The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-06-14
CANARY" MILLER.
A Reminlscence OF the Dark Days in
South Carolina.

Sometimes a single name or a small
incident will open fioodgates of recol-
lections for those who have seen and
felt things and bring to very vivid life
old times and long arrays of dead
men. We read I'm the South Carolina
newspapers that T. f. Miller has been
removed summarily by the new gov
ernor from his long held position as
president OF the colored university at
Orangeburg.
This Is Canary" Miller" quite an
old man now and long ago reconciled
to white rule and become a good and
useful citizen. He was different thirty
four years ago when he sat in the
South Carolina legislature as a repre-
sentative from Beaufort-a short.
square built man. seven-eights white
wearing a heavy light gray sack suit.
with the habit OF running his hands
into the pockets OF the coat fairly
clear indication of a loaded revolver
In each pocket. Other nasty habits
had Canary" He sat as member Of
the last attempt at a Republican leg
islature In a southern state in the last
year OF the reconstruction era. He sat
with "The Ring-tailed Roarer Of the
cambahee." a black negro whose Gull
iah dialect from the coast of Africa
whose immediate ancestry was so
strong that a white man from the up
country barely could understand him
whom he addressed the house; also
with the Duke OF Marlboro" and
unctuous yellow scoundrel representing
the very garden spot of the State.
who used TO rise up and thunder
from a broad chest and a wide throat
when the house In chorus rendered
Hold the Fort for Hayes and Wheel
er." How II did reverberate. rend-
cred to the air OF Hold the fort for
j am coming" when the South Caro-
lima legislature refreshed itself with
song!
Canary was not OF the group COL
iectively known as "The Forty
Thieves" but he was about as full OF
fight and venom as a rattlesnake. One
hundred and twenty-five was the le-
gal membership Of the house of rep
resentatives In the year OF the mighty
uprising OF the white people under
leadership OF Wade Hampton. the
outbursting and explosion Of q fight
ing and desperate civilization against
q $4,000 negro majority. the law and
Ulysses s. Grant in the presidents
seat. The Democrats had elected six
ty-four--on the face of the returns
BY means they kept two or three ne
ngro Republican representatives at
their homes; but when their names
were called they answered. Dummies
ringers" had been put in TO answer
for them and no Democrat dared
aycw knowledge that the realities
were not there. Who could identify
one iowiand corn field negro from an
other? Then the Dem ocrats, again
by means. won over two or three.
Tom Hamilton was among them. He
must have been q descendant OF a
Zulu chieftain because later when
his brethren clamored against him
he rose. tall and starlight. his skin
smooth and sleek as silk. and remark
ed that sometimes he went out I'm his
field and killed a rice bird with a re-
volver for his sport; whereupon his
brethren whimpered into silence be-
cause they knew 1t was so. Men.
white or black. who could drive a
pistol bullet through n rice bird at
eighteen steps were valuable at that
moment. and to be respected. But
when the Democrats gained over re-
cruits the Republicans-"Radic Z"
everybody called them then---simply
went through the formality If declar-
ing seats from some Democratic
counties vacant and filed them with
anybody who might be handy wear
Ing any names that might TT, and SO
retained their legal majority, to he
certified to Washington.
So II befell that on a December day
the sixty-hve Democrats and their
colored allies. sitting in Carolina Hail
at Columbia, decided TO go and oc-
cupy the hall Of the house of repre-
sentatiyes at the state house. They
went uooplng close behind Lawrence
Orr OF Anderson county. six feet and
four inches high and two hundred
and sixty pounds in bulk. who threw
his weight against closed doors and
door-keeper and burst one and over