The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-12-15

Oross.examined-I don't think Hayes
Mitchell went to Jim Williams house:
he stayed with the horses.
Elias Romsay, white. was next called.
He said: live in York County; 7 was
born and raised there. My home is
about ten miles from YorkvIlls. I Joined
the Ku klux Klan the 28th OF February,
!S7l-Ohambers Browns khan. Cham.
oers Brown swore me in. The object
stated was to put down the Radical party.
The doom was, deathi deathi deathi I
attended one meeting at Sharon Church.
l saw there 8. G.. Brown, Chambers
Brown, Robert higgins, Hugh Kell.
Sherod Childers, Pole Miller, John Nil.
Ter, Samuel Ramsay, Robert Hardness.
the four Shearer boys, and Robert Hayes
Mlitohell. have known Robert Hayes
Mitchell about eighteen months. There
was no raid the night of the meeting at
Sharon Church. The raid was soon
after; l think about ten deys or two
weeks after. I was ordered by Robert
higgins, but didn't go; I didn't think
it was right. The object of the orgsni-
zation was to go around and visit CO.
!ored people, for the purpose of controll-
ing their voting. I heard some say so i.
Robert higgins was chief; Chambers
Brown. monarch; Pole Miller, turk. T
was appointed, with VIM. Shearer and
Banks Kell, committee on member
ship. I was on the Jim Williams raid.
Robert higgins gave me the order to 20.
l heard the object was to get the guns.
went with the four Shearer boys, Hen.
~ Warlick and Robert Hayes Mitchell
They. all had on their disguises, except
the four Shearer boys. have known
the prisoner in the war and since. /
talked with him that night before we
got to Squire Wallace's. We waited
there about an hour for the rest to come
up. We halted them as they rodo up;
the words used we're: "Who comes
there?" "Friends. ''Friends to whom ?'
"Friends to our country" Chambers
Brown swore the four Shearer boys in
then. We startod off from there; took
the left hand road, and stopped at Henry
Latham's for some water. We then
went on to McConnellsville. When near
there, the order was given to keep quiet,
for we are going to seize some guns al
McConnellsville. We went on near q
house and stopped. Chambers Brown
ordered me to stay behind with the
horses. If n pistol fired. we we're to
come up with those who had gone on.
While we were waiting there. party
came up behind. They we're DR.. Love
and Boss Nathan, fox hunting. Alonzo
Brown went ont to speak to DR.. Love.
He asked him if he knew where the guns
were. DIR. Love said he didn't know; lie
thought they were at Bethesda Church.
We then crossed over to another road
they called out colored man and took
him mp behind, but Dr. Bratton was op.
posed to carrying him along and they
put him down. We then got into q
country that I didn't know anything of.
Alter riding about two miles, some one
four or five horses ahead of me said they
were going to hang Jim Williams We
rode on about mile, then took into the
woods and stopped and dismounted.
The biggest part of the crowd then went
off. John Caldwell stayed with me; be
said he had colo; also, the four Shearer
boys and Robert Hayes Mitchell. ]
heard nothing of the party in front
they were gone about thirty minutes be-
lore they came back. L heard nothing
said at first, but after while I heard
Jim Neil say ''some mon are powerful
hard-hearted." We stopped near John
5. Bratton's house and got some crack.
ers and whiskey. While there, some
man said: "Hold up the guns; let's see
what we've got." I looked and there
appeared about twelve or fifteen. Bill
johnson said he wanted squad to 20 to
John S. Bratton's house. He got them
and went and called Mr.. Bratton out
and asked him what he meant by having
those guns on his place? He said he had
nothing to do with it, and that it looked
hard that he should be censured for what
the State authorities did. He said he
had neither voted the Radical ticket nor
armed the negroes. We stopped at
several houses and got guns, and then
went on home. I heard Chambers
Brown say Williams was leading Radi-
cal down in his part of the County, and
consumed great deal of time with his
drilling. was arrested on tho Goth oi
October. Chnmbers Brown had left the
country.
Cross-examined- didn't know of any
raid on Democratic negroes, nor of any
being arrested by the military. I don't
know how many places were visited that
night; the only object seemed to be to
get guns; the guns were army breeoh-
leaders. The raid was on the 9Th OF
March. There had been several burn
ings in tho neighborhood, and I heard
that some Of the blacks had made
threats to kill from the cradle to the
grave.
Sam. Ferguson. (white.) was next
called. He said-I am sixteen years old.
was initiated member of the Ku
Klux on the 9th of March, by Harvey
Cunning, at Yorkville. He told me to
go down to l3riar Patch, that evening.
When he initiated me, lie blind-folded
mo, and administered the oath. the Pc
nalty of which VIVA deathl deathl deatb I
They didn't tell me what they were going
to do on tho raid. I went with Pole
Miller and Josiah Martin. don't know
how many came to the Briar Patch
They had on disgnises. Don't know the
Loo dos. L