The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-11-11
OK THE WING. November :. 1871.

were on the track OF the march OF the
Great Bummer." We were surprised to
find that the country from Columbia to
Winnsboro', which Sherman left bowling
waste, with not house Of any description
standing, has so rapidly recuperated, and
that so large part OF the marks Of the
spoiler have disappeared.
Columbia, too, has been rapidly rebuilt,
and Is still one of the prettiest cities on the
continent, although few Of the new resi-
dences arc equal TO. those which were de-
stroyed. The change in the state of things
here since we last visited the city, in the
memorable autumn of go, is certainly very
striking and very sad:
One sees on every side the evidence that
the sceptre has passed from the intel
ligent, high.toned sons of South Carolina,
who then held control, into the hands of lg-
norant negroes and unprincipled White
men.
Ask who lives in that elegant mansion.
or sports that splendid equipaee, and you
will be told that it is some smart mulatto
or some nameless adyenturer who has rid
den into office by the votes of the negro
mob and fattened by plundering the trea-
sury of taxes wruns from the oppressed
whites OF the State. '"r
We were given the names Of q number Of
these vermin, who came here after the war
ShIiiCly oAu hO llhNC DCCl 5o
successful in their unblushing robberies
that they are now worth hundreds Of thou
sauds. The white people Of South Care
lima bave to submit to the most eXorbitant
taxation, with the full assurance that the
money thus raised will not 20 towards au
honest administration of the laws, but into
the pockets of these vile leeches.
1t seems to be perfectly well understood
that well-nigh every official, from the Co.
vernon down, has has price, and that the
| Stste Government OF South Carolina is
thoroughly rotten and corrupt.
We've told that during the last ses.
sion of the Legislature certain promi-
Dent carpct.bagger wanted either the sig
nature OF the Governor or special bill put
through the Legislature. He WAS told by
l.partieS :" in the ring" that Governor Scott
| would sign for t,centyJ Jfre thousand dollars.
| he cooliv snapped his fingers and replied {:
lie is fool to put his figures so high ; /
| shall certainly not pay that price when 1
can buy the whole Legislature for ten
thousand"
Audtoen they have throughout the State
negro officers judges, Tor carpct-bagsers
aud scalawags, that are worse than the
nesroes,) negro juries, etc. and it is SIM
ply impossihla-to punish crime or secure
he administration of justice in the courts.
a negro may commit the vilest crime
upon white nun or woman-he may steal
dd i'bitum, commit rape or murder-and
| the Radical judge and negro jury will ac-
quit him and turn him loose on the commu.
nIty again. Or if they lind bin guilty the
punishment will be utterly inadequate to
the crime. We were told of case in which
Il negro terribly mutilated with an axe the
wife of young man and lett her for dead.
Instead of WrcakIng vengeance upon The
tiend, the husband simply had him arrested
and tried before the court Of the district.
The testimony was so clear and positive
that the negro jury was obliged to find
verdict of equity OF assault with intent to
klP'; but they fixed the punishment at
thirty days Imprisonment III the county
| Jail. Upon the announcement Of this YER
diet the black scoundrel laughed and said {:
81 hleve L cut q mother woman wid a axe.
Den | git the State to iced and take care Nv
me all de time" And then, to make mat
ters worse in the State, Scolt's negro mill
| tia, armed to the teeth, would strut about
and commit upon the whites ever species of
outrages.
The whites have felt compelled to pro-
| tect themselves in some way, and hence
they have in some Of the districts organized
riqildnce committees for the protection of
their families and the punishment of crimes
which the negro scalawag courts refused to
punish. These organizations are not potiti-
cal, as proven by the fact that MANY of the
more respectable Republicans belong to
them. They punish crime by, whomsoever
mmilted-whether white or black, Demo-
crat or Radical-and if the latter feel their
power more keenly it is because the witt
cism of Southall-" When q man takes the
iron clad oath he IS then prepared to take
anythinq he can lay his hands 0a"-
Is preeminently true in South Carolina.
The activity of these vigilance committees
has very materially interfered with the
stealing operations of the carpet-basgers
ana scalawags of the State, and hence the
cry of "kukluX outrages which they
have so industriously circulated-many OF
the stories having been, Of course, manu-
featured out of the whole cloth, and Others
being the grossest exsgeerations OF the
operations Of the vigilance committees re-
farred to above. But at the time Of the
proclamation Of " martial law" Tor, rather.
military dcspotism) unusual quiet reigned
throughout the State. The vigilance COM
mittees had had for months but little occa-
sion. to operate, and "all quiet along the
IinesO expressed the true situation"
when Grant marched into the prescribed
districts his armed cohorts Of despotism..
You have published accounts OF the arDl-
trary arrests and the attending clrcum-
stances of cruelty and oppression. Your cor
RESPONDENT has received from The most re-
spectacle citizens of the State some sicken-
ing details of this lawless, despotlc, brutal
business. n charges are preferred lat least,
none are given the parties arre>ted), but
upon the mere word of some irresponsible
negro, or still meaner white mao, Tile OF SOL
diers will arrest the purest men (and even
women) in the State and hurry them of to
some Ioathsome Jail. In NeWberry district
a party of soldiers went ut midnight to
arrest gentleman, and not finding him at
home, they broke every lock in the house,
stole whateyer they fancied, lnsulted the
ladies of the house. and deported them
selves in a manner that would have done
honor TO Sherman's bummers or Sheridan's
cavalrymeD.
Another old gray.haired citizen was ar
rested ut midnight and hurried OF TO jail
without the privilege of even taking leave
OF his weeping family, bis only crime being
that he had discharged from bis employ
drunken, worthless negro.
These things have, of course, produced
tone OF despondency throughout the pro-
scribed counties. No one Is sale from ar
rest and outrage. The crops are standing
ungathered in the field, the prey oil vsga-
bond negroes, who consider themselves
now licensed TO pillage at pleasure. Many
Of the best people are fleeing the State, not
that they are conscious Of crime or ull-
willing to stand fair trial, but because
fbay ,Io mt feel rhke~~ being arrested