The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-01-28


8 CouRT OF GENERAL SESSIONS AND Cos1Mo!
PLEAs.--The announcement that Saturday had bcel
fixed upona Sentence Daywas sowclI known, tia
long before the hour appointed the Court room VA
filled to its utmost capacity by an eager crowd nnN
lous to hear the sentences passed upon the crimi
nails. Black spirits and white conlmnSed in thu
audience, and the utmost attcion and good order
prevailed which was only disturbed By the fall o
a bench upon which portion OF the audience wcrc
pcrchcd, Oh Expectations tiptoes
i at II o'clock tho Court met, and Horace Greeley
dlias Johnson being introduced into the dock, his
indictment was read By the Clerk WHO asked tho
prisoner ifho had anything to say why the scn-
te2cc of death should not be passed upon him. No
response being made, the Judge delivered his sem
| tence as follows:
SENTENCE
| UOr0cG Grcc!ey--IOu have been tried and con-
vcted Of the murder of Mr.. B. s. Rhett, Il quiet.
respected, and esteemed citizen Of this place. 1t
wa: deed of great atrocity, and OF an aggravated
character. While proceeding to his farm, near
road, and who was lying down. us was evident from
the marks discovered, discharged Il gun ut the de-
ceased and the whole load entered his Left side,
killing him almost instantly: The jury, after q
| Pu.iCuG IcGilllS Ol tcSUlllUIS uOtA1iGSN Va
either side, have found you gnilty of this crime
Being unable to ful nish your own counsel, tho
Court assigned you three learnod gentlemen. who,
alta great loss to themselves, assented and under
look your defonce and I must say that l have
never Witnessed g.cater ability and learning
than has been displayed by your counsel
On the Sd Of July you loft your home, where You
had some colored friends boarding with You, and
were absent the whole day. AT the time you lcf5
You took a gun with you, which you admitted was
the samo With which you had killed Mr.. lthett.
Subsequent to the act you were heard -boastngly
to say that you had shot man, but did not Know
if you had killed him or not. You weio known TO
have visited MIR. Rhett's farm on the day OF tho
murder. although you had been repeatedly forbid
den to do so; and whether the fatal deed was CHI
| mitted from malice, or from tho offer or money,
which yoE say WAS n,ado to you, is not known.
Your doom is now sealed beyond all reasonable
doubt and the illsultcd law claims you pull
ishment. Iwould advise you to indulge i'll no fond
hope that efforts will be made to save your llie,
but would recommend you to send for some Allnls-
ter Of the Gospel who will explain to you the plan
Your mind to the dread future that awaits YOU.
Eimo will be allowed you for this purpose, the law
dealing more gently with you than you did with
your n2otiending victim.
he sentence OF the law is that you Horace Gree
ey will be taken hence to tho place from whence you
last came, and be there confined until the 10th OF
March next, when, between the hours OF and + IN
the afternoon, You will bo taken to the place OF
public execution, and there be hanged by the neck
until your body be dead.
Tho prisoner was worry stoical throughout this
trying ordeal, and manifested wonderful compo-
sure, leaving the dock without any pcrceptible
emotion.
In the case of Scipio Fraser and Jno. Jenkins,
the Judge stated that he had received n notice OF
an appeal, and the prisoners were rcnlanded to
jail, to be carried from there to Columbia at tho
next sitting of tho Court Of Appeals.
Daniel jenkins being then placed in tho dock,
his Indictment was read, charging him with kill
ing Robert Dantzlcr. His couns-l plead tho bone
fl of clergy, anil fIis Honor delivered tho
Dt,,tie, Jenkias-You have been tried hore at
this Court for having murdered one OF your col"
ored friends, and the jury have found you guilty
Of the crime of ,manslaughtcr: Il you had been
convicted Of murdcr YOU would have been hung;
the crime of manslaughter demands lighter pun
ishment The circumstances in he present case,
though aggravated, arc somewhat cxtcnunted.
Nj Wiley heard you engaged in q very loud con-
versation ut the corner with Peter Ladson. cursng
and abusing him. Shortly after you both scpa-
towards Shepherd street. Ladson soon returned
accompanied by Dantzler, who had stick of wood
in hisllanl.. You camc back into King street, and
dared him to follow you; he did so, and when about
load entering the left shoulder Of Dantzlcr, from
tho effects OF which ho instantly died.
You were wrong in having that pistol in tho
present state of society. Thore is no necessity
for any citizen carrying concealed weapons, and
ho WHO arms himself is ofton tempted to commit
crime. You were no match for Dantzlcr, RS you
had already tried his prowcss. Being armed you
had no fear. and were more than mato undcr
tho circumstances The crime is to be attributed
to the tact that you had the pistol concealed on
vo111- sr,crSOn.
Another thing you should think of is that a
largo city or crowded village is no place for idle
people to congreGate. Idleness is tho parent of
toe to- the Commission 'Ia Ns 'p of It in this Instance w 80
Your degraded condition is shown by The fact of
your living on thcgronnd, exposed to the Gews of
Heaven. Any one reduced to that stage of desti-
tntion must steal or do worse Employment must
be regular. It will Lot do to work one day and be
iGo for three
Tie jury, under tho circumstances returned II
proper verdict of manslaughtor, and it is the same
TINT I should have found, if I had been III the
Jury box. But the blood of a folow-citizcn is ON
your hands, and it is necessary for some punish
ment to be inflicted for this crime: Your best
course for the future is to be truthful and honest
seek some employment, and adhere TO it; by pur-
suing tho courses of vice, you will be always
thrown out of employment, and your career will
ultimately terminate on the gallows
The sentence Of tho law is, that yOu be i'm.
prisoped for twelve months in tho jail, or until
Governor that your labor is necessary in Colun-
ba for the purpose Of aiding in building the Pen-
Tertiary; and tlat yon also pay fine of s., which,
in Your case, will be the same us $1,000, the usual
amount.
Isaac Hayne, alas Henry Williams, alias Isaiah
Francis, indicted for Highway Robbery, but found
guilty Of Larceny. His counsel plead tho benefit
of clergy.
SENTENCE.
There has beon no trial in your case. You were