The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-24

there. and I went up to hear it. When got
there, they told me he was not going to speak
there. that he had gone up to Abbeville Court
house, and was going to Anderson that night
| w. Tolbert came to tho depot with me. Both
were well known at Hodges Depot. When we
| arrived there, we found crowd of mon,
some eight or ten, besides our num-
Der. We commenced talking about Kan,
| dolph; that he had threatened to Colonel
Aiken TO burn up the State; that he could DO
it in three words, and that We must XII hiIl.
| us, after We came up-wo all were armed.
mean at Hodges Depot. They put up target;
| and We all shot off our pistols at 1t. We dldlt
| to reload our pistols, so as to be sure tney
would fire, being freshly loaded. lucy pno IL
on Logan, Toibert and myself, t. do inc shont, DOT.
NEGROES would not know us. II any moro
SHOOTING vas to be DONE they would GO 1t.
| That if IL ndolp!I's guard fired on us, thoF
would fire on them. When the IRAN came III,
| Lapcdon Conner wont to the conductor, ana
asked him if Randolph was on BOARD anu ,.ii ne
| came back and said lie vas on the train. Jhe
train ran up to the side OF tho platform. Ham
dolph aas sitting by tho door OF tho car.
| The rest all went to the upper end OF the
platform, and goi on tho platform: went
to the lower end Just at this time. the
Grecnville train ran up. Randolph imme-
dlately changed cars, and walked back INTO
the last passenger car. and took his seat.
James Cochran stepped up 10 me at that
time, and says: Bill, YOU fellows ought to
havo been disguised" I SAID: Jim, what
do YOU think OF it, anyhow?" He says: Gle
ought to be killed. ana now is the time to
do it, right now" Fletch. Hodges came up
with roll of money in bis hand and says, LAS
soon as YOU do it We give you this, and we will
back you; II there is ally more shootlng we
will do it." By this time Randolph had get
off his seat and walked out on the platform OF
the car John Brooks came up With his pistol
in his hand, and lie says: Now IS your time;
here he stands Oh the platlorm;" and he point
Ell him out to me. Logan. IolpeTt ana myscll
done the shooting. Veal! three shot him, ard
he was killed dead. Langdon Conner told mcto
go on. they would do the balance. he had his
pistol in his hand. We got or our horses and
rode off. No person atempted o arrcs US. we
went to Aleck Ellis, about two aud hali
miles of. 1e was not at home. we wantcI
to 500 him on business. DE was at Cokes-
bury Logan and Ioib.rt went to Cokecsbury
to see him. and founc him there IN q Demo-
cratic meeting. They came back t. Aleck
Ellis, with HIM They told me that Ran
dolph's name wa. brought up IN the DenI-
cratic meeting as to what they should o0
with him. Somo SAID. Gut INN up anu
feed him to tho dogs" Others SAD, .they
would box him up, and express him to cover
nor Scott as o present." Ellis know that nc
Tas killed ana killed 10y us, and that some OF
the members OF tho Democratic Ciuo saw
it done; saw Randolph killed.. WITNESS was
here warned by the respondents counscl,
Joseph D. Pope, Esq, to speak only from MS MS
own knowledge, to Which robcri replied; Il
SD ak from nv own knowlcdSc.'l The m m
bcrs OF the Dem )cratic Club that l remember
as being present were James Cochran. Lung
don Conner al d Fletcher Hodges. Ihay ad,
vised me to shoot Randolph, to XIII hih, atin
they would back me IN it.
Q.-State if thcro existed in AbDevilic, or IN
any other of tho counties IN tho Third Con-
gresSional District, an organization known as
The Ku-KluI-klau?
A.-Thcro was. do not know Of my ovn
knowledge that it existed in other counties;
but IRON passwords aid signs. DC licvc that IL
did: given by members that I knew by signs
belonged to the Kan in other counties. 1t
was secret organization of persons belonging
10 the Democratic party. known as the Au-
KluX-Kau, existing in tho counties OF the
Third Congressional District. llaoS that 1t
existed in Eiscield, Abbcville and Lanrens,
Members took an cath on jlininG. Neatly all
tle members OF the Democratic par'l C9 Dsiol9
ed TO The Il an. Among them were Gaptaln
j. G. Boozer, d. Crcsswel', Fletch Hodges,
Lanrtlon. Conner, Rob S,auser. DON'T know
that D. WYATT Aiken tLd. Tho object OF tho
Kan was to regulate tho RepuLlaan party;
break it up if they coull, and strengthening
Democratic party. 10 10 tiiie, ,'ncS WIZ W
kill out the leaders of the Republican party,
and drive them out OF the ,Stte: Tho oath
taken by the members WIS THIS: 10 do what
ever their leaders ordered them to do. We
had leader in every organiza:ion, who was
known as captain OF the company, anc VIC were
sworn to obey his orders. he told as to nnd
out where the Uuion Leagues me-; to lire into
them and kill the presidents, it We could. 1t
was understood that Randolph was tho MAJ
that organized The Union Leagues in South
Carolina. and that was ono OF tho reasons why
he was killed. We had meeting the night
b ,toro the election and had orders from our
captain to conc carly to the precinct nsXt
morning armed, and not to allow a negro Re-
publican to cast vote. 10 try to persuade.
them TO vote the Democratic ticket, and II
they insisted Il on voting, to force them BACK,
ficht them. kill them shoot them. JOHN G.
Boozer was the captain. About twenty men-
bsrs that know, but there were more than
that. W. X. ToLDERr.