The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1901-12-24

completed to the freize line, was the
mark of overy gunner Several shells
entered tho bare window openings
amt five struct the building, but
made little impression upon it's mas
sive walls.
The old State house was ono of
the 400 buildings destroyed by
Gen. Shorman's army, and the gran
lte at the southeast corner of the new
capitol was baked off by the fire
which destroyed the old building.
At the time there was a large quan.
lty of dressed marble and other
material for the building on the
ground. The architect estimate d
the value Of that destroyed by Gen.
Sherman at 100000, besides the
mutilation of the beautiful marble
in place on the front and rear porti
COS which is still apparent. A mine
was prepared under the building TO
completely destroy it, when q report
reached the city that q wing of the
army above Columbia had been at
tackled by Hampton's calvary. Gen.
Sherman ordered the powder removed
with the remark that it would be q
useless waste of ammunition, and
that he would "leave the people so
poor that they would never com
plete it," fastening his departure
from the city, then in smoking
ruins.
Work continued in desultory
manner until 1890, when it was en-
tirely discontinued, until the session
of the general assembly of 1900,
which appropriated $175,000 for the
additions now being made, under
plans of Architect Frank p. Milburn.
A dome was adopted in lieu of the
granite tower originally intended to
surmount the structure.
The granite work upon the old
building is pronounced by experts to
be without exception the finest in
the United States, not excepting the
splendid buildings of the national
government at Washington. The
massive square pillars in the lower
corridor are hewr from a single
block of granite, and are finished in
the best manner known to stone cut
tors. 1t was intended that the en-
tablature of the front pediment should
be cut from single stone, which
was actually quarried and on the
ground at the close of the war, but
was never dressed, and during the
reconstruction period the legislature
donated portion of it for monu-
ment to a negro politician, when it
was cut in two. This is said to have
been tho largest piece of granite at
that time ever quarried in the United
States. During the disgraceful Pc
riod which followed the wer, when
the people of the north we're endeav-
oring to secure the political rights of
tho negro by overriding those of the
Intelligent and property owning peo-
pie of the State, all material on the
ground small enough to be moved
was appropriately" with all other
property OF the State, by the scala
wags and thieves then IN control of
the government. One hundred thous
and dollars was expended in "fur
nlshing' the State house with desks,
etc, that would have been exhorbi-
tant at one quarter Of the prices
charged, and included such items as
silver plated water pitcher for the
Governors Office at 800 cuspidors
at $l8 each, and other articles in
proportion. A majority OF the mem
bers of the house of representatives
could not write their names, while q
majority of the members of the senate
were in the habit OF settling their
personal accounts by orders upon the
contingent fund of the senate. In.
cluded in necessary supplies" for
the general assembly we're enormous
quantities of champagne and
whskey, which was freely dispensed
in the little room on the right as YOU
enter the gallery of the senate. It
was in this room that John j. Patter.
son, elected to the United States 80
nate, declared that there would be
Give years more of good stealipo in