The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1865-09-02
From Chester.

wv uldhO oA1S 1OnOWl1lS cAGIdCGS
from correspondence of the York
| vile Enquirer, writing from Chester,
under date OF August 13, which our
readers will find somewhat interesting:
Our hapless community has, for two
months, been whirled about s'the un-
willing spirit of circumstances and
passion" First, we had with us Capt.
Brown, with detachment of the 9th
Ohio Cavalry. Their policy was to
fraterrizc entirely with the colored
brethren. They held the ultrs.-N Nortll-
ern doctrine that q s'white man is as
good as a negro if he behaves him
self. " Through the teaching.of some
OF these men, the negroes were led to
believe that the Agrarian doctrine was
to be the law of the lnnd-that this
fall there was to be grand ''dividc"
OF everything. In pursuance of their
supposed rights, the negroes, III Il
good many places, actually marked
out their respective shares OF Gods
green earth, in some instances squab-
bling among themselves as to the
quantity of wood land, arabic land,
&C., to which they were respectively
entitled.
After an administration of several
weeks, Capt. Brown was relieved by
a Captain-n Dutchuan-whose name
is beyond my orthoa apply. He (the
Dutchman was as far on one extreme
as Capt. Brown had been on the other.
A few days after his arrival, he called
Il mass meeting of the citizens of the
district, and delivered himself in q
quite lengthy speech, in which he rep
resented that the rights of the white
man, as employer, were far greater
and more absolute than had ever been
the rights of the master under the
State law. His remedy for all impro-
prlctlcs on the part of the negro Was
to knock him down, and if that did
not suffice, to kill him. The result of
his teaching was, that good many
men who had got behind in the mat
ter OF Furnishing their negroes during
Capt. Browns administration, went
home and brought up the average i'm
mcdiatcly.
Capt. Dunovant's reign was
short onc-only about {; week Ee
was ruccecocd by an inte,regnun,
during which the realms of power
We're Ill the hands of a home organiza-
ton, with Mr.. G. ]. Patterson, dis
Greet and equitable gentleman, at its
head. During the two weeks that we
had matters i'll our own hands, quiet
and order reigncd. The streets were
not filled with vaeabond freedmen,
and things began t. wearu most Salts
factory aspect,
I'm the midst of this quiet, another
garrison came. down upon us, COM
manded by Capt. Bennett, OF All In
diana regiment. Capt. Bennett and
Capt. Mayes, Provost Marshal, with
the men under their command, con-
ductcd themselves in the most gen.
tlemanly manner. and, I am glad to
say, give universal satisfaction. While
they protected the rights of the color
cd people, they forbid them from
loating about III idlcness, required
them to remain on the plantations,
and, when necessary. enforced disci-
pllne, to require them to labor.
"Chcster is beginning to assume its
old appearance. The doors on the
public square that have been closed
so long are opening up. All depart
ments of business are being revived.
Cotton is coming in quite freely, apd
III consequence thereof gold is quite
plenty. Gold or silver is the circu-
iatlnS medium. People are instinct
lvely afraid of greenbacks. They
quote, IN justification thereof, the old
saw, that; "a burnt child dreads3 the
tire. Most of them got burned with
Confcd., and now they are indisposed
to handle anything but the metallic
currency.
:s"Corn crops bid fair to b, more
abundant than they have been for
many years. A blessed thing for the
hundreds of freedmen who will ineyi-
tably be homeless and wandering
next year If our Legislature, when
1t meets, can succeed in making wise
laws'for the government of this class