The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-02-01

fall into the ranks or starve, and that he
never knew what work was before.
From the Charleston Courier.
The Reported Difficulty at Kings
~, tree.
MEssRs. EDIToRs: In your Issue Of yes
terday you make a brief editorial refer
enco to an alleged difficulty with a freed
man at Kingstree, S. G., and say that you
received your information from an ex-
change. That exchange has received err
roneous information, and he has therefore
deceived you and your readers As the
report in the present shape is calculated
to do injustice to the citizens of Kingstree,
and to the gentlemen who were connected
with the affair which have no doubt gave
origin to the report in it's present shape,
as citizen of Kingstrec, and as one in.
timately acquainted with the facts Of the
case, propose to give you.a succinct and
truthful account of the difficulty, that
Justice may be done:aH concerned.
On the evening Of the 2lst November
last, Mrs Sarah Hanna, a widow lady,
and residing about fifteen miles North
east from Kingstreo, intending to spend
that night with her mother, also widow,
a few miles distant, left her keys and the
entire charge Of her plantation in the
hands of Dick Singletary and Levinia
Hanna, both freed laborers residing on
the place. In the course of the night,
these two negroes, combining and confede-
rating with many others, both of this
plantation and others adjacent, entered
Mrs. Hanna's dwelling and proceeded to
have regular frolic. A large supper was
furnished out of Mrs. Hanna's provisions,
and one or two hogs killed for tho pur-
pose. Whiskey was also sent after to
Graham's Cross Roads, a distance of some
six miles, eFo or three timos during the
night, and Dick Singletary was the party
sent, riding the mule, the property of
Mrs. Hanna. After being fully glutted
on the good things of Mrs. H's storehouse,
and after imbibing no doubt to their
hearts content of the whiskcy obtained,
they next proceeded to divide out among
themselves every article of furniture,
crockery, &C., in the house, except one bed
and few old chairs, In this bed several
took lodging for the remainder of the
night Attending the trolic, thore were
also two or more white men.
Mrs. Hanna returned the next morning,
and found her house in the condition of a
hog pcn-dirt and filth of almost every
kind over the floor, and upon the cloth
ing of the remaining bed. Riot, pillage
and plumber seemed to have rcigDed su-
preme, and the house was gutted of its
contents. Mrs. Hanna now sent for her
brother, Mr. Trisvan Eaddy, and other
neighbors, who arrived in the course of
the day. Search was made at once among
the negro quarters, and most of the miss
ing articles found in their possession, but
in such damaged condition as to be al
most worthless. Search was continued
at the ncighboring plantations till the
evening of the 24th, when, despairing of
finding the articles still missing, Dick Sin
gletary, Levinia Hanna and Norris Gas
kins (also frecdman,) were arrested and
taken to the plantation of Mrs. Eaddy
(NIrs. IFS mothor0 and kept under guard
till next morning. Two white men had
also been arrested as implicated, and were
similarly guarded. Some eighteen or
twenty gentlemen were present, com
prising some of the most intelligent and
respectable people of the neighborhood,
and they now took counsel together as to
how to dispose of their prisoners. 1t was
unanimously agreed that the white men
should be taken to Kingstree Jail, and
that tile negroes should be mercifully
punished at once. Accordingly they ywere
lightly punished with a stirrup leather
strap, but no gagging was inflicted, nor
was any blood drawn or any skin broken.
Not long afterwards some or all of these
freedmen reported the matter to some of
tho military authorities in Charleston,
when orders were sent to the command
ing officer of the post here to have the
parties implicated arrested preparatory to
a trial.
They were accordingly arrested about
tho last Of December or first of the pres
cnt month, but no Court being ready for