The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-11-13
!: M s. T E5<D 0n0
- LII L. TIL. THORPE
Copyright, 1901, by T. H. Thorpe.
Copyright, 1901, by T. H. Thorpe.

politics. One hears nothing else there
now. The supporters Of Breckenridge
encourage Horace to run for congress,
and he is quite willing to do so, though
he tells them he is opposed to the eX-
tension OF slavery They regard the
race as being entirely between Mr..
Breckinridge and Mr.. Douglas. Lin
coins candidacy is laughed at"
IF the lawsuit should be decided
against NJ. Horace, he will be bitterly
opposed in this parish" Laure OBJ
served.
THAT is a very big if" Evariste re-
piled.
"And if Lincoln should win q great
many plans will be upset. l know
nothing Of politics, but they say these
things on the highlands" Laure smil-
ed apologetically.
"You must make that IL still larger.
Laure. The great heads in the city Will
hardly admit that Lincoln is running"
!. 81 have heard my grandfather say
there were just two smart men in this
parish-Baldouino and Quillebert-one
gifted as if from God, the other as If
by the devil"
"Well?" Queried Evariste.
81 have also heard that Baldouino
said not long ago that if both Douglas
ana Breckenridge are candidates to the
end Lincoln will be elected president,
and Quillebert has said that he will
win the suit in the supreme court. !"
Laure had spoken with a poSitiveness
that was not without it's effect upon
Eyariste. and rs be pursued his jour
ney homeward he seriously revolved in
his mind these possibilities and their
bearing upon his own aims and inter-
ests.
Oakfeil returned q week later, and
his supporters set actively to work to
secure q favorable delegation to the
convention called to met at Baton
Rouge On the 18th day Of October. They
were successful. though considerable
strength was developed against him.
It was believed he would receive the
nomination. which would be tanta-
mount to election. His friends proud
" anticipated the distinction his career
in congress would give to the parish
and had agreed upon three representa-
tive citizens to accompany him in a
short canvass Of the district after the
convention. He had spent happy
hour with Estelle and was sitting IN
his plantation Office thinking Of her
! when Leon brought letters and papers
from New Orleans just arrived by way
Of the Red River landing. One bulky
envelope bore the card Of Drofes-
sional friend Of whom be had request
ed the earliest possible news of the
courts Judgment. The letter said:
81 caused copy to be made of the
opinion handed down by the supreme
court this morning in the suit Of Leon
Queyrouze versus Quillebert for free
dom and mail it by today's boat in
order that you may know the result
before tomorrow's newspapers can
reach you. The chief justice was the
| organ of the court and had the con-
currence Of three Of the associates.
One justice, as you will notice, dis
sented."
Quivering with interest," he read the
following dictum Of the highest court
Of the state, penned by its chief justice:
''The plaintiff, with his mother and
other children, were inventoried as be-
! longing to the estate Of Queyrouze.
One Poydre. acting as agent for the
heirs, made sale Of the property, with
the exception Of the boy Leon. He sold
the mother Of the plaintiff and her 9TH
er children to the defendant Quillebert.
Leon himself was expressly exempted
from the sale, being then in the keep
ing OF one Mrs. Wyley. to whom he
! had been sent by the expressed wish Of
Queyrouze About nine years after
! the defendant obtained possession Of
the plaintiff and enjoyed the benefit Of
his labor until be ran away after the
institution Of this suit.
''There is testimony in the record to
show that Queyrouze and his heirs in
tended that Leon should be free and
some conversations in which he said
he was free. The plaintiff, however,
never asserted bis freedom and never
left the service Of the defendant until
he absconded after the bringing Of
this suit. On the contrary, he admitted
he was slave to person whom he
wished to bargain for him.
"HoHever desirous the heirs Of Quey-
rouze may have been that the plaintiff
should become free, their wishes alone
could not make him so. This being a
matter affecting the public order, it
required the action Of the public au-
thorities before it could be brought
about.
at is apparent that in this contro-
versy it is q matter Of no consequence
who is the owner. whether Quil!ebert
or the heirs Of Queyrouze. The only
question which we can consider is
whether the plaintiff had acquired the
status Of free person Of color prior to
! the PRONUNCIATION of the act CT 1857,
which now prohibits emancipation.
at is quite clear that the plaintiff
has never enjoyed his liberty for one
week, much less the space Of ten years.
! He has been all his life under the con-
| troll Of others. who have enjoyed the
benefit Of his labor. 1t matters not, SO
! far as this controversy is concerned,
whether the defendent Qu!llebert has
acted in good or bad faith or whether
| he has acred against the wishes Of the
heirs Of Queyrouze. If the plaintiff
cannot show the facts on which the
law declares his emancipation or free.
dom, he must fail in his action.
The Judgment Of the lower court,
which was in favor Of the plaintiff,
must be reversed"
! Oakfel with burning eyes read again
these words Of the chief justice: at is
! matter Of no consequence who is own
er, whether Quillebert or the heirs Of