Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-03-06
From the Yorkville Enquirer Of 1875.
INSTALLMENT XIX.
Slaves of the Indians.

Slaves of the Indians.
It is not certain what part Govern
or Moore took in the military expe-
dition which resulted in the battle or
Flint river. The probability is that
he knew nothing about 1t until after
II was ended. One ct the charges
brought against the governor, by
respectable number Of the most wor-
thy inhabitants of the colony, was his
barbarous treatment of the Indians
Whether Governor Moore introduced
into the colony the traffic of Indians
or not, ore thing is certain, he prac-
ticed it to an extent and In manner
unprecedented in the history, 1t would
seem, of any of the colonies In Amer
lea. Before his time, Indians captur-
ed in war were reduced to slavery,
and in some instances they were sent
off and sold into bondage. In some
instances victorious tribes brought
those whom they had captured from
the enemies and sold them to the
"olonists for a trifle. Governor
Moore, however, instituted a new
system of reducing the Indian tribes;
or rather, he adopted plan for Sc
curing slaves. different from any
heretofore practiced in the colony.
He sent out parties to capture In
dians. The object was to secure slaves
for his own use. The Indians from
whom he was most solicitous to make
captives and thus reduce them to
bondage, were friends Of the Span
iards and consequently, the enemies
of the English. The Appalachees
were the allies of the Spanish and the
Creeks of tire English. This being
the case, the two tribes were hostile
to each other. Governor Moore sent
out a party of his minions under
the direction of Anthony Dodsworth
and Robert MacKoone, to capture,
for the purpose Of making slaves Of
them as many Appalachees as they
could. In this vile work, they were
assisted by the Creeks.
This band Of kidnappers had made
their way on one of their scouting ex-
peditions out of the present limits OF
the state, when they were apprised
of the approach of nine hundred APP
palachees under the direction OF the
Spaniards, to make an attack upon
the colony at Charles Town. Such
being the facts in the case. we are
prepared to say that, bad as the Span
iards were, they sometimes were not
wholly in the wrong. No one can
censure the Spaniards for defending
their allies.
This Indian traffic Of Governor
Moore rs the worse feature Of his
history. No palliation can be offered
for it. All the best men Of the col
ony, at the time, declared 1t was "un-
Just and barbarous in itself, and will
in all probability draw upon US an
Indian war with all the dreadful con-
quences of it."
The Pretext of a War.
The attempted invasion Of the col
ony by the Spaniards and Appa-
lachees, in the early part Of 1902,
cannot be offered as even a pretext
for the expedition against st. Angus
tine in the latter part Of the same
year. Neither can it be said that 1t
grew out of the fact that war had
been declared by the English gov
ernment against Spain. The fact Is,
it was an expedition planned by
James Moore and undertaken by him
for the sole purpose Of plunder.
Neither the advancement of the Eng
lish government nor the prosperity of
the colony in South Carolina were
consulted. The Spanish of st. Angus
tine had never, it is true. respected
any treaties Of peace entered into be-
tween the home government and that
of England; and besides. being the
first to make an attack upon the COL
ony at Charles Town. and had ever
acted the part of depredators upon
the colony and inflamers Of the worst
passions of the Indians against IT.;
but the expedition planned and un-
dertaken by Governor Moore against
st. Augustine, was in no sense a STRAIT
egical movement to avenge these
wrongs. The impression was made
upon the minds of the assembly that
the object of the expedition was to
maintain the security of the colony.
1t had been discovered that st. Au-
gustine was in such a condition as
to render it probable that 1t could be
taken with comparative ease.
Tricky and Unscrupulous.
The people were greatly incensed
at Governor Moore on account Of the
manner in which the election Of 1901
had been conducted. In order to
becloud their minds and thus screen
his fraudulent conduct from an in
vestigation; and at the same time op-
pressed with debts, and withal Of an
avaricious disposition, his fertile brain
devised an expedition against st. Au-
gustine.
Although the matter was debated
in low tones and with closed doors,
it was not kept a secret from the
Spaniards. They sent to Havana for
aid, and in the meantime busily en-
ployed themselves in removing to the
castle all that was valuable in the
town. In this stronghold they stored
away a sufficient amount of food for
four months.
The assembly in order to meet the
expenses of the war. levied tax of
two thousand pounds-about ten
thousand dollars-on real and per-
sonal estates. and of and from the
profits and the revenues of the inhabi-
tants. The ships in the harbor were
seized for the purpose of conveying
the troops. Port Royal was fixed
upon as the place of general rendeZ-
vous. An army of twelve thousand
men was collected, one half of whom
were Indians. At first Col. Robert
Daniel was made commander-in-ch
Of the expedition; but for some reason
this order was changed. and Governor