Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 12.djvu/326

 316 Southern Historical Society Papers.

you, and they will see that Hayes and Wheeler are elected ; and if anything happens in South Carolina, you will still have a man on horseback to come to your relief. ' '

This precious morsel of eloquence, with the repeated promise of the advent of the man on horseback, coming from a man who cer- tainly appeared to have the ear of the President and Chamberlain, restored harmony to the convention. In the evening a business meeting was held and the next morning the nominees entered the convention — Chamberlain, the designated Governor, and Elliott, designated Attorney-General, walking in, arm locked in arm. Cham- berlain had forgotten that he had denounced Elliott as opposing the civilization of the Puritan and the Huguenot, and Elliott that he had documents in his possession, the production of which would consign the Governor to the penitentiary. These were the men for the elec- tion of whom the aid of the man on horseback was to be obtained ; and now, each party having selected its standard-bearer, the election cenvass was regularly begun.

RICEFIELD RIOTS.

Meanwhile the State generally, and the low country particularly was drifting into chaos. I have already mentioned the alarming riots which had disturbed the labor in the rice-fields of the Combahee dis- trict. These seemed to have subsided of themselves, perhaps with the design of another and more serious disturbance, when it would produce more serious results. There was quiet in that region, but no sense of security. Those who had presumed to put themselves above the law. and to determine that men should not work but on terms which they should dictate, had felt, not the power, but the imbecility of the government — nay, the Governor, while condemn- ing the lawless acts, had more than intimated that they had griev- ances which ought to be redressed. In August the riots recom- menced, not only more formidable in their dimensions, but occurring just when the rice was ready for the harvest, promised to spread desolation over the whole country. The plantations were visited by mobs who went into the rice-fields, stopped all who were disposed to work, and flogged all who did not readily yield to their orders. In- formation was quickly forwarded to the Governor, who directed a trial justice to issue warrants, and the sheriff" to summon a posse to arrest the guilty parties, if it took the last man in the county to make the arrests. Several men were arrested and put in charge of a con- stable to be carried to jail. They were rescued by the strikers and