Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/63

 62 Southern Historical Society Paper*.

bulletin boards of the newspapers were crowded with anxious men. A body of men assembled at the Mayor's office to take counsel about the best means of keeping the city quiet. General Hunt was there, so was the Collector of the Port, Worthington, a boon com- panion of Patterson ; he was the man who had bribed the Legisla- ture for Patterson, and was believed to have incited most of the disturbances which had disgraced the town. It was said to be his special duty in Charleston to act the spy upon the officers stationed there, and report to Washington the names of those officers who seemed to cultivate social relations with the Democrats. General Hunt told the Mayor that the negroes who were thronging the streets should be sent to their homes, for, that in the restless disposition which they manifested, an outbreak might at any moment be ex- pected. The Mayor replied that the negroes had as good right to be on the streets as the whites, and he did not see why the same rule should not be applied to both parties. General Hunt replied : " My object, Mr. Mayor, is not to discuss principles and rights, but to pro- vide for the peace of the city. I know that the whites will not pro- voke a disturbance. But your party has been industriously teaching the blacks all the summer that if Hampton is elected they will be re- manded to slavery, and every telegram that comes makes it more cer- tain he is elected. You who have done the mischief can alone undo it, and your advice to go home will be better than my order to that effect." He soon afterwards left the room, and Worthington prom- ised that in a few hours General Hunt would be removed from the city. In less than three days Worthington's prediction was verified. General Hunt was removed.

THE BOARD OF CANVASSERS.

The excitement, caused by the election and the subsequent riots, died off, and for a short time we rejoiced in the contemplation of the great victory, and complacently awaited the reestablishment of civil government. But an ominous note from Columbia came to disturb our minds and qualify our hopes. The Democrats believed that Hampton was elected by a majority of about twelve hundred votes ; that a majority of the House of Representatives had been elected, and that on a joint ballot of the two Houses they would have a majority of one vote. It was now asserted that Chamberlain had received a majority of two or three thousand votes, and so large a number of representatives as to give the Radicals a majority on joint