The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-05

had never seen the State-House.
At this time the capital was literally flooded
bounded. But the treasury could not hold
out forever, and there came time when the
Treasurer had to declare that he had no
money to make good the drafts OF Mr. Moses.
Then the pay certificates deprecated. Io
make up the difference, the Speaker, without
regard to law or consequences, made 1resn
issues. But they lost value, and at last de-
preciated to lees than ten cents on the dollar.
1t is estimated that OF these warrants from
s1,5O0yO00 to 80, GOO, 900 were issued by Moses,
the greater part OF this amount being squan-
dered upon profiigate and worthless favor
ties. Nevertheless, by these expenditures,
and by that power over the simple minus OIL
the masses of his party, which had eyer been
characteristic OF him. the Speaker became,
South Carolina, and toward the end OF his
second term as Speaker his friends prevailed
upon him to be q candidate for the governor
ship. .,.n r.
eember, 1872, and after he entered upon the
duties Of the office 1t was soon evident that
his Qubernatorial career would be even more
prohigate than had been his course as Speak
or. From the time OF his election, and during
was for sale. His signature to ordinary acts
OF legislation had to be paid for. It Is on rec
ord, testified to by the president Of the South
Carolina Bank and Trust Company, that q
TallQ Chilli Vi 4lUU,UuU ueIu ny tudt lIlStitu-
tion against the State could. not be collected
until $4,000 Of the amount had been handed
over to Gov. Moses.
Gov. Moses took the notion into his head
that he was not lodged magnificently enough
Hence he bought the Preston mansion, con-
improvements put upon 1t 1t Is estimated to
have cost him between 100000 and $150,000.
For this he was obliged to increase the tariff
Of his charges; He kept an army Of servants,
in the South. Yet, surrounded by all these
attractions, he is known to have spent the
night In the sQualor of the lowest haunt of
Columbia, dancing with half-drunken colored
women. His passion for new faces b0rdered
upon insanity. In one day he was known to
then met for the first time.
But Gov. Moses continued to look after his
political interests, and to proclaim himself
the particular friend OF the black man. He
testified his regard for the colored race by
pardOning almost every negro convict In the
State. During his administration law was q
mockery. FelOns knew that influence or
money would buy their pardon from Moses.
In the Charleston circuit alone, In one year,
there were 227 convictions and 81 pardons.
day after the conviction.
Gov. Moses desired to control political
newspaper, and made arrangements to buy
the Columbia Union Herald. He was to pay
SlZtuuU IOT lut6KS6ts ttuu LII OLUtI w IhlS6
the money appointed. a negro lad named
Humbert treasurer OF Orangeburg county.
He made draft for $4,000 on the contingent
fund of the State and sent 1t to Humbert,
and directed him to take the taxes to that
amount and pay them over to the proprietor
Of the newspaper. Humbert did So but when
he presented the Governors certificate to the
State treasurer there was no money to pay 1t,
as the Governor had already taken up the
whole Of the contingent fund. Humbert was
,ks,A
defaulter to the State, and the Governor
tried to persuade him to plead guilty, pledg-
ing himself to pardon him Immediately. So
licitOr Buttz, OF the Charleston circuit, an
enemy OF the Governor, heard OF this scheme
and caused on Indictment to be found against
Moses for aiding, abetting and advising In the
commission OF fraud and attempted grand
larceny against the State. A warrant was
issued and the sheriff was sent to arrest the
Governor, but Moses called out a battalion Of
that he quilted Columbia without trying to
execute the warrant. The warrant was sub
sequently Quashed.
The term Of Office Of Gov. Moses expired in
1874. Weeks before, when his money began
to flow less freely and his means Of obtaining
itvanished, those who had called themselves
his friends began to fall away from him.
Even his faithful black followers began to
doubt him, and he began to be called bad
and wicked man. To stem the feeling that
he would deliver discourse in one OF the
colored churches, In which he would show his
fidelity to the church and the laws Of God.
He had an immense audience, and his per-
Torrance was greatly lauded. But some
nounced It word for word Robert Halls
famous address OF Modern InfideIity"
Moses sought the denomination for the gov
ernorship, but failed, and retired from the
Office worth less than 500. To support him
fn hfac lVyv.
niture and at length his heavily mortgaged
house, and was thrown out into the streets of
the town which only a few years before had
been brilliant with jewels, equipages, laces
and yelyets that his money had bought; Ina
years time his only income was derived from
a small interest he had in gambling house
In Columbia. When the Legislature met he
tried lobbying, but with no profit. Some time
afterward, the faithful blacks elected him to
the iudgeship Of the Sumter district, but
Gov. chamberlain refused to sign his commits
sion, and he never enjoyed the Office. Moses
then disappeared until the canvass of 1876
when he tried to run again for the Legislature
IN Charleston, but could get no one to support
him. For time he was employed on a Re
publican campaign newspaper In Charleston,
displaying much brilliancy in his writings,
but he was too restless to continue at that
work. Then he obtained little prominence
as a sort OF middle-man between his father,
who had been made chief justice Of the State
and the agents OF Samuel ]. Tilden. He
turned states evidence when number OF Re-
publican ex-office-holder Of South Carolina
were indicted, and SO escaped punishment.
Then he quilted South Carolina and went to
New York, living as best he could.
Moses returned to South Carolina after his
father died, begging OF his family and friends
to give him one more chance. His mother
sold for q few hundred dollars a small piece
Of property, giving him the proceeds, with
which he promised to go to Texas and start
again. But he had hardly quilted their sight
when they discovered he had taken the few
trinkets and articles Of value that his wife
and mother had preserved from the wreck OF
their fortunes. They traced him to New
York, procured an Indictment against him,
and sent an officer to arrest him. He made
some restitution, and the officer did not take
him into custody. His wife has lately pro-
cured q divorce, and he, when last heard
from, was still living on his wits In New
York. He has been frequently known to beg
SO small loan as half dollar, to buy the
food to save himself from absolute starva-
walton.