The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-07-27
w. WATKINS HICKS.
Description of Guiteau's Notorious Spiritual
Advisor.
New York Star.

tanned so much notoriety in con-
nection with Guiteau's last end p
is a question that has been much
asked of late. Yesterday a Star
reporter encountered gentleman
from South Carolina and another
from Florida who were prepared
to throw light on the past record
Of the assassin's spiritual adviser
Said the gentleman from South
Carolina:
This Mr.. Hicks made his first
appearance in Charleston under
the cbaperonage of Cardoza, a ne
gro politician who held State
Office, Treasurer, l believe, during
the carpet-bag regime-and be-
came editor of the Nineteenth
Century monthly paper devoted to
the interests of the negro popula-
tion. Previous to his assuming
the editorsbip, the magazine Was
very much thought of, but be
made it extremely obnoxious by
his bitter articles against the
Southern people. he became pas
tor of a Unitarian or Universalist
Church in Charleston, and as be
was a very eloquent preacher, he
drew great crowds for a time.
Soon, however, he ontstayed bis
welcome, and found the State not
by any means a pleasant abiding
place. Then he went to f~gusta,
Ca, where I was living at the
time, and be showed the elasticity
of his religious principles by going
to the front as a Methodist min.
lister. Becoming pastor of St.
Johns Methodist Church, he re.
peated bis Charleston success as
| an orator. The church bad to be
enlarged in order to accommodate
the great crows who focked to
hear him. l never in my life
heard anything more eloquent than
his eulogy Of Robert E. Lee, al
though the effect was somewhat
spoiled by my knowledge of the
mans bitter feelings toward the
South. Reports of his course in
| Charleston which were not calcu
| lated to increase his influence
began to travel around, and bis
flock were so infatuated with him
that they appointed a committee
to wait on the authors Of the re.
ports and request a retraction.
which was refused. This led in
the end to his removal from Au
gusta to Florida, much to the
chagrin of those who had espoused
his cause. The given reasons for
his removal were that be had
become interested IN an orange
SPECULATION, and that he was un
we'll. While in Augusta he made
the house of DR.. Joe Eve, a prom
inent Methodist, his headquarters
to a great extent; but on going tc
Florida be made insulting allu
siops to Ewes son-in-law, Baker
and the latter cowhided him ir
the public street. He got into
| politics in Florida and was, be
lieve, sent to the Legislature by &
negro constituency
The gentleman from Florids
bad this to say: Coming te
Jacksonville with the reputation
of great eloquence, and of having
converted hundreds in Augusta
Hicks WIS made very much 0
and was received into the bes
society. BE was interested in al
orange grove up the river, which
ought to be very good property
| now if it has been attended to
but be showed such partially fol
the negro element, not Away
very creditable, that the whites
sourcd on him and finally refused
te have anything to do with him
Then he went lDto polltlcs an'
took a rowing commission througl
the belt of negro counties from
Jacksonville to Quincy, along th
lines of the Jacksonville, Pensacol
and Mobile and Florida Centra
Roads. His speeches during po
litlcal canvasses were always 0
> an extremely inceDdiary charat
ter. He was credited with tn
} organization of negro Insured
tioDary clubs, who were pledge
to burn the houses of the white
) and shoot the inmates as they al
tempted to escape. When Hor
, George F. Drew became Governo
, of the State Hicks got up an
8 got, and only returned occasiona
8 ly, bnt was always given to III
| derstand that the quicker he &c
lout the better for him.