The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-03-12
From the Baltimore Gdzette.]
SUFFERING IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

| SUFFERING IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
We print elsewhere letter addressed to GEoRd
NJ. GILL; ESQ.,, of this city, from Mayesville, sout
Carolina. It is from the pen Of DR.. J. LEIGHTON
WILSON, ard depicts in simple and unaffected Ian
guage the destitution of which he has been an ey
witness. Extracts from another letter, written b
minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, ar
also given. The statement of the Rev. WnL1Al
MARTIN is even more touching than that OF Dr
LEIGHTON, and of the truthfulness Of both ther
cannot be shadow of doubt. This cry which no'
reaches us from South Carolina, has been represa
ed until the desttution has become 81
great that relief must be had from SOM
quarter or many more deaths will, in all proba
bility, be added to the two which the writer re
cords as Of his own knowledge occurring 'tron
actual want" In this most pressing exigonc.
these starving people seem to look once more tt
Maryland for that assistance they cannot get o
home and have no hope Of receiving elsewhere
Our citizens have already been overtaxed by re
spending to the many appeals which have beer
made to them from different parts Of the South
but with that confidence in their profound sympa
thy and practical benevolence which their pas
record of good deeds inspires, it has been though
on this occasion appeal to the Legislature nigh
not be in vain. To this end petitions have beer
drawn up asking for assistance. Copies of the
petition will be circulated among our citizens OF
Monday, and sure from the nature ut the case
and especially from its urgency, will be promptly
and numerously signed. A copy will alss oe found
III oe 41a fnra rpi1
he received.
|, The Suffering at the south-An Appeal.
MAYEsv1L1E, 8. c., March a., 1867
George A. Gu, Esq, Baltimore, ND.
My Dear Sri h We just got back in safety te
my home and fa1ni;', and do not allow myself the
ordinary and necessary repose after long Journey
before writing to you In behalf OF my afflicted ano
distressed countrymen.
In one of our recent interviews in Baltimore, you
suggested that the City Council and the Legisla-
t,1re OF MARYLAND might each make an approprla-
ton for the relief Of the suffering people OF the
Southern States. st that time I could not SPEAK
confidently Of the actual or prospective suferlngs
of the country, but since making tour Of two
hundred miles through the heart Of this State
with eyes and ears open, 1 have come to the con.
clusion that the distress Of the people is unprece
IDENTIFY great and must become even more 80 IL
our friends in other parts of the country do not
only destitute and without credit by which to get
the means OF subsistence, but will be without the
means of cultiyating their farms, and Of conse'
uuence must be even worse off the next year.
: This distress is not confined to any one section
of the State, but prevails to less or greater ex-
tent in every portion OF it.
goodly number have raised cotton enough to
purchase food, but the greater mass OF the people
have neither cotton, money, nor credit to BUY the
food necessary to prevent their families from actu-
al starvation.
In Abbevil1e and several Of the adjoining dis
tricts learn from good authority, the distress is
very great, and becomes every day more 80. In
Columbia, as learned from DR.. Adger, one gen
tleman was serving out corn meal by the peck to
more than four hundred families. From Judge
Mdrich, with whom travelled some distance yes
terday and who has been travelling extensively IN
the State, learned that the di: tress was quite as
great in the southwestern part OF the State as any
where else, and indeed he expressed the serious
apprehension that we were approaching general
famine, such as had never been known In this
country. -.
Our merchants, in the present political gloom
oyerhanging the country, are without credlt
abroad, and of consequence are unable to do any
thing. for tho relief Of the people,. The $500 GOO
tobupply corn, to which reference was made IN
our last interview proved entire failure, owing
to the fact, I believe, that our State bonds are
worth worry little in the present state OF the coun-
do not suppose that matters are any better in
the State Of Georgia. Perhaps the general dest-
tuition is greater in these two States than IN any
other.
The wants of the country can be better met by
the shipment Of corn and meat than IN any otner
way. these might be sent to depots along the
railroads and be placed under the care Of judcious
committees, who could either sell them at moder-
ate prices or distribute them gratuitous!y among
the poor as might seem necessary; 1t will require,
as learned from number OF ]udlclous ana 90.
servant men, several hundred thousand bushels OF
corn to relieve the distress Of the State alone; but
whatever may be given will 60 just 30 far to re-
ieve existing distress.
In concluding this hastily written letter, would
simply add that whatever may be done should De
done as speedily as possible
Our Christian people are greatly comforted and
cheored by what is being done in Baltimore Tor the
relief OF our afflicted church.
Yours, with Christian and fraternal regards,
J. LEIGHTON WILSON.
Extracts from a letter dated Columbia, &. c.,
March l. 1867, written at the request Of the Rev.
William Martini Methodist minister at COLUMBIA,
by one Of his children, and addressed to Dr.: j.:
Leighton Wilson, who sont it to George M dlil, OF
Baltimore, Dr. Wilson fully endorses the etandlng
and character Of the Rev. William Martin
"Early in the winter contributions for the poor
bof South Carolina were sent by Gov. Orr, who re-:
duested nv father to undertake the distribution OF
chem, and in order to do this impartally, request
ed him to ascertain as far as POSSIBLE the condl-
ton of the poor throughout the State Acting on
this request, my father has Tor months pas. oeea 81
corresponding with responsible men In oil parts OF
the State and has learned the following painful
facts:
stThat at least one hundred and fifty thousand
bushels OF corn must De brought into the State
South Carolina for gratuitous distribution to pre-
vent actual famine, that there are now IN many
places numbers of persons who are suffering TOR
bread, who must perish unless help come speedly,
md that the suffering ls by no means conEned 10
that class of persons Who Will beg, but that inc
greatest suffering ls among those VINO are suner-
fng from tho reverse Of fortune brought about by
the war, to whom begging would be worse than
;.Within sound Of Columbia know of two deaths
from actual want, and from the intelligence my
father has received, we have every reason to fear
that these are not isolated cases.
Son my fathers pension list are the names OF
nearly four hundred persons, representing nearly
fifteen hundred persons, nearly all OF whom
are widows and orphans or disabled SOLDIERS.
These persous are almost entirely dependent on
the help he (my father) receives from abroad, for
subsistence. Rchland, as you know, is by nc
means our largest or most destitute district, and
when tell you that this district includes Richland
alone, you may judge for yourself the state OF the
case
'sI have seen, sir, on many OF the bitterest days
of our severe winter just past, feeble women war
W1Gll SCAEFIUlOu Wulh lSI. lIecu uuu
scantily covered with rags, with their babies IL
their arms, to receive half bushel Ct corn, which
they arc thankful to be able to carry home to thcil
starving children.
'sAllow me to give you an extract from mote
Just sent to my father from one Of the Commits
sioners Of the Poor: Among our most needy art
Mr. Young eyed s2 Mrs: Cornelius soaer aSne
idiotic, and also her mother, aged 80; Mrs. "
Marsh, soldiers widow, FIVE children; Mrs. Cook
widow, having care Of her sons children, he being
killed in the army And so the sorrowful List goe
on"
Washington Correspondence Of the Baltimore Gazete]
WANT AND DEsTrTuT1oN IN THE SOUTHERN STATES
REPORT GF MAJoR-GENERAL HOWARD.
WASHINGTON, March 8-secretary Stanton sen
to the Senate today report from General Howard
Commissioner OF the Frcedmen's Bureau, relative
to the destitution now prevailing in the Southern
States. General Howard says that from ot1cla
sources, which arc confirmed BY gentlemen en- IRON o
there arc 32,G62 whites, and 24,25s blacks-tota
$1,000 people, who will noed food from some sourct i G.
before the next crop can relieve them. In tivt
| monihs-the probable time requred-the numbe