Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1908-01-09

ly One Year.
The following letter written by
Mr.. Beers. of Bristol, Conn.,. to the
Connecticut Valley Advertiser, will
be read with interest. Mr.. Beers is
at the head of huge lumber comp
any located near Rowesville, and has
been living in South Carolina little
less than one year. He seems to be
close observer. Here is his letter:
This is the time of the year when
the collector is abroad in this land
and when the negroes are in hiding
in the woods to avoid meeting him.
They have the lien law in force and
system of chattel mortgages that
means that the negro and the poor
white too can and does mortgage not
only what he has on hand in the shape
of property, but he mortgages the
future crop which is not yet plant
ed.
Already negroes are coming into
the stores and buying fertilizers to
make the next years crop. When the
crops turn out well it is a good year
for the business men, as they make
a practice of selling under the liens
at an exorbitant profit, but when the
year is bad and that year is followed
by another bad year, then the mer-
chant is liable to find himself in a
hole and with lot of nearly worth
less live stock on hand.
Under the lien law the man gives
note and mortgage on the crop that
he is going to grow, and it is his bus
iness to take the first bale of cotton
or the first sack of rice or the first of
his corn crop and turn it over to his
creditor. This he must do before he
markets any of the crop to an out
slider. AS cotton is about the only
crop that is grown in this State for
the market it is the first bale or
bales of cotton that he should turn
ever. and the negro has more than
one way to get out of doing this.
AS every negro who grows cotton
is well known to the ginners and to
the merchants as well, he does this
way to get around his obligation.
Instead of taking his cotton to the
ginnery he takes it in small quanti-
ties to well-to-do negro who man.
ages to keep out of debt and this ne
gro has it ginned as though it was
his own and gives them part Of the
proceeds. Each ginnery keeps a rec
ord of all men for whom they gin
cotton and thus there is no record
against the negro who has disposed
of his cotton without first settling
with his creditor.
One fairly well-to-do negro who
lives little distance out of Rowes-
vile and who had about eight acres
of cotton this year which should have
furnished him with about four bales,
have already ginned l3 bales. The
negro who thus disposes of his cot
ton leaves it at the home of the man
who is to have it ginned before day
light and he is not seen by the man
who lives there and if he is question
ed he Can say that he did not see any
body leave it there.
For the last two weeks there have
been riding about the country around
Rowesville at least II collectors for
as many different concerns. They
have been taking in live stock that
was sold last spring and in many cas-
es have nailed up the doors of corn
houses to hold the contents against
the owners. One collector for a con-
cern in Bamberg, 18 miles away.
which sells horses and mules has al
ready driven off at least 20 head that
were sold last spring to negroes.
In some cases the negro will give a
mortgage on an OK, horse or a mule
that he does not own. OF course this
is perjury and when the collector
comes around and finds out what has
been done then is the time for the
negro to take to the woods and re-
main there for the next two or three
months until the collector has got
tired of looking for him.
Last spring a negro living near
town mortgaged an OK to concern
in part payment of mule and the
collector started to drive away the OK
few days ago. The negro told him
that he mad better drive the OK
through the streets of Rowesville
and then he took to the woods. Wher
the OK was in front of the store of j
F. Boone the latter went out anC
asked the man where he was goine
with his OK.
Mr.. Boone rented the OK, a cabin
and 40 acres of land to the negro
four years ago for an annual renta
of one bale of cotton. Plenty o.
men in town knew of the circum
stances and they satisfied the collec
tor at once that he had no claim OF
the OK and it was turned into tht
yard back of Mr.. Boone's store.
One negro. who is in hiding at tn,
, present time because he can not NEE
a claim of $83 for which he made
fraudulent mortgage, sent in by
friend night or two since 30 cent
to be rendered the collector in par
payment.
Two negroes, who are we'll known
to the writer bought wagon las
spring and made a small paymen
and gave lien on the wagon for the
balance of the payment. One O
the men paid up his portion durin,
the year, but the other paid nothing
When it was time for the collecto
4 to put in an appearance the MAJ
4 who had paid up took front and
e rear wheel and the thills and tn
! wagon seat to his home and secrete,