USA > South Carolina > Charleston County > Charleston > The newspaper press of Charleston, S.C.; a chronological and biographical history, embracing a period of one hundred and forty years > Part 4
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JOHN MCIVER died May 7, 1801, in the neighborhood of this City, aged 37 years. It is a tribute fully due the memory of this gentleman to say, that to a cultivated un- derstanding, he added a most benevolent disposition. At the time of his death he was a Senator in our State Legis- lature, from the united districts of Darlington, Marlboro' and Chesterfield.
The most alarming fire, since that of 1778, occurred 13th June, 1796. It broke out in Lodge Alley,* on the after- noon of that day. "It baffled," says the account, " all ex- " ertions of a numerous concourse of citizens who speedily " assembled to extinguish the devouring flames, till Tues- " day morning, when a considerable part of the City was " laid in ashes. Every house in Queen Street, from the " Bay to the corner of Church Street; all Union Street " continued; two-thirds of Union Street; Church Street " from Broad Street to St. Philip's Church, with only two " exceptions ; Chalmers and Berresford's Alley ; Kinloch's " Court, and the North side of Broad Street from the State ." House to Mr. JACK's, four doors below Church Street "and five houses on the Bay, from the corner of Queen " Street, were burnt to the ground. The public buildings
, " destroyed are the French Church, and several adjoining " buildings. St. Philip's Church was on fire at different " times, and ultimately must have been destroyed, if a
* This Alley derived its name from the fact that all the Masonic Lodges once held their Communications in a building located in it.
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" spirited negro man* had not ascended to the top of the " cupola, next to the vane, and torn off the shingles. The "private buildings destroyed, and the property they con- " tained, are of immense amount. Five hundred chimneys " have been counted, from which the buildings have been " burnt; and £150,000 sterling is supposed to be a sum "far short of the value of those buildings. The goods and " furniture destroyed, are probably nearly equal to this " sum."
B. F. PRITCHARD, an apprentice to W. P. YOUNG, Prin- ter and Bookbinder, was blown up during the prevalence of this fire.
The City Gazette and Daily Advertiser, in its issue of Tuesday, 5th August, 1800, is the source from whence is taken the account of another fire, four years after : " Yesterday forenoon, between the hours of 10 and 11 " o'clock, a fire broke out, at the upper end, three doors " above Boundary Street, on the West side, in the house of " Mr. MARTIN MILLER, which destroyed five houses on " that.side of King Street; and before its progress could "be arrested, eleven on the East side. The wind being
* Gospel Messenger, vol. xxiv, chapter xvii, page 168, 1796; August 14th- The following letter of General C. Gadsden and Col. John Huger, was laid before the Vestry :
"Gentlemen-Agreeably to your desire, united with a request from Major Charles Lining to appraise a negro man at present his property, for the ex- press purpose of his being liberated, and as a reward for his having extin- guished the flames which in the late conflagraiion on the 13th ultimo had been communicated to St. Philip's Church, but by his uncommon and par- ticular exertion at the awful moment that venerable building was preserved; and having seen the said Will, and being likewise well acquainted with his character and profession, we have duly considered the subject referred to us, both with respect to his qualifications and the price of negroes at this juncture, and we have estimated and ascertained the value of the said Will, at one hundred and seventy-five pounds."
" Agreed to, Mr. Lining giving £10."
"The fellow being called and informed of his emancipation, requested that he may in future be called Will Philip Lining."
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" at South West drove the flames from the City, otherwise, " in all probability, the destitution would have been much " greater than it is. The tobacco inspection, which was to " leeward of the flames, caught twice, but by timely assist- " ance the flame was extinguished. We understand the " fire was occasioned by Mr. MILLER's attempting to stop " a leak in a cask of brandy, in closing which a candle was " held too near the liquor, which immediately caught, and " in a few minutes communicated to some gunpowder, the " explosion of which put the house in flames. We are "sorry to add that Mr. and Mrs. MILLER were burned in " a dreadful manner. The life of Mrs. MILLER was des- " pared of last evening.
" The principal sufferers by this calamity, are Mr. MIL- " LER and Mrs. BRUNION, Mr. WILLIS, Mr. TURNER, Mr. " VAUGHAN, Mr. PELOT, and Mrs. LEVIN, on the West "side ; and on the East side Mr. McMILLAN, who lost " three houses, and his large range of stables. Mr. GREY, " Mr. PRESSLEY, Mr. SIMMONS, Mr. CRAWFORD, Mrs. SIN- " GLETON, Mr. MCCRACKEN, and Messrs. WALSH & SONS. " Mr. SAMUEL WELL's house was pulled down to prevent " the fire from spreading. Notwithstanding the extreme " heat of the day, the citizens repaired to the spot with " the greatest alacrity, and afforded their assistance with a " cheerfulness that has never been exceeded.
" The consequences of the destructive fire of yesterday, " are chiefly confined to that class of citizens whose all " was exposed to the ravages of that destructive element. " It is, therefore, to be hoped, that the most active and " influential citizens, agreeably to their accustomed human- "ity, will, on this afflicting occasion, come forward, and by " their example and endeavors, take immediate measures " for the relief of the unfortunate sufferers. It is, there- " fore, respectfully suggested, that a meeting of the inhabi-
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" tants to-morrow at 12 o'clock, at the Exchange, would be " calculated to carry the object contemplated into imme- " diate and complete effect."
Previous to June, 1783, we learn from the Gazette, fires were extinguished by citizens who obtained water from the City pumps, or drew it from wells by the tedious operation of sinking buckets. In June, 1784, a company was form- ed, called " Hand-in-Hand Fire Company." The members of this company were not only required to hand buckets of water one to another, but were called upon to rescue from the flames the private property of the individual members of their association. This institution had its use, but it was far short of that philanthropic and general organization into which the interested inhabitants of the City ought to have formed themselves. This " Hand-in-Hand Compa- ny," the first of these organizations here, and the nucleus of our present efficient fire brigade, was governed by rules of similar companies in New York and Philadelphia. There seemed not to have been any regular formation of engine companies, as now exist, before the year 1786. The following advertisement of RICHARD HUMPHREYS, jr., which was publishd in the Gazette of January 24, 1786, confirms the foregoing :
" The subscriber being informed that a number of gen- " tlemen of this City, are about entering into that useful "institution of fire companies, he will engage to supply " them with any number of buckets they shall please to " order."
CHAPTER V.
CRIME IN 1786-THE MURDER OF NICHOLAS JOHN WIGHT- MAN-MALES AND FEMALES IMPLICATED-THEIR CON- DEMNATION AND EXECUTION-CAPRICIOUS MARRIAGE AN- NOUNCEMENT-TWO TRAVELING ALGERINES-RAMSAY'S HISTORY OF SOUTH CAROLINA OBNOXIOUS TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT-"SOUTH CAROLINA STATE GAZETTE AND TIMOTHY AND MASON'S DAILY ADVERTISER.
Well did our papers here display the times;
Some streak'd with follies ; others, stain'd with crimes.
February 9, 1786 .- A reward of four guineas is offered by ANDREW PLEYM, through the paper of this date for the perpetrator of a robbery at his store, between his dwelling house, 106 Meeting Street, and the Smith's forge, at the corner of Moor Street, (now Cumberland Street.)
February 13, 1786 .- In this edition of the Gazette, is the obituary of Mr. MATHEW BAYLEY, who died "some- " time ago at Jones' Creek, a branch of Peedee, in North " Carolina, aged 136 ; he was baptized when 134 years old."
"On the night of 16th February, 1786, at a quarter "past 10 o'clock, as Mr. PHILIP MOSES, accompanied by " his wife, was going home, two tall lusty men, dressed in " short light colored clothes, stopped him in Broad Street, "at the corner of Gadsden's Alley, in a manner that " evinced the intention to rob him. Upon his making " some resistance, one of the ruffians drew a pistol and
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" fired at him, the explosion of which burned his face ; " the other fellow also fired, and both balls lodged in the " adjacent house, fortunately without any mischief. AR- " NOLDUS VANDERHORST, then Intendant, offered a reward " of $200, on the morning of 27th February, for this " attempt to rob and murder."
March 16, 1786 .- " Two persons dressed in the Moorish " habit are now in this City, and are supposed to be the " same men that were taken into custody in Virginia, on "suspicion of their being Algerines. The singularity of " their dress induced a young gentleman of the law, to ask " them some questions, which were answered with so much " impertinence and vulgarity, that the gentleman proceed- " ed to give one of the fellows a little manual correction, " by way of reforming his manners. A mob immediately " assembled, and the men were taken up; being carried " to the home of a lady on the Bay, who understood their "language, they appeared to be two men of the Jewish " nation, who had landed in Virginia from Algiers, and " had travelled over-land from that State to this."
May 22, 1786 .- " JOHN GIBBONS advertised to be leased " for seven years, to the highest bidder, on Tuesday, the 6th " day of June next, that most agreeably situated farm at " Haddrell's Point, commonly called Mt. Pleasant, con- " taining about 80 acres, belonging to the estate of JACOB " MOTT."
May 25, 1786 .- " The commissioners appointed by the "Legislature, for laying out the Town of Columbia, have " appointed the first sale of lots to take place on the 2d "September next, in this City." The records of the State were removed from Charleston to Columbia, by direction of the Legislature, in the winter of 1790.
September 21, 1786 .- " We learn from London, that the "re-publication of Dr. RAMSAY's History of South Caro-
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" lina, is deemed illegal in that country, on account of the " long catalogue of British villanies and murders it con- " tains."
The pages which contained the Declaration of Independ- ence, DRAYTON's charge against the King, etc., and many strong accusations against Earl CORNWALLIS, Lord RAW- DON, BROWN, MONCRIEF, TARLTON, TUCK, etc., were de- clared to be sufficient grounds for an expensive and vex- atious prosecution from the crown lawyers, besides expos- ing the publisher to personal violence, from the parties of their zealous votaries.
June 19, 1796 .- " On Thursday last, between ten and " eleven o'clock in the forenoon, a fire broke out in a soap " boiler's shop in Gadsden's Alley, which increased with " the greatest rapidity for a considerable time, and seemed " to threaten this City with a general conflagration. Fifteen " capital houses, exclusive of a number of back buildings, " were reduced to ashes. The loss in houses and other prop- "erty is very great, for the fire was so versatile, that goods " supposed to be in the greatest security, were obliged to be " removed about, at different times, in the utmost haste, con- "sequently they were much damaged ; and several persons " taking advantage of the confusion, secreted great quanti- "ties; some that were detected have been committed to " prison. Some supposing themselves secure, did not move " at all, and lost every thing. Mr. BLAKELEY's situation, " at this time, was truly. unfortunate as distressing, having, " only the day before, finished moving the whole of his prop- "erty, the chief of which, owing to his apparent security, " and shifting of the wind, was destroyed. Mr. JAMES " STRICKLAND, in conducting a cart heavily loaded, fell out " of it, and the wheels went over his breast, which occasion- " ed his death in the course of a few hours. Several per- -" sons were also much bruised and wounded."
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The following is a list of persons who were burnt out, as given by the Gazette, viz. :
Messrs. WILLIAM SMITH & Co., Messrs. WELLS and BETHUNE, Mr. M'CREDIE, Mr. GERSHON COHEN, Messrs. M'AULEY and DAVIS, Messrs. ROBERT and HALL STEW- ART, Mr. JOHN AITKIN, Messrs. MUIRHEAD and MUNRO, and Mr. ABERNETHIE, THOMAS SMITH, Mr. SAMUEL BLAKELEY, Mr. HENRY MAIN STROMER-Mrs. GAULTIER, WILLIAM LOGAN, Dr. ROBERT WILSON.
On the morning of 22d June, 1786, the Gazette was published as a half-sheet. The publisher, while apologiz- ing for it, stated that it was in consequence of the death of a grand-son, Master PETER WESTON. This number of the paper also contained a special notice from the proprie- tor, to this end : " To prevent a misunderstanding, adver- " tisements not exceeding twelve lines are inserted for three "shillings the first publication, and two shillings each con- " tinuation."
Most prominent in the criminal record at that time, was the murder of Mr. NICHOLAS JOHN WIGHTMAN, in his 25th year. The reader can see, while passing the western grave yard of St. Philip's Church, the slab which marks the spot where this gentleman was buried. The inscription states that " Divine Providence ordained it " so, that a single button belonging to the coat of the mur- " derer served, with other proof, to discover and convict "him." The account of the deed is given in the Gazette, March 17, 1788, in connection with a highway robbery which took place the same night. "Last Wednesday "night, between the hours of 10 and 11 o'clock, as Captain " MARSTON was returning on board his vessel, lying at " Mey's wharf, he was stopped near the Governor's bridge, " and robbed of his watch, some money, etc., by three vil- " lains, one of whom run a pistol full in his face, and
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" would, in all probability, have taken his life, had not an "accomplice prevented it; after which they left Captain " MARSTON, and proceeded towards Meeting Street, where " Mr. NICHOLAS JOHN WIGHTMAN was, soon after, shot " through the heart, supposed by one of the same party. " Information being sent to the guard-house, Captain DA- " VIS, with proper assistance proceeded to the suspected " spot where the murder was committed, at which place " JOSIAH JORDAN, ROBERT STACEY, JOHN GEORGE, and " others, were found, and taken into custody. One of them, " EDWARD HATCHER, who being duly sworn, made oath " and acknowledged, that last evening, near 11 o'clock, " being the 12th day of March, 1788, he, in company with " ROBERT STACEY, was standing at the door of THOMAS " JONES, in Meeting Street, (between Market and Hayne " Streets,) when a man walked past, and after he had gone " about three doors farther, ROBERT STACEY followed, "turned right before him, and with a brass barrel pistol " shot him in the left breast, on which he fell and expired "immediately. Said deponent believes that ROBERT STA- " CEY designed to rob the deceased, but was prevented "by people coming out with a light. HATCHER further " states that JOSIAH JORDAN, JOHN GEORGE, ROBERT STA- "CEY, THOMAS SMITH, ANDREW KEATING, ANN JONES, " ANN CONNELLY, KATE CROWDY, and REBECCA STACEY, " were, altogether, in said house, and that he saw ANN "CONNELLY deliver out to the said STACEY, powder and " ball-two balls and three swan shot-and directed him to " go out and rob again, and, if he met with resistance, to " fire on them.""
In additional particulars, published on the 20th, the Gazette returns thanks to Dr. LYNAH, the physician called in, and Captain DAVIS, of the guard. STACEY, JORDAN,
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GEORGE, SMITH, HATCHER, and ANN CONNELLY received sentence of death for the murder of Mr. WIGHTMAN.
A few evenings following Mr. WIGHTMAN'S murder, three villains went to the house of Mr. DANIEL MA- ZYCK, at Hampstead ; but one of them, who had secreted himself under the house, receiving a violent blow with a sword, the knaves fled. The same evening, a gang of ruf- fians attacked a gentleman near Pinckney Street, but he escaped after receiving a slight wound with a cutlass, inflicted by one of the villains.
To the marriage of Mr. JAMES HIBBEN, and Miss SARAH WELLS, which appeared in the issue of January 28, 1788, there is appended these strange lines :
" Farewell, my friend, but record The sufferings of your dying Lord! Let neither friends nor riches prove The total loss you bore for love."
On the morning of the 5th February, 1788, Mr. HIBBEN, over his signature, writes to the publisher :
" Please insert the following, in answer to some lines " which appeared in your Gazette of the 28th January, on " the morning of the subscriber's marriage, and oblige your - "humble servant :
"Welcome, my friend, you're free'd from schism, From canting, whining Methodism; You're now in a superior class, Ne'er heed the braying of an ass."
The above, as well as the succeeding selections, are made chiefly with the intent to show the style then adopted of promulgating sensational news; a style which seems less exceptionable to similar details of the present day, and withal fit for the public eye, and a place in a public journal.
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" Branded, June 7, 1788, John Cooper, William Irons, " Thomas Jones, Richard Glascock, John Cunningham, " John Shields, John Bruce, and Thomas Keely, for lar- " ceny."
" Hanged, June 11, 1788, pursuant to sentence, Robert " Stacey, Josiah Jordan, John George, Thomas Smith, Ed- " ward Hatcher, and Ann Connelly, for the murder of " NICHOLAS JOHN WIGHTMAN."
"On 16th June, 1788, were executed, pursuant to sen- "tence of the Court of Admiralty Sessions, for piracy, on " the American Seas, Captain William Rogers, of New Lon- " don, in Connecticut; John Masters, of Cheshire, in Eng- " land, and William Pendergrass, of Derbyshire, in Eng- " land, charged and found guilty of the murder of Mr. " ABRAHAM NATHAN, of the Jewish nation, (joint owner " with Rogers,) and passenger on board the sloop Betsey, in " October last. Also, Richard Williams and William Cain, " both of England, for the murder of Captain NATHANIEL " C. WEBB, and Mr. CLODE or MCCLODE, on the 18th or 20th " May last, on board the schooner Two Friends. The un- " happy Rogers appeared uncommonly penitent and resign- " ed, from the day of his being apprehended, to the moment "of his execution, when he solicited the attendance of the " CLERGY, and joined in pathetic PRAYER to the SUPREME " BEING, soliciting the pardon of his GOD for every trespass "he had committed, and the forgiveness of every mortal " that felt himself injured by him. He, to the last, denied "having wilfully or maliciously killed Mr. NATHAN, and " uniformly persisted in the declaration that he was not in " sound mind when the bloody transaction took place; and " that he was subject to fits of lunacy, which the cousin of " Governor FANNING, and several others from that State, " have likewise declared, as also to his being addicted to " strong liquor, which always bereaved him of his reason.
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" This assertion Rogers has repeatedly made to Mr. PHAE- " LON, both before and after his trial, and to divers other " gentlemen, as he likewise has, in sundry parts of a narra- " tive of his life, which he had been writing several days " prior to his death. The contemplation of having an aged " father and mother, an affectionate, respectable wife and " five young children, seemed to distress him beyond ex- " pression or description, and deeply affect the numerous " spectators, male and female. Rogers, repeatedly, at the " spot of execution, begged the prayers of all present, and " as often conjured Major PHAELON to give good advice " and direction to his unfortunate babes."
TIMOTHY & MASON were publishers of the Gazette for about three years, from January, 1797. Under them, the paper was called South Carolina State Gazette, and Timothy and Mason's Daily Advertiser. Its motto was : " The public will be our guide-the public good our end."
In TIMOTHY & MASON'S Gazette and Advertiser, of 2d January, 1797, we find among the advertisers, names familiar to us at this time. Among those who advertised vessels up for London, Liverpool, and other English and American ports, were W. & E. CRAFTS, THOMAS MORRIS, JOHN HASLETT & CO., ROBERT HAZELHURST & Co., HEN- RY ELLISON, CORRIE & SCHEPELER, MURE & BOYD, CAMP- BELL, HARVEY & Co., E. COFFIN, CROCKER, HICHBORN & WRIGHT, NICHOLAS NORRIS, THOMAS TURNER, JOHN TEASDALE, SAMUEL WATSON, J. & E. GARDNER & Co. Those in the importing and grocery trade, were ANDREW MCKENZIE, THOMAS HOOPER & CO., J. WINTHROP, WEBB & LAMB, CHARLES BANKS & CO., JOHN LOVE, DAVID Mc- CREDIE & Co. In the auction and brokerage business, were PETER TREZEVANT, WILLIAM SKRINE, TRAVERS ROBERTSON, COLCOCK & PATTERSON, JACOBS & CONYERS, JACOB DE LEON, JOSEPH PARK, JACOB COHEN, JOHN
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POTTER, J. S. CRIPPS, DENOON, CAMPBELL & Co. The co-partnership of NORTH & VESEY was announced as dis- solved.
In the number of March 28, 1797, there is a list of American vessels, with the names of their Captains, and the valuation of their cargoes, which were captured by French privateers and gun boats, and sent into different ports in the Island of St. Domingo. As it may be of in- terest and prove quite serviceable at some future day, a list of them is appended :
May 12 .- Schooner Amelia, Cochran, of Boston ; cargo, $16,000.
August 11 .- Brig Freemason, Wise, of New York ; car- go, $26,000 ; vessel, $4,000.
August 20 .- Brig Brutus, Aborn, of New York ; cargo valued at $10,000; vessel at $5,000 .- Schr. Benessoff Parcal, Boniveta, of St. Thomas.
August 26 .- Brig Kerren Hannish, Lillebridge, of Phil- adelphia ; cargo, $12,000 .- Brig Franklin, Pick, of Phila- delphia ; cargo, $5,430 ; vessel, $4,000.
August 27 .- Brig Mary, Boyle, of Baltimore ; cargo, $6,000 ; vessel, $6,000 .- Brig Clio, Ball, of Baltimore.
August 31 .-. Sloop Honor, Kimball, of New London ; cargo, $3,000 ; vessel, $1,500 .- Sloop Leader, Warner, Cape Ann ; cargo, $5,000 .- Brig Polly, Watson, of Phila- delphia .- Brig Nymph, Sullivan, of Philadelphia ; cargo, $10,000.
September 1 .- Brig Pearl, Webb, of New London ; cargo, $6,000 .- Schr. Three Friends, of Baltimore .- Schr. Hodges, Jacocks, of Philadelphia ; cargo, $8,000.
September 4 .- Schr. Charming Polly, Pritchett, of Bal- timore ; cargo, $25,000 ; vessel, $3,600 .- Sloop Nelly, Adams, of Boston .- Schr. Somerset, Dillingham, of Charles-
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ton .- Schr. Catharine, Stoy, of Philadelphia .- Schr. Rain- bow, Howland, of New Bedford.
September 17 .- Brig Nancy, Mey, of New York; cargo, $20,000 ; vessel, $5,000.
September 21 .- Schr. Anna Maria, Wilson, of Balti- more ; cargo, $5,000; vessel, $4,000.
September 23 .- Schooner Wilmington Packet, Francis, of Charleston.
Those without dates, are : Brig Pomona, of Baltimore ; Brig Experiment, Hutson ; Brig Triton; Schr. Hannah ; Schr. Nancy ; Sloop Sincerity, of Philadelphia ; Sloop De- lia ; Schr. Hibernia; Brig Charlotte; Brig Glasgow, of New York ; Schr. - , of Georgetown; Sloop Joanna, of Providence ; Sloop Polly, of States Island ; Schr. Eliza and Schr. Three Friends, of Charleston ; Schrs. Liberty and Juno, of Boston ; Brig Despatch, Lunt, cargo, $8,000 ; vessel, $4,000; Brig Wolwich, Mccutcheon, and Schooner Success, of Philadelphia ; Schr. Harding, of New York. There are nine more condemned at L'Anne a Vease, the names of which are not mentioned. L'Anne a Vease, is, doubtless, intended for l'Anse á Veau, an anchorage in the French part of the Island of St. Domingo.
There lived and flourished about this time, (1797,) Mr. JOHN GEYER, one of the merchant princes of the day. He built and owned what was then considered the fire-proof range of stores, at the North East corner of our present North Commercial Wharf; that and the one South, were then known as GEYER's wharves. The residence of Mr. GEYER, still standing, was, in those good old times, the scene of many elegant hospitalities; and within a few years, there were living those who well remembered this current interrogatory : " Who dines with GEYER to-day ?"
JOHN GEYER deserves mention as a man of great energy and success, as a large planter and successful merchant.
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He became financially involved by the capture and con- demnation of his ships by French privateers, in 1797 and '98; among them were the ships Ruby, the Rising Sun, and the Rainbow. He died, February 12th, 1825, at his residence, No. 10 Atlantic Street, (then Lynch's Street,) where a grandson of his now resides.
The South Carolina Gazette and Timothy and Mason's Daily Advertiser changed its title and proprietorship in January, 1806, then B. F. TIMOTHY published it alone, as the South Carolina State Gazette, and Timothy's Daily Advertiser.
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