The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1871-03-01
aalhe Eaiio1af!iIa M.

respousibilityof The Uuion troubles.
Allow me to make q short statement.
On the morning (of the first Thurs
day in January, left Columbia for
SSSpsa.rrtt,a'lnnburg. .rt,'lnIu La passing up tho
railroad, l found that tho people Of
Union were very much excited BY
the murder of one-arncd man by
detail Of the State militia-all color.
ca !-because he, would ,notigive tb EN-
wh'skey. Upon passing Union, I
fonpd. .,hatsarlasgesspband cf. armed
men, in disguise, had taken ont ivo
Vt the prisoners who hnd been nut in
jill, killed two, aud bndly wo ,ndcl
threo. Upon inquiry, fnund that
the impr' ssi III Of Tho people was that,
had they hecn tried, they would huve
been pardonod and escaped. I also
found that large meeting had been
mold that day, c"ndemning the action
OF the night beforo. As soon as had
finished the Object of nv vii to
Spartanbu,y, L hired n vehicle and
went to Unior, not waiting for the
Monday train. Ga Monday held
court at Union, and succe cded in
spreading the Aegis Of law once more
over the community. I shrank from
no responsibility, and brought away
with me the assurance uf many of the
best citizens that qnirt had bccu re.
stored.
On arriving in Columbia I sent
for Governor Scott, and Informed him
"l had hold the civil courts in Union.
and thought that law and order was
restored"
On tho frat Tuesday in this month,
being in Columbia, and ready to leavr
for Charleston, three Influential citi.
Mems desired me to have personal
interview with Governor Scott, aud
give him plain statement of what
thought of the troubles in the up. conn
try. My idea was that tn, disease
was constitutional, and not local. I
did so, and as part of tho interview.
succeeded in having some Of the best
men of the up-county appointed to
office. One of the difficulties which
had presented itself to my mind was
that this GLASS Of cit,zcns took no in
terest in the government, and I had
found an apathy among them 80 far
that they would not risk their lives
when called upon to act as posse to
execute the luws in some respects.
This interview detained me until
after the train left for Charleston, and
while awuiting for the rext train,
General Anderson, Of the State mill.
tia, approached mo with a petition
for haheas corpus for three pris-
oner' at Union, the petition alleging
that thoy wore insecure in their lives
a. Union, and a,kirg to bo removed
to place Of safety. Mr.. Brawley,
the solicitor Of the SIX h Circuit. went
with me TO the Governor, and he
guaranteed to us that they should be
returned to III at Union for t,iAJ.
Being surprised nt the allegation
in the petition, had Mr.. Brawlcy to
make inquiries concerning the condi.
tion Of affAi's at Union, aud | had
found that those who c,me down that
night were not uneasy, and appre.
hended no trouble. Upon r,Accti
l concluded that something other
than their s.fcty was the cause Of the
application for removal. The tbr,
men sought for removal we're the three
who had been badly wounded in the
first raid on the Jail, and were likely
to know tho raiders if any one did
Knowing the distrust which many of
the citizens had in Tho STAG Govern
mont, | stipulated with General An.
derson that the prisoners should be
kept in separate oellsso asn,tto con.
coct a story, aud secondly, that no one
should SEQ them; except by especial
order from him or myself.
Upon the evening when the writ
was to have been returned with the
prisoners, and after hearing that tho
sheriff would not obey it, | was wait.
cd on by Mr.. Dunbar, the attorney
Of the prisoners, with another writ
ofhabeas, corpus. This l declined to
slgp as "bfutum Julmrn," but indioa.
ted, to him that al that was left of
civil authority was for me to "rule
the sheriff" aHo said he would pro
pare tho rulo and return that niaht
with it. This was not dono, and the
ru!o was issued Of my own motion late
that night and sent off on .he cars.
One of tho loading members of the
barof tho Sixth Circuit, md tho can.
didatc Of tho Conservatives for the
scat on the, bonoh, was. presert, ad.
vising and urging this as my only
course. | had consulted with two OIL
my brethren on tho bench and sever
al l"wyers who agreed with me in
tho Wow that as u judge Of the, State,
had nothiNgato do with the cxecu.
ton OF the processes of tho court.
These were for tho sheriff aud the
coroner. If they could not carry
in'o execution the processes by cali.
ing out the posse, then the resp"nsi
bllity wos upon those who refused 10
not az posse, or upon the onst,tu