The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-20

az NoOtN RESULTED MS place ana awaited
the word. Whether this act disconnected
the other or not will never be known, for
IN less time than it takes TO tell it. ne
gave leap in the air and fell forward,
dead with bullet through his brain.
Ex-senator Louis T. Wingfal, of
Texas, afterwards d confederate general.
was native of Edgeheld, and in his
early days, as wild as they make them.
II was ne who, while acting aid 10 Gen.
Beauregard. during the first lombard
mIenJ of Fort Sumter, in April, 1851, went
IN rOwtoat, under FIRE and without
orders, asked Maj. Anderson to surren-
der, which that odicer did a few moments
afterwards to the properly deputed au-
thority. Subsequently. when jefferson
Davis contemplated the removal of Beau
reguard from his command it was Wing
tall who went to the confederate Presi-
dent and with his usual audacity, said:
DAVIS, don touch him. When a man
becomes so popular that the men name
their race horses and the women christen
their babies after him let him alone; keep
your hands or And Mr. Davis did.
While living in Edgeheld, years before
the war, Wingfall had a serious falling
out with gentleman named Byrd, ana
attempted to post" him, which in the
Nernacular means the lacking up in the
most public place of the town, of an Of
1enslve paper, denouncing the opponent
as coward, scoundrel liar. etc. If one
attempts to remove this he takes his life
III his own hands, but Byrd was equal to
the occasion Walking up the postoffice
steps. he was deliberately tearing down
the paper, when Wingfall, drawing his
pistol, shot him dead
The victim was an uncle of Preston S.
Brooks, then a student III college and
afterwards famous, when, in 1856, during
the Kansas debate, as member of con-
gress, he assaulted Charles Sumner, of
Massachusetts, with a cane because of
an attack made by Sumner in his speech
upon Senator A. Z. Butler, of South Car
DINA, another near relative Fearing
that his father would become involved in
a personal encounter, young Brooks
promptly returned home, and sending a
challenge to Wigfall, the parties met on
the field of honor. Both were wounded
Soon after this Wingfall went to Texas,
II is understood he settled numerous con-
troversies with the bowie-knife and re-
volver. The war brought him into still
greater prominence
The late Congressman George Tillman.
an elder brother of the governor, when a
young man had, an alteration with an
other over game of cards in the village
tavern. The decision of the dispute was
referred TO a bystander, but further
words followed, and in the melee Tillman
shot the bystander. In order to prevent
arrest he fed, but after an absence of
few years returned, stood his trial and
was sentenced 10 term of imprisonment
In the county Jail. Being pardoned by
Gov Pickens, he entered public life,
joined the army, did gallant work in the
war; was sent to the legislature,
and subsequently to congress. No
one in South Carolina thinks the less of
him because of his youthful escapade.
The history of Edgefeld abounds in
similar instances. The county is one of
the four which constituted ''Old Ninety
six" memorable in the Revolution as the
lighting district of South Carolina
! The court house was in the once prosper
Gus town of Camb bridge where now stands
but single dilapidated residence to re-
mind one of former glories. Distinguished
| statesmen practis ID law there. Calhoun,
McDutfie, the Hammonds, Buffers, Ward
| laws, Langdon CheVes. PeUtigrew. Burt
BOuham and Haygood are among the many
who have made the locality illustrious
while of soldiers distinguished in the
revolution and since, the name is legion
Edgeteld was also the home of Gen.
Mart Gary, one of the commanders of the
Hampton Legion, of whom it is said that
| he swOre never to be captured, never to
surrender and never 10 take the oath of
! allegiance. He kept the pledge to the
last, breaking through the lines a Apo
mattOX. Capt. John Gary his brother,
was killed while defending Charleston.
Other Garys, who are still alive, are &C
tive political factors in state affairs.
Living on the estate left by Gen. Gary,
| resides his sister, the widow of Gen n
q. Evans, known in old army circles as
"Shanks" Before the war he was a cap
tain in the famous Second United States
| Cavalry, of which Albert Sidney John
ston was the colonel, ROBBERY f. Lee, lieu
] faV, .a.,1py al
| other officers also becoming distinguished
as generals in both armies later on. In
| history he is remembered as the general
who, with handful of men met the first
shock of battle on the confederate left at
| the first battle of Manassas, and subse-
quently commanded the southern forces
at Lees burg, or Balls Bluff.
Gen. Evans was the father of John Gary
Evans, the young candidate for the next
governorship of South Carolina, who is
already a high state official and the
author of the dispensary bill that is now
creating such ruction throughout the
community All of his brothers who are
old enough, and, in fact, nearly every
namesake and connection of Gary and
Evans are in politics, andare forceful men
who are likely TO be heard from in the
future
Except for the immediate issue the
political fight that is now on is a con-
tinuation of the antagonism that has ex
listed from time immemorial between the
upper and lower portions of the state, or
in other words, the country and the sea
board. Mason and Dixon's line does not
more sharply mark the division between
the north and south than does a line
drawn across South Carolina from
east TO west, through the city
of Columbia. Even during the
war, when the low county refugees fed
for safety to places in the interior, there
was many a neighborhood in which they
found no warm welcome and discrimina-
ton was made against them in the prices
of the common necessaries of life
In this spirit of prejudice will be found
the strength of Ben Tillman, and his rea-
sons for frequent illusions to the aristoc-
racy to "bandbox soldiers" and to the
allegiance of the farming clement.