Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1910-12-02


On the South Carolina coast asena-
one Of those imposins s.'ie,,''.' '.''-''' :.
fo,. xrhfeh fhat ~sate ~ AaniVus. ~
vs. puiit during the times when the
southern settlers. requiring laborers to
work on their tobacco plantations. were
importing large cargoes Of African ne
groes. who were held as slaves. 1t is
Of brick. with large pillars in front.
and. considering its age, is in re-
markable state of preservation. This
IS because a recent owner has put it
in repair.
Like other houses Of its kind dating
back to the seventeenth century. il
was built out Of the proceeds, of ne
eroes captured In Africa and sold as
slaves in America. But the slave trade
and its twin brother. piracy, were
not in that day deprecated as they
are, or rather would be. today. He
who built the house referred to be.
came one Of the most prominent men
Of his time. Richard Granville was
not his name. but in bringing out the
antecedents Of his descendants It is a
fur safer name to use than his own.
He began life as sailor. visiting ev-
cry country where there was trudlng
10 be done. and few Of his older
slaves. who were house servants and
thus enabled The mere readily to be-
come conversant with his secrets.
handed down n tradition that their
master started his fortune in piracy.
Be this as it may. up to the middle
Of the last century his descendants
did not deny that much Of his money
had been made in the slave trade. In
his old age his conscience troubled
hiia. and those who were nearest him
said that he desired to make some
reparation for his misdeeds. He had
statue Of himself made OF bronze
and set 1t up on a pedestal in a bay
window Of his library. The left hand
rests on an anchor. and the right holds
a sextant-not a mock sextant; real
one. though not of brass. but of the
same material as the statue. He left
orders that no headstone should mark
his grave. and Il was supposed that
he intended the statue as a substitute
for one At any rate. no one now
knows where lie is buried.
Different generations Of his descend
ants discussed the statue and won
dered at the whim which led their
progenitor to erect 1t. One thing
about It excited special attention.
Every morning the sun. shining in
upon it. strikes the eyepiece Of the
sextant and. passing through the tube.
casts a soias image On the opposite
wall, The track Of this raunl spot Of
light changes with the season. iravers-
ing slightly different path each day.
There is another thing that puzzled
the owners Of the Granville estate.
The only inscription on the statue. or.
rather. Its pedestal. is the date Of
Richard Granville's birth. And not
only is the date given. but the hour
and minute.
OF all topics connected with the
statue probably the giving of this
minute information was most discuss
ed. No one who saw it could remem-
Der having seen any memorial giving
either tbe hour ana minnie of birtb
or fhe hour and minnie Of n daatb
But one generation after another mass
ed away. and no plapsible reason for
either the statue or lis singular in
scription was suggested
During the ciyil war Flwood Gran
willie the Owner of the estate at tbot
time foneht for tho malntenance Of
the svstem in The Introduction Of
which his progenitor took 81 imnor-
tant a nart colonel Granville was a
religious man and one Of those who
traced authority fdr slavery from the
Bible. Alier the wal he returned 10
his plantation and began 10 run it
anew under the ssstem thar hid been
born DURING fha struggle
few naDers INN haa belAnged To
the original Granville were haaded
down through his des enfants. They
had been preserved tinae ard aqain t,g
different nersons. Eut anpearea to con-
tain nothing 10 throw ans i.sht on tho
puzzles connected with lha writer or
receiver One day Ca,anel Granville,
while amusing himself with these
documents. read a letter from the
founder OF his house to a clergyman in
which the former SAID that he would
like to leave at his death II fund for the
benefit Of the negro race IN America.