dsd iioj??ieraay B. B. B.* and the node on ber^s&ma'crf ate through to the cavity. She continued on , the decline and wasted away, and finally died. These weFe/two terrible* cases 6T blood poison-one nsed B. B. B.. and was speedily cured--thu ofhe'r did not use it and died. It is most assuredly a most wonderful blood purifier. I refer to merchants of this town. Yours trufo. W. T. RCBJNSON. T?tbabee/Ala., May F, 1886. A Sheriff Released. For a period pf sixteen years I have been afflicted with catarrh of the head which baf? fled the ase of all med ici ues used. Seeing the advertisement of B. B. B., I purchased and osed sir or seven bottles, and although used irregularly have reeieved great relief, and recommend it as a good blood purifier. [SignedJ J. K. HOLCOMBE, JR., Sheriff of Haralsoc county, Ga. All who desire full information about the cease and core of Blood Poisons, Scrofula and Scrofulous Swellings, Ulcers, Sores, Rheumatism, Kidney complaints, Catarrh, etc.,. caa secare by mail free, a copy of our 32-page Illustrated Book of Wonders, filled with the most wonderful aad startling proof erer before known. Address BLOOD BALM CO., Atlanta, Ga., SURVIVORS CO. E, P. S. S, THERE WILL BS A BASKET PICNIC of Co. E, P. S. S. at Atkio's Grove, Mayesv?Ie, on the 3d Friday in July next. If o further notice to survivors witt be given. , sjfaSv-j^o ?fcKfK?fEY, [ Covm?See. j. s. DURANT. J iUj 25. 3t BOBOLINK. Quick as a wink, Mr. Bobolink In liquid notes of chatter and cb ink, Whirls and whistles to Mrs. Link. Gayly they swing . And cheerily sing, As high on swaying stems they cling, 'Ere nestling down with folded wing. Down in the grass, Where I cautiously pass, Hidden from sight, in mat and mast, Is a nestled home for lad and lass. In Summer boar?. When bloom bright flowers, There comes from Southern bornes and bow era, To eheer ?his Northan laird of ours, With cheery chink, The Bobolink. When Jone days go, / tis sad to think, A rice bird only ia Bobolink. ?rH;won HAGGAI^ TCOXTETCKD.l CHAPTER XXVL _ FRANK SCULLER'S FAMILIAR. The study of the conflicting elements that go to make up a character like Frank Mulle r's, however fascinating it might prove, is not one that can be attempted in detail here. Such a character in its developed form is fortunately practically impossible in a highly civilised country. The dead weight of the law would crush it hack to the level of the human mass around it Bat those who have lived in the wild places of the earth will be acquainted with its prototypes, more especially in those places where a handful of a superior race rules over the dense thousands of an inferior. Soli? tudes are favorable to the production of strongly marked individualities. The com? panionship of highly developed men, on the contrary, whittles individualities away, the difference between their growth being the difference between the growth of a tree ona plain ard a tree in the forest. On the plain the tree takes the innate bent of its nature. It springs in majesty toward the skies; it spreads itself around or it slants along the earth just as nature intended that it should, and in accordance with the power of the providential breath that bends, it. In the forest it is different. There the tree, grows j toward the fight wherever the light may be. Forced to modify its natural habit in obedi? ence to the pressure of circumstances over which it has no control, it takes such form and height as its neighbors will allow to it, all its energies being directed to the preserva? tion of life, in any shape and at any sacrifice. Thus it is with us alL Left to ourselves, or surrounded only by the scrub of humanity, we become outwardly that which the spirit within would fashion us to, but placed among our fellows, shackled by custom, restrained by law, pruned and bent by the force of pub? lic opinion, we grow as like one to another as the fruit bushes on a garden walL The sharp angles of our characters are fretted away by the friction of the crowd, and we become round and polished, and superficially, at any rate, identical. We no longer resemble a solitary bowlder on a plain, but are as a stone built into the great edifice of civilized society. The place of a man like Frank Muller is at the junction of the waters of civilization and barbarism. Too civilized to possess those savage virtues which, such as they are, repre? sent the quantum of innate good nature has thought fit to allow in Che nurture man, and too barbarous to be subject to the tenderer restraints of cultivated society, be is at once strong in the strength of both and weak in their weaknesses. Animated by the spirit of barbarism, superstition and almost entirely destitute of the spirit of civilization, mercy, he stands on the edge of both and an affront to both, as terrific a moral spectacle as the world can afford. Had he been a little more civilized, with his power of evil trained by education and cynical reflection to defy the attacks of those spasms of unreasoning spiritual terror and unrestrainable passion that have their natural dwelling place in the raw, strong mind of uncultivated man, Frank Muller might have broken upon thc world as a Napoleon. Had he been a little more savage, a little further removed from the unconscious but present influence of a progressive race, he might have ground his fellows down and ruthlessly destroyed them in the madness of his rage and hist, like an Attila oraTChaka. As it was, he was buffeted between two forces he did not realize, even when they swayed him, and thus at every step in his path ?eward a supremacy of evu an unseen~power "made stumbling blocks of weaknesses which, if that path had been laid along a little higher or a little lower fevelm the:sca?3 of^chxnmstance. would themseives-bave been -deadly weapons of overmastering force. See him, as with his dark heart filled up with fears?he. thunders aloogrfromtb^foene of midnight death and nr^er-ms' brain" had not feared to plan and his hand to execute. Onward his black horse strides, companioned by the storm, like a dark ihought traveling on the wings of Night He does not believe in any God, and yet the terrible fears that spring up in his son!, born fungus like from a dew of blood, take shape and form, and seem to cry aloud, "We are the messengers of the,avenging God." Ho glances up. High on the black bosom of the storm the finger of the lightning is writing that awful name, and again and again the voice of the thunder reads it out aloud in spirit shaking accents. He shuts his dazed eyes, and even the falling rhythm of his horse's hoofs beat out "There is a God! there is a God!" from the silent earth on which they strike. And so on through the tempest and the night, flying from that which no man can leave behind It was near midnight when Frank Muller drew rein ata wretched mud hut perched by itself on the banks of the Vaal, and flanked on its rear by an equally miserable shed The place was as silent as the grave; not even a dog barked "If that beast of a Kaffir is not here," he said aloud, "I will have him flogged to death. Hendrik! Hendrik!" As he called, a form rose up at his very feet," causing tho weary horse to start back so violently that he almost threw his rider to the ground "What in the name of the devil are you?" almost shrieked Frank Muller, whose nerves, indeed, were In no condition to stand fresh shocks. I "It is me, baas," said the form, at the same time throwing off a gray blanket in which it was enveloped, and revealing the villainous countenance of the one eyed witch doctor who hart taken the letter to Bessie, and who had for years been Muller's body servant, and fol? lowed him about like a dog. "Curse you, you dog! What ?io you mean by hiding up like that? It is one of your In? fernal tricia; be careful"-tapping his pistol case-"or I shall one day put an end to you and your witchcraft together." "I am very sorry, baas," said the man, in a whine, "but half an hour ago I heard you coming. I dont know what is the matter with the air to-night, but it sounded as though twenty people were galloping after you. I could hear them ali quite clear; first the big black horse, and then all those who came after, just as though they were hunting you; and so I came out tAd lay down to lis? ten, and it was not till you were quite close that one by one the others stopped Perhaps it was the devils who galloped." "Curse you, stop that wizard's talk," said Muller, his teeth chattering with fear and agitation. "Take the horse and dean and feed bim well; ho has galloped far, and we start at dawn. Stop! tell me, where are the lights and the brandy? If you have drunk the brandy I will flog you" "They are on the shelf on the left as you go in, baas,-and there is flesh there, too, and bread" Muller swung himself from the saddle and entered the hut, pushing open the cranky, broken hinged door with a kick: He found the boz of Tandstfckor matches, and, after ia one or two false shots-due chiefly to his shut? ing hand-succeeded in getting fire and light? ing a coarse dip such as the Boers make out of mutton fat. Near the candle was a bottle of peach brandy two-thirds full, and a tin pannikin and a jug of river water. Seizing the pannikin, ho filled it half full of spirit, added a little water, and drank the mixture off. Then he took down the meat and bread from the same shelf, and, cutting som? of each off with his clasp knife, tried to eat. But he could not eat much, and soon gave up the attempt, consoling himself instead with the brandy. "Bah!" he said, "tho stuff tastes like hell fire;" and he filled his pipe and sat smoking. Presently Hendrik came in to say that the horse was eating well, and was about to go again, when his master beckoned him to stop. The man was surprised, for Muller was not generally fond of his society, except when he wanted to consult him or get him to exercise his pretended art of divination; but the fact was that at that moment Frank Muller would have beenglad to consort with a dog. The events of the night had brought tibs terrible man, Steeped iu iniquity from his youth up, down to the level of a child frightened at the dark. For a while he sat in silence, the Kaffir squatted on the ground at bis feet Presently, however, the doses of powerful spirit took effect on him, and he began to talk more unguardedly than was his custom, even with his black "familiar," Hen? drik. "How long have you been here?" he asked of his retainer. "About four days, baas." ? "Did you take my letter to Om Croft'6?" ?Yah, baas. I gave it to the missie.n ?What did she do?" "She read it and then stood like this, hold? ing on to the veranda pole;" and he opened his mouth and one eyo. and twisted up his hideous countenance into a ghastly imitation of Bessie's sorrow stricken face, catching hold of one of the posts that supported tho hut to assist in the performance. "So she believed it?" "Surely." "Well, we are going there to-morrow." "So, baas! I kuew that before you told me." "We are going there, and we are going to take the place; and we are going to try Uncle Silas by court martial for flying an English flag, and if he is found guilty we are going to shoot bim, Hendrik." "So, baas," said the Kaffir, rubbing his hands in glee; "but will he be found guilty?" "I don't know," murmured the white man, stroking his golden beard; "that will depend upon what missie has to say; and upon the verdict of the court," he added, by way of an afterthought "On the verdict of the court, ha! ha!" chuckled his wicked satellite. "Ou the ver? dict of the court, yes! yes! and tho baas will be president, ha! ha! One needs no witchcraft to. guess the verdict And if the court finds Uncle Silas guilty, who will do the shooting, baas?" "I have not thought of that; the-time has not come to think of it It does not matter; anybody can carryout the sentence of the law." "Baas," said the Kaffir, "I have done much for you and had little pay. I have done ugly tilings. I have read omens and mado modi eines, and 'smelt out' yoau* enemies. Will you grant me a favor? Will you let me shoot Om Croft if the court finds him guilty? lt is not much to ask, baas. I am a clever wiz zarxL and deserve my pay." "Why do you want to shoot him?" "Because he flogged me once, years ago, for being a witch doctor, and the other day he hunted mo off tho place. Besides, it is so nice to shoot a white man. I should like it better," he went on, with a smack of the lips, "if it were missie, who set the dog on me. I would" In a moment Frank Muller had the aston? ished ruffian by the throat and was kicking and shaking bim as though lie were a toy. His brutal talk of Bessie had appealed to such manliness as he had in him, and, whatever his own wickedness may have been, he was too madly in love with the woman to let her name be taken in vain by a man whom, though he held his "magic" in superstitious reverence, he yet ranked lower than a dog. "With his nerves strung to the highest possible state of tension, mid half drunk as ho was, Frauk Muller was no more a person to be played with or irritated than a mad bulL "You black beast!" he yelled, "if you ever dare to mention her name again liko that I will kill you, for all your witchcraft," and he hurled bim'with such force up against the wall of the hut that tho whole place shook. The man fell, lay for a moment groaning and then crept from thc hut on his hands and knees. Muller sat scowling from under his bent brows and watched him ga When he was gone he rose and fastened the door behind him, and then suddenly burst info-tears; tho result, no doubt, of the mingled effects of the drink, mental and physical exhaustion and tho .never resting passion (one can scarcely call lt love) that ate away at his heart like the worm that dietu not "Oh, Bessie, Bessie!" he groaned, "I have done it all for you. Sure?v you cannot bo angry wheu I have killed them all for you? Oh, my darling, my darling! If you only knew how I love you! Oh, my darliug! my darling!" and in an agony of passion he flung himself down on the rough pallet in the corner of the hut and sobbed himself to sleep. Somehow Frank Muller's evil doing did not make him any the happier, thc fact of the matter being that to enjoy wickedness a man must be not only without conscience, but also without passion. Now Frank Muller was tormented with a very effective substitut? for the first, superstition, and his life was liter? ally overshadowed by the last, for the beauty of a girl possessed the power to dominate his wildest moods and inflict upon him torments that she herself was incapable of even imagin? ing. At tho first light of dawn Hendrik crept humbly into tho hut and woke bis master, and within half an hour they were across the Vaal and on tho road to Wakkerstroom. As the light increased-so did Muller's spirits rise, till at last, when the red sun came up in glory and swept away the shadows, he felt as though all tho load of guilt and fear that lay at his heart had departed with them. He could see now that the two Boers being lulled by a flash of lightning was a mere accident a happy accident, indeed; for had it not been for that he himself would have had to kill them, if be could not by any other means havo got the warrant from them. As it was he had forgotten the warrant; but it did not matter much, ho reflected. Nobody would bo likely to find the bodies of the two men and horses under the lonely bank there. Cer? tainly they would not be found until the aasvogels had picked them clean. They would be at work upon them by now. And if they were found it was probable that the paper would have rotted or blown away, or, at the worst, bo so discolored as to be unread? able. For tho rest, there was nothing to con? nect hil., with the murder, now that the two accessories were dead. Hendrik would prove an alibi for him. He was a useful man. Hendrik. Besides, who would believe that it was a murder? Two men were escorting an Englishman to tho river; somehow they be? came involved in a quarrel ; the Englishman shot them, and they shot the Englishman and his companion. Then the horses plunged into the Vaal and upset the cart, and there was an end of it He could see now how well things had gone for him. He was practically placed beyond suspicion. And then he fell to thinking of the fruits of his honest labors, and his check grew warm with the mounting blood, and his eyes flashed with the fire of youth. In two days-forty eight hours-at the outside, Bessie would be in his arms. Ho could not miscarry now; he was in absolute command there. Besides, Hendrik had read it in his omens long ago. Mooi fontein should bc stormed on tho mor? row if that were necessary, and Om Silas Croft and Bessie should lie taken prisoners; and then he knew how to put on thc screw. That talk about shooting on thc previous night had been no idle threat. She should yield herself to bim or the old man should die, and then be would take her. There could be no legal consequences from that now that the British government was surrendering. It would be a meritorious act to shoot a rebel Englishman. I Yes, it was all plain sailing now. How long bad it taken him to win her-three years? He bad loved her for three years. Well, he would have his reward; and then, his mind at rest about bis passion, he would turn it to those far reaching, ambitious schemes of which tho end was something Uko a throne. CHAPTER XXVII. SILAS IS CONVINCED. At first Bessie was utterly prostrated by the blow that bad fallen on her, but as time went on she revived a little, for hers wa? a sanguine nature with a great deal of elas? ticity about it. Troubles sink into thc souls of some like water into a sponge, and weigh them down almost to the grave. From others they runoff os tho water would if poured upon marble, merely wetting tho surface. She was neither tho one nor the other of these, but rather of a substance between the two-a healthy, happy hearted woman, full of beauty and vigor, made to bloom in the sunshine, not to languish in the shadow of some old grief. Yr omen of her stamp do not die of broken hearts or condemn themselves to lifelong celibacy as a sacrifice to the shade of the departed. If Ko. 1 is unfortunately re? moved, they, os a general rule, shed many a tear and suffer many a pang, and after a decent interval very sensibly turn their at? tention to No. 2. Still it was a very pale faced, quiet Bessie who went to and fro about the place after the visit of the one eyed ?affr. All ber irritability bad left her now; she no longer jumped down ber uncle's throat about bis having dispatched Jolin to Pretoria. Indeed, on that very even? ing after the evil tidings came, he began to reproach himself bitterly in her presence for having sent her lover away, when she stopped him. "It is God's will, undke," she said, quietly. "You only did what it was ordained that you should do." And then she came and laid her sunny head upon the old man's shoulder and cried a little, and said that they two were all alone in the world now; and he comforted her in the best fashion he could. It was a curious thing that they neither of them thought much of Jess when they talked thus about being alone. Jess was an enigma, a thing apart even from them. When she was there she was loved and al? lowed to go her own way; wben she was not there she seemed to fade into outer darkness. A wall came down between her and her belongings. Of course they were both very fond of her, but simple natured people are apt to shrink involuntarily from what they cannot understand, and these two were no exception. For instance, Bessie's affection for her sister was a poor thing com? pared to thc deep and self sacrificing, though often secret, love that her sister showered upon her. She loved her old uncle far more dearly than she did Jess, and it must l>e owned that he returned the compliment with interest, and in those days of heavy trouble they drew nearer to each other even than be? fore. But as time went on they both began to hope again. No further news of John's death reached them. Was it not possible, after all, that the whole story was an invention? They knew that Frank Muller was not a man to hesitate at a lie if be had a purpose to gain, and they could guess in this case what the purposo was. His furious passion for Bessie waa no secret to either of them, and it struck them as at least possible that the tale of John's death might have been invented to forward it. It was not probable, moro es? pecially as he was not present to urge his suit, but it was possible, and however cruel sus? pense may be, it is at least less absolutely crushing than the dead weight of certaintj*. Oa Sunday-it was just a week after the letter came-Bessie was sitting after dinner on the veranda, when her quick ears caught what she took to be the Ixwming of heavy guns far away on the Drakensberg. She rose, and, leaving the house, climbed tho hill behind it. On reaching the top she stood and looked at the great solemn stretch of mountains. Away, a little to her right, was a square, precipitous peak called Majuba, which was generally clothed in clouds. To? day, however, there was no mist, and it seemed to ber that it was from the direction of this peak that the faint rolling sounds came floating on the breeze. But she could see nothing; the mountain seemed os tenant less and devoid of life as the day when it first towered up upon the face of things created. Presently the sound died away, and she re? turned, thinking that sho must have been de? ceived by the echoes of some distant thunder storm. Next day they learned from the natives that what she had heard was the sound of the big guns covering the flight of tho British troops down the precipitous sides of Majuba mountain. After this old Silos Croft began to lose heart a little The run of disaster was so unrelieved that even his robust faith in the invincibility of the English arms was shaken. "It is very strange, Bessie,"' he said, "very strange; but never mind, it is bound to come right at last. Our government is not going to knock under because they have suffered a few reverses." Then came a long four weeks of uncer? tainty. The air was thick with rumors, most of them brought by natives, one or two by passing Boers, to which, however, Silas Croft declined to pay any attention. Soon it be? came abundantly clear, however, that an armistice was concluded between the English and the Boers, but what were its terms or its object they were quite unable to decide. Silas Croft thought that the Boers, overawed by the advance of an overwhelming force, meant to give in without further fighting; but Bessie shook her head. One day-it was the same on which John and Jess had left Pretoria-a Kaffir brought news that the armistice was at an end, that thc English were advancing up to the Nek in thousands and were going to force it ow the morrow and relieve the garrisons-a piece of intelligence that brought some of the old light back to Bessie's eyes. As for her uncle, he was jubilant. "The tide is going to turn at lost, my love," he said, "and we shall have our innings. Well, it is time we should, after all tho shame and loss and agony of mind we havo gone through. Upon my word, for tho last two months I have been ashamed to call myself an Englishman. However, there is an end of it now. I knew that they would never give in and desert us," and the old man straight? ened his crooked back and slapped bis chest and looked os proud and gallant as though he wero 25 instead of 70. The rest of that day passed without any further nows, and so did the following two, but on the next, which was March 23, tho storm broke. About ll o'clock in the forenoon Bessie was employed upon her household duties as usual, or rather she had just finished them. Her uncle had returned from making his after breakfast round upon tho farm ami was standing in the sitting room, his broad felt bat in ono hand and a red pocket handker? chief in the other, with which be^ms ppiish ing his bald head, while he chatted to Bessie through tho Open door. "No news of the advance, Bessie dear?" "No, uncle," shu replied, with a sigh, mid her blue eyes filling with tears, for she was thinking of one of whom there was also no news. "Well, never mind. Tbcso things take n. little time, especially with our soldiers, who move so slowly. I dare say that then; was some delay waiting for guns or ammunition or something. I expect that wc shall hear something by to-night" He got a?; far ns this, when suddenly tho fig? uro of Jantjo appeared, flying up the passage in thc extremity of terror and haste. "Dc Boorcn, baas, dc Booroo !" (Tho Boers, master, the Boers) ho shouted. "The Boers J aie coming with a wngon, twenty of then? or more, with Frank Muller at then head on j his Mack hors?, and liana Coetzce. and the wizard with one oyo with him. I was hiding j behind a tree St the end of the avenue, and I saw them coming over tho rise. They aro J going to take the place," and, without waiting j to givo any further explanations, ho slipped through the house and hid himself np some? where at the back out of the way, for .Iantje, like most Hottentots, was a sad coward. Tho old man'stopped rubbing^bis head and j staied at Bessie, who was standing pale and trembling in the doorway. Just then he beard thc patter of running feet ou the drive outside, abd looked out df tb* window, was caused by the passing of some half dc Kaffirs who were working on the place, who, on catching .sight of the Boers, promptly thrown down their toola and w flying to tho hills. Even as they passel shot was fired somewhere from tho direcl of the avenue, and the last of the Kaffir lad of about twelve, suddenly threw up bands and pitched forward on his face, v a bullet betweenhis shoulderblades. Bessie heard the shout of "Good shot, g shot I" and the brutal laughter that gree his fall, and the tramping of the horses they came up the drive. "Oh, uncle 1" she said, "what shall wo d The old man made no answer at the J ment, but going to a rack upon the w reached down a Westley-Richards fall block rifle that hung there. Then he down in a wooden arm chair that faced French window opening on the veranda,/ beckontd to her to come to hun. "We will meet them so," he said. "Tl shall see that we are not afraid of thc Don't be frightened, dear, they will not d to barm ns; they will be afraid of tho cot quences of harming English people." The words were scarcely out of his moi when the cavalcade began to appeal- in fri of the window, led, os Jant jo had said, Frank Mulleron his black horse, accompan by Hans Coetzee on the fat pony and the} lainous looking Hendrik mounted on a noni . script sort of animal, and carrying a gun a an assegai in his band. Behind these wen body of about fifteen or sixteen armed mi among whom Silas Croft recognized most his neighbors, by whose sido he had lived 3 years in peace and amity. Opposite the house they stopped and beg looking about. They could not see into 1 room at once on account of tho bright lig outside and the shadow within. "I fancy you will find the birds flo\i nephew," said the fat voice of Hans Coetzi "They have got warning of your little visi "They cannot be far," answered Mutter, have had them watched, and know that th have not left the place. Get down, une and look in the house, and you too, Hendril The Kaffir obeyed with alacrity, tumbli out of his saddle with all the grace of a sa of coals, but the Boer hesitated. "Uncle Silas is an angry man," he venture "be might shoot if he found me poking abo his house." "Don't answer me!" thundered Muller; "g down and do as I bid you!" "Ah, what a devil of a man!" murmur thq^infortunate-Hans as he hurried to obe Meanwhile Hendrik the one eyed h. jumped upon the veranda and was peen; through tho windows. "Here they are, baas; here they arc!" sang out; "tho old cock and the pullet, toe and he gave a kick to tho window, which, I ing unlatched, swung wide open, revealii the old man sitting there in his wooden arl chair with Bessie standing at his side, his ri on his knees, and holding his fair haired nie by the band. Frank Muller dismounted ai came on to the veranda, and behind hi crowded up a dozen or more of his followei "What is it that you wont, Frank Molk that you come to my house with all the arnifd men?' asked Silas Croft from 1 chair. "I call upon you, Silas Croft, to surrender take your trial as a land betrayer and a rel against the republic," was thc answer. "I a sorry," he added, with a bow toward Bessi on whom his eyes had been fixed all the tim "to be obliged to take you prisoner in tl presence of a lady, but my duty gives mo i choice." "i do not know what you mean," said tl old man. "I am a subject of Queeii Victor and an Englishman. How then, can I reb against any republic? I am an Englishma I say," he went on with rising anger, speakir so high that his powerful voice rang uni every Boer there could hear it, "and I a knowledge the authority of no repu lies. This is my house, and I order ye to leavo it I claim my rights as an Englisl man" "Here," interrupted Muller, coldly, "Enj lishmcn have no rights, except such as v choose to allow them." "Shoot bimi" cried a voice. "Treat him as Buskes treated Van der Li den at Potchefstrooin!" cried another. "Yes, make him swallow the same pill thi we gave to Dr. Barber," put in a third. "Silas Croft, are you going to surrender asked Muller, in the same cold voice. "No!" thundered the old man in his Engli? pride. *T surrender to no re tels in ara - against the queen. I will shoot the first ma who tries to lay a finger on me!" and he roi to his feet and lifted bis rifle. "Shall I shoot him. baas?-shall I shoe him?" asked the one eyed Hendrik, smackin his lips at the thought, and fiddling with tb rusty lock of the old fowling piece he carnee Muller, by way of answer, struck bil across the face with the back of his bane "Hans Coetzee," ho said, "go and arrest thc man." Poor Hans hesitated, as well he might Nature had not endowed bini with any grec amount of natuial courage, and the sight c his old neighbor's rifle barrel made him fd positively sick. He hesitated and began t stammer excuses. "Aro you going, uncle, or must I denounc you to the general as a sympathizer wit Englishmen?" asked Muller, in medico, for b knew tho old fellow's weaknesses and cow ardice, and was playing on them. *i am going. Of course I am goinp nephew. Exc?seme; a little faintness too me-the heat of the sun," he babbled. "Ol: yes, I am going to seize tho rebel. Perhap one of those young men would not mind er gaging his attention on thc other side. Ile i an angry man-I know him of old-nnd ai angry man with a gun, you know, dca nephew" * "Aro you go?ngr said his terriblo maste once more. "Oh, yes! certainly yes. Dear Uncle Siles pray put down that gun. it is so dangerous Don't stand there looking like a wild ox, bu como up to tho yoke. You ore old, Unc?? Silos, and I don't want to havo to burt you Como now, como, come," and he heh! out hi hand toward him as though he wero a sbj horse that ho was endeavoring to l>eguile. "Hans Coetzee, traitor and liar that 3*01 are," said the old man, "if you como n stej nearer, by Cod! I will put a bullet througl you!" j "Go on, Hons; chuck a reim over his head get him by the tail; knock him down with 1 yokeske?; turn the old bull on his kick:1 shouted the crowd of scoffers from tho win ! dow, taking very coed caro, however, to deal Ol? to tho right and left in order to leave roon for thc expected bullet. Hans positively burst into tears, and Mu! ; 1er, who was tho only one who held lui ground, caught him by the arm, and. put ' ting out all his strength, swung him toward I Silas Croft I For reasons of his own ho was anxious thai I the latter should shoot ono of them, and he chose Hans Coetzee, whom he disliked und despised, for the sacrifice. Up went thc rille, and at that moment Bos? sier, who had I ?cen standing bewildered1, mad?; a ?lash at it, knowing that Woodshed could only make-mutters worse. As she did so it exploded, but not heforc she had shaken her uncle's arm, Tor instead bf killing Hans, as it undoubtedly would otherwise have done, the bullet only cut his ear and then passed out through tho open window place. lu an in? stant the room was filled with smoke. lian.* Coetzee clapped his hand to his head, and commenced to yell with pain and terror, end ia tho confusion that ensued three or four men, braded hythe Kaffir Hendrik, ru>hcd into the room and sprang upon KU;.s "( 'r< -ft, who had retreated to thc wall and was squid? ing with his back agaimt it, his ride, which he had clubbed in both his hands, raised above his hoad. When his assailants got close to him they hesitated, for, aged and bent as he was, the old mon looked like mischief. He stood thors like a lion and swung tho rifle stork nl>ouL. Presently ono of tho men struck at him and missel him, but before he could retreat Silas brought down tho stock of bis rille ou his head and down he went liko an ox beneath a poleax. Then they closed 011 him, but for a while ho k^pt them off, knocking down ;V.i Otber man in his efTorts. As bc diel so'the witch doctor; Hendrik, who had been watch? ing for his opportunity, brought down tho barrel of his old fowling piece upon Silas' bald hc:ul and felled him. Fortunately the blow was not a very heavy one or it would bave caved his skull in. As-it was it only cut bis hcr.d open and knocked him down. AS SHE DID SO IT EXPLODED. Thereon the whole mass of Boers, with the j exception of Maller, who was standing ! watching, seeing that he was now defenseless, j fell upon him and would have kicked him to death had not Bessie precipitated herself upon i him with a cry and thrown her arms about i him to protect him. Then Frank Muller interfered, fearing lest : she should bc hurt. Plunging iuto the fray i with a curse, ho exercised his great strength, throwing the men this way and that Uko ninepins and finally dragging Silas to his feet again. "Come!" he shouted, "take him out of this;" mid accordingly, with taunts and obloquy, the poor old man, whose fringe of white locks was red with hood, was kicked and dragged and pushed on to tho veranda, then off it on to the drive, where ho fell over tho body of the murdered Kaffir boy, and finally hauled up to tho open space by the flagstaff, on which the Union Jack, that he had planted there some two months before, still waved bravely in the breeze. Here he sank down upon the grass, his back against the flagstaff, and asked faintly for some water. Bessie, who was weeping bitterly, and whose heart felt os though it were bursting with anguish and In? dignation, pushed her way through the men, and, running to the house, got some in a glass and brought it to him. One of the brutes tried to knock it out of her hand, but she avoided him and gave it to her uncle, who drank it greedily. "Thank you, love, thank you," he said;'* "don't bo frightened, I ain't much hurt. Ah! if only John had been here, and wo had had an hour's notice, wo would have held the place against them all." Meanwhilo one of the Boers, getting on the shoulders of another, had succeeded in un? tying tho cord on which the Union Jack was bent and hauling it down. Then they re? versed it and hoisted it h.*.' mast high, and began to cheerier the republic. "Perhaps Uncle Silas does not know that wo arc a republic again now," said one of tho men, a near neighbor of his own, in mockery. "What do you mean by a republic?" asked tho old man. "Tho Transvaal is a British colony." There was a hoot of derision at this. "The English government has surrendered," said the same man "Thc country is given up, and' the British are to evacuate it in six months." "It is a lie!" said Silas, springing to his feet, "a cowardly lie! Whoever says that the English have given up tho country to a few thousand blackguards like you, and deserted its subjects and the loy als and the natives, is a liar-a liar from hell!" There was another howl of mockery at this outburst, and when it had subsided Frank Muller stepped forward. "It is no'lie, Silas Croft," ho said; "and the cowards are not we Boers, who have beaten you again and again, but your soldiers, who' have done nothing but run away, and your government, that follows tho example of your soldiers. . Look here"--and ho took a paper out of his pocket-1'you know that sig? nature, I suppose; it is one of tho trium? virate. Listen to what be says," and he read* aloud: "WELL BELOVED HEER MULLER-This is to inform you that, by the strength of our arras fightiug for the right and freedom, a?'cT also by the cowardice of the British govern? ment, generals and soldiers, we have by the will of the Almighty concluded this day a glorious peace with the enemy. The British government surrenders nearly everything ex? cept in the name. The republic is to be re? established, and the soldiers who are left will leave the land within six months. Make this known to every one, and forget not to thank God for our glorious victories." The Boors shouted aloud, as well they might, and Bessie wrung her hands. As for the old man, he leaned against tho flagstaff^ and his gory head sank upon his breast os though he were about to faint. Then sud? denly he lifted it, and, with clinched and quivering fists held high in tho air, broke out into such a torrent Of blasphemy and cursing . that even the Boers fell back for a moment, dismayed into silence by the force of the fury wrung from his utter-humiliation.-. ~. It was an appalling sight to see this good and God fearing old man, his face bruised, his gray hairs dabbled with blood and his clothes nearry rent from his bod}', stamp and reel to and fro, blaspheming his Maker and thc day that he was born; hurling execrations at his beloved country and thc name of Englishman and tho government that had deserted him, till at last nature gave out, and he fell in a flt, there, in the very shadow of his dishonored flag. [TO CE CONTESTED.! Jury Law. For the information of jurors who do not wish to be locked up all night in the jury room when lhere is no possibility of an agreement we pub? lish Section 2,268 of the General Statutes which contains the law on the subject. A jury cannot be sent back to the jury room more than twice without their consent unless they ask "further explanation of the law." Section 2,263 reads as fol? lows : "When a jury, after due and thorough deliberation upon any cause, return into Court, without having agreed upon a verdict, the Court may stale anew the evidence, or any part of it, and explain to them anew the law applicable to the case, and may send them out for further delibera? tion ; but if they return a second time without having agreed upon a verdict, they shall not be sent out again without their own consent, un? less they shall ask from the Court some further explanation of the law. The Next Senate. A few days ago tlic Legislature of New Hampshire elected Hon. \V. E. Chandler United Stales Senator vice Vr Pike, deceased. This completes the Scnatoiial list of the incoming Congress. Thc new roll shows thirty seven Democrats and thirty-nine Re? publicans. Three ex-Senators and three ex Congressmen, members of the last House, appear among the elect. Florida, Indiana, New Jer? sey. Tennessee and West Virginia contribute new men-Democrats, and Minnesota, Michigan and Penn? sylvania send new mee-Republicans. - -?>?? --- Thc principals of the late wheat clioue arc estimated losers io the extent cf ? ?4,000,000 to $5,000,000. Their fol? lowers and tools arc losers to fully the samo amouct. It is roughly calculated that the. collapse in Chicago represents about $10,000,000 to all concerned ou thc losing side. Our State Contem'poranesV Williamsburg Record. \Ve see it stated that Maj', j. B.. White, of Marion, bas been engaged, by some of the citizens interested to make a garvey of the territory to be in? cluded ia thc contemplated new county which it is proposed to make put of portions of Darlington, Marion, and Williamsburg, and we believe, some of Clarendon County. Florence is to be the county seat, if the project ie success? ful. Where the boundaries of this, new county are lo be located we are in igno? rance ; and how much of the territory of Williamsburg is wanted to assist ia makiug up the legal requirement, of square miles necessary to form a county, would interest many of our readers. As soon as the survey is made we will en? deavor to .find out and inform them. We have seen a cotton bloom which was plucked from the plantation of Mr. N. T. Pittman, at (xourdin's, the* 10th inst. This is the earliest bloom we have seen or heard of this season. The Long and Short of lt. Abbeville Press and Banner. We had the pleasure of a call yester? day from Mr. J. D. Alewine, school trustee of Diamond Hill township. He says that the township had $900 of pub? lic school money in 1886, and in that year the schools were kept open for only four months. In 1887 tho town? ship had but $800, but by a reduction of teachers' salaries the trustees have been able to keep the schools open in 1887 for six months, and no teacher has quit tlie service because of that rt' duction in salary. This, we think, is a practical demon? stration of the good results of the appli? cation of plain common sens? to the schools. Let the good work go on. A further reduction in salaries, and a far? ther extension of the school term is pos? sible. If ?18 a month is paid next year the children will be gainers. The price of teaching in the 'old field schools' before the war was five cents a day, when paid by the Government, but parents ordinarily promised and paid a dollar a month Tor each child. * 'And Thou, Br?tus." Mr. Leitch, the evangelist, who came to Abbeville only a few days ago for the ostensible purpose of converting sinners, preaching chiristian lov? lipid good will among men, has felt calleo! upon to speak from the Church' altar of the edi? tors in this town ia' a manner for which our Saviour furnishes no precedent, and now comes Judge Aldrich who, in his official capacity, m?kes au irrelevant tirade against the press of the State, while failing himself to devote any con? siderable time in delivering a legitimate and proper charge to the jury of this court; Greenville News. It will be a comfort to the southern farmer as he breaks his back in the cot? ton field this. Summer to reflect that Miss Studebaker, daughter of the man who makes the wagon, the farmer sends his money io ?nio for, is in Europe on a bridal tour with an outfit costing 75,000 of the dollars dug out of the Southern fields so painfully. If this money bad been spent with the home manufacturer we would all get some of it back. As it is, we do not even have the pleasure of seeing the girl it dresses. Barnwell People. The ?dg?fleld Chronicle says that Capt. Ben Tillman milks 17 cows. No wonder that he is disgruntled at the hardships of the farmers lot. Manning Times. Mr. Scott Harvin bas just finished burning a kiln beyond his mill, con? taining 247,000 brick, and is making another quite as large. The State House Muddle. e Neic s and Courier. The charges that have been made in respect to the quality of the work upon the State House at Columbia, and the manner in which the contracts have been awarded, are of so serious a nature that they should be fully investigated. If the charges are not well founded, so much the better for the reputation of all concerned; if they are true, vigorous steps should be taken to remedy the evils complained of. If the State House Commission will not make the necessary investigation, the Legislature should provide for an investigation, as Mr. Niernsee suggests, 'calling for per? sons and papers under oath.' If it shall then appear that 'the State House muddle' is only a quarrel among rival contractors, the charges will fall to the ground and everybody will be set right. Columbia Re g ister. The Methodist brethren are having a hot time over the 'holiness' movement, and from present appearances a schism io the South Carolina mctnbersbig is unlikely. Editor Cirkland of the Southern Christian Advocate bas opened with his Gatling guns on the religious enthusiasts as well as on the unlicensed, so called evangelists, and things are looking lively all along the line. Chester Bulletin. Mr. F. II. Barber, president of the Fishing Creek Manufacturing Company, notified last week those operatives of the fictory connected with the Knights of Labor, to quit work at once. Quite a number of the operatives belonged to the Knights of Labor and a plan had been concocted to go on a strike July the 4th. As soon as the hands received the notice from President Barber, 42 quit work. There are still a sufficient uumber of operatives tc run the factory until Mr. Barber can get other opera? tives to take the places of these who abandoned work. A Kew LaW. Abbeville Meditan. Tho Supreme Court bas decided that, in order to remove the trial cf a case from ono trial justice to another, an affidavit must be made petting forth the grounds of belief why the party cannot obtain a fair trial.. In consequence of this decision an affidavit was recently made before a trial justice of this coun? ty, assigning as a reason why the party did not believe he could get a fair trial/ . that the justice was completely tinder, coi roi pf thc prosecutor, would seek his co. lotion regardless of the law and the evidence, and that the said prosef cutor, in his ambition, to be known ail ?the hero of prohibition in the vicinity,; :woo!dusebis influence over the trial justice to the great dancer of deponent^ rightp as? liberties. We don't- think the Supreme Couri has properly con iStruect the law. At any rate both the person mating .the affidavit and the trial justice are placed in a 7ery un pleasant dilemma. Keotcee Churkr. Berkeley county ie in tronble ?ter the liquor qsestyin. Under the gener? al State law no license could be granted for, the sale of ltquoVputsidc'of incorpick1 rated towns and cities. In i$86 an Act was passed authorizing the County Commissioners of Beaufort and Berke*, icy counties to isine^ licenses- :: At the, present ?cV?rt of Sessions for Berfefej/ J. E. Carter was convicted, of selling liquor without a T?cense. On cenfence . day bis counsel mac? a motion in ar? rest cf judgment, on the ground that the Act of ?886" repealed the o?d law both as to the granting cf license and the penalty for selling without license, judge Fraser overruled the motion, OD .the ground that the Act of 1886" did ?o* , repeal the old law in its entirety, but only so far. as the later Act was incon? sistent with {?e former Act. That the Act of 1886 repealed the old law in so far as the latter prohibited the licensing of the sale of licfuor by the County Com? missioners, but did not affect the penal? ty imposed by the old. law for selling without a license. The offence in this case had been committed prior to tho passage of the ?ei of 1886, bat this ; could not affect the case, since if the old law bad been repealed in toto, the Judge could have imposed no penalty. ' The Gazette thinks this decision will stop the promiscu?os sale of whiskey in Berkeley without license. .Laurens Advertiser. Greenville proposes to give a grand agricultural picnic at an early day: . Capt. Tillman and several distinguished agriculturalists' form Georgia will make addresses. i Two faf pets eloped from the poor house in Charlotte last week. The bride was 68 years of age and the groom had celebrated the 84th anniver? sary of his natal day. Surely this couple were quartered in the wrong state institution. The asylum fot the insane should give them a home. The largest mortgage ?v?r recorded in this county was spread npon the books on the 9th inst. It is given by the Port Royal and Western Carolina Ball? way company to the Central Trost Co., of New York, and is given "to secare the payment of Two billion Five Hun- ; dred Thousand Dollars. It covers ali of the property. of the Georgia Central in this State. The prohibition executif e committee, having secured about the requisite num? ber of signatures for submitting the Act, propose to open an active cam? paign' in a few weeks. The farmers will tben: nave gotten through the busiest part of their working season and will have better opportunities for at* tening the varions meetings for disctiss . ing the questions connected witt jurotti* bkion. ^ w Confederate Flags Not to Be Returned. Geo. Tuttle, the commander, of the Grand Army of the Republic of Iowaj asked Gov. Iiarf?be? to protest against the proposed return of the Confederate ii battle flags held by the war department . to the States from .which the troops' car? ry ing them came.. Gov. Larrabee'for warded the protest and sard be would, if possible; take iegal, method's to pre? vent the return. Commander Fair? child, commander in chief of the G. A.. R., in a speech before Hamilton post in Ilew York, said : *>?ay God palsy the hand that wrote the order ; ciay God palsy the brain that conceived it, and may God palsy the tongue that directed it: . He asked : 'How can the present loyal governors of the Southern States accept emblems of treason after their professions of loyalty to the Union? Must they not return them to the secre? tary of war and say that they have noth? ing to do with tho Sags, as the rebel organizations are extinct V The G. A. R. posts expressed much indignation that the trophies won with so much blood and courage should be sent back, and virtually surrendered. Co Thursday the Presideot counter? manded his" order in the following letter. E??CCTIVE MANSION. WASHISG?ON, D. C, June 16,*87. To the Secretary of War : t have to-day considered with more care than wben the subject was orally presented me the action of your depart? ment, directing letters to be addressed to the governors of all States offering to return, if desired, to the ?egal States the Union flags captured in the W3r of thc rebellion by the Confederate force?, and afterwards recovered by govern^ ment troops, and to thc Confederate States tne flags captured bf the Union forces, all of which for many years have been packed in boxes and stored in thc cellar and attic of thc war department. I am of the opinion that the retnrn of these flags in the manner thus contem? plated is not authorised by existing law, and not justified as au executive ?ct. \ request, therefore, that no further steps bc taken lu the matter e?ccpt to exam-* inc and inventory these flags and aiopt proper measures for their preservation Any direction as to thc ?nai disposition of them should originate with Congress. "Sours trnly, GHOVER CLEVELAND. I- *+"^mm Severe shocks of earthquake have oc? curred in Vernome, in Turkestan. The town was almost entirely destroyed. One hundred aud -twenty persons were killed and 125 injured. Among the latter is Gen. Friede, Governor rf thc province of Semirctchinsk. Shocks j still continue to be felt at intervals. I The inhabitants of thc town are panic? j stricken, and have fled for safety to the open country.