The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-07-19
A Backwooa. Election.

tuC1o q 40 OH Otu uau ltfluS near me,
who came into this section of the coun.
man of thirty. He is now quite as vgor.
Gus at eighty as most men are ut sixty;
| has rosy, full face, anu bright eye,
and has been known Oh occasions to 70
ont into the harvest field and help his
Srand-sons get in the wheat. 1t is easy
to see, from lis massive form and limbs,
that .he must have been athletic and
powerful in his youth; and the very few
who still survive who were his neighburs
then, say that lie was strong Us IL horse,
Heet asa deer, quick AS panther, aud
brave rs lion. But when Enoch Page
hrst came here, anu ommenced to clear
patch Of ground, uI this was not so
well known to the people as it was after.
ward.
Iam writing now Of times half ocn-
tury past. when, instead Of nll these
hourishing cities and villages, these pro-
ductiye farms aud orchards, and these
railroads and canals, there were dense
forests, few little settlements at the
crossings Of roads, and the roads them
selves few in number and indifferent in
condition. The population, spare as it
WAS. had buried itself in the woods. and
by judicious and energetic use of the
axe. was fast solving the first problem of
civillzatioM But people were coming in
rapidly, md Mt Blunt's, which was cen.
trail point, the settlement was fast in
creaslng to the proportions OF villuge
This was the condition Of things when
the first election in the new County took
place. It was held ut Blunt's; and being
u novel OCCASION, it called out large
| crowd Several hundred voters we're
present. besides many who were not
voters The election wus for sheriff,
which in II new County is always an office
OF great Importance. It was felt to be
doubly important here, for threatening
| element Of scoundrelism had lately been
added to the population, which could be
| suppressed or held in check only by q
| hrm nnd determined administration Of
the laws. The election was by ballot;
out there being no printing press within
u hundred miles, the ballots were oil
written out
The candidates. by common consent,
ttor there were no caucuses,) were two
Col. Walton and Dr.. Reed. The former
was, perhaps, the most substantial man
IN the County, possessing education, ex-
perience and integrity, and was support
ed by the best men, those who were
anxious to have law aud order prevail.
; The latter was q1iet, inefficient person,
wholly united by nature and habit for
the office; but lic had been put forward
by u clique Of idle, dissolute fellows,
who considered it decidedly for their III :
| terest to get IL man elected who would
not execute the laws. And knowing that
they could not command sufficient votes
to elect one OF themselves, they did the
next best thing in putting up man
whom they knew they could control if
successful, and for whom they hoped to
catch some respectable votes.
The ring-lcadcr OF this precious sc. was
one Ham Perkins-a great brnwny rnf-
tian, who delighted IL ailrays and COM
bats of all kinds, aud he rallied his pc
cnliar followers OH election day, aud they
all put forth Il united effort to elect Reed.
The votes OF this gang were all III within
two hours after the opening of the polls,
and they next began to exercise their ter
rorism over respectable voters. Many
who dctested them werc compelled to
vote for their candidate merely from
fear Of personal violence or of Injury to
their property; and 80 many there were
who were willing to pursue this weak
course, that at noon ono Of Perkins
party, who had kept tally, announced
eAt.s ~sSSN "hS tbCh AFG uC III
telligence was received with d whoop
and yell of exultation, and the rowdies
became more insolcnt than ever.
The leaders Of the Walton pa:ty were
in anxious consultation. which seemed as
hopeless as it was anxious; and affairs
bore this aspect when Enoch Page, who
had Just arrived on the ground. came up
to vote. AS he approached the window
ballot was handed him by one of Col.
Walton's friends. He took it aud read
the name, nodded approyal.to the man
from whom he had received it, and step
ped up to deposit it. Ham Perkins had
witnessed the incident, and familiarly
accosted the young man as he approach
ed:
Il say, my boy, you've made mistake
in the paper yo'vc got there in your fist
This here is the ticket You want
He hsld up the Reed ticket toward
Emo III. who, without paying the slight
est heed to tho paper or the man WHO Of
lerrcd it, stepped past to the window
Perkins started aud scowlcd, and then
laid his brawny hand upon Enoch' S
shoulder.
didn't you bear what said, my lad?"
he inquired, in II high aud meraciup