Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-04-17


dians made a delicious cordial out of
the fruit.
The woods of South Carolina, one
hundred and fifty years ago, were full
of wild animals, many Of which have
entirely disappeared. Besides the few
wild animals which still remain, there
were then elk, buffalo, bears, tigers
and wild cats. Buffaloes were abund-
ant In some sections of the state. These
animals, like many others, had their
particular territory which they fire.
quented. This territory was almost al
ways watered by some stream Of wa
ter. From the fact that the animals
were found In abundance In the neigh
borhood Of that stream, 1t was given
the name Of the animal. Thus we have
in various sections of the state,
streams bearing the name Turkey
creek. We have in York county Wolf
creek and a Buffalo creek. In Chester
county a Bull Run; in Fairfield Coon
branch, and in the state there are sew
eral small streams which once bore the
name Wild Cat.
Although when the government of
the state passed from under the con-
troll of the proprietors into the hands
Of the King of England, the state had
been settled for more than fifty years,
1t was still almost a virgin forest,
grand with its native beauties. But
little of the soil had been cultivated.
Only a small portion Of the territory
embraced in the original grant had
been seen by any European.
Several causes prevented the early
emigrants from extending their settle
ments to any great distance beyond
Charles Town. The Spanish on the
south and the Indians In all directions,
prevented this. Sometimes the Span
ish were at peace and sometimes at
war with England; but at almost every
period previous to 1924, they were the
bitter enemies Of the colonists planted
on the soil that now bears the name of
South Carolina
The French were now making rapid
encroachments upon the territorial
grant of the state. In 1712. Louis the
Fourteenth granted Crozat a. large
tract Of country at the mouth Of the
Mississippi This was a part of. the
territory granted by Charles the Sec
ond Of England to the original proprie-
tors. From this point, the French
colony planted in what is now the state
of Louisiana gradually extended to the
settlement at Charles Town. BY them
fort called Alabama was erected on
the Mobile river. Their object In
building this fort was to put them
selves in easy communication with the
Indian tribes Of the country. In this
lay the danger to the colony Of South
Carolina. The Indians were melted to
hostilities.
In 1925, King George granted Gov
ernor Nicholson permission to return
to England, and the government de-
volved upon the president Of the coun-
ell, Arthur Middleton. Nicholson bad
been generous, liberal and patriotic,
and consequently very popular. The
income from his Office had been freely
expended in promoting the public good.
Arthur Middleton had been active in
bringing about the change from the
proprietary to the royal government.
He was firm and unwavering In his
attachment to the king; but not dis
posed to make great personal sacrifices
for the good of the colonies. His as
pirations were not for popularity; but
rather for individual wealth. He does
not seem to have had much ambition
for popular honors, but to have been
anxious to secure the position Of an
English lord with ample wealth.
Soon after his administration began
a difficulty occurred between him and
the Spanish authorities respecting the
boundary line between Florida and
South Carolina. The Carolinians had
built a fort on the Altamaha for the
purpose Of preventing the negroes of
the colony from escaping to Florida,
and also for the purpose Of preventing
the Indians who were allied with the
Spanish, from depredations upon the
property of the settlers. In this fort a
few soldiers were kept.
The Spanish governor Of st. Angus
tine complained to the Spanish king of
this encroachment. The complaint
was brought by the Spanish ambassa-
dor at London before the British gov
ernment. 1t was agreed, In order not
to disturb the peaceable relations then
existing between England and Spain,
that the governor Of South Carolina
and the Spanish governor of Florida
should meet and settle the dispute in a
friendly manner. The meeting took
place at Charles Town. Franciso
MenandeZ and Joseph de Rabiero rep
resented the Spanish government. In
the conference which took place Gov
ernor Middleton showed the Spanish
that the fort erected at
the Altamaha was within the territory
originally granted to the colony and
that the claims of the Spaniards were
without foundation. This was the
case. The Spanish had no well-found-
ed claim to the territory on which that
fort was erected.
The fort may have been erected, in
part at least, with different intention
from what was mentioned; but the soil
upon which it was erected was beyond
controversy. the property Of South Car
lima. No doubt one object which was
contemplated in erecting the fort was
to decoy the Indians, who were friends
to the Spanish, from their allegiance.
The Spanish government asserted that
such was the case, and no doubt there
was some truth in 1t. Middleton COM
planned that the Spanish authorities of
st. Augustine encouraged the negroes
of South Carolina to run away from
their masters. This was not denied
but justified on the ground that it was
in accordance with the wishes and in
structionS of the court of Madrid. 1t
was declared that the object which
was designed to be accomplished by
decoying these slaves away from their
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