The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-11-15

A>Gang of Desperndoes-one Man Muir
dered - The Arrests - More Ku.Klux
Arrivals - The Manufacture OF Con-
veniently Contrite Criminals.
[FRon OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBIA, 8. c., November l3.
A serious negro riot has Just occurred at
Singleton, new station on the South Carolina
Railroad, about FIVE miles from Kingsvle and
twenty-five from this city, which mas resulted
in the killing of one man, and which threat
ened for time to lead to greater bloodshed.
1t appears that Isaac Casey, who is employed
as fore nan Of desperate gang of colored
laborers on the railroad, having had some
words with Paul Joiner, who has charge OF the
company's qusrtermaster depot, at Singleton,
went last Saturday night, with crowd of If
teen or twenty negroes, to the depot, and
attacked Joiner, beating him frlghtfully with
clubs and other weapons, with which
the whole party were armed. Joiner
finally managed to escape, With the
assistance of his clerk, Charles Tucker,
came to Columbia and secured warrants
for the arrest of the rioters, which Sheriff
Frazee, with party Of five men, went down
this morning to serve. Before the arrival OF
the sheriff, however, the rioters again attack
ed the depot this morning, and In the melee
who had charge of the place, and instantly
killed. When the sheriff arrived he found
about eighty negroes about the depot In q
state CT the greatest excitement. He succeed
ed in driving them into the building, and the
men who were engaged In the disturbance OF
Saturday night being pointed out to him, he
arrested fifteen of them and brought them to
was not to be found, he having fed into the
woods through fear of the rioters, who threat
ened to murder him. The sheriff OF this
county has, on several previous occasions, had
serious trouble with this gang of desperadoes,
and it ls hoped that now few OF them are
safely lodged ln Jail. they mayIiget the punish
ment they richly deserve.
few more Of the alleged Ku-Klux prison
ers have been brought TO the Jail in this city,
and the arrests In York, Spartanburg and
Union Counties are becoming moro rapid and
numerous. The late arrivals at the jail are
| from spartanburg, and they manifest the same
curious eagerness to accuse themselves OF the
most horrible crimes that has been remarked
In the other voluntary victims from that
county. An interview with few OF the N
to-day, resulted only In repetition of the
fanciful stories Of grips and oaths and counter
signs with such Celebrations as their imaglna-
tion (or may It not be, their instructions,)
could supply. The sight of these poor wretches
and the rehearsal of their stories cannot fall to
convince any one that their organization,
whatever 1t may be, Is not the organization
commonly understood as the Ku Klux Klan.
Many of them are colored, half Of them are
Radicals, and most OF the latter are MEMBERS
and no doubt tools, of the Loyal League, far
more dangerous organization to the peace of
South Carolina than the Ku-Klux bogy. One
fiction that Ia maintained In regard to these
| be an insult to the Intelligence OF the people
of this State. This fiction is that the so-called
confessions of these people are voluntary and
genuine. All OF the officials take pains to tell
me that they do not invite such confessions,
and that, indeed, they tell each candidate for
| martyrdom that If he makes confession 1t
must be of his own free will and accord, and
not from hope Of pardon; but everybody knows
| that by the old common law, on which the
practice of the United States Courts Is based,
this is necessary legal formality which must
| be observed to enable the confessions TO be
| used In court, and 1t is necessary for the pur-
poses of this prosecution that these confessions
should be used In court, not as against the
confessing parties, but for the purpose Of CON
vcting other and non-confessing citizens
whom these cowardly and per]ured wretches
almost invariably implicate in their affda-
Wits The whole trick and device of this
gigantic process of subornatlon Of perjury is
glarlngly apparent full and honest investl-
CATION, If such one could be hoped for, would
show that process is as follows: dozen OF
the lowest members In the Loyal League
| club of certain community are sent
| to surrender themselves as repentant ku-
Kux, and furnished with stories to repeat in
| the form of confessions, which, being inVen-
| ted In collusIon, bear enough similarity 10 be
somewhat plausible, and which include lists OF
| alleged members OF "Ku-Klux Den," among
whom are such Of tho decent men OF that COM
IH.:nnnitY as have had the Misfortune and the
honor to be hated by the Loyal Leagues. 1HA
confessing leaguers are then in most cases
thrust into jail for the sake Of consistency,
and the arrest of their neighbors begins. No
writ Of habeas corpus can be interpos' to
| save the latter: they are crowded, insulted
and starved in a filthy Jail for weeks,
put through mockery Of o trial be-
| fore jury selected by other Loyal Leaguers
| collectors of internal revenue) and convic-
ted on the aff1davits OF the original confes-
charged. Could the hate OF party, the pros
ttution OF power or the ingenuity OF demons
90 further?
1t Is pleasant to turn to more agreeable
subject, and report the result OF the sequel to
the racing events of fair week, which took
pldCt lU'udy III lue buopC VI uotSn
Of one mile for $1,000 a side, between Colonel
Bacon's "Girl OF My Heart" and Mr.. Ebberle's
"Belle OF York" The horses were very evenly
matched; both had shown some very good
time during the progress of the fair, and the
race had been 80 eagerly anticipated that
splendid attendance was the result 1t was
made besides subject OF sectional rivalry as
between the Counties Of Sumter and Edge.
field from which the belle" and the Girl"
respectively hailed, and outside bets to the
amount of fully five thousand dollars were In.
dulged In by the representatives of those fec-
tlons Of the State. The race was very fairly
started, closely contested throughout,
and was won by "The Belle" to the
ing ones, in l:5O. This was followed by
scrub race between Blind Tom and Rosewood,
which was handsomely won by the first named
horse, and thus ended this post mortem event
of the State Fair OF 1871. B. w. T.