The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1871-08-08
Judge Van Trump Oh the Alleged
OutrageS in South CarOllna.-
The Partisan Statements Re.
Gently Made Denied.


Outrages in south CarOllna.-
The Partisan Statements Re-
Gently Made Denied.
Judge Van Trump, of the Ku-Klux
Sub Committee, authorizes the statement
that the recently published report of the
results of the committees Investigations
in South Carolina is untrue in many es-
sential particulars and perversion Of
facts in others, evidently. colored for the
purpose Of producing partisan and a
false impression. The testimony shows
there are four counties, Laurens, Ches-
Ter, York and Spartansburg, where acts
of violence and many outrages were
committed by Ku-Klux. The testimony
given by the sixty seven negroes was Of
the lowest kind, and utterly unworthy
of belief. They were attracted by the
fee of two dollars per diem and in many
cases were evidently drilled for the oc-
casion. At Spartansburg numbers of
them were congregated in the Postoffice'
while waiting to be called as witnesses,
and doubtless learned lesson, which
was afterward rehearsed substantially in
the same words Of the various ne
groes who pretended to have been pun
ished but one was stripped and one
white man at Columbia, who, while
claiming to be refugee on account of
terror, was holding Office there at the
expense of the State. His fictitious
wounds had been healed with plaster
In the Radical statement 1t is broadly
alleged that ten negroes were taken from
the Jail in Chester and murdered by an
armed band but the facts connected with
this transaction are all Intentionally sup
pressed for effect. They are as follows.
A company of some twenty five armed
negroes appeared in that neighborhood,
and presently announced their intention
to shoot the first white man they should
meet. Soon after drayman named
Stevens, with one arm, who was univer-
sally regarded as a worthy and amiable
man, was driving along the road with a
barrel of whisky in his cart. He was
stopped by the band of ruffians and the
whisky demanded He told them it was
not his property, but gave them flask
going short distance the negroes fired
at his cart and struck it in several places:
A man who had joined him on the road
fled for his life, and he himself, seeing
the armed negroes in pursuit, abandoned
the cart, and sought refuge in neigh
boring 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 rid
died his body with balls. The perpetra-
tors of this outrage were arrested and
put in the Chester jail; but before being
secured they killed Deputy Sheriff Smith,
who served the process. Suddenly a
negro came from Columbia with what
purported to be writ of habeas corpus
from Radical Judge Thomas, of Colum-
The Sheriff called into council leading
lawyers in order to determine the course
to pursue in regard to this informal and
irregular requisition, which bore no ev.
idence of gennineness, and came in an
envelope of daily express company
In the meantime the news spread, and
the Vigilance Committee, reused into
indignation and knowing how Govern
or Scott had pardoned the worst Grim
inals by the hundreds, and believing it
to be trick to carry off the murderers,
deter mined to administer stern justice
thems elves by making an example to
check the outlawry. They took the
prisoners out of Jail by force and exc
cuted them summarily. One of the
number was released by the declaration
of white man that he was believed to
be innocent of the atrocious crime Of
which the others were guilty. While
this act of vengeance is deprecated. the
extraordinary provocation and alarm
created by armed blacks as well as their
violence must be considered in con.
nection with it. Other statements might
be exposed with equal effect, but this
) illustration is sufficient for the present
purpose. One of the principal witness
es, named Owen, on cross examination
admitted himself a thief.