The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1872-06-12
who he 'was, andvery politely ask.
ed him 'toilight, and said he would

who he 'was, and very politely ask.
ed him toslightsand said he would
be happy to have the pleasure of
his company for the night, mo"
said the. Judge. "I win drive in
the night through the rain to Sum.
ter Court House, Before ! will take
shelter with spch q man as you
are," and he drove of. This fel.
low, ,"ssaid the Judge, " waa a veal
thy man, and shining light in
the Presbyterian Church. He af.
terwards became q, candidate for
the Legislature, and T took great
pleasure in telling about his inhos.
pitable- conduct, which damaged
his election considerably, and he
was defeated" = .S
Judge Withers was, for nun.
Der OF years, q member of the
Board ofTrustees Of the South Caro-.
lima College. de told me, that a
young brother of his was represen.
ted to him as being very talented,
and he determined to educate him.
He gave him. money, and sent him
to the South Carolina College,
The young man thought he needed
great deal more clothing, &C.,
than he had money to purchase.
Therefore. he opened accounts
with sundry merchants in Column
bia, who all sent their bills in due
time to the j Judge for payment
His brother had given him no no.
tice of his Indebtedness, and the
Judge was shocked at the amount
of these various bills. He imme-
diately sat down and drew up a
bill for the board of trustees to re.
quest the Legislature to pass, max.
ing it indictable and punishable
with fine and imprisonment for any
merchant to sell goods to a student
of the College, on a credit. This
bill provided further, that if any
lawyer should cue on, or attempt
to collect any such accounts, he
was also to be fined and imprison.
cd, and, perhaps, stricken from the
roll. When submitted to the
board of trustees, the extraordina-
ry features of this bill excited some
mirth, and the Judge could get no
one to second his motion for send
ing it to the Legislature. The
Judge was so much disgusted with
the reception his bill met in the
board of trustees, that he swore he
would never attend another meet
ing of the board, and never did to
my remembrance.
Judge Withers married the sis.
terin.law of Governor Miller, a
Miss Boykin, who owned a valua
ble plantation in Kershaw District,
and q large number of slaves. His
treatment to the slaves, and man.
agement Of the plantation, was 80
kind, indulgent and humane, that
it displeased some of his neigh
bors, who said il was a bad exam.
pie in the neighborhood. and de-
moralized the slaves on the other
plantations. This determined the
Judge, as he told me himself, to
sell out and invest the proceeds in
bank stocks and bonds and mort.
cages. With all of his temper and
irl atability, Judge Withers was O
very kind-hearted gentleman, and
most indulgent and affectionate in
all the relations Of life. His house
servants did pretty much as they
pleased, and lie did not pretend to
watch over them o On one occa-
sion, he told me, that his carriage
driver, in whom he placed great
confidence, was caught in theft,
and he thought it was a good op
portunity of having a general con.
fession of all his rognery and ras.
cality. He asked the fellow if he
had not been stealing his corn and
fodder, and selling it. The boy
declared that 30 far from having
done so, lie did, on one or two oc.
casions, when the Judge was short
of fodder, steal a few bundles of
one of the neighbors to feed his
horses With
Judge Withers was elected a
member of the Southern or Con
federate Congress, and assisted
greatly in framing the plan oi
Government adopted for the Con.
federate States. / received from
him whilst in Montgomery, a long
aud most cordial letter from which
l will make q few extracts: "I
am exercised in a calling, at pres
ent, which is to me wholly novel
| never dreamed of being a mem
ber of Congress, especially one to
make q Constitution, and then
laws under It. Circumstances
seemed, to a majority, to demand
imperativcly the exercise by this
Congress OF the legislative power
for a time, a short one / hope. !