The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-12-19
UNITED STATES CousT-OosT1NuA.

UNITED STATES CouRT-CoNT1NUA.
T1oN OF SATURDAYS PROCEEDINGS.
turn now to the specific time wheu
their agreement was csEr:sd INTO effect,
40 charged in the indictment; the 9Th Of
March, ON ths night Of wkioh Jim Raj.
ney was murdered. Let us see II Robert
Hayes Mitchell. with others. did go, at
that time, to effect the purposes Of their
organization. You remember the story
OF Elias Ramsay. Samuel Ferguson. and
the l'inckney Road. where the four
this defendant first appears? From
thence the maroh begins, aud We have
now. for the first time, this mighty con.
spiraoy virtually and actually in iaotion,
and the evidence that points irresistibly
to the guilt of this defendant. They
file of two by two aud. under the lead
ership OF DR.. Rufus Bratton, this inno-
cent and charitable society move forward
against the terrible militia. They wepd
their way to MoOonnellsville; they go to
the premises OF Joe Moore and knock at
the door Of Gadsden Steele, and call
him out. Remember. here, that the act
and word OF any Of the humblest OF that
oavalcade is the word Of all. They bring
Gadsden Steele out and ask him about
guns: He has no gun. They take him
to Mr.. Moore, who confirms his state.
ment. They then ask his politics. Mr..
Moore says I can't tell q lie for him, he
voted the Republican ticket. Then,
God d-n you, we'll kill you for that.
says this innocent organization, created
for protection. and with no political
aims. Who uttered these words it mat
ters not. It was the voice OF the crowd.
What do they say when they release
him? eve are going to kill Jim Will
llama. and we'll kill all You d-n rascals
that vote the Radical ticket" Yet thoy
tell us their purposes were not political
We follow them. They draw nigh the
dwelling OF Rainey; they turn from the
roadside into thicket and dismount; a
detail is made and lead of; they are gone
a half hour or an hour; not one OF those
remaining hears breath OF sound
save Elias Ramsay, upon whose ears fall
the cries OF female in distress; the de-
tail returns; they mount and gallop off.
and not word has been said OF their
guilty deed till at some distance, when
they stop at q branch. DR.. Bratton re-
plies to the inquiry "Where is Jim Will
lians?" II expect he is in hell by this
time" and he looks at his watch BY the
bright moonlight, and says: We've gos
no time to spare; there are two or three
more to be visited by daylight" Was
ever murder 80 cool before2 You see
hero the terrible dangers of a conspiracy.
There WAS not q single man in that
party, perhaps, who could have been in
duced to perpetrate alone 80 foul a
crime. But there stood, ut Dr. Bratton's
back, seventy men to divide the respon-
sibility. Follow them on. We don't
know all they did, but we know of Hiram
Littlejohn. Gadsden proves their pur-
poses as they went, Hiram Littlejohn as
they return. What do they say to him? =?
We've killed Jim Williams and We intend
TO rule this country or die. The next
time You vote. be sure you vote the De-
mocratic ticket. This is the voice Of the
conspiracy.
And now, gentlemen OF tue jury, jim
Williams is dead, and order reigns in
Warsaw. York County is safe. All the
other portions had been previously sub
dued, and only this little belt was left,
where stood the terrible militia captain
and his devoted followers. Now that
too. is subdued. and the whites are safe.
'rhis defendant, then, was member of
the order, had taken the oath, was on
the raid, and the acts and declarations
ut his co-conspirators are equally his.
Here is the close of the frst count. to
hinder and prevent future voting, as
sustained by their acts and declarations
to Steele and Llttl.john. We say no.
thing as yet as TO their purpose in muir
deri1g Jim Williams. come now to
the second count, that this defendant
with others conspired to injure and op-
press Jim Williams, because he had voted
and voted for Mr.. Wallace. It is here
that the chief point Of controversy will
arise. Did they go there to injnre and
oppress Jim Williams, because of his
having voted, or because of the alleged
terror created by the militia? This, ut
least, is not doubtful-the Ku Klux. and
the Ku Klux only, went there. and for
some purpose of that organization. Its
objects we're political, aud not to disarm
the militia, except 30 far as the disarm-
ing OF the militia might further their
efforts to weaken the Radical party. It
is at least incumbent upon them to prove
that their purpose was other than politi-
cal, and that, in this instance. they were
ncting contrary to tho spirit Of their
tenor OF their previous and subsequent
conduct.
Let us direct our attention now to the
operations Of this khan. We hear of
nothing OF much importance until after
the election Of 1870. It was formed in
1868. sIumbered through 1869 to the fall
OF 1870. when it springs forth to full
lie and disclosing all its hideous fea-
tures; after having striven in vain to per-
suade or ALLEVIATE the oolored race from
their Republican faith, commences to
raid to put down Radicalism. They in
augurate reign of terror and psrsecu-
ton to the blacks. Hundreds are fright
ened from their peaceful homes at night,
and spend weeks and months concealed