The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-07

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Hlsterr EaaIne in let's.

OHARIRsTor, April 5.-For nearly six months
the only thought Of the public In con
nection with the Sea Islands Of South Carolina
has been with regard to the philanthropic
efforts to relieve the distress Of the negroes
whose homes and lands were ruined by the
tidal wave Of last autumn. All that has been
written Of that singular region has deslt with
the suffering blscka The strange vicissitudes
the district has undergone and the ruin Il suf-
fered before the tidal wave came have been
overlooked. Both make a singularly strange
tale. and one that helps the reader to under
stand the conditions that reign their now.
The Sea Islands run from Charleston to
Savannah. and yield the best cotton that
grows In the world. II IL variously called the
black seed or long staple or Sea Island cotton.
1ts seed IL black and comes OF free from lint.
as no other cotton seed does. The fibre Is more
silky. and the staple or thread lie more than
three times perhaps four times. as long as
that ofthe short cotton. 1t lie still grown In it's
perfection By white planters, who employ
negro labor and supervise the work carefully.
Some Sea Island planters are blacks. but, as q
rule. these are slovenly and produce an In
ferior grade. But. after all. the amount Of
fine cotton that has been grown on the islands
OF late lie very small Most OF the product is
inferior, and II Is carried into Beaufort and
sold in the seed-simply picked and carried In
without preparation.
The capital OF the region IL Beaufort. once q
proud old place-the seat OF many rich plant
Sra and famous Carolina families II is now
mainly . town Of blacks. though the shop
keepers are white. A very few representatives
Of the old families have returned. but these
are mainly women and children who are sup
ported by those men who are in other parts
Of the world making their fortunes. 1t is
worth while to look back at the little metropo-
lie as Il was IN it's pride. In 1850 there was
not q single white person in the parish who
could not read and write. The Postmaster de-
livered between 5000 and 1000 newspapers
and 1000 to 5000 MAGAZINES every year to
LOO white persona Out Of $50 voters 80
were more than o feet in height, and the
average weight Of the $50 voters was $50
pounds. In 1857 there were fifteen clergymen
who hailed from Beaufort and were educated
there. Some Of the most celebrated mon In
the state and tho Southern States were Beau
fort bnrn and Beaufort raised. They were
The rich Young men Of the city had taken st
honors at Harvard, Yale, Princeton. SCUM
This good record was largely due to the fact
that the people were almost entirely OF Eng
fish and Scotch origin. and had. from the
school, and college at Which the na ie q
finest esidences In the stste-the finest out
side Charleston-were there and a proud So
n gs Sos Tso S ssn
Grading town. having nearly ali is sd. ss sSp
pRnte w n and from the little Sea Island cot
ton that is still grown there. Only few Of the
wealth, Of, the town has dwlndled to a little
free school.
year before the oOd would BE-
was noted as one whore as little capital was in
vested and where the returns were as small as
were equally fertile, In st. Helena, where the
owners are practically all black ana the condi-
try. the negro owners are said to be little
better on than on the other islands Asa rule.
aged in the most primitive fashion II is said
that not man plants except upon borrowed
more than ali, the value Of each cron s'' A.'
When Fort Royal was taken BY, the Federal
tween the Coosaw and Broad rivers. and Of The
Sea Islands. toward Savannah. abandoned
san Rs ppSv s so 81 ,ss tns %
each State for the carrying on Of the war.
IN the Fsders s Gss
got possession Of land the tax should be SO
sion should pay It's portion Of the entire tax
and II this was not paid By a certain day the
Island. Port Royal Island. s.. Helena's and the
we're $, Gd tSs out as
By persons living IN the Northsra States. Who
Whole re Gerio s w sss ander The hammsr TINS
As a rule in this and many other such cases.
acre. The tewS and
tons OF value were often bid In by the author:
si nss r sss f 10 SaS .m Heads Hm S
officers. private soldiers. and SPECTATORS got
whatever they wanted. and bought extern lively
the lands Of their old masters. and in so@s
cases the manor houses also went to them- By
ct the sales. Old land marks were obliterated.
To those who returned at the close OF the
the and n
country. None OF these lands were recovered
by their old owners by suit. against the Gov
ton OF which this was true. In other places
friends Of the absentess had rendered the
Court Of the United State: decided that WSsre
eyer that was done. and wherever tt was
g. ss
RRs.riy ali tSs eonascatsd lands ia ksasusE%
BeaSiOTs none Si The planters snd
man. shopssepor' .taysd IN t the toWn.
The result was ives that thousand q dollar
500. OtU went for from $50 to slOO. The Cow
srnment. In 1872. passed an act restoring to
upon payment OF taxes. costs. and 10 per cent
interest from the day Of the original effort to
sell them. Under this law some lands were
redeemed. Something, more came to the iugi-
tives In 1891. Then law WAS passed refund.
ing to all States the amounts paid by way OF
direct taxes by II the South Carolina men,
whose lands we're sold and not redeemed. got
one-half the tax value In 1850 for all Beaufort
property. 50 an acre for improved plantation
lands. and dollar an acre for unimprovsd.
The new lords Of this opulent soil are the
Cotton Island darkies. whose h ZONES are cabins
and whose rations are taters. girls. and puck
which Is to say potatoes. grits. or hominy and
pork. They SPEAK = strange. soft. not unmu-
steal lingo crowded with Vowels: language
that has grown out OF a mixture OF African
and English and been cultivated for more than
a century. Other negroe In the inland eoun-
ties aud in other States do not understand 1t,
Some OF these blacks INHABITED the grand
houses OF former masters till the flood swept
them away, hut others preferred the simple
cabins and lived in them. leaving the white
mans manor houses to crumbs tenAntless
into ruin. When the flood came 5000 of the