The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-01-12

TROUBLE IN SPARTANBURG AND UNION
For the past week, the newspapers have been
filed with accounts of recent trouble in Spar
tanburg and Union counties. AS the accounts
are conflicting, we have awaited the most au-
thentic news, and give the following statement
from the best information yet published:
A man BY the name of Stevens was br1tally
murdered near Union Court House on Satur-
CAV. 31st of December. He was peaceable
vice. On his way to Union, with load of
goods in his wagon, he was met by band Of
armed negro militia, under command of one
Walker. They demanded whiskey from Ste
yens. and as there was barrel of whiskey in
the wagon, he gave them bottle full, which
was at once consumed, and more was ordered.
Stevens declined to give them more, stating
that the liquor belonged to other parties, when
they threatened to take 1t, and Stevens told
them it would be at their peril. The militia
answered him by volley of bullets, which
killed him instantly. This is the first act in
the terrible drama.
On Sunday morning, the body Of poor Ste
yens was found about two hundred yards from
tho road, and underneath the body were two
breech-loading cartridges, the same used by
Gov. SCOTS militia. Warrants were issued and
fifteen colored men were arrested on suspicion.
Deputy Sheriff Smith went to house to arrest
four men, but was denied admission. Smith
informed the inmates that he had a warrant for
their arrest, and demanded surrender. The
parties inside at once commenced firing, and
Smith was so badly wounded that he has since
died. Other measures were being adopted by
the Sherif''s posse to compel surrender, when
the inmates capitulated. One of the militia
made full confession and statement of the
case charging Walker and his band with the
murder of Stevens Walker attempted to es-
cape, but was overhauled about twenty miles
from Union, as he was getting upon railroad
train, and was carried back to Jail.
OF course, there was intense excitement in
Union, and on Monday night the town was
fred in four places, but no damage was done.
Everything was quiet afterwards until
Wednesday night, however, when about mid
night company of disguised men appeared ut
the Jail where the prisoners were confined and
demanded the keys. The jailor refused to sur
render, but the attacking party entered the Jail,
broke the locks of the doors, took six men some
distance from the Jail, and told them to run for
their lives. Two of the prisoners were shot to
death, two others were left badly wounded,
while the remaining two have not been heard
from since One of the murdered men was
Elliott Walker, the militia captain before allu-
ded to, and the other was Charner Gordon
The wounded men are Joe Ellis and Andy
Thompson. No one appears to know any of
the disguised party, and citizens of both polit-
| ical parties have visited Columbia to ash assis-
tance of the Executive, and garrison of
| United States troops would prove acceptable to
all parties. Up to this writing, the above mar
rative makes up the record of bloodshed and
violence in Union county.
We CLEAN from the Spartanburg papers the
annexed facts concerning the state of affairs in
that county, equally horrible as the foregoing,
only the outrages and crimes are not confined
to one locality.
Anthony Johnston, a colored Trial Justice,
was shot and killed by parties unknown, at or
near his house, in the neighborhood of Pacolet
Depot, on the night of the 29th ult. Three
persons went to the house of Johnston and made
demonstrations of kind that caused him to
quit his house to find protection in the woods
and when he had reached the distance of a few
hundred yards he was shot by parties unknown,
and his body fell in branch where it was
found Johnston's mother was in the house
and saw the party who is supposed to have COM
mitted the murder, but did not recognize any
one of them.
Ten white men visited the house of Bird
Jones, o prominent colored man of Spartan
burg county, one night during Christmas week,
and broke down the door of his house. Not
finding Jones at home, one of them struck his
wife on the head with stick. In return, she
knocked one Of the party down with shovel,