The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-01-20
Assasstnatlon by Proxy-Tho Last Dodge

While Mr. Hoggett aud his New York ex-
cursionists were staying at Roses Hotel, In
Columbia; they were visited by a State se'sa-
tor, who made satisfactory arrangements,
as he thought, for the assassination Of what
be called the Laurens Ku-Klux. With the
State senator was another aoel1tHossn gen.
ae,san.. Taking this statement lip connec
.ttou with the fact, also mentioned by Mr.
Hoggett, that a week or two ago, when Sen
ator Creus was in New York, he was met
fby Colonel Kerrigan, who denounced him so
loudly that Crews became anxious to hush
npthe quarrel, and prevent 1t from reaching
the newspapers, it is evident that the State
Senator Of Roses Hotel and the Senator
Crsws of New York are one and the same
person. There is another and q stronger
link in the chain OF evidence. Colonel Ker-
rigan, in his statement, says that CreWs
wanted S. B. Ford, ]. Kyle and A. McC@r-
lea, OF Lsurens, robbed and murdered; that
C'e,cs was willing to pay anything If these
men could be put out OF the. way. This
Crews is evidently the State senator and
Senator Cre,rs, who, according to MIR. Hog
gett, proposed to have Mr.. Todd, Mr.. Clure
and Mr.. McCarley shot and robbed. There
is no Senator Crews, but there is q Repre-
Sentative Crews. member OF the General
Assembly from Laurens, who was in New
York at the time stated. Can it be doubted
that this notorious Joe Crews is the man re-
ferred to by both Mr.. Hoggett and Colonel
Kerrigan Z?
Nor is there anything in the public char
acter or private reputation of this Joe Crews
to make it improbable, on the face oft, that
he should be ready and willing to murder
his political opponents by proxy. Crews is
a political demagogue. Upon his shoulders
rests the responsibility Of the riot which took
place in Laureus Immediately after the late
elections. Before the elections he did all
that he might to excite the negroes aud
bring about collision between them and
the eghites. In one Of his election haransues
at Waterloo, near the Saluda River, Joe
Crews told tts negroes that the lands and
the stock had been earned by them, and
that they should have them; that If they
wanted bread and meat. they, must take corn
from the fields ia which they had laboredi
that il they felt aggrieved by their employ
'ers,. they mast take vengeance By burning
up Tie eoaasry-i1 fire was necessary, they
must adopt fire as their remedy. This is
enough to show what manner. OF man is
Senator Joseph Crews
In regard to Governor Scott we have not
changed our opinion. We arc satisfied that
he knew nothing OF the murderous plans OF
Me State Senator and the other toell-knoon
gentleman. His private Secretary, Mr..
Hague is somehow mixed up in this matter,
aud Colonel Kerrigan positively says that
Mr.. Hague told the New Yorkers that sew
.enty citizens must be cleaned out, and that
care would be taken that they came out Of
any legal trial With flying colors; also that
Messrs. Baker, Runkle and Puffer were
present at this interview and acqHfcsced.
Colonel Puf1er declares that he was not
present at, and knows nothing Of, any such
interview. Mfr. Ruakle confirms this state
ment. 1t remains to be seen what MIR.
Hague, who has, we believe, returned only
recently to Columbia, has to say upon this
branch Of very unpleasant subject.