Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-03-05

They were burnt during the fire
when Sherman's army was in the
city, and destroyed much of the stone
work. The one place to which the
old South Carolinian would not turn
his e''es was to the capitol that was
once his greatest pride, and that
then had been hastily improvised
with wooden roof and finishing to
enable the released bondmen to make
laws for their masters.
THE NEGRO ON THE QUARTER DECK.
There was a number of unusually
able negro leaders in the State at tho
time, and they could have made a
great record for themselves and for
their race; but they were human
and should not be too, severely
judged for yielding to the tempta-
tions which environed them. Pro-
fiigacy and theft were in the air, and
the slaves who had blacked the boots
of guests at the hotels filled the
chairs of Senator'S and Representa-
tives, and when idleness and luxury
seemed to be free gifts there were
few, if any, who had the courage to
maintain their integrity. One was a
Supreme Judge, others were Circuit
Judges; and they were represented
in every department and ready 10
follow the unscrupulous white lead
ers, who misled them into the most
bewildering corruption and extrava-
gance. The negro was master, and
he knew it, and the men who led
him doubtless knew that their mas
terry must be brief; but they ex-
pected to enrich themselves and
escape in time, leaving the negro the
legacy of criminal punishment and
poverty. One white adventurer who
-bargained and won high position
from the carpet-bag government in
sisted that the battle of 1876, that
resulted in the overthrow and sur
render of carpet-bag rule, should be
fought out desperately to the end,
giving his reason that there was cat
least four more years of good steal
ing in the State" The Governor
was weak and corrupt, and his weak
ness greatly accumulated his dishon-
esty, as it made him the playtbing of
jostling plunderers.
A RUsE.
Such was the situation in South
Carolina when / spent the winter of
1870 at the capital. The social con-
ditions we,l sharply defined. The
old Solon Carolina pride naturally
refused all social recognition of the
negro under every circumstance, and
they carried it to the extreme of
refusing recognition of all who gave
any measure of recognition to the
negro. An amusing incident oc-
Cured at Governor Scott's first recep-
ton. Judge Orr was at the same
hotel with me, and he was invited
along with myself, Mrs. Mcclure
and young lady who accompanied
us. 1t was not certain whether the
prominent men and women of color
would be among the guests, but it
was regarded as probable. Judge
Orr and myself were both 80 situated
as to make it prudent for us to attend
the reception, but the question was
what to do with the ladies. The
Judge finally decided that he would
take Mrs. Mcclure and | should take
her companion, and that we would
go early, and if at any time during
the entertainment the colored guests
made their appearance one of the
ladies of our party should become
suddenly i'll and compel US to retire.
The arrangement was perfected with
the ladies, and we went to the recep-
ton, but fortunately no colored Wis
itors came.
The Governor was a candidate for
reelection, and he knew that in no
way could he give greater offense to
the whites of the State than to have
promiscuous gathering of blacks
and whites on a social occasion in
the Governors mansion He could
arrange with the negroes and their
political leaders, because that was
simply question of interest, but he
had no way to disarm the hostility
of the Southern whites but by ex-
Guiding the blacks at his receptions.
He was reelected some months later,
and after that period the Governors
mansion was often the scene of vio-
lent social revels of mixed audiences
of blacks and whites.
SOUTHERN BITTERNESS.
The secession feeling was then at
white heat not only in Columbia but
generally throughout the State.
They could stand defeat when they