The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-08
THE BAYNARD ESTATE.
Its Lands Sold at Beaufort on
Tuesday.

The Population of Beaufort County.
Some Comments in Respect to It-A
Beautiful Town-ManY Old Families
Still Residing There-What Gould Be
Made of the Town-Other Matters of
Interest.
Beaufort. SC, Feb. beaufort has re-
sumed its usual everyday appearance
after two days of excitement. Monday
was military day, the adjutant general
having come here to inspect the white and
colored soldiers. The display was quite
creditable. The town was always noted
for its fine military companies, and during
the late war furnished many gallant
soldiers to the confederate armies. Here,
as elsewhere throughout the south, the
colored people must do everything, or at
least try TO do everything, the white peo-
pie do, and they, therefore, also have good
military companies.
Beaufort is a handsome town, and, in
spite of the trying times through which
1t has passed, it is still the beloved home
of some of the best people in Carolina.
Adversely has not taken from them those
characteristics which have given them
their claim to be gentlefolks.
With the nucleus of able professional
men and trained merchants, Beaufort
could easily be made a growing CONNER
cial city, if the Port Royal and Augusta
railroad efforts were concen~
trated here. The wharf and ware
houses which are known as Port Royal
couldube the deeper water port, if such
should be necessary, which is doubtful
as twenty-five feet Of water can be found
In the channel up to this place However,
IT is impossible 10 talk anything here but
Port Royal, the people of the town APP
pearlng TO be more interested in trying to
build it up than TO advance the oppor-
funities of their own beautiful little city.
There is a marked change in things in
Beaufort, as compared with seventeen
years ago. Then the colOred people
thought they owned the earth, or,
at least, so much thereof as is in
cluded in Beaufort county, and were
obtrusive and offensive. To-day
they are well-behaved aud re-
spectful, and try TO be like white
people The county officers, with one or
two exceptions. are cOlored men, and well
thought of by all classes. 1t has occurred
to me that the colorcd man who tries to
keep himself reputable has difficult task
to perform. At present, he is not in suf-
ticient numbers to have a social set TO him
-
ignore, as white people do, the disreputa-
bic element of his race he would soon feel
their vengeance. The negro laborer or
the negro hoodlum has a much happier
time in the south than the negro who is
trying to reach a higher social plane
White people recognize the differ
ence and insist upon 1t, but
the coIored people do not, and
will not. There is little doubt that this
condition of affairs is the cause of the
steady exodus of the better class of young
negroes from the south, and it may be the
means of solving the great race problem,
by scattering the cOlored people over the
country.
No one can visit this Beaufort county
without thinking of its future Its dense
negro population, and its meager, but, as
a rule, courageous and determined white
people that control everything but poll
ties, is study for those who try to see a
little ahead of the years that are near to
them.
The sale of the property of the Baynard
estate on Tuesday brought a number Of
visitors here, mostly heirs and lawyers,
and few prospective buyers The lands
were pretty well scattered. In the days
of slavery these plantations, cultivated
by hundreds of slaves, were mines of
wealth, but to-day they are worth less
than barren lands in Oklahoma. Compe-
tition, however, ran the price up to about
s. an acre, at which price the Bull Island
and May river lands were bought by
Georgia heirs. The lands of Hilton
Head Island (2,OOO acres) were sold at
private sale to Mr.. w. p. Clyde, the New
York steamship owner, for 50 an acre.
Mr.. Clyde owned plantation on
the island, which he used as a game
preserve and he will doubtless add his
present purchase to it. The sale in
cluded, "Braddock Point" Spanish
Wells" and "Hobkirk" plantations,
names familiar TO those who know the
coast country of Carolina.
The sale settled, as far as the Carolina
heirs are concerned, an estate with very
long entail There is considerable prop
erty in Savannah belonging to the estate
which goes to Georgia heirs by agree
ment.