The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1872-12-19
A FAMOUS CHIME.
The Bells of st. Michael, Charles.
s. tom E

10G beIIS Oh SC.Hlcslacl, Cn3fI6S-
,sdt 5ed = ton, S. C. 81 -
r Mrs. Petigru Carson, the daughter
of the late distinguished James l.. Pc
istigru, OF South Carolina, contributes
to Appleton's journal an interesting
account oof old ST. Michaelss Church
and the chime of belIsotfiat once solIn-
FdeCi in its. steeple car,iilon as, sweet
as floats from the spire sof3j,A1t-
W erp Cathedral. These bells were
connected with the Revolution, hut
having escaped the perils Of the seige
Iiof Charlesf on by the. British in .1870,
they were destroyed nearly a eeDtu-
iry later bysa misehance ofthe war lot
secessioH.-B But we must let Mrs. Car
son fell 5besstorx of their fate after
Sumter:
"Tfrae went ON, and Charleston. be-
shind her defenees of sand resisted all
the efforts to carry her. During the
800 (546) days OF bombardment all the
lower part OF the town had to be aban-
doned. Houses. and churches 5werc
shattered, the cannon balls tore up the
very grave yards. and the bones of the
dead were scattered. Yet spire
of ST. Aifcliael's was untouched. Per-;
haps the caunOneer tried TO sparel il
and perhaps good angels guarded ii.
But what neither the malice OF Che
enemy nor the spite of fortune dad,
flie people themselves effected. For
the bells were taken down and sent
TO Columbia 10 be cast inty cannon.
General Beauregard, perhaps shocked
at the -desecfation, pronounced them
lunfitsfor the purpose; and the fate
which heaped up at Columbia for safe
keeping every thing of value in the
State, there detained the bells also.
Then Shefman's army passed through
leaving its track of lightning. A par
ty of half-drunken soldiers, out for a
lark and for plumber, were aecosted
by negro. who offered to show them
the bells which had rung in secession.
Never said the men, shall they play
that tune again. and they smashed
them into hundred pieces. 81
sSad was the return to the desola-
ted homes and the meeting in the
dumb church, to which no miracle
might now restore the voice of the
chimes they loved. a
'.But they were men of pluck still,
and, as soon as they had shaken them-
selves up and provided for the first
pressing needs, they resolved to lax
TO the utmost to get a new |
chime.
.:Scarcely had the rector bread, and
the vestry and congregation were alp
very pour, but they wrote to q. r.
of London, to inquire the
cost OF. a new set. This gentleman
had lived SO long in England as to
have become almost an Englishman,
with fair English wife, and bluff,
handsome English childrdn, but his
heart stirred at the recollection ofithe
dear old voices that had called him in
and he took the task with u
loving zeal, that brought about the
most surprising results. There was
no record at @Charleston of here the
bells came from. But Mr.. PrioIeau
searched the directory for the Oldest
founders of the city, and we,lt from
one TO anoaher until, at Meares g. Co., |
Whire chapel London, firm which
had been in existence three hundred !
years, he found by patient examina-
ton, the record of bells cast for ST. |
Church, South Carolina, III
1852 The proportions of the metal
and size of the bells were all entered |
ia the books; and the present Meares !
engaged to turn out q new set, which !
when hung, should make the Charles I
tonians think they had heard their !
veritable old bells. But Mr.. Priolesu |
was not content with this; he wrote |
back TO have all the fragments that |
could be found set out, and this was |
done. Meanw hiie Meares found still |
in their service an old man OF seven
ty-six, who had been an apprentice !
under the very foreman who, more |
than hundred years before, had cast
those bells and he, stimulated by Pri.
oleau's generosity, never rested till he |
brought to light the very original |
molds- for the castings. into them I
the new metal was melted, with care |
full distribution of the broken frag !.
ments, so as to make the Illusion a re- |
ality. All that was wanting to make
the cast Mr.. Priolcau added, and the |
reward of his perseverance, and gener-
osity was to send to the vestry these
new bells, which are the very old ones
still. Again did the congregation |
with tears and thanksgiving receive |
the bells from this, their fifth, voyage /
across The Atlantic, and hang them up I
in ST. Michael's steeple. -
MAY they never again be removed /
by the rough hand of war, or ever |
sound anght but peace on earth and |
good will 10 men!'
s-------------sse- -sse-------~ sf4i1 /
g Tr,,,,aa,e-- Ii !