Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1871-11-29
Desolation in South Carolina.

which that unhappy Commonwealth
is the victim spring from the unchas.
tened love of arbitrary power which
fills the breast of Grant aud his un.
scrupulous advisers. The plague of
fire which has desolated the far west
is scarcely more terrible than the af.
flietions Of that State. From all the
accounts that reach the north, the Of.
fects of Grants imperial Sukase In
several peaceful districts of South
Carolina have equalled the most san
guinc expectations of its authors. At
torney General Alderman has perform
cd the task allotted him with an On.
ergy and military skill that do justice
to his training, As judge advocate
on the staff of General Toombs, while
holding courts martial, be learned the
terrible effect of the system which he
is executing. A panic fear has been
created 10 South Carolina over which
radicalism may well exult. Whole
districts have become depopulated.
Thousands have fed in dread of the
consequences Of the tales Of perjured
spies, and Of night attack and arrest
by the soldiery. In many cases poor
persons who have been falsely accused
have been compelled to fly and leave
their families at the mercy of their
prosecutors. The county jails are
choked with innocent victims who
are subject to every species Of NAL
treatment in order TO extort from
them confessions of crimes Of which
they have no knowledge The woods
and swamps are filled with fugitives,
many of whom are driven by despair
to tho commission of Oflcnses far
worse than those charged against
them. All trade is suspended and
labor in tho fields has ceased, while
John Scott's spies and informers, un.
der the protection Of the military, are
enjoying carnival oflicense and crime.
Such disorder and dissolution of social
ties did not exist in the midst of the
war when that district was scourged
by an invading army.
The search for that great Ku.Klux
Conspiracy which formed the pretext
for this invasion has led to some re-
suits which the radical leaders did
not anticipate. The most OF those
who have been arrested are poor and
simple minded oountrymen from the
mountainous and less fertile regions
of the State. Many oftbem are hardly
mountaineers who have had dis
putes with revenue officers for sczing
their little stills in the hollows and
businesses of the Blue Ridge, or have
punished the negroes and mean whites
who have tracked them to their
haunts and have given them the in.
formation that has led TO their deteo-
,ion and capture. Out of such ma.
terials arc not created tue pvlieical
conspiracies which haunt the diseased
imagination of Senator Scott and his
negro witnesses. They are not the
MAzzINIs, KINKELs, ORsIHIs and CARL
BALDIs who revolulionize political so.
ciety, aud make dcspotsm tremble,
In tho midst of the terrorism that
has been created by tho reelection
war somo grimly ludicrons features
are not wanting. One of the loyal
informors in Camden, South Carolina,
is assessor Of internal revenues, who
also combines with his public duties
the care of beer shop. The assessor
recently fell into quarrel with a
customer about glass Of beer, and
received u few blows from a light
walking stick. The KuKlux who
perpelrated this outrage against the
sacred person OF minister ofthe fed
cral laws, was arrested along with an
innocent bystander, and sent TO Col
umbia, charged with a conspiracy
against the government, and held TO
bail in two thousand dollars. 1t was
ut once telegraphed to the north that
another Ku.K lux had been discovered.
In Sumter county a'whto republican
who received severe but observed fog
ring is entered in John SCOTS list as
another martyr to the sacred cause OF
the Union. But il turned out on in
vestigation that the pious martyr bad
been detected in stealing cotton from
an industrious negro, and that the
punishment had been inflicted by citi.
zens without distinction OF color or
party. Another terrible ku klux case
is that of two women who bad quar-.
relied about some article of female APP
nareI and had engaged in duel with
broomsticks. Tho woman who was
armed with the shorter broomstlck
came OF second best, and prosecuted
her antagonist. On the trial fifteen
witnesses sworc that she was not
worthy of belief on oath But hap.
peniny TO be blessed with n darlSor
skin than her rival, she made com.
plaint before federal commissioners,
who ordered tho arrest OF the fifteen
witnesses on the ground that they
hnd sought to deprive her OF her
rights under the civil rights law, aud
that they had interfcred with the au
thority Of the United States. John
Scotts Ku klux report will be found
full of such trivial instances of ku
kluxism, which he has treated with
ludicrous gravity, and has turned to
deadly purpose. truf n.tlt.
Instances of the terrible and tragic,
are not wanting In Newberry coun.
ty, one of the districts under marital
law, coorod preacher was reported
to have been ku.kluxed. IL appeared,
however that three colored members
of his congregation had murdered and
mutilatcd him on suspicion OF living
on too intimate relations with some Of
the ewes of the black flock. some
what milder was the fate OF another
negro evangelist named Thomson,
who gave oilonse to his congregation
becauso he did not mingle enough
Voudooism and witchcrait with tho
teachings of tho Word, He was sim
ply drowned In the same county u
man was murdered by his brotherin
law and this crime was put down TO
the account of tho Ku.Klux until tho
was arrested for other
offences, and made full confession. In
Fairfield county a colored women was
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