Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-06-05

This was more than the new maue
Regulator could stand. He showed
that if he was hungry for a fight ne
was no glutton. He took to his heels
and ran like a quarter-horse. 1t hap
pened that he had in his coat pocket a
lead inkstand. In his flight he jump
ed a large gully and his coat tail flew
up, and the pocket with the inkstand
struck him on the back Of the head.
He fell on his face, crying at the top
of the voice, I'm shot! I'm shot! I'm
dead man! Gentleman, don't kill
mel"
In 1863, courts were established at
Ninety-Six, Orangeburg and Camden,
This was all the relief the Regulators
desired. Multitudes of the horse
thieves were gathered up and brought
to trial. Tradition says that Scovill
was tried at Ninety-Six for stealing
chickens. The evidence adduced to
prove the charge was that on certain
night, Colonel Scovill did steal from
some one thirty-eight chickens. Col
onel Scoville most solemnly declared
this was a most Infamous falsehood.
There were only" he said, Sax and
thirty, for / ate the guzzards." AS a
matter of course, we suppose he was
acquitted of the charge Of having stolen
thirty-eight chickens, but found guilty
of having stolen thirty-six. Ridiculous
as this may seem, it is said on good
authority to be a fact; and If so, gives
us a correct idea of the kind Of man
that Governor Montague selected to
settle a difficulty between honest men
and thieves.
The Regulators, on the breaking out
of the war between the colonies and
England, were generally Wings, whilst
the Scovillites were Tories or loyalist.
The two parties still continued; but
under their new names, Whig and
Tory.
1t must be confessed that the Wings
often acted imprudently and sometimes
very rashly. In the western section OF
the state, there were many men OF in
f1uence who refused, they said, from
conscientious scruples, to take any
part with the Wings in throwing off the
yoke of Great Britain. Amongst these
we might mention the three Cunning
hams, Patrick, Robert and William
(generally known as Bloody BilPO
Brown, Fletchall and some others.
Whether gentler measures would have
won these men over or not, 1t would
have been wiser and with all due res
pect to the gallant old Wings Of 1776,
it would have been more honorable to
have first tried gentler measures and
then acted as the circumstances of the
case might demand 1t is not claimed
for the Wings of 1776 that they were
infallible On the contrary, it is ad-
mitted they were but men, liable to
do wrong. In their zeal for the Ameri-
can cause. the Whig leaders attempted
by abuse to dragoon the loyalists to
side with them. That which was at
first a speck on the face Of the heavens,
soon enveloped everything Difference
of opinion was merged into determin-
ed opposition in every respect.
Robert Cunningham and his brother
Patrick, were men of very considerable
influence in their region of country.
They were Of Scotch descent and were
loyalists Robert was the first judge
appointed for Ninety-Six district and
before him the notorious ScOvill was
tried. Patrick yas deputy surveyor
general of the province of South Caro-
lima. Lord William Campbell, then
governor Of the province, opened up a
secret correspondence with these up
country loyalists. They were told to
make all possible preparations for re-
sistance, but to be quiet until blow
was struck by the British government.
1t is however, no easy matter to keep
men of violent passions within the
bounds Of moderation. 1t is no less diff
cult to restrain violent partisans from
acts and words that are calculated to
develop slight dislikes into open and
avowed hatred. Thus one word led to
another and one violent act was but the
forerunner of another act more violent.
Finally the different parties assembled
under leaders of their own choice Or
self constituted leaders. armed them
selves and prepared for civil war.
Late in August of 1875 the Rev. Will
liam Tenant and William Henry Dray-
ton, visited the Ninety-SiX region.
They made an honest attempt to con-
ciliate the people. Both these men
were enthusiastic on the subject of
American rights, and although they
were honest in their efforts to advance
righteous cause, they were not al
ways prudent in dealing with those
who could not or at least would not see
things as they saw them. Vague and
false rumorS We're put in circulation
by both parties. 1t was reported that
the royalists were preparing to seize
the agents of the Council of Safety;
whilst it was as firmly asserted that
ii was the purpose of the Whig party
to force, by an appeal to arms, the roy
alists to sign the articles of assOcia-
tion. The rolayists assembled i'm camp
on the Enoree Drayton called out the
militia and prepared TO march against
them and drive them from the coun-
try. His proclamation is dated Sep
tember the 18th, 1875. Moses Kirk
land who had been appointed "a captain
by the Wings but who had turned q
traitor, fled to Charleston and went or
board the Tamar on the 10th of Sep
tember, a treaty was entered into be-
tween the hostile parties, signed on the
part of the Wings by William Henry
Drayton. and on the part of the royal
lists by Colonel Thomas Fletchall, Cap
tain John Ford, Captain Thomas Greer
Captain Evan McLaurin and Captain
Benjamin Wofford. In this treaty /
was agreed that all parties should gt
home and live i'm peace. Robert Gun
lningham claimed that he was no
bound by the articles of this treaty ant
still continued to stir up the people II
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