Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-07-30
BEAUFORT, N. C.
A Renowned swlndler.

A correspondent of the New York
Times, writing from Beaufort, N. c., af'
ter saying that that place is completely
in the hands of the Yankees, thus pays
his respects to a renowned swindler OF
negroes:
The colored people, who are really the
only ones who do any hard work here
abouts, do great credit to themselves and
the community in which they move, by
their uniform good behavior and indus
try 1t really grieves me to see how
these poor fellows are swindled and dealt
with generally But it seems to do no
good to show up these operations, for
there is party at the North pretending
to be governed by good motives, who en-
deavor to conceal all facts connected
with these outrages. | tell the readers
of the Times that Gen. Steedman and
Fullerton have not told half. These
colored people have been swindled be-
yond all consideration; and if the
Freedmen's Bureau bill now before the
House becomes law, God help the col
ored men of the South, say l.
The most distinguished and most sue
cessful of all of these negro robbers is a
former chaplain, known as Father
French, who has in the past four years
accumulated quarter of million dol
lars in cash and real estate. Even the
Northern people here, to man, pro-
nounce Father French the Tycoon of all
the robbers. He had Gen. Saxon com
pletely under his control, and got him
into bad repute. He was ordered away
from the auction sales by the Direct Tax
Commissioners, but managed to buy all
the property he bid on, which was con-
siderable. Gen. Saxon is frightful fa-
natic, and while a Commissioner of
Freedmen did a world of harm. But
the accounts of Gen. Saxon swinding
the negroes are strictly untrue, as are
also the reports of his being mixed in
the direct tax sales greatly exaggerated.
The only case iu the latter charge that
can be substantiated is the fact that
through his influence he became pos
sessed of the most palstial mansion in
Beaufort for mere song. | have met
several of the warmest friends of Gen.
Saxon here, who scout the idea of his
ever personally being connected with
any negro-swindling operations, who say
that his purchase Of the house above
alluded to was fraud If it had been
bid in fairly, ami the Commissions in
form me this, it would have brought ten
thousand dollars AS it was, Gen. Saxon
got it for two thousand, as there was no
competition the entire community
agreeing that he should have the prop
erty
Father French's operations extend
from here to Charleston, both in the pur-
chase of real estate and in running plan
tations. His modus operdndi in the
purchase of land was as..follows: Thou
sands of acres of fine lands were laid off
and called soldier tracts to be sold to
soldiers at certain low prices Father
French would buy in these lots, ostensi
bly, for the soldiers, the latter being pres
ent at the sales; but almost all the
certificates ultimately found their way
into Father French's pockets. But his
negro swindling operations beat every
thing He is the biggest planter South
Carolina ever had He is running thous-
ands Of negroes, and running them in
debt and into their graves. They are all
in debt to him on account of his lofty
charges for meal and Attleborough jew
elry. For certain reasons, | will not
give this bad man at this time the full
extent Of my knowledge of his opera
tions in South Carolina. He has been
sent for from Washington; but it is the
common expression here that he will
pull the wool over the eyes of the au-
thorities there