The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1872-01-10
a,,o ,... II Il; The !, Ka-K'ux Trials ',,a. y
CoLUMBIA, S. c., Dec. 28, 1871.


AT the opening of the Court
this morning the examination of
the witness in the, case of the
United States aVs. J. S. Miller
was resumed The testimony of
the defence tended to show that
Miller, the defendant, was a Re.
publican, if anything, in his Cpolit.
ical sentiments, as had been
shown, and thar he never desired
to join any conspiracy to interfere
with the right. of voting. That
he had attended meeting of the
Klan, it was true; but that he
went there with no criminal in.
tent, which only could make his
attendance an offence. 9 ~ :
After brief argument by Mr..
Wilson for the defence, and Mr..
Corbin for the Governments, the
jury, after an absence of about
fifteen minutes, returned a verdict
Of guilty. "
#H
In the meantime, ON motion of
the District Attorney, the Court
proceeded to pass sentence OH the
following persons .. Dr.. ..'
| Sherrod Cbilders, Evans Muir
ply, Hezekiah Porter and VIM.
Montgomery, who had pleaded
guilty to the first Indictment
before the Court. The charges in
the Indictment were that the pris-
oners were members of a general
conspiracy to interfere with and
prevent the free exercise of the
right of voting of divers citizens of
African descent, and that the pris-
oners engaged in a special conspi-
racy against AMI Rainey, to in.
Jure and Cypress him, because of
his having voted: The counsel for
the prisoners submitted aMdavits
in extenuation Of the offense of the
prisoners. "' ...'. - .. =
A REPENTANT REPUBLICAN.
The first prisoner called was
Sherrod Cbilders. He was q dull,
thick-headed looking specimen of
humanity, and in response to the
Interrogation by the Court as to
what Ire had to say in mitigation
of his Punishment, stated that he
was twenty.threc years of age =;
had a wife and one child had vo,
ted the Radical ticket, and was
forced into the order that he lad
no intention of injuring AMI Raj.
ney, and had not gone up to the
house, nor taken any part in the
outrage. e'~ '...-.'..' .,, b. .r...
The Court stated that, in con.
sideration that the prisoner had
pleaded guilty, and thereby show.
ed measure of repentance, the
punishment should be only 500
Rne and eighteen months impris.
onment. .... ~. ... ......
VIM. Montgomery stated he was
nineteen years old could read
but not write, and had not sery.
ed in the Confederate army; that
he bad stayed with the horses, and
had not taken part in the whip.
ping of Rainey; didn't know any.
thing about it.
The Court delivered the same
sentence. .....
Evans Murphy, the next priso
ner, stated that he had wife, four
children and two sisters in,law de-
pendent upon him ; that he was a
farmer, and could read and write
a little, and that he was only on
the one raid, and had taken no i'm.
mediate hand in the whipping.
The Court sentenced him to the
same term OF imprisonment, and
inflicted the same fine.
Hezekiah Porter received the
same sentence. .. .... ... d..
Robert Hayes Mitchell, the next
prisoner, stated in his own behalf
that he had never engaged in any
raids, except the one when they
went to McConnellsville. for the
guns, and on which Jim Williams
was hung, and the little ride
around when they made Charley
Russell dance. That he knew nos
thing of the intention to hang Jim
Williams or injnre any one, and
was not with the party that did
the hanging.
The sentence of the Court In this
case was delivered by Judge Bry-
an. who said ,7 ...O. =
Mr.. Mitchell, it has been your
unhappiness to have been connec.
ted with great crime and if the
court could believe that you were
a party to that crime-that Won
had suspected the terrible deed
that was to be done-.and had any
intimation that you had counter. |
anced it, they would. exhaust the
full penalty of the law, and then
it would consider that you had
been very mercifullvr dealt with.
l..A l.