The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-07-08
CIRCUIT COURT IN LAuRENs.

The regular term of the Court began on the
third Monday in june and lasted for ten days,
The term was occupied entirely with criminal busi-
ness, and almost unanimously with offences COM
mitted against the laws by negroes Larceny
seems to be unusually frequent, and the newly en-
franchsed are not particular as, to confning their
genius in this respect, for they steal everything
from few ears of corn to the largest cow. This
is serious nuisance, as under the present arrange
ments of our Courts the ordinary civil business OF
the country s seldom touched. Yet amid all these
annoyances and drawbacks, we observed that the
ablest and most distinguished lawyers sought TO
extricate the negro from the meshes of the law oy
every contrivance known to them, and this with
out the hope of fee or reward
The most important case before the Court was
the trial of George Simpson. (colored,l for the
murder of DR.. E. CLINTON SHELL, in November
,ast. This foul crime is scarcely paralleled, and
indicates an almost total depravity in its conception
and execution. DR.. SHELL and other young men,
ON the night of the End of November last, were re-
turning from the the village. where the Democrats
had met for torchlight procession. They passed
the house of Dr. SHELLS father. three miles from
town, about nine o'clock, and leaving his younger
brother DR.. S. and his party quiey rode on, but
had scarcely gone Il hundred yards, when volley
war fired into them, and DR.. SHE'LL iell MORALLY
wounded. He was one of the most estimaole
young men of our acquaintance. and was general
ly admired for his quiet, unassuming character.
Now for the sequel, and to show that murder will
out.
Although diligent search was made on the night
of the murder by the young men who had escaped
unscathed another of them being wounded-no
clue to the guilty parties was obtained. The re-
suit of the investigation made by the coroner's
jury was equally fruitless. Several parties were
afterwards arrested ON suspicion but were releas
ed in a shor, time And thus the days. and weeks,
and months rolled away, and the perpetrators OF
the horrible deed were beginning to feel secure.
But there was sleepess vigilance on the part OF
friends to law and COED order and two or three
weeks ago the plot was revealed, and the aforesaid
George Simpson was too deeply implicated to ad-
nit of doubt. He held private and contiden-
tial interview with another negro, on certain
Saturday night, in which he admitted his partici-
patton in the tragedy and gave all the important
particulars According to his statement, the party
consisted of fifteen. who left the village early in
the night, and through fields and by-paths be:ook
themselves 10 the point of rendezvous it was at
the forks of the Greenvie and Tumbling Shoals
roads; here they lay in wait until DR.. SHELL and
his friends reached that point when the guns were
fred, with the result already stated. In this con-
versation, George was overheard by respectable
gentlemen, and upon their testimony he was con-
victed. He had the benefit of experienced coun-
sci, assigned him by the Court-R. P. TODD and
John CUNNINGHAM, Esqs., defended the prisoner
with zeal and ability; but there was no defence to
make, as these were his own admissions, and lie
could offer no testimony to the contrary. 1t is
singular fact, stated by one OF the counsel, that
not single person of either race had sought TO
befriend their client, and they we're left without
any other direction in the than such as could
be afforded by this poor, misguided creature, who
hrd only executed the bidding of shrewder scoun-
drcls. The prosecution was conducted by the So
licitor, HOMER L. MCGOWAN, Esq, assisted by Col.
B. W. BALL and Gen. SAM'L MCGOWAN. The jury
was composed of whites and blacks-they remain
ed absent only few moments, and their verdict
was guilty" On the last day of Court Judge
VERNON sentenced the prisoner to be hung on the
third Friday in September next.