The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-04-16

place, and Mr.. Calhoun's library and
private rooms. No one suspected
that the old man had any money, and
only short while before he died Mr..
Gideon Lee wrote to q merchant at
Pendleton and told him to let him
have any groceries that he might
need, and send the bill on to him.
MI. Clemson died in the spring Of
1888, and the contents of his will
caused a surprise. This old man,
who had been considered a penniless
old imbecle, had left the Fort Hill
place as seat for the founding of an
agricultural and mechanical college,
and his private fortune, which
amounted to about 100000, as an
endowment.
This will fell like & thunderclap
upon the Calhoun family. It was
generally thought that Fort Hill
would descend to Miss Isabella Lee,
who was the daughter Of Mrs. Glenn
sons sister, and consequently the
granddaughter of the great statesman.
Miss Lee was given the Calhoun
plate and portraits, and bequest of
$4,000 on condition that she would
not contest the will. It had long
been understood that she was to let
John c. Calhoun, of New York, and
Pat Calhoun, of Atlanta, Ga, have
he Fort Hill place, and that they
were to fix it up in grand style rs the
old homestead and use it as q sum-
mer home. They at once set about to
defeat Clemson's purposes.
They contended that Clemson was
was an imbecle, and that he had no
real title to the property, which was
his wife's. The will looked to the
acceptance of the bequest by the
State, and to it's supplementing the
amount of money willed by annual
appropriations to the college. 1t pro-
vided that the State should elect six
trustees to cooperate with the seven
named in the will.
This threw the matter into politics
and the question Of the States &C
ceptance of the Clemson bequest was
made the chief issue in the campaign
for the election of the Legislature of
1888. The friends of the South Caro-
lima college fought the friends Of the
Clemson College, and the campaign
was the bitterest known in South
Carolina since the great campaign OF
1876. The farmers won and sent q
majority of the adherents of Clemson
College to the Legislature, but the
bill providing for the States accept
ance was carried through both the
House and the Senate. The Cover
nor, however, refused to sign the bill.
He is allowed by the constitution the
right to hold over a bill until the first
three days Of the next session, if he
wishes. He exercised this right on
the ground that he did not care to
make the State a party to the cause
then in the United States court. But
when the Legislature reassembled in
last December, the Governor sign
ed the bill, thereby accepting the be-
quest.
The executor of the will then made
over deed Of the property to the
State, and the attorney-general wss
instructed to cooperate with the law
yers already employed by the execu-
tor Of the will in defending it in the
case now before the United States
Supreme Court. The Legislature
also provided for the immediate erec-
ton Of suitable buildings for the col
lege, and for the opening of the insti-
tuition with complete apparatus and
full faculty at as early a day as pos
sible. Fort Hill is fine old plan
tation Of about q thousand acres,
about two miles from Pendleton, the
nearest railroad station. The dwell
ing is typical old Southern planta-
ton home. It sits on the top Of a
commanding hill. The large white
columns to its piazza attract the at
tention of all passers by. The old
house is IN a fine state of preserya-
ton, and contains al the furniture,
books, portraits and other relics Of
Mr.. Calhoun. The trustees propose
to keep the house intact as kind OF
Calhoun memorial.