Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-07-17
THE sOUTH'S PERIL.

Four Negro ConSpirafOrs Arrested In
Columbia County; Ga They Attempt
40 Escape and are All Shot Down by
the Onicers-A Threatened InSurrec-
ton at GranIteviIie; =. &.
Augusta Gonstitutionalist, July Il.
Persons in the city yesterday from
Columbia--the Sheriff Of the county
among them-eorroborate the brief
statement given in Sundays COIlStitT-
tionolist concerning the killing of the
negro prisoners who attempted to es-
cape from the officers Of the law in that
county, last Friday. 1t seems that
these prisoners-Fountain Doggett and
his three sons-were the head of a band
whose conduct had for some time been
such as to create apprehensions con-
corning their intentions among the
whites. Indeed, so strong and of such
a nature were these apprehension
so alarming were the movements
of these negroes and the rumors to
which they had given rise-that the Ia
dies of the neighborhood were actually
afraid to remain there. This was the
state of feeling in the county at the
time when Fountain Doggett and his
three sons-Ted, Delaney and Jake
We're arrested by deputy sheriff and
posse on the charge of riotous conduct.
After their arrest, they went along I'M
resistingly for two or three miles, and
then, swearing that no damned white
man should arrest them, suddenly made
a break for the woods. The deputy
sheriff and his posse were all well
armed with shot-guns, which theyimme-
diately fired, with unerring aim and IA
tai effect, upon the escaping prisoners.
All of them were killed. 1t was ter
rible fate, but one which might easily
have been avoided by a law-abiding
course on the part of the negroes.
ACROSS THE RIVER.
Just upon the heel of the Columbia
county affair comes news of trouble
with the negroes over the river, at
Graniteville. We learned yesterday
that a negro insulted DR.. J. E. DUR, of
that village, Saturday night, and the
Doctor promptly knocked him over.
This was about 8 o'clock. About two
hours afterward a party of eight armed
negroes called at the hotel where the
Doctor boards, in search of him. They
entered the hotel and went into one of
the rooms, but as he was not there,
they did not find him. They continued
their search, calling successfully at
three other houses, but without finding
him. IN the mean time a party of
white citizens, having been informed
of the action of the negroes, armed
themselves thoroughly and prepared to
resist TO the last extremity any attack
or attempt at riotous conduct on the
part of the blacks. The night wore
away without any outbreak by them.
Our informant tells us that they
were drilling in the vicinity Of the vii
lage all day Sunday, and that the
whites increased their forces and kept
themselves prepared for any emergency
which might be forced upon them.
Fortunately, the negroes did not force
a conflict, which, had it once begun,
would not have ended without a far
more bloody and fataltermination than
that Of the Columbia county affair. We
say, in all earnestness, to the ne grOes,
that the very worst thing they can do
for themselves, is TO provoke a conflict
of arms with the whites. Peace is
what we want-peace is what we will
have.