The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-08-10
Report on the Condition of Things in South
Carolina.

Report on the Condition of Things in South
Carolina.
| The subcommittee on Ku Klux outrages,
recently at work in this State-that is, the Rad
ical members-on their return to Washington,
caused to be published an exaggerated state
ment of affairs in South Carolina, as revealed
| by their investigation. The substance of their
statement was telegraphed all over the country,
and the full account as contained in Radical
newspaper in Washington has been copied ex-
tensivefy. AS an offset to this partisan pro-
ceeding, tho Washington Patriot gives the fol-
lowing statement of Judge Van Trump, the
Democratic member of the subcommittee,
which is correct in every essential particular
as to the true condition of affairs in this State:
The subcommittee, consisting of Messrs.
Scott, Stevenson and Van Trump, appointed to
investigate the alleged outrages in South Caro-
| lima returned to this city on Saturday after
noon, and Immediately after statement was
published, on the authority of the Radical
members, though without their signatures,
which was subsequently telegraphed over the
country by the Associated Press. We are au-
thorized, by Judge Van Trump, to pronounce
that publication untrue in many essential par
ticulars and q perversion of facts in others,
evidently colored with the purpose of produc-
ing partisan and false impression. The tes-
timony shows that there are four, Counties,
namely, Laurens Chester, York and Spartan
burg, where acts of violence have been COM
mitted on both Sides The whites and blacks
are nearly equally divided in population, and
the carpet-bag rule, by which the negro is for
cibly put over the white man, has produced
bad, and even dangerous, state OF feeling.
The poor whites are mostly aggreved at an op-
preston which is intended to make them the
interiors of recent slaves STEPPED in ignorance
and vice. Everything has been done to aggra-
rate the laboring whites to outrage the social
condition of their families. On the very eve
of the last election Gov. Scott organized four
teen negro regiments and armed them with
7,4OO Winchester rifles and 100000 rounds of
fixed ammunition. These regiments were dis
tributed in different parts of the State, and es-
pecially where their presence would be most
likely to excite bad blood. This proceeding
was rendered more offensive by the fact that
the whites, who had become alarmed, were re-
fused the same privilege to protect themselves
A company which had been in existence
long before this time was disarmed aud dis
banded by the Governor. 1t is in proof before
this committee that negroes, disguised as Ku
Klux, committed many outrages. The testi-
mony given by the negroes was of the
lowest kind, and utterly unworthy of belief
They were attracted by the fee of - per diem,
and, in many cases, were evidently drilled for
the occasion. At Spartanburg numbers of
them were congregated in the post Office while
waiting to be called as witnesses, and doubtless,
learned the lesson which was afterwards re-
hearsed substantially in the same words.
Of the various negroes who pretended to
have been punished, but one was stripped and
| one white man at Columbia, who, while claim
| ing to be refugee from terror, was holding an
office there at the expense of the State. His
plaster. In the Radical statement, it is broad
" alleged that ten negroes were taken from the
iail in Union and murdered by N armed band,
but the facts connected with this transaction
are all Intentionally suppressed for effect.
They were as follows: company of some
twenty-five armed negroes appeared in that
neighborhood and openly announced their in
tention to shoot the first white man they should
meet. Soon after poor drayman named Ste
phens, with one arm, who was universally re-
carded as a worthy and ,umiable man, was driv-
ing along the road with barrel of whiskey in
his cart He was stopped by this band of ruff
ans and the whiskey demanded. He told them
that it was not his property, but gave them
flask of his own and started. After going
short distance the negroes fred at his cart and
struck it in several places. A man who had
Joined Stevens in the road, fled for his life, and
he himself seeing the armed negroes in pursuit,
abandoned the cart and sought refuge in q
neighboring cabin. He was followed by the
wretches, and against the efforts of the negro
woman, whose humble shelter he had sought,
and his own, he was taken out. After drawing
lots, five of the gang took him into the woods
and riddled his body with balls. The perpe-
| traitors of this outrage were arrested and put in
the Union jail, but before being secured, they
killed the Deputy Sheriff, Smith, who served
the process. =,
Suddenly negro came from Columbia with
what purported to be writ of habeas corpus
| from the Radical Judge Thomas, at Columbia,
but attested in no proper form. The Sheriff
called into counsel the leading lawyers in order
r determine what course he should pursue in
regard to this informal and irregular requisi-
tion, which bore no evidence of geruineness,
and came in an envelope of the Adams Ex
press Company. Meantime, the news spread,
and a vigilance committee reused into indigna-
ton, knowing how Governor Scott had pardon
ed the worst criminals by hundreds, and be-
lieving it to be trick to carry off the murder
ers, determined to administer stern justice
themselves by making an example to check
this outlawry. They took tho prisoners out OF
iail by force and executed them summarly.
One Of the number was released by tho dccla
ration of q white man that he was believed to
be innocent of the atrocious crime of which
the others were guilty. While this act OF ven
peance is deprecated, the extraordinary provo.
cation and the alarm created by the armed
blacks, as we'll as their violence, must be con-
sidered in connection with it. The other state
mcnts might be exposed with equal effect, but
this illustration is sufficient for the present
purpose One of the principal witnesses,
named Owen, on cross examination, admitted
himself to be q thief.
Congressman Wallace, who was elected first 1
stuffed ballots, in a District with 5000 Demo-
cratic majority, followed the committee every
where and was one of the active managers in
getting up testimony. The affair in which