Moonshine, Murdaugh and the Witch Doctor

Whispers of stories never to be forgotten.

The Gardener by Kevin Chadwick

Beaufort, SC is a place awash in mystery and magic. It stands apart from anywhere else in the world because of its unique history. Among shaded canopies of live oaks that stood long before man’s footprints touched its shores are whispers and stories that blur the fine edges between fact and fantasy.

Going across the river to Daufuskie in our small inflatable boat was one of my favorite things to do while living in Hilton Head. It was just a short distance racing through waves with salt water spray in my face, pods of dolphins everywhere and finally pulling into Freeport Marina. I arrived that day for a book signing with Roger Pinckney XI, the late iconic writer and respected authority on the Gullah culture. His book Blue Roots: The African American Folk Magic of the Gullah People, was recognized and taught in the anthropology department at the University of North Carolina. We sat together at a small table near Marshside Mama’s. It wasn’t long before I encountered the first of his stories and those told in the soft patois of the natives who stopped by. I wanted to know, who was the late Beaufort Sheriff Ed McTeer, known as the Witch Doctor Sheriff, and how did he have such a hold on the people during his decades as sheriff? What was his relationship with Randolph “Buster” Murdaugh chief prosecuting officer of the 14th Judicial Circuit?