San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1890-03-20
An Interesting Lettcr-A South Caro-.
lima Town with History.

An Interesting Lettcr-A South Caro-
lima Town with History.
Richmond, Indiana, Telegram.
Business recently called me TO Con-
way, S. @. The place has quite a
history. Long years before South
Carolina was a state and before the
war OF tho Revolution, a grant of n
large body Of land was made by the
crown Of England to certain parties
and settlement was made. A town
was laid ont where Conway now
stands. 1t was named Kingston, in
in honor OF the king. and with each
sale of farming land town lot was
included, and all the settlers, as a
rule,l resided in the village. They
had their place of worship-the Es-
tablished Church o! England--and
around it their old burying' ground,
which is wonderfully interesting in
connection with what follows. These
settlers were merry lot. Their
town was situated on the banks of
the Peedee, not far from the Allan
tic coast, and fishing then, as now,
was all that could be desired. Sail
ing vessels piled between the moth
or country ana this pointand George
town--which was another English
grant not far distant, and named
Georgetown in honor of King George
supplied their simple wants and
took back the corn, tobacco, cotton
and other productions of the settle
ment. Conway has very pretty 10
cation. The Peedee is navigable ftr
quite large side wheel steamers and Il
beautiful lake or lagoon runs along
the east side of the town. in which
the fishing is always good for catch
and quality, as salt water fish, shad,
etc., run up the stream and into the
lagoon.
Francis Marion had his headquar.
ters near here. I saw the tlmbers of
his old building. 1t was moved into
the town after the Revolution and
stood there a century. Only torn
down few days before my visit. /
looked almost reverently upon the
rough hewn logs. tn my boyhood
"Weems' Life of Francis Marion
was in every farmers library, and no
other part of the war history of those
times was half SO interesting to me,
and 1 have often heard the same
from others. Here it was, then, that
Francis Marion had lived. Kings
town and. Georgetown had been the
homes, and living under the kings
special protection, had been III
cause for 80 many Tories in this sec
ton and at that time. 1t was these
Tories whom Marion had to fight.
They stood by the crown of England
and aided and abetted the mother
country all they could.
But they were al killed off or scat
tered, or left the country after the
success of the Revolution, and the
titles to the lands were in great con-
fusion until a man of wealth named
Conway obtained title of some kind
md secured settlement of the place
oy q policy SO liberal the people
,alled the town Conwaysburgh-in
ater years dropping the "burgh'
md adopting simple Conway.
To us who are familiar with the
growth of the West this place is q
Wonder. The people are intelligent,
lmple-hearted, kind and honest.
Prices of labor and living are way
,ack to the primitive days of Indiana
md Ohio.
At n hotel kept by Mr.. Hardee and
,resided over by his wife, Mrs. Har-
lee, I ate the best prepared and
most sumptuons meals-meals in
which all the dishes we're good-that
ever ate in any public house. and
his, too, for 81 day, and fire in
our room day and night thrown IN.
1t is the worst of bosh to say that {
'outhern women do not know how to
ook. I know better-not from the
bove example, but from the expert l
nee of drive from near Nashville, {
'enn., to my home in Florida, nearly |
r quite 1000 miles, stopping With |
lanters all the time. They have an !
bundance of well cooked food and !,
be latchstring is always out. Z
may miss it, but l look for less a
evelopmept in the two Carolinas in a
Ie next fifty years than any other G
onthern or Western states. Their
mple, quiet habits are against them
nd there is nothing attracting men
energy and capital there. The ne J
ro Is leaving these states to get .
ork and better wages. 1t is doubt f
Il if lie betters his real condition q
ut promises of better pay move the C
ost of MS. But Georgia, Alabama, I
Mississippi, Louisiana and Flcridn d
% moving on with wonderful rapid Il
Y. But for the unsettled negro #
1estion and the demoralized condi- Z,
on OF labor, the next ten years r,
ould develop a growth in these r.
ates never before witnessed in this
'untry. will not extend this let
T but give some reasons for my 8,
ews in n future communication. j s,
, hence to Wilmington, n. O.. and tC
ence TO New Orleans to witness b
ardi Gras. j. r. Preston. d,
The Empress Of Germany has in
- - - -. - ....Io f-or,