The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-09-17
THE NEXT GOVERNOR.
A PEN PICTURE OF THE RECORD
NOMINEE OF THE DEMOCRACY.

! - FEN FlC CHE VT FS RECOHL
NOMINEE OF THE DEMOCRACY.
His Early Life and School Days-A1way.
Stauncl Democrt, and Ready and
willing at all Times to Serve His Par
ty.
Benjamin Ryan Tillman, the nomi-
nee of the Farmers Movement" party
for Governor OF South Carolina, was
born in EdgeGeld County on the 11th
of August 1877. His place of birth
was at the Tillman homestead. Chester,
which is bat a part of the family
estates. which cover about 10000 acres
This homestead has been in the posses
sion of the family. for more than one
hundred and twenty years. The Till
mans came to America with Lord Bal
timore, and settled first in Maryland.
The name was probably. at that early
date. spelled Tilhgman, as the we'll.
known general Of that name belongs to
the family which came over with LORD
Baltimore
The settlement in South Carolina Of
the ancestors of the subject of this
sketch was made on Horse Creek.
Edgelicli County. Capt. Ben Tillman'S
father was named Benjamin Ryan
Tillman. His colonial ancestors. RyanS
and Tillmans, were Wings and die
good service in open and guerilla war
fare against the Tories and other fol.
lowers of Lozd CORVALLIS. They suf.
fered persecution and retaliated in
kind. as was the custom in the guerilla
warfare of those days. On one trac;
Of the Tlllman lands is place known
as Shelving Rock, which was often the
refuge of the Tillmans and Ryans and
other Whig families. At anothe.
place is an historic tree. on which Il
Tory paid the penalty of his crimes.
At third place is the Murder Field,
so called from the fact that in that an
ancestor of Capt. Tillman, a Ryan, was
murdered by two of his slaves. Capt.
Tillman now owns about 1900 acres of
the original tract and lives at his own
homestead, called High Fiew," near
Ropers Station, on the Charlotte, Ccl-
umbia and Augusta Railroad.
Caps. rillman obtained his elemen.
tary education at the old field school of
George Golphin, at which school Sena..
tor Butler and Mart Gary were pre-
pared for college. He left school i1
1864 and soon thereafter was prostrat-
ed by severe attack of fever by which
he lost his left eye. This aflictioa>
made the young Tillman an invalid
for two years. When he recovered he
applied himself to reading and "rea1
everything he could lay his hands on
His chief delight was in poetry and
novels. In poetry his taste was for the
British classics, Milton, Pope, Dryden
and Scott; in novels he had ali the
standard works, including Scott, Bull
wer, Dickens and Thackeray. The Ii
barry at his home, at High View con-
tains number of the best books of
this period and tie period of the others
just named.
Considering that the bent of his
mind he's been in the direction of
poetry and romance, it is somewhat re-
markable that his life work should
have been mapped out as one devoted
to political and economic reform. This
is all the more remarkable as Capt.
Tillman has not read any of the works
on political economy or literature re-
lated to that subject. He paid great
deal of attention. however, to the col-
dition of the State, its finances, needs,
etc. as he saw them discussed in the
In 1S67-6S Capt. Tillman lived IN
Florida, and OH his return to South
Carolina in 1868 married Miss Sallie \.
Starke, of Ebert County, Ga. Miss
Starke, although living in Georgia, was
of the South Carolina family OF the
Starkes who reside in Fairfield County.
On returning to South Carolina he de-
voted himself exclusively to farming,
the study Of agriculture and general
reading.
When the revolution Of 1876 was
being brought about Capt. Tillman
took an active part in the organization
of the Democracy Of his section of
and subsequently participat-
Gu ILL SOlHC VI IIIC uIOov pCtiAOlo oLAuEl-
takings on behalf of the redemption of
the State. As early, however, as 1874,
be was actively engaged in fighting for
white supremacy, and was on hand in
the Ned Tenant riots OF that year.
Under Capt. 4. Z. Butler, as member
OF the Edge1ield uussars, he took part |
in the Hamburg riot, the history of
which is familiar to the country.
Again, at the time of the EllentOn riot,
he went down from his township with
a company to the rescue, but on reach
ing Rouse's Bridge he found that the
had been settled by the United |
States troops. The company which he
then was armed and equip |
ped at private expense.
Capt. Tlllman followed the fortunes
Of the Democracy up to the doors OF
the State House in 1876, at the time of |
the formation of the Wallace House.
1t was lie who took the message to
Hampton inviting him to attend the
of the Straightout party on |
the nightibefore the State House was in
vested by Federal troops. lie was one OF
the six or seven thousand who stood |
in front of the Capitol protesting with
John c. Sheppard against the high
handed exclusion Of the Laurens and
Edgefield delegations. 1t was at this
period, rather than any other, in which !
ne laid the foundation for his personal
in his county. He was next
heard of as a delegate to the State Con-
vention Of 1882, in which he voted for !
Gen. Bratt0n Tor Governor.
In 1885 he made mis- first speech at
he never before having |
appeard before an audience, and this
was the beginning Of the career which
led to his nomination for Governor to-
day. 1t is true, however, that although |
the Benncttsville speech was his first
on general political principles, he had
held the position of chairman Of Edge
field County in the most troubled
period of It's history, and had doubtless
addressed the conventions when occa-
sion required.
After his well-known letter of re-