Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-11-25
Letter from Col. D. Wyatt Aiken 10
Gov. Scott.
From The colnmJia PAmnii.r.
CoKEsBURY Nov. lG. lS(

! OOkESBURl, NOV. lO, lOOo. q
Gop. r. X. ,Scott-S1R: On the morn
!. ing of the 9th inst, my house was ell
/ tered By q posse, consisting Of two dep
| utics and three United States soldiers
armed as. if they were about attacking
la stronghold OF brigands One OF The
deputies, addressing HE, said, Colonel
am sorry to say you are my prisoner.
Uponquestioninsl IS authority, Learned
he had, a warrant, issued by Magistrate
Solomon, of Columbia, to arrest me in
Abbeville, and deliver me to Constable
! Hubbard in Columbia, upon the afli-
davit- of said Hubbard, that / was ac-
cessory before the fact to the murder ol
one B. F. Randolph.
Under the old regime, this posse
might have been defed and the conse-
quences would have been upon thcii
! heads, for attempting to execute an ille-
/ gal warrant. But surmising that extra
ordinary powers had been conferred by
the constabulary act Of the recent radi-
cal Legislature, I-ohercd no resistance
hence was taken to Columbia, and with
out an examination was feloniously in
carcerated and kept in close confne.
ment for two days. Since my release
have carefully peruscd the act estab-
fishing police force" and discover that
kif this ambiguous. act means anything
att>all it simply means that the whole
constabulary-fo but, concurrent
authority with the other-cirii officers Of
the various counties, and therefore Mag
istrate Solomon had not the semblance
of authority to issue warrant in Rich
land for my arrest in Abbeville.
Now, sir, this Chief Constable is an
hireling of yours and this venture OF
his to exercise autocratical, arbitrary
and Illegal powers, seems to imply your
connivance. Iflit does not, whence his
assumption of power and why no evi-
dence Of your restraining authority
Whence does he derive power to arrest
me in Abbcvillc and jail me in Coluni-
bia? Whence his power to arrest two
young men in Newbcrry and dungeon
them in the capital of the State
Whence his power to rescue Kelly from
the hands OF the sheriff in Camden, in
carcerate him in Columbia, and direct
the sheriff Of Richland to shackle him,
as he did while Twas there Imprisoned
Is this what is meant BY the words OF
the act. which read as follows: Said
Chief Constable of the State and Dcpu-
ty Chief and Deputy. Constables i'll the
several counties shall, at all times obey
and execute the orders of the Governor
IN relation to the preseryation of the
public peace and the execution of the
laws throughout the State??'
Think you, sir, that III the intense
ness of your detclmination-to preserve
the pnhlic peace you, should cruelty
trcat single unoffending citizen, you
are appcasing the wrath Of an oppress-
ed but gallant people? Does the tram
scendant authority of our Executive
Justify acts Of ,iolence on the part OF
his hirelings?, Are these deeds indica-
tive Of your future policy? If so, sir,
LET ME bcsecch you delay not revoke
that proclamation in which YOU speak
with hypocritical affection of our be-
loved State and once gain proclaim,
the State being without law is u law
unto ITSELF and l AM THE STATE.
ametold YOU are now beyond the lin
IFS of the State, and upon the eve of
your departure You expresseda satisfac-
ton st the peaccable condition of the
State. Sir, were you of us. and not
over us, You would readily discern that
South Carolina has opeace but that
which once "rcigned in Warsaw !" and
should my conviction prove prophetic,
that rigid adherence rttelscheme OF
tyrannyCwhich1 You have inaugurated,
will rebound with serious consequences
upon the heads Of higher officers than
the Chief Constable Of the State, you
will not charge me with "being aces
sorry before the fact" for the exaspera-
tion consequent upon such cruelty is
wide spread and not confined to sin
gle race. Very respectfully,
D. WYATT AIKEN.