The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-05-01
THE KU-KLUX CASES..
TRIAL OF ROBERT T. HIGGINS.
Forming the Jury-The Old .sfand.bys
at tho Front-Absence OF Material
Witnesses for the Defence.

OuCC " ~ 4iQ Va O1S vi "a
County, indicted for conspiracy and the muir
der of Jim Williams, alias Jim Rainey, on the
9Th of March, 1871. The witnesses for the
defence, who had been ordered to be sum
moned by the marshal, had not made thell
appearance, and the following dispatch was
read from TIE deputy marshal in York County;
rFound j. Long. The other three not in The
county. Sent subpoena back to your office"
Colonel Hamilton said that the subpoena
must have been received by the deputy mar
shall last Thursday afternoon, and he could
prove By a man now In Jail In Charl, ston that
their main witness, John T. Lowry, Lad been
In York up to Saturday morning when he had
lett and come dowa in this direction.
Judge Bond decided that the dispatch that
hadbeen read amounted to a return of non
est, and that the trial must proceed.
Colonel Hamilton asked that the defence
might at least be allowed to have the testl'
mopy of those witnesses in the trials at Co.
1umbia read from the official report of those
trials; but the district attorney objected, and
the request was refused.
The prisoner was then a%rralgned, and plead
ed not guilty to all the charges, and the en-
panellng of the jury began. This occupied
about one hour, th:.ty-eight jurors being call.
ed before the requisite twelve were obtained,
and both the prosecution and the defence ex-
bausted the number of challenges allowed to
them respectively. The jurors rejected by the
government were Messrs. Thomas s.. Mills,
Ebenezer NJ. Wells, Campbell W. Getty, Alex
ander Foster Black and John Quinlan, all
white. The jury, as finally formed, consisted
of six white and six colored men, as follows:
Charles A. Darling, foreman; Thomas s. Fos-
berry, Thomas W.. Berry. John c. C. Levy,
Edmund L. Yates and Andrew NJ. Moreland.
white; and James B. DaCosta, John B. Ed.
wards, David J. J. johnson, VIM. A. Hsyne,
Chas. G. Turner and Moses Pinckney, colored.
District Attorney Corbln then briefly adj
dressed the jury, and called Kirkland L. Gum
as the first witness for the prosecution. The
witness testified that he was a member of the
Ku.Klux Klan, and rehearsed the same testi-
mony that he has given o score OF times be-
fore, at this and the former term of the court,
as to its constitution, oath, grips, signals. &c.
On being cross-examined by Colonel Hamilton,
thu, Hitness testified again to having gone to
Acknowledgement Alderman, told what he
knew about the Ku-Klux, and received two
hundred dollars from Mr.. Akerman's clerk.
He did not know what the money was given
to him for. Supposed 1t was simply out of
kind-heartedness. Had never stated to any
body that 1t was two thousand dollars Instead
of two hundred dollars that he received. BAD
not told Lorenzo T. Gardner 80. Had said In
the presence of Mr.. Green and Mr.. Gardner,
Jurors, that the lawyers had talked a good
deal about that two hundred dollars that he
had received.
Elias Ramsey was next called. This wit
ness had also been frequently examined be-
fore, and his testimony yesterday was largely
a repetition of bis former statements as TO his
Initiation into the Ku-Klux Khan and its s.
guises, oaths, &c. He also testified hat ne
had been on the raid on which Jim Williams
was hung. The defendant and Banks Kell
had notified him to 60. Witness arrived first
at the rendezvous, and the defendant, the
four Shearer boys, Banks Kell, John Mitchell
and others afterward arrived. They then
went, as he understood, in search of guns.
They rode TO different places, and for ten or
twelve miles on the roads aud through the
woods, stopping at various places and gather
ing up guns. In one place they stopped IN
the woods and d~ismounted. Witness stayed
with the horses, and some Of the party went
forward q considerable distance out Of sight.
Others of the party stayed in the woods, and
tie witness heard their voices at intervals.
During this time witness heard q fuss and
heard something that sounded like a woman
crying. When the party returned witness
heard that Jim Williams had been hung. The
party then mounted their horses and rode
home, dropping out at different places along
the road. Witness had subsequently attend
ed q Ku,Klux meeting at Shiloh Church.
There was an election for officers Of the khan,
and Robert T. higgins, the defendant, was
elected chief, Chambers Brown was elected
monarch, Napoleon Miller was elscted turk,
and VIM. Kell, Banks Kell and the witness
were elected the committee of the khan. The
defendant was present at that meeting.
John Caldwell was called next, and testified
that he had been a member of the Ku-Kluz
and had been on the Jim Williams raid. The
party went first to McConnellsviIle and ther
went on in the direction of Jim Williamss
house.. Witness laid down until those mel
returned, half an hour or an hour atterward
Ramsey and several others remained behind
as well as the witness. While the party wal
riding home, witness heard that Jun Williams
had been hung. Did not see the defendant OF
the raid. There were some on the raid tina
witness did moi know. Did not know any o
those who we're in disguise.
C~ross-examined by Colonel Hamilton: Hat
no idea when he went on the raid that Will
pams was going to be hung. Heard nothing
about politics. Understood the object of the
raid was simply to get guns away from the
colored mililiamen. Did not know how far |
was from Williams's house where he halted
and laid down. The distance might have beer
half a mile or 1t might have been further.
Andrew Kirkpatrick testified that he was 6
Ku-Klux, and Had been OF The raid on jim
Williams. When the party arrived at the
hating place in the woods, the witness anc
Robert Higgins, the defendant, sat doWr
there close together, and remained there unit