The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1871-12-13

thoroughly m9keu, foue aI nlu-hiSu'
to the houses of peaceable Republi
cans and shit them down in colo
blood. Colced men, Republicans
charged with offences, and impris
oned on ppbable cause, were taken
from the ill and inhumanly butch
cred, to e'ade the effect of q writ Of
hpbeas copus which had been issued
in theirOchalf. Hundreds Of Repub
licans, White as we'll as colorcd, law
abidin. citizens, were tied to trees
and whipped, and their bodies lacera'
ted with cowhides. On tho day sue.
ceedng the last general election,
(Ocobcr 20, 1900 an attack was
male by these men on number OF
th State Constabulary, at Laurons
=, Court House, while the Court was in
,ession, which attack was the signal,
evidently, for the execution of q pre-
concerted plan to murder Republi-
cans for the instant it was made, a
large number Of tho citizens of the
town, all of them of the opposition
formed line Of battle and began firing,
killing several Republicans upon the
spot. without provocation, and HINT
! ing down those that fed, and placing
them in position, and then deliberate
fly shooting them to death. They
then weht to the post office and de-
manded the hallot-boxcs from the
postmaster, in whose custody. they
supposed them to DO deposited-the
Republican ticket, as they correctly
thought, having been elected. In
this affair, thirteen Republicans were
killed and many wounded. Not a
man of the opposition was injured.
In this and other Counties many
were compelled to abandon their fam
lilies and growing crops, and fly for
their lives. and others were required
and forced to make public recanta-
ton of their Republican principles
from the steps Of the County Court
Houses, and in open daylight: In
obedience 10 the mandates of these
masked murderers, many Of tho To-
cal officials resigned, although, they
were charseable with no ralteasance
in office. In proof that these deeds
of violence sprang from no local
grievance, but were a part Of a gen.
eral political plan,. I refer to the fact
that they were committed in several
Counties-Union, Spartanburg,s. Y ork,
Chester, Chesterfield, ,Laurens, Fair
field and Newberry-where all the
| judicial and other appointees Of the
administration were Of the opposi-
ton.
In view of this condition of affairs,
the State capital was throngcd by
refugee Republicans, and in the
months Of January and February
last, was earnestly urged by many
loyal men, ::n.""ding numerous mem-
bers.of the General Assembly, to call
out tho militia and declare MARTA!
law over these Counties where these
acts of lawless violence were being
pcrpetratcd. This l refused to do.
for reasons which I then thought; and
still think, were judicious and proper.
1 had at my disposal but compara
lively small militia force, composed
nearly altogether of colored men,
as this class alone, with but few cX-
exceptions. had offered themselves for
enrolment and organization. and they
alone could be relied on as loyal citi-
zens. As an evidence of this fact, ]
would state that g captain Of mi
litia company, composed Of white
men, in this city, having applied to
me for ammunition, I asked him if
he would obey my ord,r, as COM
,aander-in chief, in the event Of an
armed collision. arising from an at
tempt to enforce the laws, to which
he frankly replied: 'In case of diff
Guilty, l will 20 with my race. He
was told thatit was not q question Of
race, but a question Of enforcement Of
the laws against those who proposed
to set them at defiance. The militia
were, for the most part, undisciplincd
and unskilcd in the use Of arms, for
they were reared under y system Of
law which even forbade their having
u firc-arm in their possession. was
convinced that if put into the field,
they would have been instantly con.
iroltcd and attacked by 4 large body
Of veteran solGiery, we'll organized.
and equipped with the most improved
arms, aud forming a part of vast
organization extending through ad-
jacent States, with which they had
easy lines Of communication. In
such a conflict it was evident that the
militia would have been beaten
either driven back or slaughtered.
In that event, I feared q general re-
taliation, which would have speedily
made the entire State theatre Of an
internecino war.
But, supposing the militia success
full in such conflict, the opposition
papers and the Associated Press
agents in this State would have pro-
claimed to the country that the ad-
ministration had, Of a political 7ur-
pose, inaugurated "war of races" "
and even loyal men of both parties in
the North, who have no sympathy
with the perpetrators of these un'
natural crimes, would have been led
to believe that the contest here was
one between the "negro and the white
man" instead Of being, as it is, an is
sue between the loyal friends of the
Government and it's disloyal enemies
Such an impression in the country
would have had q peculiarly disas
trous effect upon the future Of tho
: colored population throughout the en-
! tire South. In addition to these con
: siderations, I thought. and still think
that If was the naramonnt dufv q