The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-10-27
A Bashful Witness.

The New York Times prints, with edito'
rial comment some extracts from private
letter, which give fanciful picture OF the
perils and privations that any person must
face who comes to South Carolina, and
''attempts to live there in open, yet unobtru'
"sve loyalty to the Constitution and Gov
"ernnent OF the United States" The Times
says:
We are absolutely interdicted from giving
the slightest hint as to the identity OF the wrl-
ter Of this letter. for he Is still at the Soulh, ID
the midst OF the Ku-Klux, and he was recently
| Ia South Carolina, at place at Whlch MS leu
ter is dated. More than this, he is not q
Northern man, much less I" et-bagger,
but Southern gentleman, Of an old and hon.
ored family "a family respected through
many descents, and honored in its present
| representatives, who are men OF recognized
ability and character. Having had their eyes
opened, and their minds enlarged by education
and travel. and having also ordinary prudence
| and good faith, they have perceived and laid
to heart the truth that 1t s better that the late
| s'onpleasantness between the sections" should
| be regarded as settled, and that the war for
| slavery and secession came to an end some
years ago; and that, consequently. the way 10
prosperity and happiness for the people OF The
late slave States lies through submission TO
the Government of the Union, and genuine
and hearty obedience to the constitution and
the laws. This belief they have not hesitated
| to avow and sustain in firm but moderate
way and the result is simply that their hres
are In hourly peril, and that their families,
daily inSult The writer of this letter informs
| his friend that the published accounts OF Ku-
| Klux doings, 80 far from being exaggerated,
| fall short OF the truth. ~ am wriling," he
| says, IRON q town which has but recently
had visitation from the Ku.Klux, more than
| hundred strong, at dead OF night. l am
hated here In my native State beyond measure,
| and have lately received, even from men who
were once personally my life long friends,
| nothing but scowls and fll-concealed detesta-
| tiou. have been amazed to learn that IN this
| band of desperadoes and assassins rode the
Oldest citizens of this county. What terrible
condition of affairs Sitting here tonight,
and feeling myself to be not the imposslole
subject before morning OF massacre, WHICH
might Include In Dy case, as II mas aohG :. ~
others, even my innocent babes, th1nh m ~, ~
shame that tho strong manu- VI tiie reueia
government Is not here to protect me and
them-shame, O burning shame
| could convince you that my family share my
anxiety by inclosing the latest letter have
| received from A. B., (naming highly respect.
| ell clergyman in one Of the principal cittes o.
the South who Is himself the mark OF u1lSpedE.
| able insult, begging me to be cautious IN all
my utterances; not that might suffer a6ridg-
ment OF my business prospects by imprudence
but that might lose lite itselt.n The writer
| then goes on 10 mention the dSsdSSlndtton o. q
man Ofmark and of gro,oing political anJnlt-
ence, ''Who was killed In open day, In The
presence OF crowd of people on the platform
of rotlr of
was born. His murderers disdained even the
| disguise of masks, and yet not one OF them
has even been arrested. / am sick OF this,
he adds, "wearied of perpetual insult exhaust
ed by perpetual apprehension: Don't lhink
am alone in this apprehension. Even the
Governor of South Carolina, has; TO my Owl own
positive knowledge, been compelled 10 keep
armed men in his house at night for months
together. am we'll acquainted with him and
know the fact"
The writer of letter which is maliciously
untrue in every particular, may we'll desire to
preserve his incognito F; but The Times, in
printing what he has written, has innocently
advertised his Identity as Enthusiastically as
IL it had given his name 1t needs no espe-
cial shrewdness to divine that the letter TO
which our contemporary pins its faith was
written in Orangeburg, and that the ''highly
respected clergyman" has his home in
Charleston. For while white men, who are
avowed Republicans, are numerous enough
throughout our State, we are happy to say
that South Carolina has not two men within
her borders who combine the devilish malice,
the reckless falsehood and the brazen impu-
dence OF the author OF this letter. But the
Times may quiet its apprehen ensions in bis
behalf Renegade and slanderer OF our peo-
pie though he be- he is, and always has been,
as safe in Orangeburg, or anywhere else in
South Carolina, as the editor OF The New
York Times himself, in his own cozy office.
The assertion that any white man in SYM
pathy with the Republican party in South
Carolina is, for that reason in hourly
peril" is, as the Times informant knows
perfectly we'll, barefaced untruth. Judge
Orr, Judge Graham, Judge Moses, Scott,
Neagle, Parker, Crews, the Mackeys, and
scores OF other officials, or hangers-on OF the
State Government all out-spoken Republi-
Il
cans, and in various degrees OF popularity
or odium among the mass OF our white peo-
pie - are living and conspicuous exam
pies OF the falsty OF the charge. We admit
that negroes have been whipped and in
some cases killed, and we condemn the law
lessness OF which they were the victims as
heartily and sincerely as the Times can do.
But even these cases are few in number.
We know OF but one instance in which q
white Radical has suffered an injury at the
hands OF the so-called Ku-Klux. The man
''of mark and OF growing political influence, !"
over whose murder, in broad daylight, the
letter-writer weeps inky tears, was B. F.
Randolph colored member OF the Legisla-
ture, who was killed on the 10th of October,
1s6s-ttree gears ago, and long before the
Tines letter-writer had been led, by the con-
vincing argument of taste of the official
loayes and fishes, to discern the beauties of