Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-05-09

FLQSrttSpatlSl<tuStH H6s.htftft lID y & sp6SSSstnb
Ehurrieay tF,scareless dt the@eM whie
lhas befaliea thama1i, r.S1:. % si97' s,7a
's>Wehave eTeaa Wi ttfh i iadig1a tai ton The Al
Fails 81, tic fasf killing gs5f Min1r Tasl
.HeYas-a pooE man (. she.s was obscure
unknown perhaps, out Of sightsofs I'd
smoke Of 1is7nwn cabin taandshis hnsme
1y END is1a imat ter iof fssmati eoifsed aene
| totheapubfl a.He may Have SbeeH tn
CRIMINAL he is charged to PEE the fndict
Smneenntt against him MAJ. have been true i
may have violated the y Enforcement Ac1
and actually committed the horrid 4
crime Of intlmidatlpg some colored voter
but, for all this BE was &Stdn6ar 'Being, al
American .citiserf,c andwds entitled et0 b
treated,assuch and enot. .berdealt' watfa
an outlaw, and shot down hke,a1dog 81 -
Various aeceuntssof the shooting hay
appeared in the columns, of, the anewspa
pera. At first the Versions, Of the, atfai
differed widely, and ID, many, points &eri
Totally false; but now, the tine story Q
the unfortunate affair has been laid abe
fofe4the pubIiciI the evidence Of Che VII
nesses who testifedzzat the Goroaerss'si d
quest Thssubsfantial facts appeart0b
these Deputy. -MarahatD Duncan sshasint
bench warrants for Minor, ,Parris.s Mssiol
Harris and others, went up into the Byeat
River country to execute the warrants
He was accompanied by q detachment, o
Federal Cavalry, Who, as is stated by Ma
lor Merrill in his despatch to- HE War De
partment; were :" acting Iasa posse tostk'
United States MafshaIg i-,a sEes esssds'.
When the. force reached thesneighbor
hood OF the Cherokee:Iron Wnrks5a squae
of soldiers,were stationed at O. point sor
the river, where q certain boat wasIylpg:
and ordered by Lieutenant Benner, .wht
commanded the detachment, "nQt to al.
low ana one to take the boat asgay ano
to arrest aAy' person. that came there
and MOTTO allow them togo away, and i
-tba'ui8ata3 aaiee e of66 fp6r WfS t4f va; va;
IN immediate command of the SQUAD, tes.
titled that be received from Lieutenant
Benner While the squad were guarding
the river bank twomen minor Paris and
Marion Harris) came up, intending to cross
the river in the boat, or to visit Paris
fish h-traps out IN the river, it does not All
pear clearly which. They were ordered
by Grlder to halt Harris did halt, but
Paris refused to halt, and going to the
ooat, got in and rowed off into the river.
After he had got some distance from shore,
the detachment, having called to him re-.
peatedly to halt and come back, fired a
vollcy at him, one ball inficting death
wound through the hips A short time
alter the shooting, Marshal Duncan and
Lieut.. Benner, who we are told Were asleep
= at the house If Mr. Latham few hun.
ired yards distant, at the time of the fir
ng, arrived at the scene of the occurrence.
md the wounded man was brought on
and, where lie died. after suffering in
cnsely for eight hours
These are the plain unvarnisl!ed facts.
Vow, 1t appears from this state of the
ase, which we take to be the true one,
hat tn, Deputy Marshal, 10 whom the |
ench warrant was directed, and :he only
nc in the party who had legal right to
pprehend the accused, a0as not only a6-
mt at the time Of the attempted arrest.
1T acas actually asleep!
No warrant was served upon Paris
o authority was shown which he. was
'und to obey The Marshal, who held
10 warrant for his arrest, was in bed
leep several hundred. yards from the
enc. Had Paris refused to surrender
the Marshal, the lawfully constituted
licer Of the Federal Government, upon .
$ exhibiting his warrant, and the Mar
al had ordered the soldiers to fire upon :
m, and be had been killed, the act, per-
ps, would have been justifable. But,
& military were acting only q posse to
E us. Marsbal and, operating in that
oacity, they could be used by the Mar
Il only in case of forcible resistance 10
Marshall; and withoutihis immediate )
esenee, they had no AUTHORITY to de-
nd the surrender oil the accused. Sure.
it would be o monstrous thing if citi-
IS, it matters not if they are accused in /
leral Courts, must yield to any United
ties soldier who chooses to demand
If surrender, or be shot to death h The
lest criminal III the land is entitled to |,
same legal rights which the most vir-
Us citizen may claim The law pre- !
ies him innocent until he is proven to !
guilty and throws shield about him y
Il he is properly condemned by aileeaht /,
RI. The fact that he is chargedr>wlthds !.
violation Of an Act Of Congress does IsF;
place him beyond the pale OF the law pr
pon this cursory, view of the case it !.
ears to us very clearly that the kill =
of Paris was not only unwarranted, J.
most reckless and inexcusable taxi /.
of human life. The majesty of the + !
law ought to be vindicated, and the ]
of investigating the affair will de- |
9 upon the grand jury of the next t.YI
t held in Spartanburg county. TIE Y
onslble parties oughtto be prosecuted t9e
le full extent of the Law. Blood has nc nc
shed wrongfully a man has been .tn, ~ ,
by the military without proper au-
ty let it be settled now once for all F
her the lives of our citizens are at the eve
y Of the Federal soldiely. for
e poor man whose life was thus reck- A
7 taken, leaves dependent wife and ,
Helpless Aale children to mourn his +
They have our sympathy, and, we
inc, that of all who feel for the vic
OF Grants cruel military despotism.
append below, Corporal Orders
1 testimony taken before the Coro-
jury, April 10:
milton Grider (Lance CorporaD be- :.
sworn, says: That he belongs to
op 1" 7th U. S. Cavalry, that on
y morning, the 18th of April, was "A
" Lieut.. Benner. not to allow any -
} take the boat away, and to arrest N
persons that came there; !, not to al. =
hem to go away and if they insisted
ing to fire on them two menlcame =
hey had blankets on their shoulders;
,rod them to halt; one man did halt, was
ne other swore that he would not
the man ran; part of the. detach- A
followed him and ordered him to -
and he did not halt, and used the :.
ks, "he be damned if he would - IT
that nort of tho dofoohmor+ LoltoJ Mt