The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-09-15
An UNHAPPY FAMILY.
The FAITHFUL IN THE BLACK
DISTRICT.

tom House Slate that WAS Smnshed-A
Good Chance of Cen. Noise to succe, d
Col. Elliott.
CHARLESTON, Sept. 3.-The situation.
past and present, in the eth Congress
sional district presents some of those
funny phases Of politics which bitter
tactional fighting always bring about.
The famous" Black Shoestring district"
OF South Carolina has been ever since
1t was formed almost national issue,
The Republican party during several
polltlcal campaigns, and rabid ltepub-
mean congressman on the floor of the
House OF Representatives, have been
accustomed to employ as a never. fail.
| Ing source OF political capital the al
legged outrageS committed there.
The voting strength of the district is
probably lhirty-f0ur or thirty-liye
thousand all told. divided in a ratio of
about eight or nine to one in favor of
the negroes, and the district has up to
very recent period been dominated
by the notorious Gen. "Bob" Smalls
and the little less notorious Ex-Con
gressnan Tom Miller. During still
wave recent period the political in
terests OF these two worthless began to
clash 30 liercely that bitter factional
animosity was engendered and third
wing or the party in the persons of
several officials Of the Charleston Gus.
tom House obtained considerable
power. All three of these factions
were represented in the recent Conyen-
tlon which nominated II. w. Murray as
candidate for Col. Elliott's seat.
If all Of the wire-pulling which was
done prior to that convention was made
public, 1T would make very readable
chapter in the political history of a
district which is by no means wanting
In curious political lore. For several
months Gen. SmallS and Tom Miller
have both been candidates. The fact
Is that there never was race in the
district without both Of those leaders
being In it. Their candidacy is Of that
perennial character which 1lOurishes
always and blooms every other year.
so everybody knew that the old Smalls-
Miller feud would come up again. A
third candidate who could be counted
on To be III the race one way or another
was l.. Nj. BraytOn, prominent Alll-
ance man OF Columbia, but he was
thought TO be hitched out more in the
capacity OF "a lark horse in case the
Smalls machine failed to Specify"
Inc custom House, the new power
IN the district, had two representatives
in the contest in the PERSONS of J. II,
OstendorIf and q. w. Murray. This
was the Slate as it was given out to
the puOllc, and these were ostenSibly
the candidates between whom the
chances OF nomination lay.
But people, not in tho party, but with
means OF koowing the inside working
or several caucuSeS prior to the ASSEM-
bling OF the Convention knew that
really the strongest man in the race
was Il gentleman whose name had
never publicly been mentioned in con-
nectlon with the nomination. The
Ci'stom House strength was for him
solid, and it had been arranged long
ago that under certain circumstances
Miller was to drop out Of the race in
his favor. However, the best laid
plans OF politicians went away lust AT
the critical moment and Murray won
on the fourth ballot.
Ihere IS, or course, no nSe now spec.
ulating upon the forces which com
Dlneu to smash the Custom House
slate, but some of !he Berkeley delega.
tlon who lounged around the building
yesterday were openly den0unclng
Iom Miller as the traitor in the camp.
"A feature Of the late Convention
Whlch has been source of much con-
graduation was the fact that it settled
beyond Il doubt that "Gen. Bob" Smalls
has once and for all been eliminated
from the Congressional possibilities of
the 7th district. When he got into the
Convention he found himself at the
mead OF six delegates, and even on the
last ballot, when the SmalIs and Bray-
ton forces combined, nine votes was all
the strength developed When tn.
critical moment arrived Miller failed
to "specify" in the fuililment of his
contract regarding the secret slate, and
there was regular stampede to Muir
ray, resulting in his nomination.
All OF this Is more or less interesting.
but there is another phase of the sltua-
tl0n yet to be told, which will interest
much more keGn!y the Democracy of
the Ith. 1t is reported that Candidate
Murray is in the possession of the nom
lnation, but IS totally without funds to
conduct his canvass. The leaders of
the opposing factions, who are the men
who are accustomed to furnish the
slneWs OF war for contests in the dis
trlct, are Skulklng In their tent, and
resolutelY decline to furnish the need.
1ul, upon this OCCASION. The expenses
OF Murray'S canvass will aggregate q
considerable sum, and, unless by some
means or other the money for them is
forthcoming, his chances of election
are not worth shncks. And added to
all else, Gen. Il. w. Noise, who is to
oppose him, Is very popular man with
all the contending factions in the dis
trict.
Taking everything into considera-
tlon 1T is generally believed that Gen.
Noise has an admirable chance of being
elected, and 1t Is thought that such a
conclusion TO the light would not be
dlstastetul even TO a number Of the
leading Reoublicans Of the district
News and Courier.
uOw's Thi-?
WILKESRARRE, Pa, Sept. 5.-The
negro laborers employed on the Wilkes
barre and Eastern railroad rebelled
against the white bosses this morning
at IlHmmcrvllle. The negroes claim
that they were brought from the South
to work on the railroad, deceived as to
wages, and held in bondage by the
white bosses. | f they attempteI to es-
cape they were shot in the legs by the