Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-04-19
gelistellameuns &eadiug,

M}istellaneuns &eading.
From the Charleston New, and Courier, ll.h inst.
THE EVACUATION OF THE STATE HOUSE.
FULL PARTICULARS.
COLUMBIA, Tuesday, April 10.-The reno
val of the troops from the State. House to day
was accomplished so quietly and quickly, as
to deprive the occasion of much of its purely
dramatic interest In all save the one essen
tial particular that they were going out never
to return, the evacution differed very little
from the usual supercession Of the guard,
which might have been witnessed any time
during these four months. Governor Hamp'
toms published request, in furtherance of bis
promise to Hayes, that no Democrat should
90 near the State House unless authorized by
him to do 80, was carried out to the letter.
Not one was present at the ceremony, and l
saw none on the Capitol grounds, either before
or after the performance. Twenty minutes
before IL o'clock, your correspondent, with
two other members of the press, presented
themselves at the front door, and entered un.
challenged, although score of the colored
special constables we're hanging about the en-
trance watching our movements with sullen,
unfriendly glances. Within doors was con.
fused crowd of perhaps one hundred and fifty
persons, mostly negroes, who were moving
about aimlessly, or standing in groups OF
threes and fours engaged in low and dispirited
conversation. Here and there were to be seen
one or two smaller groups of white Republi.
cans of the better sort, similarly occupied, and
all looking badly demoralized, or, to use a
homely phrase, "decidedly down in the
mouth"
The guard on duty to-day was detachment
of twenty men of Company B, Second Regl-
ment, under command of Lieutenant Haynes.
All necessary preparations for the evacuation
had been completed before our arrival on the
scene, and the men, fully accoutred, were rest
ing in two ranks and with guns stacked be-
fore the door of the comptroller.generaPs Of
flee, which has been used as officers quarters
during the SIEGE A solitary sentry paced up
and down on his old beat before the Execu-
tive Office. Col. Black and Adjt. Potter stood
under an arch, a few PAGES distant, frequently
referring to their watches Gen. Ruger's aid
had arrived with the order during the morn
ing, and Col. Black was nervously intent up
on complying with his precise instructions as
to the hour of departure, to wit, precisely
twelve. His nervousness affected his subordl'
nate officers; from these it spread to the crowd,
and no second was permitted to pass altogeth'
er unobserved in its fig hit. At ten minutes
before IL, Lieut. Harriss suddenly y sounded
the order, "Attention !" which was generally
observed BY the crowd throughout the build.
ing, as we'll as by the handful of men to whom
it was more particularly addressed. Then
camein rapid succession, "Takearms," "un6x
bayonets," ""carry arms" "count fours," "twos
right" "marchv The last order brought the
squad sharply down on the crowd, which gave
way to allow free passage to the door. But
the time was not yet up, and sudden halt
was made as the leading file reached the south
entrance. The sentry on duty before the Ex-
ecutive office, now relieved for the last time,
resumed his place in the ranks, and the COM
mand, "Order arms" being given, the men
stood at ease in their places. The few remain
ing minutes of the ten seemed to loiter as they
passed. Presently, the sergeant, who had
timed his watch with the City Hall bell which
in turn was set with the clock in the telegraph
Office, which in turn was regulated from
Washington by telegraph, whispers to the
lieutenant, "One minute more, sir" and Is
directed to take his stand at the south door,
next to the City Hall, and to give notice of
the first tap of the clock bell by wave ofhis
hand. Col. Black, seeing the maueuvre, re.
called the sergeant and sent Lieut.. Briggs, of
the same company, to take the post of warn
ing. The seconds are minutes now, and eve.
rybody is listening for the sound or watching
for the signal. There it goes! Lieut.. Briggs
waves his hand to indicate the first tap, which
was not heard in the recesses of the hall, and
advances rapidly to Col. Black to report the
fact. The Colonel says, Don't run, sir: !"
The lieutenant joins the squad. Then il. is
heard, Attention, guard p "Carry arms
Fright shoulder arms!' "Twos right, march p
The sound of heavy and hurried footballs re.
sounds along the corridors, and before the
bell has reached the fifth stroke of the twelve,
the last file has crossed the threshold. A
number Of the negro constables, evidently act
ing under peremptory and urgent orders, in
stantly sprang to the heavy doors and slam
med them to with bang, in the face of the
crowd within, and in the immediate rear Of
the last file of soldiers without, who are hard
ly out of the way of the closing panels. A
heavy bar dropped into its brackets, and the
military occupation of the State is ended
much to the relief of the citizens and the mill
tary as well.
All was done so suddenly that the clock
could be heard striking after the doors were
closed. The bell strikes slowly at best, and il
required little suggestion to evolve the com
parison of a funeral knell Twelve strokes
sounded, and the twelve long, weary, wretch
ed years of carpet-bag misrule were tolled off
one by one, and consigned to the tomb of the
past forever, never to know a resurrection
The crowd quickly DISPERSED, almost in 81
lence, and in few minutes the wires were
flashing the tidings to every town and village
of the whole land. The detachment of sol.
diers were marched direct to their quarters
and dismissed, and so ended the first lesson Of
the eventful day. 81. --. !.
Mr.. Chamberlain's action to-day was com.
plete surprise to everybody outside the small
circle of his Immediate friends and associates,
and could not have been anticipated by any
one not in his confidence 1t was certainly
known, upon evidence contained in his own
handwriting, that so lately as Saturday night
he was fully determined upon the policy of
resistance, as set forth in the News and Cou-
rier and substantiated in advices to Northern
persons here from correspondents at Wash
ington. To this policy his supporters here
considered him firmly committed, and they
were prepared to sustain him in it. He had
not, in single instance, given the slightest
intimation of even the possibility of a change
in the course he had marked out and declar.
ed and snch a nossibilitv has not been enter