The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-11-24
The Rise and Fall OF +. J. Moses. Jr.
From tie .vcm York Times.


son Market Police Court, to answer Ia
the charge of obtaining money on false
pretcnses, man who had held many
Offices in his day, from Judge to Cover 1or
OF great State, and who is now beggar
and y pennies vagabond. There was n
time when he had control of almost un.
limited 'ealth, rolled in luxury and
sportcd with wantons and liber.ines with
the proiuseness Of an Eastern Prince.
Today he has hardly friend in the
world, and, broken, gray aud scedy, lie
ckcs out slender subsistence by his
wits. lfa novelist were to weave into a
romance the main incidents Of the career
OF Franklin j. Moses, formerly Governor
OF South Carolina, people would say that
his story WAS Sensational" ;" butsomcwhat
improbable The life Of Moses furnishes
capital example of the ease with which
y bold and reckless man may seize on
power "nd pelf in times of political un.
settlement aud revolution The period
OF reconstruction in the South was Moses
opportunity. His fall was the natural
consequence of his il.spent life, not of
the end of the era in which he flourisbed
1t was said Of Moses long ago, by one
VINO knew him well, That "hc was n noble.
hearted man, with paralysis on the moral
| SIDE. Exactly what constitutes noble.
| hcar!ed man, however, is not easily de.
termined. AS long as Moses had money
| no scattered 1t like chafi. But that which
lie tossed about him with prodigal hands
WAS nol MS own, and the creatures who
| iived on his bounty never gave him credit
Tor genuine generosity So when the dav
came when he, like one of old "would
tain have filled his belly with the husls
the swine did cat" his fine weather
friends had all forsakcn him and fled.
The man who made the streets of the
| capital OF South Carolina resplendent
| with costly equipages, jewels and CAV
altire, wac brought down so low that he
stole an ovcrcoat from an office into
! wilch lie mad gone OH pretended errand
Oh business. Where were his boon com
| panlons, the men whom ho had enriched.
| the iav0rltes OF his brief and brilliant
career, when he was reduced and humil
lated?
Born of Il good old Southern family of
jewish descent, and gifted with rare per
sonai and mental qualities, Moses might
have made for himself name of which
South Carolina would have been proud.
The rnpidity with which he ran the whole
gamut OF ordinary ambition proved his
native genius. At tho close of the war.
although he had thrown himself heart
and soul into thc Confederate cause, he
saw, rs but few others did, that the leader
of the newly cnfranchised freedmen was
sure OF power; and he took up their
cause with al enthusiasm that seemed
almost real. His sagacity and audacity
were rewarded. Speaker of tho Assembly
no engaged i'll career of corruption,
bribery and robbery which had no par.
aiicl IN TINS country. He "madc no
bones Of his rascally Intentions. If he
wanted money, horxes or any species Of
| property, lie demanded these of tho men
who sued for his influence in the passage
of bills in which they we're interested.
He procured the enac .ment of q law
which gave him, as Speaker, unlimited
power to draw upor the State Treasury.
and from that day his warrants, tusing
precedence of Gil other demands, were
| plentiful as the leaves Of the forest. He
owned money mill.
Having issued nearly two millions Of
dollars in pay certificates" as Speaker,
1t was obvious that Governor Moses
would rule the State with nil the profli-
gacy ana extravaganza that he had shown
in his influential position. There was
almost no limit to the mans recklcssness
He seemed utterly devoid of moral
sense. He levied toll on every public
and private Legislative measure with
money iii it" which required his sigma
ture,, 1t is matter Of record, for ex-
ample, that valid claim of 100000,
held by banking company against the
state, could not be paid until S25 900
was handed over to Moses. lie involved
one OF his undcrlings, IIumbert, in a
scheme by which the State was plundered
OF S2o,oOO, and what seemed TO be n
grand larceny was attempted against the
state, and when her officers went to mr.
rest his Excellency they found him en-
trenched IN his palace, guarded by the
state militia: He gave away pardons
like holiday baubes. Pimps, blacklegs,
criminals of every complexion, were
pardoned by telegraph, by letter by
verbal orders to jallors, and with IL free
dom which promised immunity to crime
SO long as the offender owned in Moses q
friend.
a spendthriit, Moses laid up nothing
ior the proverbinl rainy day." He ran
his brief career, and, in two or three
years, out OF power, out Of place, and out
of money, he drifted to New York. His
life in South Carolina, after he had
emerged from the rebellion, was crowded
full OF exciting episodes. He lived life
of debauchery, intrigue and sensuous
excitement. He schcmed and planned,
but he never built for tho future. While
1t lasted the golden stream that flowed
through his hands was royalty spent.
While he had the opportunity he schemed
: to some purpose, and his plans for gain
ing possession of ''the potentialities OF
great wealth" by unlawful means were
admirably laid. But the end came at
last.
His term of office expired. His chances
Tor gain were gone and he had saved
none IF his plumber. He had consorted
with lewd persons and his own wife and
family were forced to shake him OF.
The downhil road is rapidly travelled
The brilliant South Caroinian, the
curled darling OF fair women and the
successful adventurcr, has come down
from Governors chair to skirmish with
vulgar thieves and imposters. Under al
+ assumed name, the Ex-Governor OF South
Carolina fits in and out of the Police
Courts. No need to point the moral O
his sorrowful tale.
- Ono of the surgeons who attended
, the late President is quoted rs saying
that neither he nor his associates evel
thought of sending bill to Mrs. Gar
iicld for services rendered. "If Congress
, appropriates money to pay u.s." said he
! 1--WE shall be glad, but we shall never asl
r Mrs. Garfield for dollar" This i.
. sound sense, and the people will sustain