The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-08-22
AFFAIRS IN BEAUFORT.
COURT WEEK - TWO AGGRIHATED
MURDER CASES.
How the Old Town Looks-Causes Of it's
DiIapidatien-TheS SRxton House-Port
Royal! Railroad-Phosphates and
Crops.
[FRoM OUR own CORRESPONDENCE

Court week Is always busy time In Beau.
tort; but that which has just gone was marked
by more than usual interest-the occasion
being special term of the General Sessions.
Judge Thomas Ia son of your city treasurer)
presided, and under his prompt adminlstra.
tton the docket was speedily cleared, and the
Jail delivered of its multitude of prisoners.
All of the latter were colored, and it is O
singular and Significant fact that they
were found guilty in almost every in.
stance by purely colored juries, but one
or two of whom could read or write. Their
verdicts gave general satisfaction because they
were just, In the main, and the community
breathe more freely at the prospect of being
| rid OF several hrstclass scoundres. Two
aggravated cases OF murder were tried. The
| first was that Of Andrew Rhett, who without
provocation beat an old man to death with q
cudge, aud since that time has been unques-
| tlonably insane. lt wes shown that two or
three days before the murder his lunacy de.
veloped itself in various ways, and he was on
the eve OF being confined by his friends when
to one of the nelghborlng Islands where the
| deed was committed. He was found guilty
| and will be sent to the Insane Asylum aJ Co.
| lumbia.
The other case was that OF Simpson, a lad OF
eighteen, who, after being badly beaten, chop
| ped big hole In the head of his antagonist
with an axe, from the effect of which he died.
The boy was sentenced to be hung on the first
| Friday In October, but, In view of several
| mitigating circumstances, 1t is probable that
the Governor will commute the sentence and
order him 10 the penitentiary for life. A gang
| Of burglars on st. Helena Island, who for seve-
| raj months have been plunderlng the stores Of
/ nno m m hQt OH
summarily disposed OF for term of years with.
In the stone walls at Columbia The only white
| person tried was pilot, charged with vlolar-
Ing the quarantine at St. Helena Sound, by
leaving vessel contrary to the orders OF
the port physician. The jury found
him guilty of a. mlsdemeanor, but
| the question was ingenlously raised by Mr.. w.
J. Whlpper, his counsel, that no authority ex.
listed In law for the establishment of quaran-
tine at that point or any other save Charleston,
Georgetown and Hilton Head. He therefore
appealed. and the question, which Is novel
one, will be decided by the Supreme Court.
| Colonel VIM. Elliott, who, at The request OF
| the Judge, represented the State, admirably
reviewed the statutes on the subject, and
showed that, while there may be no direct
authority Tor the establishment of quarau-
| tine at other than the points named, the whole
spirit OF the legislation on the subject demon
sLrated conclustvely that the Governor could;
by proclamation, or 5y order to a port physi-
/ clan, extend quarantine regulations to any
| point on the coast.
Beaufort has undergone much change, but
| little Improvement. The veXed question Of
tax titles still being undetermined, the origi-
nal owners OF property are simply ''ryiug
their souls In patience" while. those who oc-
cupy premises feel their hold upon them to be
TOO insecure to warrant the expenditure Of
mnch money In repairs. Scores OF houses
which once were happy abodes are now mere
skeletons tumbllng into ruins, or else are
filed with squalid squatters whose diet vibrates
between fish and watermelons.
The Northern residents are thrifty, and ap-
parently we'll to do. The entire trade OF the
Town, with few exceptions, is in their hands,
and their dusky customers flock hither, from
many miles around, to find market for gar
den truck, and purchase the cheap fnery Of
the stores. The 'Sa1ton House here Is one Of
the best In the State. 1t Is large airy man.
sion, lbest known to the old citizens as the
| Hayward House,) and under the admirable
management of Mr. N. M. Kingman. the pro-
prietor, 1t is q decided success. Facing the
/ sea, Its broad double piazzas command view
OF the adjacent islands and the approaches to
the town.. The table Is all that can be- desired,
and 1t Is In truth as pleasant acaravansary as
! attracts the summer sojourner anywhere.
The customhouse here finds ample employ
ment In looking after the interests Of U. 3.
involved In the shipping of phosphates from
Bull River and neighborh0od. On almost any
trip OF the Pilot Boy-a charming way to reach
/ Beaufort when Captain McNelty is on board
you may count from five to q dozen ships load
Ing with the crude rock, all bound for Great
Britain. When the tide is low you may also
see half thousand Ethiopians, waist deep In
water, digging the phosphates and hlling flats.
1t Is said tnat the business is not as profitable
1 as formerly on account OF the competition.
The famous Port Royal Railroad now bids
fair TO be completed an early day. The
iron tor the track is en- ,oute, and ten miles
will finish the road from Beaufort to Yemas-
see, on the Savannah and Charleston Railroad.
| The bridges are ready for the rails, and the
largest part of the route Ia graded. The new
company have sl,500, 900 with WHICH 10 oper.
ate, and what Is equally important, the deter
| minaton 10 compete the undertaking In the
shortest time possible.
The immense wharves erected at Battery
Point, the terminus Of the road show that a
large amount Of shipping is expected, and il
may prove true that the next quarter OF q cen.
tursg will add another TO our list of Carolina
towns.
The crop Of the county does not promise
favorable results. 1t Is impracticable to SO
into details, because SO many hundreds of the
colored people have planted cotton In patches
the aggregate oil which would swell the usua
supply largely, If the weather were favorable
Corn has been abundantly planted, and with
rice, constitutes, so tar, the only friends ir
need' that one can really swear by. DAISY.
|
| THE ROGUES FALLING OFT.