The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1874-10-07

old--nro tho result OF this ill.foted
union. The supposition is that I1ar.
rington, aftor using the knife-a
wood handled instrument, about
four inches long--attemptad to com.
nit suicide. He is a young man
apparently about thirty years OF
age. { Columbia Pheni.c.]
w. Judge Mackey arrived in
Winusboro on Thatsday and opened
a special term Of Court. Tho object
of this session was an invrntiga,iou
into tho alleged plot at Brice's
Judge Mackey delivered charge I'd
the Grand Jury. After sono gene.
al remarks on tho nature and duties
Of the Grand Jury, he spoke OF the
present subject of iuves tigatioh. lie
& id the Court wax not prep red Ia
forestull the action Of the Grand
Jury, but it's judgment was that their
had been no plot.
The charge made again:t ths CO..
ored people he believed to be unto.-
sonablo. Tho history Of th1t race
for over a century shows that it Is
peaooable, ddoile, unwsrIiko and
usually faithful to its truots. In the
jadgmant o. tho court, in Fa,rtiel /
with Its White population hignIy in
telligent, 6hodicnt to law, it ia no
moro reasonable to buareot plot
against tho whites than to iiGugiue u
plot of tho whites to injuro the
blacks lie believes such II ohrrgo
againet eithor tu DO moustrous. Tn o
sificAtion Of individuals is dan.
gerous. While certain distinctions
of race will remain always; as a
legal dis ioctiou, race is no. known. 1t
Is II serious Accusation to charge II
whole raco with this offence.
The court is supreme in FairG sid.
Should an organized re.istance to law
be discovered among tho whites, tho
law~abiding whites must bo sur, IN OIL :
ed to reproos it. Should bad colorcd
men organize, law b d i n q
colored men will DO summoned to
defeat their plots:
This report may have been origina-
ted by bold bad meh, because II blow
struck against tie Black man will
reooil GU ttie wBitG. We're u hundted
blacks slaughtered BY excited whites,
prisons would be filed with thousands
Of white persons. Thus saEie object
hight be gained.
The oourt iustrtots tie Grand
Jury to summon witnesses and invos-
tigate this matter thoroughly, aud to
report wGethcf tile county is at pc Ace,
and whether tho county's Internal
police. land the authority of the court
is sufficient to preserve order, or
whether other aid is required.
The jury returned TO their room,
and ex.mlpod witnesses. rhey re-
pofted I
lat that there was no plot.
2ud. That tho reports warranted
the whites in exercising vigilance.
3rd. That peace uow reigns.
The full report will be gwen again
G- We believe that little good fe-
suited from the inveltigation by
Judge Mackey and tho Grand jury
into the alleged plot at Rrioe's: The
matter had been quietly laid at rest,
when tho old wounds were torn open
nf esh, tho whole matter made more
notorious nRJ some bitter feelings
engeudcred. Judge hlackey threw
a cast of lcvity over the whole pro-
oeedings by which the precautions of
tho people wore made to appear the
result of an unreasonable panic, rath-
er than the ominently prudent con.
duct Of brave men. There arc no
better, bruyer Or cooler citizens to bo
found anywbcra thai the people Of
this neighborhood. Capt. r. G.
Clowncy and Mr.. Thos. A. b ice,
gentlemen of tho strictbst veracity,
testify that Robert Franklin told
them voluntarily that plot existed.
Instead of picketang the 1onds, Two
Hundred slrong, as Judge Mackey
had charged, the white citizens bad
h6 bickcts, nor did 'heit fRmilie.
coll ect at any one house. Thoy cxhib.
itod no sigos of panic, but, as they
had Bacn accustomed to do during tho
war; they prepared themselves, aud
waited for the approach of the che
my, should any come. We are hap
py to say that tho colored people
made no attempt, and consequently,
nobody was hurt. Robert Franklin
ackno sledged that .he had made tho
statements referred to, but said it
vas undor compulsion. This was dc.
MED.
AS soon as Franklin testified that he
had spread the report, he was incar-
ccrated in prison by Judge Mackey.
It is claimed that this frightened the
other witnesses, MS they knew nothing
whom summoned before the Grand
Jury. One was hoard to tell tic
D,kor tEot Ia bo5 hoffor MT l,,' 80,