The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-10-12
swansea's Doings.
A Bit of Unwritten History About
Gen. Joe Wheeler.

cotton crop.
On every side now can be seen
fields cleaned of corn stalks and
ready for the mower. A great change
for the better over the old silly
method of pulling fodder for horse
forage.
Many farmers are finding out that
rice at one dollar per bushel pays
them far better than cotton at from
four to six cents. A farmer can safely
count on forty bushels of rice on the
same amount of land required to
raise a bushel of cotton and at about
one-third to two thirds of labor re-
quired to house bale Of cotton
one sells for S25 90 and the other for
$40 90. The Dispatch's subscribers
can now begin to see the value OF its
fight for protection of our industries
Before the Republican protection
threatened to protect our rice fields,
rough rice sold, and sold slow, too,
at from forty to fifty cents per bushel.
Clean rice the farmer could sell at
from two to two and a half cents per
pound-now at five cents and finds
a ready sale, and the rice farmer
should inquire why such a change?
1t is because over fifty per cent. pro-
lection is on it and every man from
Mexico to Canada who eats mess OF
rice has to help keep the laborer
from starvation. Thousands of
acres before in cotton will now 60 to
rice. Acres can now be given over
to sheep and wool raising and very
proitably, whereas the Wilson free
trade bill sent our sheep to the
slaughter pen and the pastures to
the starvation cotton culture-and so
in other lines.
Brooker, MILESTONE and Geiger
continue to load cars with lumber
and G. S. Roof continues over loaded
with orders for lumber, both dressed
and in roug state.
The streets of Swansea of late
have been the scenes of disgraceful
disregard of law and order and Gre
ates grave doubt if Anglo Saxon
rule here is law abiding or s'riot hid
ing" in its forbearance. The desire
of the citizens here is that if there
are any powers that be" for the pro-
lection of the citizen we are anxious
for its long looked for and anxiously
expected hand to take part in these
revels, and if we have no powers Of
correction and to COMPEL law break
ers and Sabbath violators to behave,
then We desire the town, in all If
respect and decency, to throw up its
hands and surrender its charter.
Besides the. disposition of these
acts of Iawless and disorder, the con-
dition of the streets and public high
ways are not commensurate with the
rate Of progress. Grass, broom
straw, the thorn and the thistle are
allowed to grow side by side and not
disturbed nor dismayed by any inter
ference of any one on the laws and
progress Of nature and have nothing
to dread but the tramp of the loafer
and the man on business who has to
hunt his way in and out of town
through s'brush and bramble", and our
corporate public roads where the
ravages of the rain torrents are never
checked or interferred with but alike
move on in the calm and even tenor
of their ways.
Oscar Perry, young man who
lately came from Richland and mar
ried in this community, and who
was a worthy and industrious citizen,
died of typhoid fever last week.
Gen. Joe Wheeler, the hero of the
Spanish war, came near being a South
Carolinian, but like many other Of
South Carolina blood went West and
other sections now claim his life. His
mother was born in Orangeburg
county, about twelve miles below
Swansea. She was Mary Robinson,
called Polly Robinson" She mar.
ried years ago Baptist minister oi
Orangeburg District, known famil
isrly as Uncle Joe Wheeler" He
had several children but moved of
and went to Georgia where Little
Joe" was born.
Phil Hutto, near Norway, on tht
Florida, Central and Peninsular Rail
road, now owns the place and it is
still known in that section as The
Wheeler Place" Some day it viii
be historic ground. A lady, long
since married, who lives near Nor
way, corresponded with the eldes
son for some time after they moved