May 25, 2025 • 48 mins
Edgefield County and much of South Carolina was compared to the wild wild west in the 1840's. A political disagreement led to violence leaving two men maimed. That event would prove to be a precurser to a historical conflict that served as a prelude to the US Civil War.
Special Thanks to our guests Amanda Hall and Ashley Richards.
Special Thanks to our guests Amanda Hall and Ashley Richards.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
For over three hundred and fifty years, the state of
South Carolina has been the setting for some of the
most horrendous crimes ever committed. Some have gained global notoriety,
some have been forgotten, and others have been swept under
the rug completely. Now, two South Carolina natives and true
(00:31):
crime enthusiasts have teamed up to examine these heinous acts
in detail, giving their perspective of the evil that has
resided in the Palmetto State. You're listening to Carolina Crimes.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
And welcome back to Carolina Crimes, Episode two twenty three.
I'm one of your hosts, Matt Hyres, along with.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Danielle Myers, and we're over the moon thrilled that you
joined us here today.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
And we're over the moon thrilled that we've got two
guests in studio with us. This is a birthday celebration
for one of our Carolina Crimes fans, one of our best,
best of the best out there, Amanda Hall. And also
accompanying Amanda is her best friend and also one of
(01:22):
our a ones from day one. Go ahead and introduce yourself.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Hey, I'm Ashley Richards and I am so excited to
be here.
Speaker 5 (01:30):
Thank y'all for having as we are over the moon.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yes, yes, thank y'all so much. And they're the sweetest ladies.
And we have been corresponding for a little while and
I mean went ahead and did thorough background checks on
We were like, okay, and then I really started getting
worried when you asked us our shirt sizes, maybe their
(01:54):
size us up for their trunk room for both of us,
just you. My wife was a little concerned. She was like,
you know, these people might kidnap you. And I was like, well,
you know, there's there's been worse things.
Speaker 6 (02:08):
There's worse things said that.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Yeah, she'll supply the floor for him. But no, thank
you for joining us here today and we're we're very
honored to have you here with us in the studio. Folks,
thank you so much for reaching out about last week's episode.
A lot of graduations are happening right now as we speak,
(02:34):
this weekend, next week. Last week, but that tail out
of Anderson County about the the father who and that's
still a cold case out there. M yes, and uh,
but we appreciate everybody reaching out that way. We want
to remind everybody please have a reverent and safe Memorial
(02:57):
Day weekend. Please remember what it's all about. It's not
about hot dogs and hamburgers. You can always thank a serviceman,
but that is what Veterans Day is for. Memorial Day
is for remembering those that paid the ultimate sacrifice. My
classmate from the Citadel, Lieutenant Dan Malcolm, US Marines, and
(03:19):
he is buried at Arlington and we've been able to
visit and just it can never never repay what the
brave men and women have done for us, for our freedom. Also,
I want to know we've got some ladies that are
in the educational realm, some teachers, former teachers, and Ashley
she works with kind of pseudo school and educational.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
A lot of early childhood education. So it's Georgia Department
of Early Karen Learning. Most people know as as Georgia
dcal or Bright from the start and I absolutely love it. Yes, yes,
advocators for early childhood education and older children as well.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Fantastic. But we also wanted to say thank you speaking
of elementary school teachers, our Oakdale Elementary School teachers that
stopped me two weeks ago. I appreciate that we were
volunteering with seven Second Harvest Food Bank and they were outstanding.
Enjoyed spending the afternoon with you ladies, and also acres
of faith over at the rock Hill Farmers Market. All right,
(04:25):
so both these ladies are in studio partly four Amanda's birthday,
but also we got an episode from their neck of
the woods. And I think this is what really kind
of concerned my family members was that you're joining us
from the Edgefield area.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
We're the sweet ones, though I promise we're not.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Well everybody down there suite and I kid around a lot.
But Edgefield it's provided some of this podcast's most interesting
content for sure, and today we're going to discuss two
Edgefield's native sons that kind of tore riously cross paths.
And it's from a time period when it was really
known as Bloody Edgefield. There was over one hundred and
(05:09):
forty homicides at least documented homicides between eighteen forty nine
and eighteen ninety nine in Edgefield County. So that's kind
of how it got its wild Wild West reputation, and
it's it's lived up to it, as we have found
out as we've gone through the episode. No shade towards
Edgefield whatsoever. You know, I've got an aunt, we'll discuss
(05:33):
her later off air that lives down there. And just
fantastic people, Beth Glade, some of our big listeners. We
appreciate everybody in Edgefield County. And this one's for all
of y'all, So yeah, thank you, yes, and So Edgefield
County for those of you not familiar with the state
(05:53):
of South Carolina, it's located on the western border of
South Carolina, kind of centrally located situation between Aikin County
to the south and Saluta, Greenwood and McCormick to the north.
Now Edgefield it is one of the nine counties in
South Carolina that's bordered by the Savannah River. And originally
(06:14):
Edgefield was part of the ninety six district, which I
think y'all heard about. Ninety six is was kind of
northwest South Carolina when it was one of the thirteen colonies,
but Edgefield County it was formed out of the southern
section of the ninety six district. Now, over time, the
(06:36):
county boundaries were whittled down by portions being used for McCormick, Greenwood, Saluta,
and Acin counties. And the name origin of Edgefield County
is kind of controversial. Nobody can really agree on what
it was named after. We've talked about it in previous episodes,
(06:57):
but some say it was named after Edgefield in Norfolk, England.
Some say that the first home and kind of settlement
that was built there was on the edge of a field.
I seem to think maybe that might be might be close,
and some people said it's because it's on the edge
of South Carolina. So all of it's true, all of
(07:20):
it could be possible. Now, Edgefield County was ruled by
an agrarian economy when it was founded in seventeen eighty five,
and throughout most of its history, the social classes in
Edgefield have been pretty deeply divided. You had the elite
when it first started off, your plantation slave owners, they
(07:41):
were considered the elite. You had the yeomen who were
landowners who worked their own farms, owned their own land.
You had the poor tenant farmers, and then the enslaved
people that were there as well. Now, after the Civil War,
Edgefield was unique not only in the South, but especially
(08:04):
in South Carolina, but it had a majority of freed
African Americans. They made up the majority of Edgefield County
and Eventually the great migration to northern industrialized cities came about.
When enslaved people were first freed, they were really harassed
(08:25):
about their voting rights. It was not a pleasant environment
for them to live in. So they said, you know what,
I've been kicked out in nicer places. You know, I'm
going up north and I'm going to make some money
and make a nice life for my family. Now, the
population and wealth ended up dwindling in Edgefield from nineteen
(08:47):
ten to nineteen eighty due to the decline in agricultural endeavors.
And now the majority of folks they do work. It's
part of the Augusta metroplit metroplex, i would say, or
a metropolitan area. And y'all can talk.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
I mean, yeah, they're such a good storyteller.
Speaker 7 (09:07):
They know my husband's friend. They have a lot of
land in Edgefield and actually they just posted about cucumbers
and all the things they've grown.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
So the Titan Farms is out there as well, and
you have a lot of the beautiful peach field.
Speaker 5 (09:22):
Oh yes, yeah, some good old peaches.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
So agriculture still drives the economy.
Speaker 8 (09:29):
And cost of farms as well, and they supply plants
onto home depot and lows. And it's okay because a
lot of families they don't have to move with the work.
The work is always there, so you know, we have
a lot of plants as well.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yes, yes, Now the population today of Edgefield County, the
county is around twenty seven thousand really so yes, that's
very sparsely populated, but beautiful and over there for sure.
Now some of the population throughout the past that have
(10:05):
made history, some of the more famed folks from Edgefield.
Of course, they're claim to fame. And y'all can say
it with me. It's the home of ten yes, and
those governors. We'll go ahead and listen, rattle them off
real quick. Andrew Pickens, George McDuffie, Pierce Butler, James Hammond,
Francis Pickens, Millage Bonham, John Shepherd, Pitchfork, Ben Tillman, which
(10:29):
we've talked about in an episode of John Gary Evans
and the most recent Strong Thurman.
Speaker 7 (10:36):
Yes, met him on a few occasions.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Yes, I did too. When I was in high school.
We went up to d C. I bet he loved
he liked y'all, probably more than me. Also from the
Edgefield area, Benjamin Mays, the former president of Morehouse College,
and many many more besides the governors. We have covered
Edgefield the history a couple of times, but the most
(11:02):
notable ones there the first guy we're going to talk about.
And I'm gonna go ahead and throw this out there
that the end of this story is one that probably
every American knows or has or was supposed to know
at one time for an American history class. It's in
(11:22):
every textbook, but not everybody really knows the origin story
of what we're going to talk about. But that's what
we're going to start off with here in Edgefield County today. Okay,
this colorful character, his name was Lewis Wigfall. Now Lewis
was born in April of eighteen sixteen into a well
(11:46):
to do Edgefield family. Now, his father had been a successful,
extremely successful merchant in le Or in Charleston. His name
was Levi Wigfall, and after he kind of got out
of the merchant business, he decided he was going to
move to Edgefield to become a it says farmer, but
(12:07):
a plantation owner. He had he had money, so unfortunately
he enslaved people and started a plantation. But Louis Wigfall
Levi's son. He never really got to know his father
well because his father passed away when Lewis was only
two years old. Now, tragedy struck again in the Wigfall
(12:32):
family when Lewis's mother, Eliza, died in eighteen twenty nine,
when Lewis was only thirteen. Goodness, his older brother that
he looked up to Hamden, not Camden, but Hamden, and
not Hampden Hamden Hamden also lost his life, not from
(12:52):
illness but by way of a duel.
Speaker 5 (12:55):
Oh, okay, he was one of those.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
And but to Edgefield. Now Lewis Wigfall's other brother author
he may or may not have thought the family was
cursed at this point, so he played it safe, got
on the good side of the Lord, and became a
bishop in the Episcopal church. Yes, well, that really left
Lewis to be raised by a guardian there in Edgefield,
(13:23):
he was, I guess, the heir to his father Levi's
fortune or what he had there. And while being considered
as a descendant of Edgefield's aristocracy, Louis Wigfall he began
to get kind of a rough and tumble reputation. Well,
(13:45):
he faced a lot of tragedy. He had a lot
of troubles, not a lot of counselors around back then
to help him deal with grief or losing his brother.
So he developed that reputation and coupled that with a
really short and horrible temper.
Speaker 6 (14:03):
It's not a good combination.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Well I'll do it to add fire to gasoline. Lewis
was considered a very large young man who really gained
the taste for alcohol at a young age. So that
never never ends up too good. Well. After going to
a private school in Columbia, South Carolina, Louis Wigfall, he
(14:27):
eventually entered the University of Virginia in eighteen thirty five.
But while he was there, he ended up feeling disrespected
by another student. So he did what came naturally, and
he challenged this other freshman to a duels right there
at Uvae.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
Were these legal back then, I mean you know some
states they were, but it was okay.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
It was legal. It was thought of as a an
honorable way to settle a dispute between aristocrat, so that
you didn't see two farmers going out and walking the
ten paces. They're gonna they're gonna fistfight, and they were
gonna they were gonna do it that way, but dueling
(15:12):
was it was accepted. It was co I think they
call it co duello duello d e ll o. I
don't know if I'm pronouncing that right, but that's Latin. Well,
this situation with this other student, it was eventually de
escalated and by the end of the year they're at
the University of Virginia Lewis Wigfall. He said, you know,
(15:36):
I'm not feeling this up here. It's too far from home.
So he decided to go ahead and enter the Annebellum
Transfer portal and he moved to South Carolina College, which
was eventually the University of South Carolina. Well, Lewis he
became interested in law, but he also became more interested
(15:58):
in drinking booze and corrals and at the local bars,
and he actually ended up one documents that he ended
up spending more time at taverns than in class, and
his attendance was described as erratic.
Speaker 6 (16:13):
It's probably not too far off from how things are now.
Speaker 7 (16:17):
Students, especially freshman.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Yeah, yeah, but this was his sophomore year, and you know,
he just he thought it was a better use of
his time and probably had a hell of a lot
more fun at the Tavern. He even took a three
month hiatus off and didn't go to class to go
fight in the Second Seminole War. Oh okay, but he
(16:41):
proved to be very bright and have a high intellect,
and he was able to graduate from South Carolina College
in eighteen thirty seven. Well, Lewis he then went back
to Edgefield to take over his brother's law practice, presumably
Hamden's law practice, but his hard living really started to
(17:04):
take a toll. Wigfall was constantly intoxicated, and then on
top of that, he added gambling to his resume advicens. So,
I mean, I can't those stones, I guess, but I
wasn't a lawyer either.
Speaker 6 (17:22):
Yeah, you're not defending people or their lives.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
I don't know if he dealt with criminal cases, but
either way, you've had people's in their hands.
Speaker 6 (17:32):
So yeah, you probably need to be sober, yeah, and coherent.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Well, then, after three years of practicing law, eighteen forty
came and it was an election year in South Carolina
and the gubernatorial election at that time could be described
as volatile, but in actuality it would be better described
(18:01):
as explosive. And Lewis Wigfall he had political aspirations and
he was right in the middle of it and pledged
his undying support to one of the gubernatorial candidates, John
Peter Richardson. And we're going to continue this story after
this short break, and then we'll get back to this
(18:25):
story of lewis Wigfall, which ends up becoming one of
the most historical events in pre Civil War history. Folks
will be right back after this quick word from our sponsors,
(18:55):
and welcome back to Carolina Crimes, Episode two twenty three
out of Edgefield County, and me and Danielle are here
with our special guests Ashley richards and Amanda Hall from
the Edgefield area where Edgefield ties and we appreciate them
being here as well. So when we left off, we
(19:16):
were talking about lewis Wigfall, and we came up on
the eighteen forty South Carolina gubernatorial election and it was
an absolute powder kick. The two guys running for governor
was one John Peter Richardson. That was Lewis's guy. He
(19:36):
was kind of a centrist. There was already rumblings. This
was twenty one years before the start of the Civil War,
but there were already rumblings in a lot of dissension
between the North and the South over the issue of slavery,
state rights, and a lot of abolitionists in the North.
Of course, the folks in the South, they were for
(19:58):
keeping human being enslaved. But John Peter Richardson, he was
more of a unionist. He's like, we need to work
together to figure this thing out. No, we don't really
need to secede right now. We could talk about this
and try to compromise. So that was Richardson. Now his
(20:19):
opponent was James Henry Hammond. Hammond was what they labeled
a radical secessionist, believed in the institution of slavery, wanted
South Carolina and everybody out of the Union. You know,
if these guys up north aren't going to cooperate with us,
(20:39):
they're trying to cripple our economy, trying to cripple our society.
I want out.
Speaker 6 (20:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
So these are the two guys that.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
Well they were they were still wanted.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Both wanted slavery, just one was kind of slavery light,
the other one was. Yeah. So Lewis Wigfall he was
all in to support the centrist John Richardson. Now his
motives weren't entirely because he was civically minded, but because
(21:15):
he believed that currying favor with Richardson made further his
own political ambitions should Richardson win.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
Okay, so.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
This during this election time, there were public arguments, there
were insults, hard feelings, and they were occurring all over
South Carolina and Louis Wigfall. He was in the thick
of the fray. He never backed down from an argument.
He was a hot head and it was documented that
in a five month period, Lewis got in multiple verbal confrontations,
(21:53):
a fistfight, he won, two duels, he almost gotten three.
War he ended up being charged with murder but never indicted.
And uh, I'm gonna throw a p s a here,
And I kind of wrote it in the margin that
you know, a lot of people in today's time, they
(22:14):
think that the country is divided and on Facebook get
made look like that. But folks, we don't really know
what divide it is until you you look back in history.
And that's one of the reasons for this story. Look
back at history, learn from it, folks.
Speaker 6 (22:33):
And to then we I think we've come a long way,
We're doing a lot better. We've got a long way
to go.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
But yeah, I'd much rather see aggravating Facebook posts than.
Speaker 5 (22:46):
Let's not pull a Hamilton.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Well, we got another one to talk about. So after
all that trouble that he had gotten into, Wigfall he
remained just as fiery as ever for his candidate Richardson
for governor. Well, he ran up one day on another
(23:09):
edgefield boy, just as ramped up as he was, except
for the opposing side of James Hammond supporter. Okay, Well,
the two of these got in one heck of a
dispute and they could not find any other way to
settle their confrontation than to have a duel.
Speaker 7 (23:30):
Of course makes sense.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
So wig Fall and this other man, they decided they
were gonna meet on an island in the Savannah River
to do the deed. And it was just those two.
They didn't have seconds with them like you see in
the movies, like hearing a guy to hand you the gun.
It was just these two guys. You, yeah, nobody. They
(23:57):
went to a sandy island. They were like, we're gonna,
We're gonna do this. Somebody's gonna walk away, somebody's not.
They even they actually this was probably the most civil
part of the whole thing. And they had a meal
before they went over there.
Speaker 5 (24:15):
Before you're gonna that was last supper. It be too nervous.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
I mean, they get their meal.
Speaker 6 (24:26):
I'm not sure if i'd want to eat.
Speaker 5 (24:29):
I think I would have one to have some time
with the Lord, get right.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
With maybe communion or something that would be a good one.
Speaker 7 (24:36):
Communion.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
So these two guys, Lewis Wigfall and the guy he
was dueling, they must have been pretty good shots because
wig Fall he ended up being shot in both thighs
and the other man was shot in the hip. Okay, well,
the thing was they were out there by themselves, so
(24:59):
what are are you going to do? The two lay
there through the night until someone came to check on
him the following day, and Wigfall he did recover, and
the other man was forced to use a cane for
the rest of his life.
Speaker 6 (25:17):
I start to think, if they're like laying out there
and it's like.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Nighttime, you're still alive, that's kind of a I mean,
it's a sad, it's a tragic, but kind of a
funny scene.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Well, and also you have to go, are they still
taking shots at each other? Yeah, and do anything like yeah, yeah,
you like that?
Speaker 6 (25:35):
Don't you can't move? And it's like, well you can't
either write.
Speaker 7 (25:38):
That's what I was gonna ask, Like, if you fall
to the ground, can you not still shoot? Is there?
Speaker 2 (25:43):
He probably can, But at that point they're probably like.
Speaker 5 (25:46):
Is it one the one shot pistol thing?
Speaker 2 (25:48):
You know, Yeah, we're still alive. Let's just stop.
Speaker 6 (25:51):
Or if I kill you then I'm really gonna be
out here by myself.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
I would love to have a transcript of those conversations.
Speaker 6 (25:57):
I just think if they're laying out there, you get there.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
But the man that Wigfall shot, like I said, he
was forced to use a cating the rest of his life.
And let's put a pin in that fact, a really
big pen. Now. Eventually, Lewis Wigfall's man, John Richardson, he
did win the election, and just like Lewis wanted, he
(26:23):
was named to part of Richardson's staff, so he got
a job there with the Governor's office. But eventually Lewis's
ill temper and the duel with the man on the
Savannah River it really got the best of Louis Wigfall's reputation.
His violence and propensity to meddle behind the scenes politically
(26:43):
killed any political ambitions he had in South Carolina. Gambling
debts medical bills, his alcoholism, and he had a lot
of medical debt. He had an ailing an infant son.
It ended up resulting in court sales, whether called sheriff
sales or foreclosures as we know him today on Wigfall's
(27:07):
property and his law office was shuddered. Now to tie
bow on Lewis in his life Lewis, he eventually moved
his family to Texas, where he became a Confederate States representative,
Confederate States general, and eventually a US Senator from Texas.
So he did get the political power he wanted. But
(27:28):
let's go back to that pen. Let's go back to
the man that Wigfall permanently injured. As we mentioned this
Edgefield in he was a fierce secessionist and a supporter
of slavery and states rights. And although maimed and requiring
a cane, he became a colonel in the U. S
Army in the Mexican American War. But it was that cane.
(27:56):
It's a cane that is written about to this day
in every American history textbook. And you see that man
from Edgefield that Lewis Wigfall shot. He eventually became known
worldwide and his title he earned was a US congressman,
and that man's name was Preston Brooks. And when we
(28:17):
get back from this short break, we're gonna get into
exactly what made him infamous worldwide. Folks will be right
back after this quick break, and welcome back to Carolina Crimes,
(28:49):
Episode two twenty three. Emanating and originating in Edgefield, South Carolina.
But now we're gonna move to the Halls of Congress
after that big reveal that was Preston Brooks from Edgefield
that would go down in infamy with his cane that
was a result of his duel with Lewis Wigfall. I
(29:09):
told you it was an origin story, and we're going
to get to this one.
Speaker 6 (29:12):
And I sounds like it may or may not click
if I've heard this, and then it clicked.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Yes, Well, Preston Brooks he grew up in Edgefield, part
of the aristocracy as well, and as we mentioned before,
he was an ardent secessionist and was a huge supporter
of the horror, horrendous institution of slavery. But Brooks he
(29:39):
ended up serving in the South Carolina House of Representatives
before he was eventually elected to the United States House
of Representatives in eighteen fifty three. Now he took an
extreme pro slavery position and thought that Northern abolitionists were
attacking the rights and the social structure and the economy
(30:00):
of the South. Now, the nation in eighteen fifty three
was at a tipping point. It was eight years prior
to the Civil War, and there was already a lot
of saber rattling on both sides. And things really started
coming to a head with the admission of the state
of Kansas into the Union. Now it was up to
(30:24):
the US Senate and the House to decide if Kansas
would be admitted as a free state or a slave state.
And as Adam and as Preston Brooks was about maintaining
the institution of slavery, Northern representatives and senators were just
as passionate about the freedom, about freedom and the abolition
(30:49):
of slavery. Now one of the leading abolitionists his whole life,
he was on Capitol Hill, and he was a senator
from the state of Massachusetts. Then with Charles Sumner well
on May nineteenth and into the twentieth Sumner gave an
impassioned speech in favor of Kansas being a free state.
(31:13):
His speech was pointed, it was direct, and it was biting.
The speech was in reaction to South Carolina Senator Andrew
Butler's speech in support of Kansas being a slave state. Now,
both men, both Charles Sumner and Andrew Butler, their speeches
(31:33):
in the Senate. They they towed the line with crude
sexual innuendos and their speeches. Sumner he would say off
record that slavery the only reason the South wanted that
is so the owners could force themselves upon slave women.
(31:54):
And Butler he said abolitionists were all for inner racial marriages.
And I guess that was an insult back then, but
that was what Butler was. One of his inuits taking.
Speaker 6 (32:08):
Personal jobs at this point.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
Yes, and it got more personal because Sumner's speech it
scathed the South. And then it got use the word
personal again by mocking Andrew Butler's speech impediment that he
had due to a stroke, but.
Speaker 6 (32:32):
For taste, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
And I mean even though Butler was on the wrong
side of history, I mean he did have a stroke
and this guy up there making fun of his drawn speech. Well,
when old Preston Brooks over in the House of Representatives
he heard about this, he was furious. Not only did
he oppose Sumner's viewpoint, but he had disrespected the South
(32:58):
at his mind and Andrew Butler, who was not only
South Carolina Senator but also Preston Brooks's first cousin.
Speaker 5 (33:07):
Oh Okay family dispute.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Yes. So two days after Sumner's speech, Preston Brooks and
two other members of the South Carolina delegation that were
in the House of Representatives, they strolled over to the
Senate chamber to pay their antagonist to visit. The South
Carolina representatives that accompanied him were Lawrence Keat and Henry Edmondson.
(33:36):
Now Lawrence Keat. He kind of served as counsel to
Preston Brooks because Preston Brooks said, well, hell, I'm just
going dueling and he said. Keat said, no, we're above
Charles Sumner's class. He's not worthy of a duel.
Speaker 6 (33:53):
Don't stoop yourself down to their level.
Speaker 7 (33:56):
I remember from a previous episode. It had to be the.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Right, yes, but they thought Charles Sumner from Massachusetts was
beneath them. So the three representatives they waited for the
gallery to clear all the women to exit that were
watching the Senate in session, and Brooks then approached Sumner
and told him that he'd read a speech actually twice
(34:22):
and considered it libel to the state of South Carolina
and to his cousin Andrew Butler. Well, when Charles Sumner
arose from his seat, Preston Brooks took that infamous cane
and cracked him right across his skull with him. Now,
(34:42):
the cane, it was thick, it was wooden, and I
think it was paraguda wood that it was made out of.
I've never heard of that before, and I'm probably not
pronouncing that right, but it's like an additive in latex today.
But this cane, it was thick and it had a
sigh gold topper on top. Well, Sumner, after being hit,
(35:05):
immediately lost his sight and crawled under his Senate desk
to try to get protection. He wasn't expecting that.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
Oh yeah, and then you lose your sight on top
of it, so you don't know if more blows are coming.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Right. Well, this ended up being a bad move getting
up under that desk because the desk was actually bolted
to the floor and he was trapped. He had nowhere
to go, so Brooks continued a waylay Charles Sumner as
he just cowered under this desk, but he was also
frantically trying to defend himself. Couldn't really, I mean he
(35:42):
was seeing stars from the initial hit and was just
trying to get out of there any way he could.
And finally he kept just kind of bucking himself up
and he was able to rip part of the desk
from the floor and he was able to get to
his feet. Fin Wow. Well, he tried to stumble up
the aisle of the Senate trying to escape, but this
(36:04):
actually made a bigger and wider target for Preston Brooks.
Brooks continued the beating and hitting Charles Sumner around his head,
his face, shoulders, and back until finally the cane snapped.
Brooks then grabbed half the cane that had that gold
(36:25):
topper on top and continued to hit Charles Sumner almost
like with a hammer, until he fell semi conscious to
the floor. It gets worse. Brooks, after Sumner had fallen
to the floor, ended up grabbing Sumner by his lapel
and continued thrashing him. Oh god, Now other senators and
(36:47):
representatives they tried to intervene. Remember he had representatives Edmondson
and ket with him people and they were holding everybody
at base saying, hey, this doesn't concern you, you know, ay,
let them fight it out, and the crowd got so
large Keat he ended up brandishing out his pistol and
(37:09):
he was like, no, you're gonna let him fight. Well. Finally,
Representatives Morgan and Ambrose Murray, both from New York, they
were able to get past these two South Carolina boys
and finally pulled Brooks off a summer. The national reaction
to this event was obviously very divided. The Northerners they said, see,
(37:37):
these Southerners are nothing but prone to violence. This is
what they're all about. This is why we're fighting for
what we're fighting for. And Southerners they said, look, Brooks
is standing up for our rights and he wasn't going
to take us being disrespected. And he was lauded as
a hero throughout the South. Articles written about him in
(38:00):
the Richmond Times, and he was just almost an immediate
folk hero to some people in the South. Now, Sumner's
wounds they caused what today would be called a traumatic
brain injury. He was debilitated the rest of his life,
(38:24):
and his Senate seat actually stayed empty as a reminder
to all about the event. Because he could not serve.
Sumner was reelected the following year in eighteen fifty seven,
even though he would not be able to return to
the Senate until three years later in eighteen fifty nine,
(38:47):
three years after the attacks. Now Brooks, as we mentioned,
he was seen as a hero in the South. The
remnants of the cane. Other members of the House of
Representatives took that and had it made into small wooden
rings that they wore around their neck in support of them.
Speaker 6 (39:10):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
And Preston Brooks. He ended up making a speech to
Congress defending his actions, and he claimed he has no
disrespect for the other house, the Senate, but he tried
to justify his actions. And then the canes started coming in.
Thousands of replacement canes were sent to Preston Brooks. There
(39:36):
were inscriptions on these canes such as hit him again,
oh my god, oh wow, and one of the most
ornate canes actually came from the University of Virginia as
a gift.
Speaker 6 (39:49):
Oh okay, oh to him.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Well. Preston Brooks did not go unscathed for this. He
was arrested on May twenty third for assault and he
was tried in the District of Columbia. Preston Brooks was
convicted and he was ordered to pay three hundred dollars
with no jail time.
Speaker 5 (40:11):
That's it, that's it.
Speaker 1 (40:13):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
And in eighteen fifty six money three hundred dollars it
ended up translating to ten thousand, four hundred dollars.
Speaker 5 (40:19):
Oh goodness, all right.
Speaker 2 (40:21):
So a fine for almost beating a man.
Speaker 7 (40:24):
To death, right, a man who can no longer function?
Speaker 2 (40:27):
Really?
Speaker 4 (40:28):
Did he ever receive site backer? He was totally flined
the rest of his life.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
Yes, he did. He did get his suit. Okay, it
was just the site.
Speaker 6 (40:36):
It was just gotcha like an instant.
Speaker 5 (40:40):
It's him hard, like it damaged his sight.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
I'm like, you're seeing just seeing stars.
Speaker 6 (40:45):
He just can't make anything out or yeah, you're so
like all over the place.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
Well, the House of US House of Representatives, they made
a motion to expel Preston Brooks from the House. Well,
the motion failed. He was allowed to keep his seat,
but under much pressure and scrutiny, Preston Brooks did eventually
resign on July fifteenth, eighteen fifty six. And he said,
(41:13):
you know what, let's let my constituents be the judge
and if they want to re elect me, they can
reelect me. But I am resigning from the House. And
on August first, eighteen fifty six, fifteen days after I'm sorry,
sixteen days after he resigned, Preston Brooks was overwhelmingly re
(41:35):
elected to the US House of Representatives. But before his
next term began began, Preston Brooks died on January twenty seventh,
eighteen fifty seven. Of the croup Oh okay, now Sumner's desk.
Back in February, we did visit Washington, DC. My wife
(41:57):
was up there for some work. I was up there
for fun. But we did take a tour in the
old Senate chamber, which is today used as ceremonial functions.
It's not the large it's not the large chamber that
you see on c SPAM. It was. It was incredibly small,
incredibly dark. It looked like something out of an old movie. Yeah,
(42:19):
because it probably was. But today that old Senate chamber
where this attack took place as the homeless ceremonial functions,
and that desk that Charles Sumner sat in is never
occupied really in any function. It always remains open. It
has a book sitting right on it. On the right
hand side of the desk, and it'll it'll be an
(42:43):
infamous day in US history forever. And I heard about
it in American history books, in US history classes. I
don't know if y'all did.
Speaker 7 (42:53):
When you said Kansas, I was like, oh, like that
was my clique.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
Yes, And there were there were several memorials made to
Charles Sumner. He was considered a hero to many. And
I'm looking at this right now. I mean, just example,
there are so many libraries named after Charles Sumner, elementary schools,
(43:20):
high schools, libraries. I said that towns. There's Sumner, Iowa,
Sumner County, Kansas, Nebraska, Washington, Oregon. There are streets named
after him. In the Dominican Republic. There was the SS
Charles Sumner, which was a World War Two liberty cargo ship.
(43:40):
And the last little twist here, if you go to
the US Supreme Court case nineteen fifty four Brown versus
the Board of Education, which was the case that desegregated
the schools, and it originated out of Topeka, Kansas, and
the school in question that wanted to start it was
Charles Sumner Elementary School. Wow.
Speaker 6 (44:03):
Wow, that's that for a plot. Twist.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
Yeah, we went the whole gamut on that one. Like
I said, it was a story that most people know
from one of the sons of Edgefield, and not a
lot of people know the origin story. I mean they
maybe he was old and had a cane. But I
thought it was really cool to tell the dueling story. Yeah,
and I really hope y'all enjoyed that one.
Speaker 5 (44:27):
It was phenomenal.
Speaker 6 (44:29):
It was great.
Speaker 7 (44:30):
Thank y'all for having us own And a huge shout
out to my friend Terry Drummond for introducing me.
Speaker 2 (44:35):
To y'all, because thank you, Terry.
Speaker 6 (44:37):
Thank you Terry.
Speaker 7 (44:38):
You're a part of my morning.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
So thank y'all so much.
Speaker 6 (44:43):
We appreciate y'all coming and sitting with us, and.
Speaker 4 (44:46):
Well, y'all do a lot for the fans too, We
appreciate it. You always bring a smile to my face.
I do a lot of travel, so I love listening
to y'all when i'm driving or when i'm home cleaning.
My dogs know the music, so they tilt their heads.
Speaker 5 (45:02):
Yes, but no, thank you.
Speaker 4 (45:03):
This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. But y'all
are rock stars.
Speaker 5 (45:08):
We love you guys.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
The more you hang out with us, the more you're
gonna realize we're not anything special. I've told you that
we're just Oh yeah, I'll speak I'm not. But thank
you so much for being here. We appreciate it, and
thank you for all you do for us and your support,
and thank you all listeners for your support. We appreciate
you so much. I know we didn't get into it.
(45:30):
We were a little we were a little preoccupied at
the beginning of the show. But just a few house
cleaning items. If you want to see some of these
old pictures of put some faces with some names or
some lithographs with some names, we'll put them on our
social media Carolina Crimes Podcast, also over on Twitter at
sc Crimes pod. If you're looking to support the show,
(45:52):
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Let us know your pet's names, what you had for dinner,
what your favorite part of summer is, and we appreciate that. Also,
(46:13):
if you want to support the show monetarily and get
some sweet Carolina Crimes paraphernalia for your.
Speaker 6 (46:17):
Back there you go.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
Ye, both these ladies war theirs today. Yes, we did,
and they provided us with some they brought. They came
bearing gifts.
Speaker 6 (46:28):
For us.
Speaker 3 (46:30):
I was like, I'm gonna have to send pictures of
me giving some to my dog.
Speaker 6 (46:35):
I know he'll absolutely love.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
Yes, we're gonna catch treat it up at the house
and thank you so much. But if you're looking to
get that Carolina Crimes paraphernalia, head on over to Carolina
crimestore dot com. Check that out teara free. I don't know,
I don't know if that's true or not. I have
to do that in there, but I hadn't raised the prices,
so I don't know. But so head on over there.
(46:59):
We appreciate that, and thank you all for listening to
Carolina Crimes this week. And ladies, we'll give you the
final word. Anything anybody else you want to say thank
you to.
Speaker 5 (47:09):
I'm just over the moon to be here.
Speaker 4 (47:13):
No really, I'm just I love the history. I just
I love how it connects me to Amanda, since you
know she her husband had.
Speaker 5 (47:21):
The audacity to move far away from his job. No,
I'm just kidding. I love you, Brandon. I was like,
you know, he's going to hear that, right, I do,
and that's okay. He knows I love him.
Speaker 4 (47:29):
But no, y'all are amazing, and we just really appreciate
all y'all, do we.
Speaker 5 (47:34):
It's the highlight of my week.
Speaker 6 (47:37):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (47:38):
Yes, Well, unfortunately you robbed from this episode. You already
know how it ends, so sorry. It's okay.
Speaker 6 (47:43):
I can hear it back.
Speaker 2 (47:44):
I can't.
Speaker 4 (47:45):
No, I cannot wait because I go to I travel
tomorrow to Atlanta. I'm going to be listening.
Speaker 5 (47:50):
And giggling.
Speaker 2 (47:52):
Well, thank you so much, and until next time, we'll
see you on Carolina Crimes.
Speaker 3 (48:00):
Yeah,
For over three hundred and fifty years, the state of
South Carolina has been the setting for some of the
most horrendous crimes ever committed. Some have gained global notoriety,
some have been forgotten, and others have been swept under
the rug completely. Now, two South Carolina natives and true
(00:31):
crime enthusiasts have teamed up to examine these heinous acts
in detail, giving their perspective of the evil that has
resided in the Palmetto State. You're listening to Carolina Crimes.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
And welcome back to Carolina Crimes, Episode two twenty three.
I'm one of your hosts, Matt Hyres, along with.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Danielle Myers, and we're over the moon thrilled that you
joined us here today.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
And we're over the moon thrilled that we've got two
guests in studio with us. This is a birthday celebration
for one of our Carolina Crimes fans, one of our best,
best of the best out there, Amanda Hall. And also
accompanying Amanda is her best friend and also one of
(01:22):
our a ones from day one. Go ahead and introduce yourself.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Hey, I'm Ashley Richards and I am so excited to
be here.
Speaker 5 (01:30):
Thank y'all for having as we are over the moon.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yes, yes, thank y'all so much. And they're the sweetest ladies.
And we have been corresponding for a little while and
I mean went ahead and did thorough background checks on
We were like, okay, and then I really started getting
worried when you asked us our shirt sizes, maybe their
(01:54):
size us up for their trunk room for both of us,
just you. My wife was a little concerned. She was like,
you know, these people might kidnap you. And I was like, well,
you know, there's there's been worse things.
Speaker 6 (02:08):
There's worse things said that.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Yeah, she'll supply the floor for him. But no, thank
you for joining us here today and we're we're very
honored to have you here with us in the studio. Folks,
thank you so much for reaching out about last week's episode.
A lot of graduations are happening right now as we speak,
(02:34):
this weekend, next week. Last week, but that tail out
of Anderson County about the the father who and that's
still a cold case out there. M yes, and uh,
but we appreciate everybody reaching out that way. We want
to remind everybody please have a reverent and safe Memorial
(02:57):
Day weekend. Please remember what it's all about. It's not
about hot dogs and hamburgers. You can always thank a serviceman,
but that is what Veterans Day is for. Memorial Day
is for remembering those that paid the ultimate sacrifice. My
classmate from the Citadel, Lieutenant Dan Malcolm, US Marines, and
(03:19):
he is buried at Arlington and we've been able to
visit and just it can never never repay what the
brave men and women have done for us, for our freedom. Also,
I want to know we've got some ladies that are
in the educational realm, some teachers, former teachers, and Ashley
she works with kind of pseudo school and educational.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
A lot of early childhood education. So it's Georgia Department
of Early Karen Learning. Most people know as as Georgia
dcal or Bright from the start and I absolutely love it. Yes, yes,
advocators for early childhood education and older children as well.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Fantastic. But we also wanted to say thank you speaking
of elementary school teachers, our Oakdale Elementary School teachers that
stopped me two weeks ago. I appreciate that we were
volunteering with seven Second Harvest Food Bank and they were outstanding.
Enjoyed spending the afternoon with you ladies, and also acres
of faith over at the rock Hill Farmers Market. All right,
(04:25):
so both these ladies are in studio partly four Amanda's birthday,
but also we got an episode from their neck of
the woods. And I think this is what really kind
of concerned my family members was that you're joining us
from the Edgefield area.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
We're the sweet ones, though I promise we're not.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Well everybody down there suite and I kid around a lot.
But Edgefield it's provided some of this podcast's most interesting
content for sure, and today we're going to discuss two
Edgefield's native sons that kind of tore riously cross paths.
And it's from a time period when it was really
known as Bloody Edgefield. There was over one hundred and
(05:09):
forty homicides at least documented homicides between eighteen forty nine
and eighteen ninety nine in Edgefield County. So that's kind
of how it got its wild Wild West reputation, and
it's it's lived up to it, as we have found
out as we've gone through the episode. No shade towards
Edgefield whatsoever. You know, I've got an aunt, we'll discuss
(05:33):
her later off air that lives down there. And just
fantastic people, Beth Glade, some of our big listeners. We
appreciate everybody in Edgefield County. And this one's for all
of y'all, So yeah, thank you, yes, and So Edgefield
County for those of you not familiar with the state
(05:53):
of South Carolina, it's located on the western border of
South Carolina, kind of centrally located situation between Aikin County
to the south and Saluta, Greenwood and McCormick to the north.
Now Edgefield it is one of the nine counties in
South Carolina that's bordered by the Savannah River. And originally
(06:14):
Edgefield was part of the ninety six district, which I
think y'all heard about. Ninety six is was kind of
northwest South Carolina when it was one of the thirteen colonies,
but Edgefield County it was formed out of the southern
section of the ninety six district. Now, over time, the
(06:36):
county boundaries were whittled down by portions being used for McCormick, Greenwood, Saluta,
and Acin counties. And the name origin of Edgefield County
is kind of controversial. Nobody can really agree on what
it was named after. We've talked about it in previous episodes,
(06:57):
but some say it was named after Edgefield in Norfolk, England.
Some say that the first home and kind of settlement
that was built there was on the edge of a field.
I seem to think maybe that might be might be close,
and some people said it's because it's on the edge
of South Carolina. So all of it's true, all of
(07:20):
it could be possible. Now, Edgefield County was ruled by
an agrarian economy when it was founded in seventeen eighty five,
and throughout most of its history, the social classes in
Edgefield have been pretty deeply divided. You had the elite
when it first started off, your plantation slave owners, they
(07:41):
were considered the elite. You had the yeomen who were
landowners who worked their own farms, owned their own land.
You had the poor tenant farmers, and then the enslaved
people that were there as well. Now, after the Civil War,
Edgefield was unique not only in the South, but especially
(08:04):
in South Carolina, but it had a majority of freed
African Americans. They made up the majority of Edgefield County
and Eventually the great migration to northern industrialized cities came about.
When enslaved people were first freed, they were really harassed
(08:25):
about their voting rights. It was not a pleasant environment
for them to live in. So they said, you know what,
I've been kicked out in nicer places. You know, I'm
going up north and I'm going to make some money
and make a nice life for my family. Now, the
population and wealth ended up dwindling in Edgefield from nineteen
(08:47):
ten to nineteen eighty due to the decline in agricultural endeavors.
And now the majority of folks they do work. It's
part of the Augusta metroplit metroplex, i would say, or
a metropolitan area. And y'all can talk.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
I mean, yeah, they're such a good storyteller.
Speaker 7 (09:07):
They know my husband's friend. They have a lot of
land in Edgefield and actually they just posted about cucumbers
and all the things they've grown.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
So the Titan Farms is out there as well, and
you have a lot of the beautiful peach field.
Speaker 5 (09:22):
Oh yes, yeah, some good old peaches.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
So agriculture still drives the economy.
Speaker 8 (09:29):
And cost of farms as well, and they supply plants
onto home depot and lows. And it's okay because a
lot of families they don't have to move with the work.
The work is always there, so you know, we have
a lot of plants as well.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yes, yes, Now the population today of Edgefield County, the
county is around twenty seven thousand really so yes, that's
very sparsely populated, but beautiful and over there for sure.
Now some of the population throughout the past that have
(10:05):
made history, some of the more famed folks from Edgefield.
Of course, they're claim to fame. And y'all can say
it with me. It's the home of ten yes, and
those governors. We'll go ahead and listen, rattle them off
real quick. Andrew Pickens, George McDuffie, Pierce Butler, James Hammond,
Francis Pickens, Millage Bonham, John Shepherd, Pitchfork, Ben Tillman, which
(10:29):
we've talked about in an episode of John Gary Evans
and the most recent Strong Thurman.
Speaker 7 (10:36):
Yes, met him on a few occasions.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Yes, I did too. When I was in high school.
We went up to d C. I bet he loved
he liked y'all, probably more than me. Also from the
Edgefield area, Benjamin Mays, the former president of Morehouse College,
and many many more besides the governors. We have covered
Edgefield the history a couple of times, but the most
(11:02):
notable ones there the first guy we're going to talk about.
And I'm gonna go ahead and throw this out there
that the end of this story is one that probably
every American knows or has or was supposed to know
at one time for an American history class. It's in
(11:22):
every textbook, but not everybody really knows the origin story
of what we're going to talk about. But that's what
we're going to start off with here in Edgefield County today. Okay,
this colorful character, his name was Lewis Wigfall. Now Lewis
was born in April of eighteen sixteen into a well
(11:46):
to do Edgefield family. Now, his father had been a successful,
extremely successful merchant in le Or in Charleston. His name
was Levi Wigfall, and after he kind of got out
of the merchant business, he decided he was going to
move to Edgefield to become a it says farmer, but
(12:07):
a plantation owner. He had he had money, so unfortunately
he enslaved people and started a plantation. But Louis Wigfall
Levi's son. He never really got to know his father
well because his father passed away when Lewis was only
two years old. Now, tragedy struck again in the Wigfall
(12:32):
family when Lewis's mother, Eliza, died in eighteen twenty nine,
when Lewis was only thirteen. Goodness, his older brother that
he looked up to Hamden, not Camden, but Hamden, and
not Hampden Hamden Hamden also lost his life, not from
(12:52):
illness but by way of a duel.
Speaker 5 (12:55):
Oh, okay, he was one of those.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
And but to Edgefield. Now Lewis Wigfall's other brother author
he may or may not have thought the family was
cursed at this point, so he played it safe, got
on the good side of the Lord, and became a
bishop in the Episcopal church. Yes, well, that really left
Lewis to be raised by a guardian there in Edgefield,
(13:23):
he was, I guess, the heir to his father Levi's
fortune or what he had there. And while being considered
as a descendant of Edgefield's aristocracy, Louis Wigfall he began
to get kind of a rough and tumble reputation. Well,
(13:45):
he faced a lot of tragedy. He had a lot
of troubles, not a lot of counselors around back then
to help him deal with grief or losing his brother.
So he developed that reputation and coupled that with a
really short and horrible temper.
Speaker 6 (14:03):
It's not a good combination.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Well I'll do it to add fire to gasoline. Lewis
was considered a very large young man who really gained
the taste for alcohol at a young age. So that
never never ends up too good. Well. After going to
a private school in Columbia, South Carolina, Louis Wigfall, he
(14:27):
eventually entered the University of Virginia in eighteen thirty five.
But while he was there, he ended up feeling disrespected
by another student. So he did what came naturally, and
he challenged this other freshman to a duels right there
at Uvae.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
Were these legal back then, I mean you know some
states they were, but it was okay.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
It was legal. It was thought of as a an
honorable way to settle a dispute between aristocrat, so that
you didn't see two farmers going out and walking the
ten paces. They're gonna they're gonna fistfight, and they were
gonna they were gonna do it that way, but dueling
(15:12):
was it was accepted. It was co I think they
call it co duello duello d e ll o. I
don't know if I'm pronouncing that right, but that's Latin. Well,
this situation with this other student, it was eventually de
escalated and by the end of the year they're at
the University of Virginia Lewis Wigfall. He said, you know,
(15:36):
I'm not feeling this up here. It's too far from home.
So he decided to go ahead and enter the Annebellum
Transfer portal and he moved to South Carolina College, which
was eventually the University of South Carolina. Well, Lewis he
became interested in law, but he also became more interested
(15:58):
in drinking booze and corrals and at the local bars,
and he actually ended up one documents that he ended
up spending more time at taverns than in class, and
his attendance was described as erratic.
Speaker 6 (16:13):
It's probably not too far off from how things are now.
Speaker 7 (16:17):
Students, especially freshman.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Yeah, yeah, but this was his sophomore year, and you know,
he just he thought it was a better use of
his time and probably had a hell of a lot
more fun at the Tavern. He even took a three
month hiatus off and didn't go to class to go
fight in the Second Seminole War. Oh okay, but he
(16:41):
proved to be very bright and have a high intellect,
and he was able to graduate from South Carolina College
in eighteen thirty seven. Well, Lewis he then went back
to Edgefield to take over his brother's law practice, presumably
Hamden's law practice, but his hard living really started to
(17:04):
take a toll. Wigfall was constantly intoxicated, and then on
top of that, he added gambling to his resume advicens. So,
I mean, I can't those stones, I guess, but I
wasn't a lawyer either.
Speaker 6 (17:22):
Yeah, you're not defending people or their lives.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
I don't know if he dealt with criminal cases, but
either way, you've had people's in their hands.
Speaker 6 (17:32):
So yeah, you probably need to be sober, yeah, and coherent.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Well, then, after three years of practicing law, eighteen forty
came and it was an election year in South Carolina
and the gubernatorial election at that time could be described
as volatile, but in actuality it would be better described
(18:01):
as explosive. And Lewis Wigfall he had political aspirations and
he was right in the middle of it and pledged
his undying support to one of the gubernatorial candidates, John
Peter Richardson. And we're going to continue this story after
this short break, and then we'll get back to this
(18:25):
story of lewis Wigfall, which ends up becoming one of
the most historical events in pre Civil War history. Folks
will be right back after this quick word from our sponsors,
(18:55):
and welcome back to Carolina Crimes, Episode two twenty three
out of Edgefield County, and me and Danielle are here
with our special guests Ashley richards and Amanda Hall from
the Edgefield area where Edgefield ties and we appreciate them
being here as well. So when we left off, we
(19:16):
were talking about lewis Wigfall, and we came up on
the eighteen forty South Carolina gubernatorial election and it was
an absolute powder kick. The two guys running for governor
was one John Peter Richardson. That was Lewis's guy. He
(19:36):
was kind of a centrist. There was already rumblings. This
was twenty one years before the start of the Civil War,
but there were already rumblings in a lot of dissension
between the North and the South over the issue of slavery,
state rights, and a lot of abolitionists in the North.
Of course, the folks in the South, they were for
(19:58):
keeping human being enslaved. But John Peter Richardson, he was
more of a unionist. He's like, we need to work
together to figure this thing out. No, we don't really
need to secede right now. We could talk about this
and try to compromise. So that was Richardson. Now his
(20:19):
opponent was James Henry Hammond. Hammond was what they labeled
a radical secessionist, believed in the institution of slavery, wanted
South Carolina and everybody out of the Union. You know,
if these guys up north aren't going to cooperate with us,
(20:39):
they're trying to cripple our economy, trying to cripple our society.
I want out.
Speaker 6 (20:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
So these are the two guys that.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
Well they were they were still wanted.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Both wanted slavery, just one was kind of slavery light,
the other one was. Yeah. So Lewis Wigfall he was
all in to support the centrist John Richardson. Now his
motives weren't entirely because he was civically minded, but because
(21:15):
he believed that currying favor with Richardson made further his
own political ambitions should Richardson win.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
Okay, so.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
This during this election time, there were public arguments, there
were insults, hard feelings, and they were occurring all over
South Carolina and Louis Wigfall. He was in the thick
of the fray. He never backed down from an argument.
He was a hot head and it was documented that
in a five month period, Lewis got in multiple verbal confrontations,
(21:53):
a fistfight, he won, two duels, he almost gotten three.
War he ended up being charged with murder but never indicted.
And uh, I'm gonna throw a p s a here,
And I kind of wrote it in the margin that
you know, a lot of people in today's time, they
(22:14):
think that the country is divided and on Facebook get
made look like that. But folks, we don't really know
what divide it is until you you look back in history.
And that's one of the reasons for this story. Look
back at history, learn from it, folks.
Speaker 6 (22:33):
And to then we I think we've come a long way,
We're doing a lot better. We've got a long way
to go.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
But yeah, I'd much rather see aggravating Facebook posts than.
Speaker 5 (22:46):
Let's not pull a Hamilton.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Well, we got another one to talk about. So after
all that trouble that he had gotten into, Wigfall he
remained just as fiery as ever for his candidate Richardson
for governor. Well, he ran up one day on another
(23:09):
edgefield boy, just as ramped up as he was, except
for the opposing side of James Hammond supporter. Okay, Well,
the two of these got in one heck of a
dispute and they could not find any other way to
settle their confrontation than to have a duel.
Speaker 7 (23:30):
Of course makes sense.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
So wig Fall and this other man, they decided they
were gonna meet on an island in the Savannah River
to do the deed. And it was just those two.
They didn't have seconds with them like you see in
the movies, like hearing a guy to hand you the gun.
It was just these two guys. You, yeah, nobody. They
(23:57):
went to a sandy island. They were like, we're gonna,
We're gonna do this. Somebody's gonna walk away, somebody's not.
They even they actually this was probably the most civil
part of the whole thing. And they had a meal
before they went over there.
Speaker 5 (24:15):
Before you're gonna that was last supper. It be too nervous.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
I mean, they get their meal.
Speaker 6 (24:26):
I'm not sure if i'd want to eat.
Speaker 5 (24:29):
I think I would have one to have some time
with the Lord, get right.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
With maybe communion or something that would be a good one.
Speaker 7 (24:36):
Communion.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
So these two guys, Lewis Wigfall and the guy he
was dueling, they must have been pretty good shots because
wig Fall he ended up being shot in both thighs
and the other man was shot in the hip. Okay, well,
the thing was they were out there by themselves, so
(24:59):
what are are you going to do? The two lay
there through the night until someone came to check on
him the following day, and Wigfall he did recover, and
the other man was forced to use a cane for
the rest of his life.
Speaker 6 (25:17):
I start to think, if they're like laying out there
and it's like.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Nighttime, you're still alive, that's kind of a I mean,
it's a sad, it's a tragic, but kind of a
funny scene.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Well, and also you have to go, are they still
taking shots at each other? Yeah, and do anything like yeah, yeah,
you like that?
Speaker 6 (25:35):
Don't you can't move? And it's like, well you can't
either write.
Speaker 7 (25:38):
That's what I was gonna ask, Like, if you fall
to the ground, can you not still shoot? Is there?
Speaker 2 (25:43):
He probably can, But at that point they're probably like.
Speaker 5 (25:46):
Is it one the one shot pistol thing?
Speaker 2 (25:48):
You know, Yeah, we're still alive. Let's just stop.
Speaker 6 (25:51):
Or if I kill you then I'm really gonna be
out here by myself.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
I would love to have a transcript of those conversations.
Speaker 6 (25:57):
I just think if they're laying out there, you get there.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
But the man that Wigfall shot, like I said, he
was forced to use a cating the rest of his life.
And let's put a pin in that fact, a really
big pen. Now. Eventually, Lewis Wigfall's man, John Richardson, he
did win the election, and just like Lewis wanted, he
(26:23):
was named to part of Richardson's staff, so he got
a job there with the Governor's office. But eventually Lewis's
ill temper and the duel with the man on the
Savannah River it really got the best of Louis Wigfall's reputation.
His violence and propensity to meddle behind the scenes politically
(26:43):
killed any political ambitions he had in South Carolina. Gambling
debts medical bills, his alcoholism, and he had a lot
of medical debt. He had an ailing an infant son.
It ended up resulting in court sales, whether called sheriff
sales or foreclosures as we know him today on Wigfall's
(27:07):
property and his law office was shuddered. Now to tie
bow on Lewis in his life Lewis, he eventually moved
his family to Texas, where he became a Confederate States representative,
Confederate States general, and eventually a US Senator from Texas.
So he did get the political power he wanted. But
(27:28):
let's go back to that pen. Let's go back to
the man that Wigfall permanently injured. As we mentioned this
Edgefield in he was a fierce secessionist and a supporter
of slavery and states rights. And although maimed and requiring
a cane, he became a colonel in the U. S
Army in the Mexican American War. But it was that cane.
(27:56):
It's a cane that is written about to this day
in every American history textbook. And you see that man
from Edgefield that Lewis Wigfall shot. He eventually became known
worldwide and his title he earned was a US congressman,
and that man's name was Preston Brooks. And when we
(28:17):
get back from this short break, we're gonna get into
exactly what made him infamous worldwide. Folks will be right
back after this quick break, and welcome back to Carolina Crimes,
(28:49):
Episode two twenty three. Emanating and originating in Edgefield, South Carolina.
But now we're gonna move to the Halls of Congress
after that big reveal that was Preston Brooks from Edgefield
that would go down in infamy with his cane that
was a result of his duel with Lewis Wigfall. I
(29:09):
told you it was an origin story, and we're going
to get to this one.
Speaker 6 (29:12):
And I sounds like it may or may not click
if I've heard this, and then it clicked.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Yes, Well, Preston Brooks he grew up in Edgefield, part
of the aristocracy as well, and as we mentioned before,
he was an ardent secessionist and was a huge supporter
of the horror, horrendous institution of slavery. But Brooks he
(29:39):
ended up serving in the South Carolina House of Representatives
before he was eventually elected to the United States House
of Representatives in eighteen fifty three. Now he took an
extreme pro slavery position and thought that Northern abolitionists were
attacking the rights and the social structure and the economy
(30:00):
of the South. Now, the nation in eighteen fifty three
was at a tipping point. It was eight years prior
to the Civil War, and there was already a lot
of saber rattling on both sides. And things really started
coming to a head with the admission of the state
of Kansas into the Union. Now it was up to
(30:24):
the US Senate and the House to decide if Kansas
would be admitted as a free state or a slave state.
And as Adam and as Preston Brooks was about maintaining
the institution of slavery, Northern representatives and senators were just
as passionate about the freedom, about freedom and the abolition
(30:49):
of slavery. Now one of the leading abolitionists his whole life,
he was on Capitol Hill, and he was a senator
from the state of Massachusetts. Then with Charles Sumner well
on May nineteenth and into the twentieth Sumner gave an
impassioned speech in favor of Kansas being a free state.
(31:13):
His speech was pointed, it was direct, and it was biting.
The speech was in reaction to South Carolina Senator Andrew
Butler's speech in support of Kansas being a slave state. Now,
both men, both Charles Sumner and Andrew Butler, their speeches
(31:33):
in the Senate. They they towed the line with crude
sexual innuendos and their speeches. Sumner he would say off
record that slavery the only reason the South wanted that
is so the owners could force themselves upon slave women.
(31:54):
And Butler he said abolitionists were all for inner racial marriages.
And I guess that was an insult back then, but
that was what Butler was. One of his inuits taking.
Speaker 6 (32:08):
Personal jobs at this point.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
Yes, and it got more personal because Sumner's speech it
scathed the South. And then it got use the word
personal again by mocking Andrew Butler's speech impediment that he
had due to a stroke, but.
Speaker 6 (32:32):
For taste, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
And I mean even though Butler was on the wrong
side of history, I mean he did have a stroke
and this guy up there making fun of his drawn speech. Well,
when old Preston Brooks over in the House of Representatives
he heard about this, he was furious. Not only did
he oppose Sumner's viewpoint, but he had disrespected the South
(32:58):
at his mind and Andrew Butler, who was not only
South Carolina Senator but also Preston Brooks's first cousin.
Speaker 5 (33:07):
Oh Okay family dispute.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Yes. So two days after Sumner's speech, Preston Brooks and
two other members of the South Carolina delegation that were
in the House of Representatives, they strolled over to the
Senate chamber to pay their antagonist to visit. The South
Carolina representatives that accompanied him were Lawrence Keat and Henry Edmondson.
(33:36):
Now Lawrence Keat. He kind of served as counsel to
Preston Brooks because Preston Brooks said, well, hell, I'm just
going dueling and he said. Keat said, no, we're above
Charles Sumner's class. He's not worthy of a duel.
Speaker 6 (33:53):
Don't stoop yourself down to their level.
Speaker 7 (33:56):
I remember from a previous episode. It had to be the.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Right, yes, but they thought Charles Sumner from Massachusetts was
beneath them. So the three representatives they waited for the
gallery to clear all the women to exit that were
watching the Senate in session, and Brooks then approached Sumner
and told him that he'd read a speech actually twice
(34:22):
and considered it libel to the state of South Carolina
and to his cousin Andrew Butler. Well, when Charles Sumner
arose from his seat, Preston Brooks took that infamous cane
and cracked him right across his skull with him. Now,
(34:42):
the cane, it was thick, it was wooden, and I
think it was paraguda wood that it was made out of.
I've never heard of that before, and I'm probably not
pronouncing that right, but it's like an additive in latex today.
But this cane, it was thick and it had a
sigh gold topper on top. Well, Sumner, after being hit,
(35:05):
immediately lost his sight and crawled under his Senate desk
to try to get protection. He wasn't expecting that.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
Oh yeah, and then you lose your sight on top
of it, so you don't know if more blows are coming.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Right. Well, this ended up being a bad move getting
up under that desk because the desk was actually bolted
to the floor and he was trapped. He had nowhere
to go, so Brooks continued a waylay Charles Sumner as
he just cowered under this desk, but he was also
frantically trying to defend himself. Couldn't really, I mean he
(35:42):
was seeing stars from the initial hit and was just
trying to get out of there any way he could.
And finally he kept just kind of bucking himself up
and he was able to rip part of the desk
from the floor and he was able to get to
his feet. Fin Wow. Well, he tried to stumble up
the aisle of the Senate trying to escape, but this
(36:04):
actually made a bigger and wider target for Preston Brooks.
Brooks continued the beating and hitting Charles Sumner around his head,
his face, shoulders, and back until finally the cane snapped.
Brooks then grabbed half the cane that had that gold
(36:25):
topper on top and continued to hit Charles Sumner almost
like with a hammer, until he fell semi conscious to
the floor. It gets worse. Brooks, after Sumner had fallen
to the floor, ended up grabbing Sumner by his lapel
and continued thrashing him. Oh god, Now other senators and
(36:47):
representatives they tried to intervene. Remember he had representatives Edmondson
and ket with him people and they were holding everybody
at base saying, hey, this doesn't concern you, you know, ay,
let them fight it out, and the crowd got so
large Keat he ended up brandishing out his pistol and
(37:09):
he was like, no, you're gonna let him fight. Well. Finally,
Representatives Morgan and Ambrose Murray, both from New York, they
were able to get past these two South Carolina boys
and finally pulled Brooks off a summer. The national reaction
to this event was obviously very divided. The Northerners they said, see,
(37:37):
these Southerners are nothing but prone to violence. This is
what they're all about. This is why we're fighting for
what we're fighting for. And Southerners they said, look, Brooks
is standing up for our rights and he wasn't going
to take us being disrespected. And he was lauded as
a hero throughout the South. Articles written about him in
(38:00):
the Richmond Times, and he was just almost an immediate
folk hero to some people in the South. Now, Sumner's
wounds they caused what today would be called a traumatic
brain injury. He was debilitated the rest of his life,
(38:24):
and his Senate seat actually stayed empty as a reminder
to all about the event. Because he could not serve.
Sumner was reelected the following year in eighteen fifty seven,
even though he would not be able to return to
the Senate until three years later in eighteen fifty nine,
(38:47):
three years after the attacks. Now Brooks, as we mentioned,
he was seen as a hero in the South. The
remnants of the cane. Other members of the House of
Representatives took that and had it made into small wooden
rings that they wore around their neck in support of them.
Speaker 6 (39:10):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
And Preston Brooks. He ended up making a speech to
Congress defending his actions, and he claimed he has no
disrespect for the other house, the Senate, but he tried
to justify his actions. And then the canes started coming in.
Thousands of replacement canes were sent to Preston Brooks. There
(39:36):
were inscriptions on these canes such as hit him again,
oh my god, oh wow, and one of the most
ornate canes actually came from the University of Virginia as
a gift.
Speaker 6 (39:49):
Oh okay, oh to him.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Well. Preston Brooks did not go unscathed for this. He
was arrested on May twenty third for assault and he
was tried in the District of Columbia. Preston Brooks was
convicted and he was ordered to pay three hundred dollars
with no jail time.
Speaker 5 (40:11):
That's it, that's it.
Speaker 1 (40:13):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
And in eighteen fifty six money three hundred dollars it
ended up translating to ten thousand, four hundred dollars.
Speaker 5 (40:19):
Oh goodness, all right.
Speaker 2 (40:21):
So a fine for almost beating a man.
Speaker 7 (40:24):
To death, right, a man who can no longer function?
Speaker 2 (40:27):
Really?
Speaker 4 (40:28):
Did he ever receive site backer? He was totally flined
the rest of his life.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
Yes, he did. He did get his suit. Okay, it
was just the site.
Speaker 6 (40:36):
It was just gotcha like an instant.
Speaker 5 (40:40):
It's him hard, like it damaged his sight.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
I'm like, you're seeing just seeing stars.
Speaker 6 (40:45):
He just can't make anything out or yeah, you're so
like all over the place.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
Well, the House of US House of Representatives, they made
a motion to expel Preston Brooks from the House. Well,
the motion failed. He was allowed to keep his seat,
but under much pressure and scrutiny, Preston Brooks did eventually
resign on July fifteenth, eighteen fifty six. And he said,
(41:13):
you know what, let's let my constituents be the judge
and if they want to re elect me, they can
reelect me. But I am resigning from the House. And
on August first, eighteen fifty six, fifteen days after I'm sorry,
sixteen days after he resigned, Preston Brooks was overwhelmingly re
(41:35):
elected to the US House of Representatives. But before his
next term began began, Preston Brooks died on January twenty seventh,
eighteen fifty seven. Of the croup Oh okay, now Sumner's desk.
Back in February, we did visit Washington, DC. My wife
(41:57):
was up there for some work. I was up there
for fun. But we did take a tour in the
old Senate chamber, which is today used as ceremonial functions.
It's not the large it's not the large chamber that
you see on c SPAM. It was. It was incredibly small,
incredibly dark. It looked like something out of an old movie. Yeah,
(42:19):
because it probably was. But today that old Senate chamber
where this attack took place as the homeless ceremonial functions,
and that desk that Charles Sumner sat in is never
occupied really in any function. It always remains open. It
has a book sitting right on it. On the right
hand side of the desk, and it'll it'll be an
(42:43):
infamous day in US history forever. And I heard about
it in American history books, in US history classes. I
don't know if y'all did.
Speaker 7 (42:53):
When you said Kansas, I was like, oh, like that
was my clique.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
Yes, And there were there were several memorials made to
Charles Sumner. He was considered a hero to many. And
I'm looking at this right now. I mean, just example,
there are so many libraries named after Charles Sumner, elementary schools,
(43:20):
high schools, libraries. I said that towns. There's Sumner, Iowa,
Sumner County, Kansas, Nebraska, Washington, Oregon. There are streets named
after him. In the Dominican Republic. There was the SS
Charles Sumner, which was a World War Two liberty cargo ship.
(43:40):
And the last little twist here, if you go to
the US Supreme Court case nineteen fifty four Brown versus
the Board of Education, which was the case that desegregated
the schools, and it originated out of Topeka, Kansas, and
the school in question that wanted to start it was
Charles Sumner Elementary School. Wow.
Speaker 6 (44:03):
Wow, that's that for a plot. Twist.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
Yeah, we went the whole gamut on that one. Like
I said, it was a story that most people know
from one of the sons of Edgefield, and not a
lot of people know the origin story. I mean they
maybe he was old and had a cane. But I
thought it was really cool to tell the dueling story. Yeah,
and I really hope y'all enjoyed that one.
Speaker 5 (44:27):
It was phenomenal.
Speaker 6 (44:29):
It was great.
Speaker 7 (44:30):
Thank y'all for having us own And a huge shout
out to my friend Terry Drummond for introducing me.
Speaker 2 (44:35):
To y'all, because thank you, Terry.
Speaker 6 (44:37):
Thank you Terry.
Speaker 7 (44:38):
You're a part of my morning.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
So thank y'all so much.
Speaker 6 (44:43):
We appreciate y'all coming and sitting with us, and.
Speaker 4 (44:46):
Well, y'all do a lot for the fans too, We
appreciate it. You always bring a smile to my face.
I do a lot of travel, so I love listening
to y'all when i'm driving or when i'm home cleaning.
My dogs know the music, so they tilt their heads.
Speaker 5 (45:02):
Yes, but no, thank you.
Speaker 4 (45:03):
This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. But y'all
are rock stars.
Speaker 5 (45:08):
We love you guys.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
The more you hang out with us, the more you're
gonna realize we're not anything special. I've told you that
we're just Oh yeah, I'll speak I'm not. But thank
you so much for being here. We appreciate it, and
thank you for all you do for us and your support,
and thank you all listeners for your support. We appreciate
you so much. I know we didn't get into it.
(45:30):
We were a little we were a little preoccupied at
the beginning of the show. But just a few house
cleaning items. If you want to see some of these
old pictures of put some faces with some names or
some lithographs with some names, we'll put them on our
social media Carolina Crimes Podcast, also over on Twitter at
sc Crimes pod. If you're looking to support the show,
(45:52):
we'd encourage everyone to. If you're listening on Spotify, Apple iTunes,
Apple podcast, those five star review mashed that purple subscribe
button and write a little something. It helps the algorithm.
Let us know your pet's names, what you had for dinner,
what your favorite part of summer is, and we appreciate that. Also,
(46:13):
if you want to support the show monetarily and get
some sweet Carolina Crimes paraphernalia for your.
Speaker 6 (46:17):
Back there you go.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
Ye, both these ladies war theirs today. Yes, we did,
and they provided us with some they brought. They came
bearing gifts.
Speaker 6 (46:28):
For us.
Speaker 3 (46:30):
I was like, I'm gonna have to send pictures of
me giving some to my dog.
Speaker 6 (46:35):
I know he'll absolutely love.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
Yes, we're gonna catch treat it up at the house
and thank you so much. But if you're looking to
get that Carolina Crimes paraphernalia, head on over to Carolina
crimestore dot com. Check that out teara free. I don't know,
I don't know if that's true or not. I have
to do that in there, but I hadn't raised the prices,
so I don't know. But so head on over there.
(46:59):
We appreciate that, and thank you all for listening to
Carolina Crimes this week. And ladies, we'll give you the
final word. Anything anybody else you want to say thank
you to.
Speaker 5 (47:09):
I'm just over the moon to be here.
Speaker 4 (47:13):
No really, I'm just I love the history. I just
I love how it connects me to Amanda, since you
know she her husband had.
Speaker 5 (47:21):
The audacity to move far away from his job. No,
I'm just kidding. I love you, Brandon. I was like,
you know, he's going to hear that, right, I do,
and that's okay. He knows I love him.
Speaker 4 (47:29):
But no, y'all are amazing, and we just really appreciate
all y'all, do we.
Speaker 5 (47:34):
It's the highlight of my week.
Speaker 6 (47:37):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (47:38):
Yes, Well, unfortunately you robbed from this episode. You already
know how it ends, so sorry. It's okay.
Speaker 6 (47:43):
I can hear it back.
Speaker 2 (47:44):
I can't.
Speaker 4 (47:45):
No, I cannot wait because I go to I travel
tomorrow to Atlanta. I'm going to be listening.
Speaker 5 (47:50):
And giggling.
Speaker 2 (47:52):
Well, thank you so much, and until next time, we'll
see you on Carolina Crimes.
Speaker 3 (48:00):
Yeah,
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