The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-03-31
The PRISONERS FROM Us1oN-How


Klux prisoners from Union County.
whose arrival nSthis city was reported in
the Ne,6s. OF tho 23d instant, are stu at
the County Jail, awaiting their mockery
Ola trial at the next term Of the United
States Circuit Court, to begin in this
city next Monday. Tho list OF arrivals,
asr published at the time, included the
names OF three men arrested on charge
OF violating the revenue law, and OF
thirty whose, alleged orime is, buppossSi
to be some violation Of the Enforcement
or Ku Kiux Act, though, in tue ma, ority
Of the cases, the prison ers themselves
have not the slightest idea Of the cause
Of their arrest, aad have never been fur.
nished with the charges against them,
the names OF the persons making the
charges, or even shown q warrant OF
arrest. They have been confined In one
Jail and another for periods varying from
two weeks to Eve months, with no op-
Fportunity to prepare Ifor: trial, beoause
theyd have no means OF knowing the
Echarges against them, and without beit1p
allowed to give bail, although, in most
Of the cases, apy reasonable amount of
sennrityicould aasiiy be obtained. Seven.
OF the thirty are oolored men, and four
OF these are Radicals and members OF
sne Loyal League. I
Of the white prisoners, many are gen.
tlemen OF education, refinement and
high social and professional position.
One. OF these is Colonel J. F. Gist. one
OF the ablest attorneys and one of the
finest gentlemen in the State, and the
circumstances Of his arrest afford fair
illustration OF the illegal and arbitrary
manner in which these proceeding havo,
from first to last, been conducted. The
arrest was made on Saturday, the 9th in
stant. at Unionville. Deputy Marshal
y: Il. Williams, encountering Colonel
Gist on the street, accosted him by say
ing, You are my prisoner" Colonel
Glst asked to be shown his warrant of
arrest, but Williams declined to show it.
When asked if he had any warrant. Will
liams replied that ho had, but that he
had been ordered not 10 show it. He
said that he would show tho back of the
warrant, and he held up paper on
which was endorsed, 'sThe United
States against j. F. Gist," and which ho
said was warrant of arrest issued by
United States Commissioner Byron.
Colonel Gist not being satisfied with this
authority, declined to be arrested, but
told Williams that he would 20 to the
Commissioner Office and surrender
himself, if proper warrant of arrest
had been issued against him. Colonel
Glst then called upon the Commissioner
and asked II warrant had been issued
1or his arrest, aud was told that it had
He asked to be shown the warrant, but
this was again refused. He then asked
it an affidayit had been made against
him upon which to predicate warrant
OF arrest. The Commissioner evaded
the Question for awhile, and then said
that nm affidavit had been made by J II.
Williams, the Deputy Marshal who had
attempted his arrest, and who is re-
GENTLY discharged soldier from the
United States army. Colonel Gist asked,
as matter OF right, to be shown the
affidavit. SO that lie might know the
charge against him. This demand was
positively refused, and to this day, Co
lionel Gist has not seen the affidavit.
and does not know that any charge has
been regularly preferred against him.
Colonel Gist then asked to be allowed to
give bail for his appearance, but this
request was also positively refused by
the Commissioners, who declared that he
was acting under the orders of a higher
authority. 1t being plain. however
that, even under the most extraordinary
circumsta noes, any resistance by Colonel
Gist would have been worse than useless.
and would only have been seized upon
as pretext for additional insult, he
submitted to the arrest, and delivered
himself up ut the Union County Jail.
whence he was transferred, as already
stated. to the Jail in this city. Since his
arrival here. he has been visited by the
Hon. A. &. Magrath, Hon. ". d. Por-
tor and others of his legal brethren, who
have been profuse in their expressions
OF sympathy and offers of professional
assistance. It is almost needless to add
that Colonel Gist is prepared at any time
to make the cleRrest defence upon any
charge Of lawlessness that can be brought
against him; but it appears to be the
policy of the prosecution, as was shown
in the recent trials at Columbia, to keep
him nnd the rest Of the prisoners in
ignorance of the charges against them
until tho latest possible moment, 30 as
to leave them little or no time to prepare
for trial.
Tho treatment Of these prisoners ia
everything that could bo expected under
the circumstances, aud it is greatly to
the credit of the efficient keeper of tho
jail, MIR. John Claussen, that, rccogniz
ing tho fuct that manv ~ fbnso ,,r;.oro.,