The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-23

plOyment tor hire; but ii any, some small jobs
want begins to pinch them. Their women
| often appeal to the sympathies of their more
prosperous aneighbors for charity, under the
| form OF advance payment for work to be per-
| formed at future time. Their morals, as
! might be supposed, are bad, being generally
dishonest, an6 addicted to intemperance and
it's kindred vices. Grimes are seldom commit
| ted by them beyond the grade of misdemean-
ors. the intelligence of this class is low, few
among them being able to read or write. In
point of numbess there are perhaps twenty fam
ites or more Of this class inhabiting the fat
lands, south OF Bennettsvlle 1t is not pre-
tended that this description answers alike to
all OF them; some are rather more Industrious,
When they seek employment from their neigh
| bors OF the better class, they are often unsuc-
| tessful, because association with them, even
temporarily. is repulsive; but whenever they
| exhibit virtuous traits of character and indus
trious habits, they find good places without
! difficulty"
Correspondent No. 9 writes; "You ask me
to give you some description of our Flat
woods and 'SandhilP people. The former are
very ignorant and degraded. Indeed, they
seem to have no higher ambition than barely
and donly work whea all their ingenuity in loaf.
ing and scheming has been expended. They
will then make contract to perform 80 ne SER
vice, which they have no intention to comply
with, if they can possibly avoid it. If they
can secure any temporary supplies under such
contract, before the work is done, they will
work no clore at that place, but rely upon play
at ye IN
for such locations. Their houses are of the
rudest, coarsest kind, and their interior exhib-
it's all the poverty aud wretchedness which
such habits must necessarily produce. They
are always on hand in times Of elections, and
make a good deal out of the candidates. They
show no ambition to educate their children, or
to make them Industrious, and seem to care
very little about going to church. They form
q community pretty much to themselves.
Their women spend q great deal OF their time
IN N stroling idly about the country, But with
steal, and they have q certain pride about
them which causes them to think that they
are just about as good as anybody else. They
make max no effort .,atimprovement, and will prob
badly remain just as they are. They are not,
however, very numerous.
The Sdndhibers occupy q considerable area
IN the upper part Of Marlboro, and are really
good citizens in on humble way. The lands
are poor, but they cultivate them, and manage
to live by their industry. Some of them are
very energetic and are trying to rise in the
world. The schoolmaster ls amongst them,
and most of them can read and write, and thev
have the advantage OF some intercourse with
the higher classes of society, to be found on
the better lands IN their neighborhood. They
are generally honest and we'll disposed people,
fond OF going to church, and anxious to be
thought well of by the people generally. Many
OF them are very poor, with but very preca- /
rlous means OF subsistence. but they manage
Of them, however, live we'll and pay their
debts; and many Of them, though not well
educated. have acquired considerable informa-
ton, and upon the whole, they are good
population. Very few Of them emgrate, or |
seem to look elsewere for better opportunities
of advancement. They are OF many shades Of |
complexion.
'Both classes together (Flatwoods and
sandhillers), form perhaps one-fourth of the
white population of Marlboro
hope none of my readers at distance will |
come to the conclusion from the above ex-
tracts that Marlboro enjoys monopoly Of
this sort Of population. This would be very
unjust to Marlboro, and at the same time not
in accordance with fact The ''poor white" is
though forming on the whole but very incon-
siderable numerical constituent OF the popula-
ton: do not agree with my second cores
pondent in his opinion that they will always
No class can escape the march OF Improvement,
which believe has now fairly set in; and how
ever taldy and unwilling, the:e dronos must
and will take their place in the great social
workshop, or be exterminated. There will OF
course be always poor people, and indolent
people, and vicious people; but the days of the
traditional '.poor white," feel satisfied, are
of the outgrowths Of our late social system,
which, now that the cause is removed, must
soon disappear:
Of 1860, made 13. 896 bales OF cotton. Her pro-
duction now is not over 8000--of which nnm
ber about 1000 or 5000 bales are sold in Be
nettsvlle. Before the war as many as 5000 bales
were sometimes purchased in that village The
number Of acres OF land under cultivation in
1860 was 101 900, and of funlmproved land 2O1 900
acres. The cash value of farms at that time is
put down at S4,0oo,0Oo. Value OF farming i'm
OF horses, according to the same authority,
was 1855; Of mules 1884; of nailch COWS 2534; of
working oxen 1924, with 3214 other cattle; sheep
As75' aud SWINE 20 9s7 ooa The value Of the live
wheat raised in 1860 was II 800 bushels; S049
bushels OF rye; 315, 222 Of corn; $4,000 Of oats;
2l,O0O pounds Of rice, and $4,000 bushels of
sweet potatoes. The population in 1860 was
- ,434, of whom 6S9S we're slaves.
Lands have much improved in value during
the past twelve months, but on tho whole cam
1y nos yet ct be considered ae bringing, even the
however, looking up; and from oil I see and
hear, venture the remark, that Marlboro
appears. to be getting out of her difficulties
State. The people are working with hearty
good will. all anxious to raise o large crop Of
cotton, and sell it at q good price. Not that
they are mercenary; they are only deslrons Of
establishing themselves once mere on O good
and firm specie basis.
Bennettsvllle, before the war, was @ good
place for business, and sold large quantity
Of o. goods. It had then two bank agencies
the Merchants Bank OF Cheraw. The busi-
ness Of the village is now more divided. There
are more stores through the country, though
Bennettsville still has Ane trade. The lead
ing merchants at present are: VIM. Murchi-
son, T. L. Breeden q Co., Rowe Brothers, and
Judge Rutland held court here a few weeks
age, and from all hear gave satisfaction to
all concerned, except the criminals. Whe can
tell? Maybe reconstructed Judge is the
best man to oxpound o reconstructed constitu-
tlOn, and admin ster reconstructed laws.
Marlboro hitherto has had no railroad, but
this reproach is now to be taken fiom her.
The Chatham Railroad, from Cheraw to
Raleigh, is to run about ten miles through
greatly enhance the value Of the lands In that
section. Unfortunately, however, it is through
the poorest part Of the county that this rail-
Of occasionally here, as they ara everywhere
nowadays, but aee no near prospect or
probability OF their realization.