by Hans Holzer
Correspondence with Mrs. William Gaynes, a resident of Abbeville, revealed on October 1st, 1953—“The old general was a victim of the failing mind but he was doctored up until the date of his death. He was attended by his cousin Dr. F. E. Harrison.”
Eminent & Representative Men of South Carolina by Brant & Fuller (Madison, Wisconsin, 1892) gives this picture:
Samuel McGowan was born of Scotch Irish parents in Laurens County, S. C. on October 9th, 1819. Graduated with distinction from the South Carolina College in 1841. Read law at Abbeville with T. C. Perrin who offered him a partnership. He entered the service as a private and went to Mexico with the Palmetto Regiment. He was appointed on the general Quartermaster’s Staff with the rank of Captain. After the war he returned to Abbeville and resumed the practice of law with T. C. Perrin. He married Susan Caroline, eldest daughter of Judge David Lewis Wardlaw and they lived in Abbeville until some years after the death of Gen. McGowan in 1897. The home of Gen. McGowan still stands in Abbeville and was sold some time ago to the Baptist Church for 50,000 dollars…. After the war he entered law practice with William H. Parker (1869/1879) in Abbeville. He took an interest in political affairs…member of the Convention that met in Columbia in September, 1865. Elected to Congress but not allowed to take his seat. Counted out on the second election two years later. In 1878 he was a member of the State Legislature and in 1879 he was elected Associate Justice of the State Supreme Court.
General McGowan lived a long and honorable life in Abbeville. He was a contributing member of the Episcopal Church, Trinity, and became a member later in life. At his death the following appeared in the Abbeville Medium, edited by Gen. R. R. Hemphill who had served in McGowan’s Brigade. “General Samuel McGowan died at his home in this city at 8:35 o’clock last Monday morning August 8th. Full of years and honors he passed away surrounded by his family and friends. He had been in declining health for some time and suffered intense pain, though his final sickness was for a few days only and at the end all was Peace. Impressive services were held in Trinity Church Tuesday afternoon, at four o’clock, the procession starting from the residence. At the Church, the procession…preceded by Dr. Wm. M. Grier and Bishop Ellison Capers who read the solemn service…directly behind the coffin old Daddy Willis Marshall, a colored man who had served him well, bore a laurel wreath. Gen. McGowan was buried at Long Lane, cemetery and there is a handsome stone on the plot.”
Mrs. William Gaynes further reports:
Gen. McGowan had a ‘fine line of profanity’ and used it frequently in Court. He was engaged in a duel once with Col. John Cunningham and was wounded behind one ear and came near passing out. Col. Cunningham challenged Col. Perrin who refused the challenge on the ground that he did not approve of dueling, and Gen. McGowan took up the challenge and the duel took place at Sand Bar Ferry, near Augusta, with McGowan being wounded.
As far as I know, there was never any difficulty between Mrs. McGowan and the old General. His father-in-law, Judge Wardlaw, married Sarah Rebecca Allen, and her mother was Mary Lucia Garvey.
In other words, Judge Wardlaw married Sarah Garvey.
Mrs. Gaynes continues: “I have seen him frequently on his way to his law office, for he had to pass right by our office. If he ever was out of town for any length of time, Abbeville did not know it.”
The inscription on Samuel McGowan’s tombstone in Long Cane Graveyard reads as follows:
“Samuel McGowan, born Laurens County 9 October 1819. Died in Abbeville 9 August 1897. Go soldier to thy honored rest, thy trust and honor valor bearing. The brave are the tenderest, the loving are the daring.”
Side 2: “From humble birth he rose to the highest honor in Civic and military life. A patriot and a leader of men. In peace his country called him, he waited not to her call in war. A man’s strength, a woman’s tenderness, a child’s simplicity were his and his a heart of charity fulfilling the law of love. He did good and not evil all the days of his life and at its end his country his children and his children’s children rise up and call him blessed. In Mexican War 1846–1848. A Captain in United States Army. The Confederate War 1861–1865. A Brigadier General C.S.A. Member of the Legislature 1848–1850. Elected to Congress 1866. Associate Justice of Supreme Court of South Carolina 1878–1894. A hero in two wars. Seven times wounded. A leader at the Bar, a wise law giver, a righteous judge. He rests from his labors and his works do follow him.”
McGOWAN BECOMES A “REGULAR” OF THE WEEKLY SITTINGS
General McGowan had by now become an always impatient weekly “guest” at our sittings, and he never liked the idea of leaving. Whenever it was suggested that time was running short, McGowan tried to prolong his stay by becoming suddenly very talkative.
Sitting of September 29th, 1953
A prepared list of eight names, all fictitious but one (the sixth is that of Susan Wardlaw, McGowan’s wife) is read to him several times. McGowan reacts to two of the nonexistent names, but not to the one of his wife. One of the fictitious names is John D. Sumter, to which McGowan mumbles, “Colonel.” Fact is, there was a Colonel Sumter in the Confederate Army!
McGowan also described in detail the farm where his son Gregory now lives. Asked about the name Guychone, he says it comes from Louisiana; Mignon, on her mother’s side, had it. He identifies his hometown newspapers as “Star-Press.” (“Star-Press, paper, picture, Judge, Columbia, picture in paper….”)
Question: Who was Dr. Harrison?
McGowan: Family doctor.
Question: Is your home in Abbeville still standing?
McGowan: It isn’t what it was. Strange pictures and things. (Anyone live in it?) No. Strange things, guns and cannons.
Sitting of October 14th, 1953
McGowan says he had two daughters. Trying again to read his tombstone, he says, “1887, or is it 97?” As to his birth year, he reads, “1821….31?”
Sitting of October 20th, 1953
When the control introduces McGowan, there is for several moments intense panic and fear brought on by a metal necklace worn by the medium. When McGowan is assured that there is no longer any “rope around his neck,” he calms down, and excuses himself for his regression.
Question: Who was the Susan you mentioned the last time?
McGowan: The mother of my children.
Question: What was her other name?
McGowan: Cornelia.
Question: Were you elected to Congress?
McGowan: What kind of Congress? (The U. S. Congress.) I lost. Such a business, everybody grabs, everybody steals…. Somebody always buys the votes and it’s such a mess.
Question: Are Mignon and Susan one and the same person or not?
McGowan: I don’t wish to commit myself. (I insist.) They are not!
Question: Let us talk about Susan. What profession did your father-in-law follow?
McGowan: Big man…in the law.
Question: What was your mother-in-law’s first name?
McGowan: Sarah.
Question: Did she have another name?
McGowan: Garfey….
Question: Coffee? Spell it.
McGowan: Not coffee. Garvey!
At a sitting on October 28th, 1953, at the home of Mrs. Meyers, McGowan’s alleged grandson, Billy, manifested himself as follows:
“My name is William, I passed in 1949, at Charleston. I’m a grandson of General McGowan. I was born in Abbeville, January 2nd, 1894. Gregory is half-brother, son of the French bitch. He (McGowan) would have married her, but he had a boss, grandfather, who held the purse strings. Susan’s father of Dutch blood, hard-headed.”
Sitting of October 29th, 1953
McGowan: You must find Gregory. He may be surprised about his father, but I must let him know I wanted for him, and they took for them…all. And they gave him nothing. Nothing! I had made other plans. (Was there a will?) There was…but I had a Judge in the family that made other plans…THEY WERE NOT MINE! You must tell Gregory I provided…. I tell you only the truth because
I was an honest man…I did the best for my family, for my people, for those I considered my countrymen, that what you now call posterity…I suffer my own sins…. For you maybe it means nothing, for me, for those who remember me, pity…they are now aware of the truth, only now is my son unaware of the truth. Sir, you are my best friend. And I go into hell for you. I tell you always the truth, sir, but there are things that would not concern you or anybody. But I will give you those names yet!
Question: I ask again for the name of McGowan’s father-in-law.
McGowan: Wida…Wider.
THE “GHOST” IS FREED
One of the functions of a “rescue circle” is to make sure a disturbed entity does not return to the scene of his unhappiness. This mission was accomplished here.
Sitting of November 3rd, 1953
McGowan: I see the house where I lived, you know, where you found me. I go there now, but I am not anymore disturbed. I found my mother and my father. They could not touch me, but now, we touch hands. I live over my life, come back to many things. Herman! He was a good soul, he helped me when I was down in Atlanta. He bathed my feet, my legs were scorched, and he was good to me, and he is over here. I thank him. I thanked him then, but I was the big man, and he was nothing, but now I see he is a fine gentleman, he polished my boots, he put my uniform in order.
Sitting of November 6th, 1953
I was alone with the medium, Mrs. Meyers, at her home, when I had a chance to question McGowan about his apparent murder, and the “conspiracy of silence” concerning it.
McGowan: The Judge protected them, did not report my death. They had devised the kidnapping. I was murdered downstairs, strangled by the kidnapper Walter. He took her (Mignon) all the way to Boston. I wore the uniform of Damyankees (during the war), rode a horse every night to Boston…no, I made a mistake. I came to my Uncle Peter Paul in New York, I had a letter from Marie Guychone, she was in New York. Begged me to find Mignon and Gregory. I come to New York. I can’t find her, she was in Boston then, but I didn’t know that until later. Marie Guychone remained with my uncle, and I gave up the chase, and like a thief crawled back to Confederate grounds. That was in 1863. After the war, there was a struggle, property was worthless, finally the Union granted that we withdraw our holdings, and with that I came to New York. My mother and father came also, until rehabilitation was sufficient for their return.
I continued to live with my wife, Susan, and the children, and I found Mignon. She had escaped, and came to her mother in New York. I made a place for them to live with my uncle and when my wife returned to stay with her father (the Judge), I had Mignon, but she was pregnant and she didn’t know it, and there was a black child—there was unpleasantness between us, I didn’t know if it were mine and Mignon was black, but it was not so, it was his child (Walter’s), and he came for it and for her, he traced her to my house (on Fifth Avenue); my father-in-law (the Judge) was the informer, and he (Walter) strangled me, he was a big man.
And when I was not dead yet, he dragged me up the stairs. Mignon was not present, not guilty. I think…it was in January 1874. But I may be mistaken about time. Gregory had two sons, William and Edward. William died on a boat in the English Channel in 1918. Gregory used the name Fogarty, not McGowan. The little black boy died, they say. It was just as well for him.
McGowan then left peacefully, promising more information about the time lag between his given date and that officially recorded. I told him the difference was “about twenty years.” For the first time, McGowan had stated his story reasonably, although some details of it would be hard to check. No murder or suicide was reported in the newspapers of the period, similar to this case. But of course anyone planning a crime like this might have succeeded in keeping it out of the public eye. We decided to continue our sittings.
Sitting of November 10th, 1953
McGowan talked about the duel he fought, which cost him his hair, due to a wound on the left side, back and top of his head. It was over a woman and against a certain Colonel C., something like “Collins,” but a longer name. He said that Perry or Perrin did so make a stand, as if someone had doubted it!
MORE PROOF TURNS UP!
Leading away from personal subjects, the questioning now proceeded toward matters of general interest about New York at the time of McGowan’s residence here. The advantage of this line of questioning is its neutral value for research purposes; and as no research was undertaken until after the sittings of November 17th, mental telepathy must be excluded as an alternate explanation!
Sitting of November 17th, 1953
McGowan: You don’t have a beard. They called them milksops in my days, the beardless boys!
Question: What did they call a man who was a nice dresser and liked ladies?
McGowan: A Beau Brummel.
Question: What did they call a gentleman who dressed too well, too fancifully?
McGowan: A fop.
Question: What was your favorite sport?
McGowan: Billiards (He explains he was good at it, and the balls were made of cloth.)
Question: What was the favorite game of your day?
McGowan: They played a Cricket kind of game.…
Question: Who was mayor of New York?
McGowan: Oh…Grace. Grace…Edmond…Grace… something like it.
William R. Grace was mayor of New York, 1881–1882, and Franklin Edson (not Edmond) followed, 1883–1884. Also, plastic billiard balls as we know them today are a comparatively recent invention, and billiard balls in the Victorian era were indeed made of cloth. The cricket kind of game must be baseball. Beau Brummel, fop, milksop are all authentic Victorian expressions.
Sitting of November 26th, 1953
I asked the General about trains in New York in his time.
McGowan: They were smoke stacks, up in the air, smoke got in your eyes, they went down to the Globe Building near City Hall. The Globe building was near Broadway and Nassau. The train went up to Harlem. It was a nice neighborhood. I took many strolls in the park.
Question: Where was the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria?
McGowan: Near Fifth Avenue and 33rd, near my house…and the Hotel Prince George. Restaurants were Ye Olde Southern, Hotel Brevoort. You crack my brain, you are worse than that boss in the Big House, Mr. Tammany and Mr. Tweed. (I discussed his house, and he mentioned doing business with—) Somebody named Costi…I paid $128.50 a month for the entire house. A suit of clothes cost $100.00.
Question: Who lived next door to you?
McGowan: Herman…was a carriage smith. He had a business where he made carriages. He lived next door, but his business was not there, the shop was on Third Avenue, Third Street, near the river.
Question: Any other neighbors?
McGowan: Corrigan Brown, a lawyer…lived three houses down. The editor of the Globe was White… Stone … White … the editor of the Globe was not good friends with the man in the Big House. They broke his house down when he lived on Fifth Avenue. He was a neighbor. Herman the carriage maker made good carriages. I bought one with fringes and two seats, a cabrio.…
Question: Did you have a janitor?
McGowan: There was a black boy named Ted, mainly colored servants, we had a gardener, white, named Patrick. He collects the rent, he lives with the Old Crow on Cherry Street. Herman lives next door. He had a long mustache and square beard. He wore a frock coat, a diamond tie pin, and spectacles. I never called him Herman…(trying to remember his true name)…Gray…I never called him Herman. He had a wife named Birdie. His wife had a sister named Finny who lived there too…Mrs. Finny…she was a young widow with two children…she was a good friend to my Susan.
McGowan then reluctantly signs his name as requested.
* * *
Research, undertaken after the sitting, again excluded mental telepathy. The facts were of a kind not likely to be found in the records, unless one were specifically looking for them!
The New York Globe building, which McGowan remembers “near Broadway and
Nassau,” was then (1873) at 7 Square Street and apparently also at 162 Nassau Street.* The Globe is on Spruce, and Globe and Evening Press on Nassau, around the corner.
McGowan describes the steam-powered elevated railroad that went from City Hall to Harlem. Steam cars started in 1867 and ran until 1906, according to the New York Historical Society, and there were two lines fitting his description, “Harlem, From Park Row to…E. 86th Street” and “Third Avenue, from Ann Street through Park Row to…Harlem Bridge.”† McGowan was right in describing Harlem as a nice neighborhood in his day.
McGowan also acknowledged at once that he had been to the Waldorf-Astoria, and correctly identified its position at Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street. The Waldorf-Astoria came into being on March 14th, 1893. Consequently, McGowan was alive then, and evidently sane, if he could visit such places as the Waldorf, Brevoort, and others.
McGowan refers to a (later) landlord as Costi. In 1895, a real-estate firm by the name of George and John Coster was situated at 173 Fifth Avenue, a few houses down the street from McGowan’s place.‡
As for the carriage smith named Herman, a little later referred to as Herman Gray, there was a carriage maker named William H. Gray from 1872 or earlier, and existing beyond the turn of the century, whose shop was at first at 20 Wooster Street,** and who lived at 258 West Fourth Street, until at least 1882. In 1895 he is listed as living at 275 West 94th Street. Not all Troy volumes in between are available, so that residence in McGowan’s neighborhood can neither be confirmed nor denied. At one time, Gray’s shops were on West Broadway. As for Corrigan Brown, the lawyer neighbor, McGowan’s mispronouncing of names almost tripped me up. There was no such lawyer. There was, however, one Edmond Congar Brown, lawyer, listed for the first time as such in 1886, and before that only as a clerk. No home is, unfortunately, listed for his later years.†† McGowan stated that the editor of the Globe was named White-and-something, and that he lived near his (McGowan’s) house on Fifth Avenue.