Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-09-30
Correspondence of the Yorkville Enquirer.
LETTER FROM CHESTER.
CHESTER, September q, Is

CHESTER, september ~, 1910.
The Court continued its sessions at this
place throughout the week. Correspondence
of last week closed with a statement of the
principal points Of Judge Mackey's charge to
the grand jury, and reference to the case of
the State Us. Carter Ross, charged with an
assault and battery, with intent to kill.
The defendant was found guilty of an assault,
and sentenced by the Judge to five minutes
Imprisonment in the county Jail.
This case was followed by that of the State
vs. Newton McClintock and AMI Vance,
both colored, charged with assault and bate.
ry. The State was represented by A. M.
Mackey, Esq, and the defendants by Gen.
W. A. Walker. Felix Pendleton, colored,
the prosecuting witness, charged Amzi Vance
with throwing at him flask, which struck
him in the eye, knocking it out. His testi-
mony was corroborated by other witnesses.
Newton McClintock was accused of aiding
and abetting in this cruel work. The case
was too plain to admit Of any verdict by the
jury save that of "guilty."
After the conclusion of this case, the Judge
delivered special charge to the grand jury
in reference to certain stores in the eastern
portion of the county that were reported to
be engaged in the business of buying stolen
cotton at night The Judge stated that nu-
merous complaints had been made to him con.
ceruing these stores. The grand jury were
instructed to investigate this matter, and if
they found, after due examination, that there
we're stores in the county doing the nefarious
business charged against them, to present
them as nuisances and the keepers of the
same as charged with an ofense, for which
they should be tried, and if found guilty, pun
ished according to the enormity of their crime.
The Court met at the usual hour on Tues.
day morning, when the trial Of the case Of the
State ps David Kelly, colored, charged with
stealing horse, ensued. The defendant
swore that in accordance with the custom of
the neighborhood, he had ridden the horse
away from the plantation Of DR.. Forte, who
was the prosecuting witness, but had no inten.
ton of stealing the horse. The Judge directed
the jury to find in favor of the defendant
which was accordingly done.
The case of the State Us. Isaac Castles, COL
ored, charged with the intimidation of voters
at the recent election for sheriff, was then
called for trial. Thedefendant was represent
ed S. j. Couch, Esq. The testimony in the
case was of a very conflicting character, the
evidence of the defendant and his witnesses
being diametrically opposite to that of the
witnesses for the State. Isaac Babcock, col
ored, swore that at the time of his taking the
oath preliminary to voting, the defendant re-
marked that "he ought to have his d-m
throat cut for voting the Walker ticket" He
also swore to his leaving the voting precinct
for fear of receiving bodily harm. The testi.
mony of Garland Smith tended to the impli-
cation of Castles in the intimidation scheme.
But the testimony of the defendant was COM
plete enial of the allegations of the States
witnesses. And the defendants testimony
was confirmed by the evidence of other wit.
nesses. The Judge alluded, in his charge to
the jury, to the fight 10 1870 between the
whites and the negroes at Carmel Hill, where
Castles was alleged to have intimidated vo-
ters, and stated in emphatic terms that that
was one place where the liberty of the ballot
box must be maintained. The jury, in con-
sequence of the conflicting and unsatisfactory
character of the testimony, gave the defendant
the benefit of the doubt in rendering verdict
of "not guilty"