The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-03
Tho History OF the Locomotive Business
:. What Crows had TO sny-A Letter
from tho Power Bchind tho Throne
How Scott Runs tho MaOhine. -
10 rnE IspIron OF THE NEWS.

! aE.
! 80 TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEWS l--
i beg the use Of your columns for tho pur.
pose OF. exposing certain improper acts perpe.
tratsd by somo OF that party who now hold
! position in this State-onco held only by men Of
honor and distinctlon-and also for tho puI.
| pose of correcting msropI oseDtaton5 made by
ono of thoir clan, who. singularly enough, as-
sumes tho h2h-sounding nom de plume oi
"yeritas," as if thcro cnuld possibly bo truth
among such sweut-soonted party.
/ The Laurons Railroad WAS chartered O num-
bar Of years ago. and conducted until the CLOSE
OF the late war by a president and board oi
directors. At that time, however, it was found
lmpraoticable to run tho road as formerly, and
It foil o prey o tho garrisons OF United States
troops, which, from time to tlme occupied
| Laurens Oonrtht use. But even these eoou
discontinue it's use, and tho road was virtually
| abandoned for tho spaoo OF several months.
| During that period 1t beoame to be considered
| public property. It's depots were Aburcd; it's
rolling stock subjected to tho most flgraut
and indecent violence; ite CROSS ties aud string
! era torn up, and freely used as frewood. In.
| deed a portion OF one of lis tressels was cut
Away, at the imminent peril Of the whole struo-
ture.t @, .ri.T-3 e i.ro. r
| In this emergency, I, as president OF the
road, with the board OF directors, concluded
IL to be advisable to lease the road to any re-
| sponsibIc individual who would run It and re-
turn it to us. at the expiration of q stated
period. in ruDnlng order. Tho offer was, There
fore, published in various Journals OF this and
| other States; but, on the day for the reception
Of proposals, no one mndo us an overture. Il
then, seeing the impossibility of the road be-
ing managed by it's regular directors. and be-
fnR uonyinoedao OF it's imp p,rtance 10 Laureps
Dlstriot, proposed to undertake the conduct If
| It myself. My proposition was unanimously
agreed to. accordingly obtained lease of
the road for the period OF fve years. Il pro-
| ceeied. ut great tfoublo and expeuso to MY
solf. TO caIry out the terms Of this lease, and
have continued up to this time to run q tri-
| weekly train cgularIy for the transportation
Of passengers and freiRht and O daily freight
train whenever it becams necesssars. 7 have
not proated myself; I have moi squandered the
small NAL resources Of tho road; have NOT taxed
| the patrons Of the road. I have restored the
toad-bed. formerly very, defective; haye ere-
paired .trestlesi lat one time positively dan
eerous;I have kept the depots In order; 1
have. added 10. tl,s en.e.,ys.ncllinr stock; J
have Afforded transportation e. passengers
and freight far rmore ioheaplyg than was done
during the Suspension of the road. j. The
charge Of "yeritas" is, therefore, as false and
| stupid as We should expect from Locomotive
Scott, Cylinder Crows, and that ilk.
But to the matter Immediately under discus-
sion. A. n, Brodie and John ". 8. Arnold OBJ.
tained. not long ago, judgments in the United
States Court against the Laurens Railroad.
Under these judgments loyy was made, and
the rolling stock OF the road sold at auction on
the first Monday IN April last. The great sales
man and ubiquitous Joseph Crews was there,
and did himself the pleasure ofbidding in that
property for the righteous Robert K. Scott as
Governor Of South Carolina, according to the
statement; Of the veraoions "Veritas," and on
his own responsibility, without word of dlrec-
tion from the said Robert T., either as an indi-
| vidual or as Governor. Why such sale and
purchase were made I am at q loss to dis
cover; for there existed mortgages from the
| road to the State OF South Carolina and the
Bank Of the State, executed in 1859. which
would far more than cover all the rolling stock
that ever sharp-eyed Joseph and righteous DR..
Scott could scent ont. :. 'fI,: $. - ~
wroto to his .E1oellency-the self-sacri.
fclng Governor-to know hywhnt authority his
agent interfored with my lease. To this he re-
Piled through his secretary, John Heart, as fol.
| lows:
STATE OF sourH CAno1iKA,; ,;;no )eei
| ~ - EXECUTIVE D6PARTAsHT,fs 20,
| - COLUMBIA, june 8, 1869. -
ass IT ,sa COY
your note Of the 9th instant; and to inforii
GU that the Laurens Railroad was bid in for
him, on his individual account, :hy Hr. j.
!Orewe, and that be is now acting. under bis
autherity: ;;Aia oblsst gas anu isto prevent 2
9as n Il h n asssas 9
4 was made OF It's AFFAIRS. Effg r't s"hnGi iyl
| aVefy respectfully. ln n.fi Clos zca.
!eiatFfl1 l1oHs IHEAaTa Private Secretary, d,
tits dificuig.to determine what iamost con-
spiouous in this dootment- good isense5 good
rhetoric or good grammar: But Whatever .it
be in these respects, 1t Is q fiat 66htfadicti6n
OF "Veritas," from which 1t appears that one
OF the two has been guilty Of gross falsehood.'
4 For 'tVeritas" says that the purchase was
made without Sootts knowledge, for the bone
ftof the State aud in. the name OF, the Gov.
ernor. Heart says Il vas made, In scotss in,
dividual name, and that sootts object ct The
timo was, &c., plainly showing that soott had
Intended the p1rohase.s Hssrt<says that Scott
purchased tho whole road; but IT. is reason
able to suppose that the .oid man had Just
returned from q dining party, and by reason
thereof forgotten that railroads are not thrown
In when one purchases s..lo3omotiye. tAs
to his RxcellencJ' 3 object there can .be no
doubt. Of course; all carpet -baggers are known
- be honest. patriotic men. who would cheer.
fully spend thetF last cent rather than see the
State sufer. - az -.
desire. lastly. 70 reply to chirse Prefer
red, partly IL not wholly, s6aidst me by ryef.
tas." 1t s'p,rsgeIds 9 theajaposa| q proper
shtsnsss 6 utterly false, asm % sssiSSibss ia u
ehds as:I can establish by all Tie ofacers df tue
ROAD, wso hare had pportanity to beeco ne az
anaintsssa 4 with thsse tht9ssss did ssob.ngs u,
on some ecosaio ops, v0rn-oat sss.ngs 81 IA, py
road vtth the dreenville and Golpmbls Rail.
road bat excbapgea :hem Tor new ones, which
at'once sppIied TO The iLAurens Road. The
cylinders mentioned by yg.HyefitasS ss fraudu.
lentiy' 'dtstosed, d,cf BY me and pu,chssed by the
patriotic Joe Gfe~s, were mot sold Inort pre-
4 LH .s-I, gxA,I =