Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1868-12-25
Mcls Arrests IL Abbcvii!e.

What, we caurct Lut bcli,,ve, Che
mer"st suspicion, tie idlest l,!inor, c
s2n;c :.!!yScd completely in the mnr
der Of Nartin and Eardolph. O.,
Wednesday, Afternoon after the ar-i
vIl @: the train, tic STATE Constable
U"t!aft!: wiz! i ;:o*s" Of alout u:::c
i'cr'CH:', Sumo c;' tEtn, armed VIII,
Winchester r.Gcs, E;lL all ct them 9th
es":%e. equipped, entered Sto:.e {
24r,y'a c:E:aa daring, TIE perform
c::,s, ai.a arrest! yoanY uiail
i:ss':1 ::&nsc!!, CT Co!;"$aur:. Under
E:;:arprehcns;tn for onc Stacey.
At;er tS.:H:; lin o";, they discovered
1:-c;r crro- aaI released bin. During
tie afternoon Hubbard obtained 8
va:raE: from NJ. Mcdonald, tho
t:??!1 of the Court, for TIC :rr.*t O.;
a.. Charles Dcn<!!, OF our Village.
i.i8 sErcet was made ard when the
Clerk was :a2at committing the Prs
oncr 10 !!bhevii'c jul, Hubbard rcrr-
Gated the authority CT the Ma:eis-
t"a:o, ard c!:.inied tho right under
;-7.c- s! instructions from the Govern
CT to arrc:t and carry Of The pow
o. hc c1:: vi>"d. aid ,hc next n, orn;as s
took his prisoner TO Co!nmLis. On
Lis way: be also arrested NJ. F!etch-
CT Hodges at Hodges Depot, and took
LIN likewise Oil Tie train to Colum-
tia. Ar. DsI:d; Is charged with al
Eyed participation ;u the rr.-acr of
Martin: aad Ir. Hedges in that OF
ti&;Hdo:I'a. We feel assured tia,
Ho"o wlo kIow the character OF TIE
young; nlea, Or anything Ct the c:--
ca:Es;aIccs of the case could bcl;ev.
FIR one moment t.:a. ei.Acr O.: them
could any in possible way have been
connected with those oat-a-cs. NJ.
Dendy, we learn: has ample tes,i:ayn:
70 prove al alb. and We sa2posc thst
M:, Epdgcs Will fad no troutIo ir
getting equally conclusive eyid d.uc. to
Ia v:c~ OF ali the circumstances or
theHe arrests, the character Of the
men, the 1iiE:sy rrctcS: tortho charrc.
the mole sai manner Of the a-res.
Ee csnEo. restrain our indi.n:7. re-
m'ast"aace Against TIKI, gross v:o.s-
tloa of tho liberty Of the citizen. Do
"e hv' in a free country, breath.
ing the spirit Of Enyih h. liberty, and
exercise its chartered rights. or do
we h3id all that We cherish, "!ifa, Eb-
cry and the pursuit Ct happiness, s.,
the beck and nod Of soma r,:lits+,.
d:spot? Does General Scott rcsscs
tho power and presume to exercise
tho Unlimited. prcrogatives which
made the ringing of Stewards li.;le
boil" the signal fer the arrest and H.
generation Of any citizen whom, the
feazS OF the Government might sus-
Pect, or its strong arm might bo able
to reach Whence does the State
constable derive his authority to ar
rest and hurry away cur citizcE;s be-
yond the limits Of tic judicial dis
trict? Does he pretend TO derivc i:
from the Governor? Yet so fnr is
the Governor from having the power
TO 'mprison that his agents find it
necessary TO obtain the imp,;uu.ar
OF some CcIuutia Magistrate before
tpeJ lodge their prisoners in custody.
Tho Powor. we believe to be entirely
unauthorized by our laws, and its @x.'
e7cise violation Of our constitutional
rights. .'-" ..'"
General Scott, we arc afraid, lives
IN such sn atmosphere Of misrepfe
sen'ation i'll Columbia. that he can
forn no correct idea Of our true con,
'dltion. VIII our people believe it,
thet a Governor Of the State, being in
ca'y railroad communication with us
entertained the idea that one Of our
most prominent citizens,and who has
signalized himself by his efforts in be-
half Of the black race, was the leader
Of the Ku-Klux Klan in AbbevilIe.
A man ,who. could believe that, could
believe anything2 ~
We announce confidently what we
have done repeatedly, that Abboville
"a not only peaceable and Iaw-abiding,
but for Q century has been distinguish
ed for her intelligence and devotion
to order. The young mon arrested by
an armed posse from. Columbia,
brought here at great expense to tho
State, might have been arrested by
the weakest Constable in tho State,
This armed posse don't arrest real
]aw-breakers, but seek to atone for,
their futures in this regard, by regard
and then picking up an innocent
poy. We are emphatically for law
snd order. We pledge ourselves to
sustain bothif allowed to do it. But
SE ls ssssn oby isw