Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1845-01-17
STATEMENT OF IIos SAMUEL HoAR.

ton and treatment in South Carolina
i arrived in Charleston about six O'Clock
on the morning Of the 2Sth of November
In the course of the forenoon of the same
day, in pursuance of instructions from His
ExcelIency the Governor, addressed a let.
ter to the Governor of South Carolina.
On the next morning, which was Friday
7 called on Mr. Eggleston, the gentleman
who had received before me an appointment
to this agency by the Governor of Massachu.
sets, and requested him to introduce me to
the Mayor of the city of Charleston. This
did for the purpose of procuring access to
the records of orders on sentences to i'm
1prisenment of our colored seamen, or other
citizens. MI Eggleston readily acceded TO
any request, but observed that, in his opii-
ion, i, would be best that he should first see
the Mayor and explain TO him my purposes,
before should go to his Office to be intro
duced to him. To this assented, and he
left me in his Office to await his return =
He was absent considerable time and on
bis return he informed me that the Mayor
was at Columbia, where the Legislature was
in session that he had been conversing
with, the gentleman who temporarily dis
charged the duties of Mayor, and that they
both concluded it would be best for me to
await the return of the Mayor, before at
tempting to do any thing relating to the bus
mess. on which | was seut. j accordingly
passed the remainder of the time, the Mayor
not having returned, awaiting his arrival, till
Monday afternoon, without meeting any &C.
currence worth relating.
On the afternoon Of Monday / was in
formed that Gov Hammond had commune
Gated. my letter to the Legislature at Colum-
bia, and that i; had raised great commotion.
After conversing some time on the subject,
! walked out from my lodgings some dis
lance, "and on returning, at dark, | met at
ihe hotel where lodged, three gentlemen,
standing in the piazza near the door, As
soon as | assembled the steps one Of them
stepped forward and said, is your name
Hoar, sir 2 answered yes. He then said,
Il am the Sheriff of Charleston District, and
] have some business with you, sir This
he uttered with great warmth and earnest
ness. J. He then introduced to me one of the
other gentlemen as the acting Mayor Of the
city;and one of the aldermen, and the other
as another alderman, invited them to walk
up into common sitting room of the house.
When seated, the sheriff inquired of me
what my business was in Charleston. | an
swered that | had communicated my bust
ness to the Governor Of South Carolina, and
stated TO him in substance what my bust
ness swas. He then said, lit is suspected
that you are an abolitionist, and have come
here:to accomplish some of their measures
| hesitated little, doubling whether ii would
be proper to say whether was an abolition
list or not, but soon concluded that | would
endeayor to remove all pretences ofthat kind,
and informed him that was no aboltionst,
thu; had been for many years member Of
the colonization society. between whom and
the abolitionists there was not much harmo-
ny. He then said, some suspect that this is
all hoax you have sent no credentials. -
This was true. Not having any negotiations
with the Governor, had not thought it ne
cessary to send him copy of my commits
sion.t answered that had supposed the
Governor would take my word for the facts
Ihad stated to him, but that had com
mission from the Governor of Massachu-
sets, which was willing to exhibit to any
one who desired to see it. He desired to
see it, and went 70 my room, brought and
delivered it to him. am uncertain whelh-
er offered to let him take copy of it, or
whether he first requested permission to take
copy, but ! gave permission TO have made
copy of the commission and Of the re-
solves Of the Legislature, on which it was
founded. He then said, lit is considered a
great insult on South Carolina by Massachu-
settsgto send an agent here on such bust
ness This citv is hiohlv incensed Won
are in great danger, and you had better
leave the city as soon as possible | an.
swered, that had been sent there by the
Government Of Massachusetts on lawful bus
mess, and that could not leave the city un
ill had at least attempted to perform thai
business, He then produced letter, which
he said he had received from the Attorne,
General of that State, and read to me par
of it, in which the writer urged the avoid
ance Of aresort to lynching, saying that il
would disgrace the city. and adding that he
did not know on whom he could call with
more Proprlety than on the sheriff to pre-
vent this process. After reading this par
of the letter, he said it was unnecessary tc
read the rest; that he should endeayor, al
the hazard of his life, to defend me, but he
added, either that he doubted whether he
could do it, or that he did not think ht
could doit. He repeated several times anc
with great earnestness, that the citizens re
garded my mission as great insult from
Massachusetts that they were in state o
great excitement, and that, as a friend, h,
would advise me, as the only means of safe
ty, to leave the city as soon as possible.
gave him substantially the same answer a