Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-01-16
wALHALA SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JANUARY le 1870

man. lie testified his regard for the colored
race by pardoning almost every negro con-
viot in the State. During his administra.
ton law was mookery. Felons knew that
influence or money would by their pardon
from Moses. In Charleston Circuit alone,
in one year there wcro two hundred and
twenty seven convictions and eighty suven
pardons. Of these, twcnty.thrcc were par.
doned by telegraph te day after the con
victon.
Governor Moses desired to control poll
tical newspaper, and made arrangements to
buy the Columbia Union Herald lie was
to puy Sl2,O00 for nn interest, and in order
to raise the money, appointed negro lad
named llumbcrt, Treasurer of Orangcburg
County. lie uadc draft of &6, 900 ou the
contingent fund of the State und sent it to
llumbcrt aud directed hiu to take taxes to
that amount and pay them over to the pro-
prIetor of the newspaper. liumbert did 80,
but when he presented the Governors draft
to the State Treasurer there was no money
to pay it; as the Governor had already taken
up the whole Of the contingent fund. Hum.
bert was subsequently arrested on tho
charge Of being u dcfaultcr to tho State,
aud the Governor tried to persuade him to
plead guilty, plcdying Himself to pardon
hlu' immediately. Solicitor Buttz, of the
Charleston Circuit, au enemy of the Cover,
nor, heard of this scheme, and caused an
indictment to be found against Moses f.
uiding, abetting, and advising in the com.
mission of fraud and attempted grand Iarcc
ny against the State. A warrant was issued
and the sheriff was sent to arrest the
Governor, but Moses called out battalion
of the State militia and so ovcrawcd the
sheriff that he quilted Columbia without
trying to execute tho warrant. The wars
raut was subsequently quashed.
The term of Office of Governor Moses
expired in 1874. Weeks before, when his
money began to flow less freely and his
means of obtaining it vanished, those who
had called themselves his friends began to
fall away from hin. Even his faithful
black followers began to doubt him, upd he
began to DC called u bad and wicked man.
TO stem the feeling that was rising he
caused it to be announced that he would
deliver discourse in Que of the colored
churches, iu which ho would show his
fidelity to tho church and tho laws of God.
lie had on immense audience, and his per.
formance was greatly laudcd. But some
pronounced it " rd for word Robert Halls
famous pddrcss Of Modern InGdclty."
Noses sought the denomination for the
Govcrno'ship, but failed, aud retired from
the Office worth less than $l00. To support
himself and family he sold riece by piece
his furniture and at last his heavily mort
gagged house, and was thrown out into the
streets of tho town which only few years
before had been brilliant with the Jewels,
equipages, laccs and vclvcts that his money
hnd bought. In a years time his only
income was derived from small interest
he had in gambling place in Columbia.
When the Legislature met he tried lobby.
ing, but with no profit Some time after.
wards, the faithful blacks elected him to
the judsshtp of Sumter district but Cover
nor Chamberlain refused to sign his com
mission, and hc never enjoyed the office.
Moses then disappeared until tue canvass
of eighteen hundred and seventy six, wien
he tried to run again for the Legislature in
Charleston, but could get no one to support
him. For time ho was employed on
RepubIicau campaign newspaper in Charles
ton, displaying much brilliancy in his
writings, but lie was too restless to continue
OF that work. Then he Obtained little
prominence as a sort of middeman between
his father, who had been made Chief Jus
ticc of State, and tho agents Of Samuel j.
TiIdcn. He turned states evidence when
number of Republican ex -otliccholdcrs of
South Carolina when Indicted and so
escaped punishment. Then he quilted
South Carolina and went TO New York,
living as bcs, lie conld.
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 few hundred dollars
small piece of properly, giving him the
proceeds, with which lie promised to 70 to
Texas aud start again But he had hardly
quilted their sight when they discovered
that he had taken the few trinkcts and
articles of value that his wife aud mother
had preserved from the wreck Of their fort
unes. They traced him to New York,
procured an indictment against him, and
sent on an officer to arrest him. He made
some restitution, and the officer did not
take him into custody. His wife has lately
procured divorce, and he, whom last heard
from, was still living on his wits in New
York. llc has becn frequently known to
beg so small loan as half dollar to buy
the food to save himself from absolute
starvation.
GREENvILLE, January ga fire broke
out in this city this morning about 3 clock
on Pendlclon street, destroying buildings
aud goods estimated 10 value as follows.
l.. B Cline, store, $500; j. A. David,