The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-06-21
the roots to take up with their thousand
SROsHsaMg About,


members Of the bar, albeit they are
much oftner the subjects of stories
themselves. We lately heard one Of
the former illustrating the propriety
of "letting well enough alone" by the
following anecdote: x ST.
An afiray case was on trial in the
Circuit Court of Pike county. in which
some six:.or eight peace breakers were
represented by almost as manylaw-
yers, each of whom, in turn, put the
only witness for the State through the
tortnres ofa tedious cross examination.
Nat, q well known Montgomery
practitioner, was counsel for o. big
black looking fellow in the crowd, who
answered to the name of Saltonstall
As to this defendant, the only proof
which was ELECTED on the examination
in the chief of The witness for the pros.
ecut'on, was that-to use the peculiar
| phraseology, of the narrator-'while
the rest on 'em cussn'Snnd clinchin
and pairing off for rcglar r'yal, Sal
taas'sat jest Kept sloshsn' about :" The
Solicitor and Nat both CONSTRUCTED this
to mean that Saltonstall was only
moving about, drunk among the com.
batants, and the former did not press
for an explanation. Presently, how.
ever, it came to Mats turn to cross ex.
anime for his client; and as he had
received quite handsome fee, con-
sidcring how things stood, he felt
bound TO make som mething ofe demon.
stration.' So quotli he, with the air of
the avenger ofinjured innocence:
sCeme, witness, say over again in
what it was.that Mr.. Saltonstall had TO
do with this afiair?"
( "Saltonstall,? Why Eve told you
several times. the rest on 'em ;clil,ched
and paired off, but .Saltonstall, jest
! s9osliias q bops
:. " "" Ah.my good fellow exclaimed
Nat, quite testify, we want to know
what that is. 1t isn't exactly legal
evidence in the shape you putit. Tell
lis wiaS :,a ::'ea:: a ay .sioss;;;; a5ce;iiiiss. About.
"Well,, answered the witness very
deliberately, 'l'll try. You see, John
Brewer and Sy kes they clinclied and
fout. That's in legal form, amt i, q
"Oh, yesr' said Nat-"g 20 on ~
i !" Abney and Blackman then pitch.
ed into one another, and Blackman bit
otfa piece OF Abney's lip-that's legle
too, amt it ?"l ?
Proceed !"
"Simpson and Bill Stone and Muir.
ray, was ali together on the ground,
a bitin,' gougin': and kickin' one ano-
ther-that's leglc, too, is it2
/ Very but go on y sa
| " And ,Saltcnstall made'it his bust.
ness to walk backwards and forwards
through the crowd, with a big stick in
his hand, and knocked down every
loose man in the crowd as fast as he
came to 'emr' That's what | call
'sloshiH' about"
Nat is ofopinion, now, that unless
prIma facet case is made out by the
). prosecution, on the direct examination
of their witnesses, it Is quite ) well
| for the defendant to wave his right to
cross examine.
| os,->-o,o,~>-4a;. :"
1 HoRRoRs OF GuASo TRAps.-We
have received full confirmation of the
horrors reported to be in course of per
pctration, in connection with the gnano
trade, at the Chincha Islands. It is
picked up and wheeled to the shoots.
1t appears, by contract. The contrac.
tor has Imputed Cinnamon for this
work, nearly six hundred of whom are
now on these islands. They. are hired
Tor live years, at therate of s45 per
annum. They commence work in the
morning as soon as they can see to
): work. They have five tons of guano
to dig and wheel to q distance Of one
eighth ola mile. 1t is all, or nearly
all, SO hard that it has to be picked
up; and ifthey do not accomplish these
five tons by 5 o'clock p. M, they are
fogged with raw hide whips, some five
feet long, receiving one dozen stripes,
each of which starts the blood J: then
they are driven back to flush their
work. The guano. has very bad et:
feet upon,them, swelling their legs and
feet. Notwithstanding all these, how.
ever, if they can get along, they are
compelled to finish their task. Our
informant says
! have known as many as thirty
fogeged in one day. They. have no
Sunday allowed with the exception Q
one in a year, the same work going
on on. sunday us during the rest ofsth,
week. line consequence sof this il
treatment is suicide in Various from
such as lcapipg from the rocks on.
hundred feet high, cutting their ,hroats
and bury themselves alive. This las
has actually been the case, 10 m,
; knowledge. One morning, fhrea ,yyeI.
found who had so buried thengel lses
two were dead and one alive Il,
last recoverable prolong his mss ssbl,
4 existence tor 3 sllost time.n ,s.ssa
H.. is n,e5tllatsttt, VOICE of oiviiiza
ion throughout tho world was licari;
in denaneiatiuIl OF such horrors d:
lthcae, IN. o. Picavunc.