The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1900-10-19
News and Courier.)

(NeWS ana COurlef)
Having received letter from Mr.
A. L. Lever, who was recently nom
mated by the Democratic primary to
represent Lexington County in the
coming Legislature, telling mo that
he proposes at the coming session to
introduce bill looking to the erect
ing by tho State of a monument to
Emily Geiger, and inviting suggos-
tlons from mo. | have determined
to publish few facts as to the cam
paign in which Emily Geiger is al.
legged to have played 50 conspicuous
a part. l dislike to play tho role of
an idol, smasher, but as l have been
appealed to in this matter, and as the
South Carolina Historical Society, of
which l am tho secretary, has for it's
object the preservation and dlssem-
ination of the truo history Of South
Carolina, deem it in order to give
some facts as they are shown by tho
records.
THE PRETTY STORY.
Tho story Of Emily Geiger, as
told by Mr.. Jno. A. Chapman, in his
Annals Of Newberry District, and by
other writer's, is that after General
Greene had Abandoned tho seigo Of
Ninety-Six in June, 1881, he retreat
cd across tho Saluda river and was
pursued to the Enoree, by Lord
Rawdon; aud that Lord Rawdon
stopped at the south bank of tho
Enoree while Greene moved on
toward tho BIO ID River; that while
encamped between the Enoree and
Broad rivers Gen. Greene was anx-
ious to send a dispatch to Gen. Sum.
tor, on the Wateroe River but that
the country between was SO Infested
with Tories that it was impossible
for man to go through 1t as a cour-
ior: that at this time Emily Geiger,
who lived about five miles off, volun-
teered to take the dispatch to Sum.
ter; that Greene sent her, and that
she travelled distance of over ono
hundred miles and took the dispatch
to Sumter, whom she found on the
Wateroe, beng on the road three
days, during which timo she was
captured and searched for the dis
patch, which she had swallowed, aftor
which she was taken before Lord
Rawdon, who released her; and as Il
result Of her trip was Sumter induced
to join Greene and appear before
Rawdon at Orangeburg; and finally
that she did not got back home for
two weoks thereafter, because the
country around CRANKY was full of
the enemy.
Now that Emily Geiger carried
dispatch from Greene to Sumter
during that campaign against Ninety
Six cannot doubt, for nearly every
imperfect tradition has some foun.
dation in fact; but the story of her
escapade, as told by the writings
above referred to, is entirely refuted
by the correspondence that passed
between Gems. Greene and Sumter.
and their subordinate officers at that
limo. In fact there are many things
told in these stories about Emily
Geiger that could not possibly have
happened. These letters to which |
have referred, and from which shall
quote defence of my position, arc
to be found printed in Gibbes' "Docu-
mentary History of the American
Revolution" sores 1881 and 1882,
published in 1858, and in the appen-
dix Of the Charleston Year Book for
1900.
THE DOCUMENTS IN THE CASE.
Several weeks after the battle of
Hobkirks Hill, April 25, 1881, Con.
Greene moved down into tho fork of
the Congaree and Wateroe rivers,
and crossed the Congarce into
Orangeburg District at McCords for
ry. This is shown by letter which
he wrote from that point to Samuel