The Sovereign Rule of South Carolina

pter, he descended into the cabin, and found Manuel sitting upon one of the lockers, apparentl

ecked sailor in South Carolina, the State of boasted hospitality? No, sir! I will sacrifice my life before my man shall submit to such a thing," said the Captain, with his Scotch energy aroused."Captain!" said Dunn, "we'd not be takin' the advantage of ye because ye're a stranger, but 'tis the law; and if we accommodates ye, sure it'll be at our own risk. But anyhow, Captain, ye'd be keepin' meself an' this gentleman a long time waiting, 'twouldn't be amiss to be giving us the usual perquisite. You won't miss it, and we've a great deal to do for small fees, that niver compinsate for the accommodation we be's to give everybody-an' the loss of time's the loss of money.""Give you a perquisite!--no, indeed; I never pay for such favors. Wait a few moments; I will accompany you myself, if you will not take my honor for his good conduct on the way to prison," continued the Captain."Captain, sure ye needn't trouble yerself anyhow; we'll take yer honor that he don't run away, and if he does ye'll stand the odds at the sheriff's. Sure a case would niver pass Mr. Grimshaw s observation; but to plase ye, and considerin' the wreck, meself and Dusenberry 'll put him up without," said Dunn.During the conversation, Manuel plead hard to be heard before the Consul, having a mistaken idea that the Consul could protect him from all danger; and that if he could get a hearing before him, he was sure to be released. The Captain shook his hand and told him to be contented until the Consul's office opened, when he would come to the jail and see him. Manuel then turned to the crew, and shaking the hands of each, took his little bundle in one hand, and holding little Tommy by the other, (who accompanied him to the head of the wharf,) was soon out of sight.But will the reader believe what was the practice of these petty officers? We can assure them that such instances as the one we shall relate are not only practised in Charleston to an unlimited extent, but the fact is well known to both magistrates and the public; the former treat it as moonshine, and the latter rail against it, but never take proper action.Scarcely had little Tommy left them at the head of the wharf, before they intimated that it would be well to consider a morning dram. To this end, they walked into a "Dutch corner shop," and passing into the back room, gave sundry insinuations that could not be misunderstood. "Well! come, who pays the shot?" said Dunn, stepping up to the counter, and crooking his finger upon his nose at a dumpling-faced Dutchman, who stood behind the counter, waiting for his man to name it. The Dutchman was very short and very thick, leaving the impression that he had been very much depressed in his own country when young. He rubbed his hands and flirted his fingers in motion of anxiety, "Every ting vat de shentleman vant him--dare notin like to my zin and brondty vat him got mit ze zity," said Dutchy."Gentlemen, I should be glad to have you drink with me, if it be proper to ask," said Manuel."Oh! yes--certainly, yes!--just what we come for, something to cut away the cobwebs--'twouldn't do to go out in the morning fog without a lining," said Dunn."Name it! name it! shentlemen," exclaimed the Dutchman, as he rapped his fingers upon the counter, and seemed impatient to draw forth his filthy stuff. They named their drinks, each with a different name. Manuel not being a Charleston graduate in the profession of mixing drinks and attaching slang names to them, Mr. Dusenberry undertook to instruct him in a choice. The Dutchman was an adept at mixing, and the "morning pulls" were soon set out to the extreme satisfaction of Dunn and Dusenberry. "All right! tip her down, my old fellow; none o' yer screwed faces over such liquor as that. We drink on the legitimate, in Charleston, and can put it down until we see stars," said Dusenberry, addressing himself to Manuel, who was making a wry face, while straining to swallow the cut-throat stuff.Dusenberry now left Manuel in charge of Dunn, saying he was going out to attend to some business. Manuel drew from his pocket a quarter of a Colombian doubloon, and throwing it upon the counter, told the Dutchman to give him change. The Dutchman picked it up, turned it over several times, and squinting at it, inquired, in a very unpretending manner, what its value was. He knew already, yet this was only done to try Manuel. At the same moment he winked to Dunn, who, stepping up, gave it a significant toss upon the counter. "The divil a bit more than two dollars; all right, Swizer," said he."'Tis four dollar, West Inge-I want my change," said Manuel, shrugging his shoulders. "I no want no more than my own; and no man to cheat-e me.""Don't be bothering with your four dollars-sure ye a'n't in the West Inges now; and money's plenty in Charleston, and I can't bring up so much-half so much. Don't be bothering with yer West Inge nonsense. If ye try to raise a fuss here, I'll make the Captain suffer. Ye must learn that it won't do for a nigger to dispute a white man in Charleston; we'd twitch ye up by the same law; we'd put it to our own niggers, and ye'd git trised up, and about fifty paddles on yer bare butt." The Dutchman put down a dollar and seventy cents, but Manuel refused to take it up; when this fellow, Dunn, pretending to be the friend of Manuel, held out his hand, and telling the bar-keeper to put another dollar, which he did, he passed it hurriedly into Manuel's hand, and making a pass, told him to put it into his pocket.It was now about good business time for the Dutchman, and his customers were coming in with their bottles and pots in great numbers. The place was a little filthy hole, very black and dirty, about twelve feet long, and seven feet wide, with a high board counter almost in the centre. The only stock-in-trade that decorated it, was a few barrels of lager beer; several kegs, with names to set forth the different qualities of liquors painted upon them; a bushel basket about half full of onions, and a few salt fish in a keg that stood by the door. Around the room were several benches similar to those in guard-houses. Upon two of them were stretched two ragged and filthy-looking negroes, who looked as if they had been spending the night in debauchery. Dunn, as if to show his authority, limped toward them, and commenced fledging their backs with his hickory stick in a most unmerciful manner, until one poor old fellow, with a lame hand, cried out for mercy at the top of his voice."It's a bad business keeping these niggers here all night, Swizer-you know I've done the clean thing with you several times," said Dunn, pointing his finger at the Dutchman; who winked, and coming from behind the counter, slipped something into his hand, and stepping to the door, assumed some threatning language against the negroes, should they ever came back to his store. A large portion of those who came for liquor were negroes, who looked as if they were parting with their last cent for stimulant, for they were ragged and dirty, and needed bread more than liquor. Their condition seemed pitiful in the extreme, and yet the Dutch "corner-shop keeper" actually got rich from their custom, and so craving was he upon their patronage, that he treated them with much more courtesy than his white customers.These "Dutch corner-shops" are notorious places in Charleston, and are discountenanced by respectable citizens, because they become the rendezvous of "niggers," who get into bad habits and neglect their masters' or mistresses' business. Yet the keepers exert such an influence at elections, that the officials not only fear them, but in order to secure their favors, leave their rascality unmolested. Well might a writer in the Charleston Courier of August 31, 1852, say--"We were astonished, with many others, at the sweeping charges made in the resolutions passed at the HUTCHINSON meeting at Hatch's Hall, and were ready to enlist at once to lend our voice to turn out an 'administration' that for two years permitted 'moral sentiment to be abandoned,' 'truthfulness disregarded,' 'reverence for religion obliterated,' 'protection to religious freedom refused,' 'licentiousness allowed,' 'and a due administration for vice, neglected.'" These charges stand unrefuted, and with but one or two exceptions, we have never known one of those unlawful corner shops pro