The Lincoln County herald., 1872-07-03
Grants Prisoners iD New York.

THR ARRIVAL OF Twenty THREE SOUTH
cARorINAIANs CONSIGNED TO THE AL
BANY pENIrENTIARi-sENT TIC
ROT TO DEATH.
Tie ship Champion, from Charleston
arrived at Pier 90, North River, last
Tuesday night, having on board twenty
three 30 called ku klux prisoners.
Among them we're gray haired men and
beardless boys; strong men and cr'ppIes
hey we're under guard Of United states
soldiers. and on their way to the Albany
Penitentiary 10 serve out = term OF I'm,
prisonment All Of them protested to be
farmers or farm workmen, aud their sun
burned faces and hardened hauIs gave
proof of it. The items OF imprisoumentars:
Three for 10 years and 81 900 fine: six. 5
years and $1,000 fine two 4 yeaS 81 900
6ne one, 1 years aud S5OO; three, 3
years and s100 fine four, years aud
500 fine and one, year and $40 fpe
All of these men lived in York county,
). c. one OF the nine counties in which
marital law vas declared last October
Some of them have already been impris-
oued for months.
SLOWED AWAY BETWEEN TWO DECKS.
A reporter went on board the Cham
pion, and found the prisoners slowed
between decks in the fore part Of the
ship. No air circulated through the
place, and the thermometer Indicated
ninety eight degrees. They are rough
looking mon, haegard and tattered, but
have not vicious look The reporters $
questions were promptly answered, and
BY many Of the men with much inieli
gence. They said they had been arrested
for belonging to the order A gray
haired man told his story;
When martial law was declared last
October, no outrages had been committed
for q year, and none since, in our county
at least. But the military authorize.
have been making arrests for the past
eighteen months. The pri.osers are
taken before Judge Bond iu the United
States Circuit Court, and the charges are
alike in all cases. They are accused Of
being, or having been members Of the
ku kux, and are told that this can he
proven by members of the band who are
witnesses for the prosecution, and ad
vised to plead guilty to mitigate thier
puni. .hment'
Knowing how useless resistance is, the
poor wre,ches plead guilty to avoid Sc
verer peualty. Thus, twenty-five OF
these men are sufferin, the penalties OF
convic,s through fear, and no, from apy
evidence Of their crime One man of
fifty years approached the reporter and
said vehemently
UNFoRIUNATiLY AN AMERICAN CITIZEN
- did not plead guilty. am DO,
guilty, and | would no, make such a
confession for the world They tried me
on two charges, but no evidence was ad
duced TO convict me. Yet it was mean,
that should be punished, and they gave
u!e two years. Two years for being an
American citizen unfortunate enough to
live in South Carolina! am not, moi
ever was ku klux-whatever that III y
be-and have always been a peaceable
law abiding citizen. | so to prison al
luuoceut iu1u, uut tnc HaTuest GRIM ma
never lef, his prison with worse hear,
than shall leave mine. II my life i.
spared, this indignity shall be avenged
The men omplained bitterly Of being
sent North for confinement. They
thought it bad enough to be sunmarily :
arrested by soldiers, illegally tried, and
unjustly convicted, without beiug taken
so far from home and where thier irie nd.
cannot visit them.
hey are TO remain IN prison until the
fines are paid. Some of them are with
out money or friends that have means
and they see no limit to their ncarcera
tion.
The reporter said to one
"low will you pay your fne?'
"By death, was the answer.
He was cripple, pale and emaciated
and evidently rapidly falling away
through the ravages Of hidden disease.
Death, no doubt, will pay his 6ne and
cheat the prison Of a tenant.
AT seven o'clock the men were put into
street car and taken TO the Grand
Central Depot, and they embarked foy
Albany on the eight o'clock train. '