The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-05-09
End of the Ku KIux Trials.


The trials of the Ku Klux cases in the Uni
ted States Circuit Court ended temporarily on
Tuesday last, in consequence of Judge Bond
being called away suddenly to the bedside of
his aged mother. We copy the proceedings of
Tuesday, as reported for the Charleston Cou-
rier:
John F. Ficken Esq, counsel of Elijah Ross
Sepaugh, who was convicted of conspiracy and
murder at the present term, moved an arrest OF
judgment. The grounds for the motion are
embodied in the following paper, which was
submitted and held under advisement by the
Court
The United States VS. Elijah Ross Sepaugh.
Conspiracy and mnrder.-The defendant
through his counsel Jas. F. Ficken, moves for
an arrest of judgment in this casey on the fol-
lowing grounds, to wit:
1st. That if jurisdiction over the offences
charged in the indictment be vested in any of
the Courts of the United States, such jurisdic-
tion belongs solely to the District Court
I'd. That jurisdiction over the offence of mur-
der charged in the indictment is not vested in
any Court of the United States, but is properly
cognizable in the Courts of the State of South
Carolina.
Sd. That the Act of Congress, under which
the proceedings in this case were instituted
preserbes that if felony be committed in
violation of any of the provisions of said Act,
such felony shall be ascertained and punished
as provided for in the State law. That accord
ing to the law and practice in South Carolina,
defendant on trial for murder is allowed to
give evidence in behalf of himself. That this
right was not allowed to the defendant in this
case.
4th That the counts charging this defend
ant with murder, should conclude with the
averment that such offence was contrary to the
Act of Congress under which the prosecution
was brought.
5th. That the Act of Congress under which
tbe proceedings in this case were brought is in
direct violation of the Constitution of the Uni
ted States, and, therefore, as an unconsttution-
al act, is without force and effect as law.
William Owens, OF Spartanburg, was az
raigned on the charge of conspiracy and mur-
der, and having plead guilty to the charge of
conspiracy, the murder counts in this indict-
ment were withdrawn.
The following persons who plead guilty, or
have been convicted of conspiracy, were
brought up and sentenced as follows:
VIM. B. Barnes, $50 fine and one year impris-
onment.
Jno O. Robinson, $loO fine and two years
Imprisonment.
Wm. Lowry, $40 fine and two years impris-
onment.
Robt. T. higgins, sloo fine and three years
imprisonment.
Benz. Strickland, $40 fne and one year i'm
prisonment. :
Calvin Moore, Judgment suspended at the in
slant of the District Attorney.
j. S. Kimball, one month Imprisonment.
Lewis Jolly, three months Imprisonment.
Elias Burnett eighteen months imprison-
ment.
John Chapman, six months imprisonment.
JAS Kimball, jr, one month Imprisonment.
w. N. Fultcn, eighteen months imprison-
ment.
A. ]. Martin, one year imprisonment.
6. Hambright, $500 fine and two years inn
prisonment.
imprisonment.
McDinal Thompson, one year Imprisonment
VIM. Owens, ordered to be released.
Geo. S. Wright, two years imprisonment and
500 fine.
THE LAURENs PRISONERS.
The United States vs.. John T. Craig, ct AL,
prisoners from Laurens. On motion of Messrs.
Porter & Conner, it was ordered that the defen.
ants be admitted to bail in sums ranging from
S., 900 to 10000, in the discretion of the Dis
trict Judge where the indictment charges muir
der, and in sums ranging from $1,000 to So, 900
where the indictment does not include the
charge of murder. The bond to provide for
the appearance of the defendants at especial
term of the Court to be held in Columbia on
the first Monday in August, where the defen-
dants are in Jail at any county, other than
Charleston, the discretion may be exercised,
and bail taken by the United States Commits
sioner.
On motion of Messrs. Duncan & Carlisle, the
following named prisoners were ordered to be
sent to Spartanburg to serve out their term Of
Imprisonment, viz: Jas. S. Kimball, J: p.
Kimball, Louis Jolly, John Chapman, McD.
Thompson.
The bail in the case of the United States vs.
R. E. Brinton, A. w. Thompson and Fl. L.
Goss, indicted for conspiracy, was declared
forfeited, and execution was ordered to be is-
sued. X ,,..,..-...-
1t is reported that DR.. j. R. Bratton, of