The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1871-05-04
THE CLARENDON TROU-
BILE. -
CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE MUIR
DER OF LEMON.
How the Negro Mob Marched to
Manning and Marched
Away Again. - r
s-.s,.-
From the Clarendon Press.
From the Clarendon Press.

rctcr J.Lcmon, (cqlorcd, } county
commissioner, was found dead In his
bsgeLy,-.at.aAbranch near Fellowship
ul4rchy Jon Thursday morning, the goth,
inst$@ He, had been to Manning the
aayBefjre, leth inst, and started home
some ynn e time ii < bf before sunset. When found
he was lying in the foot Of the buggy,
feJSctIy dead, + the horse having re-
nainea, ATTACHED to the buggy the en-
tire +. night, sat or very near the spot
where the murder. occurred. 1t was
Supposed, that, he was shot about or
probably, a little before sunset, by par
tie. concealed in the edge ofthe branch,
as as tracks we're found in that locality.
Coroner James M. Gamble, with a jury
Of inquest, repaired promptly to the
spot, but nothing could be ELECTED save
that the deceased came to his death by
reasons of gunshot wounds inflicted by
parties; unknown. Upon his person
were found twenty-one buckshot wounds
ranging from the forehead to the knees
1.-THE large majority of which wounds
would have proved mortal. 1t was
terrible deed and deeply to be regretted,
Us political capital is ever manufactured
out ofthese occurrences by our ene-
mics to the disfavor of the whites
There is no evidence as to who the
perpetrators Of the deed are. 1t is true
that the only approach to evidence
WHICH We have up to this moment been
able to gather was from colored wit
ness (and a. Republican, on the inquest
which occurred last Monday-that he
had heard colored man, now a refugee
from justice, supposiDg to be skulking
about here in the woods, threatened
Peter,J. Lemons life. Whether this
individual carried out bis threat or not,
we are unable to form an opinion; but
of one thing We are. certain, that the
whole affair has, engcndercd some bad
blood in our district, which, but, for the
fortitp6c and promptncss Of the white
people ip meeting it, would have been
productive of much evil. The body of
Lemon was buried on Friday on Santee
where, the deceased lived. At his fu-
neral it was proposed by some of the
.infuriated negroes, upon mischief bent,
that they would organize large force
and march to Manning the next>day,
take the town, terrify the women and
children, and insult and i'll use the
white men on account Of Lemons death.
In accordance with this programme the
"army of occupation" led by the valor-
GUS Colonel Oliver Gilliard, (ncgro,)
commenced the. forward movement
against The doomed, city on Saturday
morning. The, citizens were apprised
very soon of their coming, and in a
short time persons in the country were
notified of; the hostile demonstrations
takipg place. Before many hours had
elapsed; a; number Of white citizens,
Yariously estimated at from three to
four hundred, rallied to the defence of
the town, fully prepared to give them q
warm reception, but to acton the defen-
siye until the negroes should commit
the first overt act. The force of the
negroes, hearing of the preparation
pnade to receive, them, wisely concluded
tofcall a, halt when on the suburbs of
tue town, and. after some parleying
Colonel iGtlliard and squad, came in
only, partially armed and commenced an
altereation with. one Egbert Nelson,
(colored Republican for the great and
mighty reason that said Egbert was
supposed to be "rejoicing over Lem
on's death" and had, moreover, written
Lemon a letter to come to town on the
daEin :, which he, was killed. Upon this
slight and unsatisfactory evidence it
was demanded, that Egbert should be
given up to on, infuritcd mob, which
the whites refused to suffer done
Finding that, Republican as Nelson is,
that, the whites were determined that
lie should have a. fair chance, and that
everything, should be done in a legal
way, they took their departure, utter.
ing curses both lond and deep against
the town, and swearing that they would
come back in greater force on the fol-
lowing Monday and have it out, in
sacking and laying everything in ashes,
from Manning to Santee. Forewarned
was to be forearmed, and long before the
SUI had reached its meridian splendor
on Monday q large force. of several
hundred citizens were under arms in
town; under competent officers, selected
on the occasion, and again ready to
try conclusions with the redoubtable
black warriors, who seemed to have an
itching for deeds of martial glory. But
"a change has come over the spirit of
their Dreams" They we're not as war
like as on the previous Saturday. This
time the negroes came in more pacific
way, led by a negro of more sense than
Colonel Giliard. They came this time
with very few arms, and if they had
them at all, did not bring them as far
as the church, some three miles from
town, where they halted, and the coro.
ner held another inquest, as arrange
the previous Saturday, in view of fur
ther evidence which they deemed they
had, but which turned out failure
Coroner Gamble and other gentlemen
from town went out, but found every
.L;..z ,,,ara. racifin and E,nuiet than we