Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1856-09-25
Driving Out Irishmen from South
Carolina

Driving Out Irishmen from South
Carolina
We have noticed the expulsion of COL
WELL and MALoNE-two Irishmen-from
South Carolina, on suspicion of being Alb
oGtionists.
We find in the New York Herald Mr..
CoLwELL's statement of the affair, as fol-
lows:
Having seen in your paper of the 14th
inst. a notice of the arrest of James Col
well and John Malone, at Cheraw, S. c.,
charged with peing Abolition agents, and
their expulsion from the State by the Vig-
lance Committee, and being myself one of
the parties referred to, request the use Of
your columns for the purpose of making a
statement of the facts relating to the oc-
currence. l have been a resident of the
Southern States for the last three years,
and for the last six months resident of
Chefaw, S. c. l have been engaged in
the business of selling window shades, and
at the time of my arrest had men employ
ed with me in said business. On the eve
ming of Sunday, the 7th of September,
while stopping with one of my men, John
Malone, at the hotel of John Moore, Che
raw, S. c., the people assembled in the bar
room and commenced talking about Kan
sas and slavery. The conversation became
general and in the course of it Malone,
who is mere boy, stated to John Mon
holland that he would vote for Kansas be-
ing Free State, and assigned as reason
that he did not think that poor white
man stood as good a chance to get living
in the Slave States as they did in the Free
States.-Monhollaud replied that the Irish
malone is Irish) in New York were worse
off than the niggers in the South. Several
other remarks were made insulting to NAL
one, when ] interfered, and told them if
they wanted to talk, to talk to me. A
man by the name of McClenahan, store
keeper, then drew bis revolver, and threat
ened TO shoot me. l also drew revolver
and bowie knife, and told them if they
wished to fight l was ready-that l was
ready to die, if necessary, in defence of my
right, and that of my friend, to freedom of
speech. Seeing me determined, they cool
ed down, and after some further braggado-
clio and abuse of the North, dispersed.
The next day Malone and myself were ar
rested and brought before what they ter
med Vigilance Committee, charged with
being Apolition agents. The Committee
held three meetings that day, and the evi-
dence adduced against us was of the most
t1imsy kind. Our having inquired the way
to different places of negroes whom we
met on the road was brought up as proof
of our being Abolitionists; also the fact
that Malone stopped at the house of DR..
Poe to get a drink of water. A minority
of the Committee were in favor of tarring
and feathering us but the majority finally
decided 10 send us to the Free States.
We were escorted to Wilmington, N. c.,
by Sheriff and four Deputies, On arriv-
ing there, we were placed in charge of the
Mayor of that place. While at Whining
ton, one of our escort named Zach. Ellar-
bee, STAKEHOLDER, went out through the
town and reported that we were Abolition
lists, which caused mob to gather around
the house where we were confined and for
time we were in imminent danger of being
lynched. We could hear the mob cry out,
chang theni," 'hang the id sons of b-s,"
&c, DC. From Wilmington we were es-
corted by two constables to Norfolk, Va,
where we were confined two days and
nights in foul apartment Of the Jail, wait
ing for the steamer to sail. We were
finally placed on board the steamer, and
our passage paid TO New York, where we
arrived on Monday. l have merely to
state in conclusion, that by this outrage 1
have been deprived of all my property,
and am left in your city an entire stranger.
JAMES COLWELL.
New YORK, Sept. II, 1856