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CHAPTER NINTH - JOURNAL CONTINUED - To resume the
Journal, so long suspended
"April 8th. After having been allowed
more than a week to become acquainted with our new quarters, we were
summoned to-day, for the first time, before the United States
Commissioner. It looks-somewhat strangely, to be arrested under a warrant,
requiring our immediate presence before the Commissioner, and then to be
left in jail for ten days, before any call is made. But we must remember,
this is Recon-struction.
"We were marched in procession with one
assistant U. S. Marshal at the head, and another in the rear, nearly the
whole length of Main street, down to the State House. Of course this
exhibition was much enjoyed by the lewd fellows of the baser sort,' black
and white, who so constantly infest the streets of Columbia. The room
occupied by the Commissioner was well supplied with chairs, but these were
all filled by greasy winches, who sat there to enjoy the spectacle of
white men brought to grief. The Commissioner himself (Boozer) is a poor
creature, a mere tool of Joe Crews, without whose instructions he says
nothing in these cases. Joe was sitting by his side and looking more like
a culprit than any of those before him. We were asked when we would be
ready for a hearing before the Commissioner ? As spokesman for the party I
answered, 'just now, and just here, as we are anxious to learn what has
brought us from our homes at this busy season, to the jail in
Columbia.'After a whisper from Joe, Boozer replied, ' but the government
is not ready, and can't be for a week or more.' With this encouraging
information we were marched back in the same order, having contributed
something to them of these officials, Marshals and Commissioner. No other
motive could be seen for the parade."
Before making the next
extract, it may be well to premise what was exactly the participation of
the writer in the riot of 1870, for which his warrant stated he had been
arrested.
As already mentioned in this narrative, the exercises of
the Female College had been resumed on that day, at nine o'clock, A. M.,
the writer was there at his post. He continued teaching his classes till
two P. M., the usual hour of closing, perfectly unconscious of what was
going on on the public square. The college is a quarter of a mile distant
from the scene of action, and the wind was blowing so violently towards
the square that he did not even hear the guns. At two o'clock parents sent
to request him to retain their daughters at the college, as there was much
excitement" down street."
On learning the true state of the case
and that perfect quiet had been restored, he formed into a squad the young
ladies living beyond the square, and marched at their head past the scene
of disturbance.
This was the only bellicose act on his part daring
that eventful day, and the young ladies are ready to testify that no
negro—man, woman or child—was seen by them on their whole line of march.
As the riot had taken place at 11 A. M., in all probability there was not
another citizen of Laurens who knew less of it than the writer, until he
was informed of it some three hours after it was all over.
Now for the FARCE IN THE COURT
HOUSE
"April 18th. At four o'clock this afternoon we were
all marched to the court-house, and there we found Boozer sitting in the
Clerk's chair, with Joe Crews by his side, and the house packed with
colored spectators of both sexes. Col. W. D. Simpson and Mr. Jaeger had
kindly offered their professional services as counsel, and we were soon
all seated within the bar. Boozer made short work of the Clinton
prisoners. A single witness, very black, and with a very loud voice, one
of whose names was Ferguson testified against the whole batch, and on his
single oath, all eighteen were remanded to jail for trial. Seldom, even in
these ridiculous pretensions to the forms of law, had there been a more
outrageous case of fahe swearing than in this man Ferguson. To have seen
all, he swore to having seen, in one dark night, and at points miles
apart, he must have exceeded the owl in night vision, and a Salem witch in
powers of locomotion.
"The Laurens C. H. prisoners were taken up
separately, and some estimate of the testimony against each can be formed
from what was sworn to in my case. The first witness was a boy named
George Allen, (or Mr. Allvat as the prosecuting attorney, Dunbar, called
him). He swore that Major Leland was on the ground from breakfast time
till dinner, and that he was shooting and cussin and swearin' all the
morning. That he himself saw him shoot several times, and heard him '
cuss.' Col. Simpson made him repeat some of the oaths distinctly, so that
the Commissioner might take them down in writing, and they were so
ridiculous and original that I could not refrain from laughing, and the
little rascal joined me in the laugh more than once.
"The second
witness, Lame Peter said nothing about the oaths, but made me shoot almost
as often as 'Mr. All-in' did.
"The third witness, 'Young,' (for
there were three of them) was much more moderate as to the number of
shots, but made me shoot in a very novel way. He said he saw me stand at
the public well and shoot down an alley, near the armory, where William
(somebody) was killed. Now to do this, my bullet must have gone along one
side of a triangle, and then turn, sharply, at an angle not very obtuse.
Col. Simpson calling the attention of the 'Court' to this fact, Lahew, or
Lehay, or some such name, belonging to the 'constabulary,' was called, and
he made oath that it could easily be done!
"Here the 'government'
closed, and Mr. Jaeger was about to make a speech in my behalf, when I
begged him to desist. That such evidence would disgrace a sombre Court in
Dahomey, and was unworthy of serious notice. That the 'Court' had already
announced that he was bound to believe every statement, under oath,
however absurd or impossible, and not to admit any evidence whatever on
the part of the prisoner. Under such circumstances, that it would be a
waste of breath and time to make any argument. As we were talking on this
point, the Commissioner announced that, as it was late, he would suspend
the matter just then, and resume tomorrow, at ten o'clock.
"While
the last witness was speaking, a storm of wind struck the court-house, of
sufficient violence to throw down a half finished building on Market
street. It seemed as though the very elements strove to drown the voice of
the perjurer.
"We were marched back to jail through a driving rain,
and went immediately to our evening worship. We alluded to the false
witnesses who had risen up against us, in humble imitation of Him who once
prayed : 'Father, forgive them ; they know not what they do.
"April 19th. A messenger came in this morning to announce that
Boozer had been taken suddenly sick, and that there would be no court
today. I understand, perfectly, the object in these delays. Joe is more
anxious for money than revenge; and he is hoping, at every stage in these
proceedings, to have a goodly pile of greenbacks offered by my friends for
my release. But he will find that 'hope deferred maketh the heart sick' if
he has any heart.
" Soon after the exciting events, above recorded,
the writer was forcibly reminded how precarious a thing human reputation
is, and how the truth of history may be distorted.
"Sam. B. was
regarded among us as a 'good fellow,' but he had a very bad-habit of
profane swearing. Something had happened which greatly excited him, and he
was pouring out a perfect cascade of his choicest oaths. Stepping up
behind him, and tapping him on the shoulder, I reminded him of our promise
'to run this machine,' without cursing or whiskey. At once, changing his
tone, he replied, with his peculiar smile, l Well, Major, you can say
anything to me, and I am always glad to listen. But in this thing of
profane swearing, you ought to be a little cautious. What you know of my
swearing is only hearsay, but, in your case, it is a matter of
record.
"April 20th. Again we were paraded before the commissioner,
and both Col. Simpson and Mr. Jaeger made earnest speeches in my behalf.
But they soon after found out what kind of a head they were trying to
impress. He actually announced that his office compelled him to believe
all evidence given under oath, even if it involved physical and moral
impossibilities. Under such a ruling, of course, our counsel declined to
take any further part in the proceedings, and from that time on, there was
such swearing against the rest of our number, as must have made the angels
weep.
"At the close of this judicial farce, the prosecuting
attorney (Dunbar) moved that Major Leland be bailed out till the November
term of court, and the others be remanded for trial at the present term.
But—on a whisper from Joe—the commissioner decided to remand all of us."So
the word now is, "On to Charleston," where the United States Circuit Court
is now sitting.
"April 22d. Yesterday (Sunday) was a day of very
unusual privilege to me. Without my knowledge, my good friend, Capt
McCarley, had got the deputy jailor to promise, not only to let me attend
the Presbyterian Church, but to go with me himself, instead of sending a
United States soldier as my guard. It was the last day of the session of
Presbytery, and, as usual, the' Communion Sunday I had the pleasure of
hearing an excellent sermon from my cousin, Rev. Charles Vedder, D. D.,
(Psalm xcii. 12), and when the communicants were invited forward, I
hastened to reach the very seat my sainted mother had occupied, on such
occasions, for more than a generation. But when I saw her life-long
friends—Mrs. Peck, Mrs. McFie, and Mrs. Howe—come forward,and take the
seats nearest me, on the right, on the left, and immediately opposite, my
heart swelled; and, for the first time since my arrest, my eyes began to
overflow. I learned more of what is meant by'the communion of saints,' at
that table, than I had ever known before, and my tears were not such as we
hastily brush away. I never expect to experience such feelings again,
unless when summoned to sit close by that sainted mother at the Marriage
Supper of the Lamb."
It was a novel sight to see a ruling elder, at
the church served, for so many years, by his venerated father, sitting at
the communion-table under the guard of a deputy jailor, and to be taken
back to a murderer's cell, as soon as he should be dismissed! But his
brethren seemed to view the matter in their own way, by their manner of
crowding around him, as soon as the services were over. The Deputy himself
was much impressed, and called out, " Do, Maj. L., go and take dinner with
any one of your friends, and come back to the jail when it it suits you!"
But I told him " it was not so denominated in the bond,"arid I would go
straight back with him. On our walk back to the jail, he expressed himself
as much pleased with all he had seen and heard. I then remarked that as he
had gone to the morning service, on my account, I would be glad to go to
the evening service on his. To this he readily assented, and called for me
last night, accompanied by his wife; and we heard an excellent sermon from
Rev. Dr. Joseph R. Wilson.
Yesterday was the second time I had
passed the gate since the rainy afternoon of our arrival; and I was
surprised to see the trees all clothed in green. When I last saw them,
they were under bare poles, stript for the storms of March.
"April
23d. As I found myself in a straight and narrow lane, leading directly to
the Albany Penitentiary, I began to look around for some human aid, as the
command is to watch as well as pray. Under this 'suspension of the habeas
corpus? there was no tribunal, State or Federal, to which I could appeal.
I then remembered my old friend Stephen J. Field, once my classmate at
Williams College, Mass., now Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the
United States, from California. I had renewed my acquaintance with him,
most pleasantly, in my recent visit to Washington ; when, as one of a
committee, I had gone thereto intercede with the President, to prevent
these very judicial outrages that have now come upon us. Judge Field had
invited Col. Simpson and myself to dine with him, on that occasion, and,
on parting at the close of a very pleasant evening, he had made me promise
to call on him, if ever I thought he could serve me.
"On yesterday,
I thought the time had come, and I wrote him a long sad of woes, beginning
with my arrest, and ending with the scene in the court-house. I told him,
that, just at this time, the road to the Penitentiary was very short and
direct, in this latitude. That under the direction of any prominent
radical or scalawag, the magistrate was bound to issue his warrant; then,
the United States Commissioner was bound to remand for trial; then, the
packed grand jury was bound to find a 'True Bill; then, the equally packed
petit jury was bound to find a verdict of 'guilty' and the judge was not
only bound to send to the Albany Penetintiary, but was the very old Bond
himself! That I had already taken two of these five steps, and I would
look to him to block the lane in some way, or have me thrown over the
fence." (This letter secured the release of all of us a very short time
afterwards.)
"April 24th. Some ten days ago, Hubbard, the Marshal,
selected one of the Clinton prisoners, Mark ----by name, and placed him in
solitary confinement, among the negro convicts, restricting his rations to
bread and water. This Mark was an ignorant, weak foreigner, who had
located at Clinton but a short time before his arrest. Every day, Hubbard
would take him to the Commissioner's office, and, in a few hours
afterwards, would bring him back to his cell. As all communication was cut
off on our side, we could only conjecture the object of all this.
Yesterday, however, he was released, and confessed that he had been
starved into swearing some statements against his Clinton friends, but
will not divulge what it is.
"We conjectured, all along, that this
was the object, as many 'swift witnesses' had been manufactured in the
same way, in the cases from York County. Select the proper subject,
terrify him with threats, and reduce him to the very verge of starvation;
then offer him his liberty and a small pecuniary reward, and such
creatures as Mark are ready to swear to anything prescribed. Now the rumor
is, that the Clinton prisoners are to be taken to Charleston, at
once.
"April 25th. And they were taken down that very afternoon.
About 4 o'clock P. M., the word came for all them to get ready for the
night train at 7 P. M., and soon afterwards we heard the rattling of
hand-cuffs, thrown out in the passage below. Dr. Craig and Sim. Pearson,
of my mess, at first thought that only a few would be subjected to that
indignity, but both of them were soon summoned down to join the
procession. Sim. called for an artist, to have the scene photographed,
and, failing in this, he insisted that a chain should be put around his
neck, and the other end given to that very black witness, Ferguson,
mounted on a very white mule. He thought this would cap the climax to all
the Ku-Klux shows yet exhibited in Columbia, and he was willing to take
the leading part.
"Unfortunately, just at this time, Dr. Plumer,
Mrs. Woodrow, and Miss Gussie W. entered the passage, and witnessed the
process of hand-cuffiing these eighteen gentlemen. Mrs. W., who had
heretofore enlivened us with her wit and exhaustless humor, came running
up to my room, nearly convulsed, her sobs almost tearing her little frame
to shivers. In vain did I threaten to szvitch her, for proving such a
cry-baby at last; for a time she was past all rallying. Miss Gussie took
her stand at the window, in my room, to see the procession pass out of the
gate. As the leaders first appeared, she swayed herself backwards, till, I
thought, her spine must crack, and bringing both clenched fists down on
the window-sill with all her force, and, as though there were no bones in
them, she hissed out, 'Oh, that I could smite you all to the centre of the
earth!' Then turning to us, her eyes actually sparkling light, she
exclaimed, 'Mrs. Woodrow, is there a God in heaven, who can look on this,
and not smite these wretches—not open the earth beneath their feet and
swallow them all? I am bad, I feel very bad now, and I fear this sight
will make me an infidel!' Old Capt. McCarley, sitting next to me,
whispered, 'Major, that girl is an angel!' Mrs. W., overhearing this,
rallied enough to whisper behind her hand, 'Fallen angel!'
"Even a scene like this did not disturb Dr. Plumer's
equanimity, and, even here, he could utter exactly the right words, at the
right time. Glancing through the window at the procession, and coming to
my side, he said, solemnly, "Major Leland, remember, that all the time our
Saviour was upon earth, he was a citizen of a subjugated country! Our
Clinton friends behaved like men, and we were not ashamed of them in any
particular.
"April 26th. I have, once or twice, mentioned 'negro
convicts' in this Journal, as faring very roughly. But there is a notable
exception, in the person of a dandified imported negro, from Beaufort, I
think, who has been sentenced to so many months imprisonment, for stuffing
ballot-boxes, making false returns, etc. His apartments are near ours, and
furnished in a style to do credit to a first-class hotel. He has there
several of the members chairs and two of the veritable '$5 spittoons' from
the State House. He sometimes takes his meals in his quarters, but,
generally, he is out on the streets from early in the morning till late at
night. Says he is reading law with one of the sable practitioners—
Elliott, perhaps. Take either one of our friends, in his cell down stairs,
and this fellow in his room upstairs, and we have a very good illustration
of the state of things outside too, particularly as the white man is only
under a 'charge' and 'malicious' at that, and the negro is already tried
and convicted!
"April 27th. Our roll is dwindling very fast. Since
the Clinton men left, in a body, our village prisoners have become much
reduced in force. Called before the Commissioner very often—fees, $2 each
for each hearing—they have successively been allowed bail till the
November term, until our number is reduced to four. These are Capt.
McCarley, Dr. McCoy, Dr. Black, and myself. Even with this small number,
we are still separated, Drs. McCoy and Black being still confined to the
corridors down stairs. Beverly Potter was the last to leave us today. I
miss him very much. I regard him as true a man as ever went to a Ku-Klux
jail, or kept out of it, either. His goodness of heart is unfailing. When
that poor creature, West, was so ill, and the ladies could not be with him
at night, Potter sat by his bed-side three nights in succession, watching
over him, and nursing him as faithfully as ever mother watched and nursed
her offspring. In the mess, he was always making sacrifices for the
benefit of others, even in the culinary department. He was rather prolix
in telling a story, but I wish he was here to-night to tell me
another. |
