Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-09-22
THE TROUBLE IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Armed Resistance TO Law

Armed Resistance TO Law.
a Constable Attempts te Arrest al
Negro Charged with CrIme-HHis
Posse Resisted by Crowds of Arm
ed Nesroes-TcrrlbEeG condition OF
Affairs
The following special dispatch to the
Charleston NeaUs and Courier gives
all the facts connected with the law
less conduct of an armed body of ne.
groes near Jackson station on the Port
Royal Railroad, a short account of
which appeared in our telegraphic
columns on the eighteenth. The
Augusta papers give substantially the
same statement, though fuller and
more circumstantial in the narrative:
AUGUSTA, September IS.
Last Fri1ay morning, about eight
o clock, at the SiIverton ueighborhood,
near Jackson station, on the Port
Royal Railroad, two negroes made all
assault upon Mrs. Alonzo Harley.
MIR. Harley was at the time in the field
at work. and no one was in the house
but a son of Mrs. Harley, a youth of
nine years, and an infant two or three
years old. The negroes knocked Mrs.
Harley down two or three times, in
did all he could to prevent the negroes
from killing his mother, and when
they turned to chastise him the mother
reached up and took down a double
barrel gun. The negoes, thinking it
loaded, fed.
The neighborhood was alarmed and
q crowd gathered and went in search
of the fugitives. They succeeded in
finding one of the negroes, who was
identified by a son of Mr.. Harley.
Harley struck the negro with his fist,
and when the negro ran he was fired
upon and seriously wounded. He was
recaptured and taken to the house of
Mr.. Harley, and identified by Mrs.
Harley. He was then taken off from
the house, and confessed the crime
and gave the name of the man who
was with him. The wounded negro
died last Saturday.
1t was decided to arrest the accom~
plice, and a warrant was issued by a
negro magistrate and placed in the
hands of constable, who summoned
posse of white men to assist him in
making the arrest.
When thelposse assembled, it was
ascertained that body of negroes,
numbering about one hundred and
fifty, had assembled under arms about
seven miles below, and had sent word
that they would not surrender the &C.
cused. Two white men were there.
upon sent forward to prevail upon the
negroes to disLand, and to allow the
constable to make the arrest. When
these two reached the spot they found
thirteen negroes guarding a log hut.
They Informed the negroes of their
GRAND when the latter, together with
others in the vicinity, set up a yell.
In less than minute the negroes sur
rounded the young men, and pointing
their guns at them, demanded their
blood. Only by the exertions of the
negro captain were the young men
saved. The captain said he would
never surrender the negro charged
18th assaulting Mrs. Harley, unless he
was permitted to accompany him to
Aiken.
and the constable demanded an inter
view with the captain. The latter
agread, if the posse would not come
to fall back, which they did. The
negroes seeing this. thought they
were retreating, advanced within forty
yards and fred a volley into their
ranks, inficting no damage, but the
men were in a deep ditch, and recog-
nizing their position, retreated to the
open ground.
The negroes were coming on rap.
idly when the whites fred on them,
wounding TIN ee slightly. The negroes
ran into the swamp. A messenger
was sent for the negro magistrate,
and, upon his arrival, he advised the
men to send four of their number to
the negroes to demand the accused :.
This was done. but they denied his
presence among them, and agreed to
dispense if the whites would, and said
they would give up the accused il he
! came to them. This was accepted by
the constable, and the whites began
to dispense but, fearing that the
negroes would act treacherously, they
sent back two uuarmed men to ascer-
tain if they were keeping their agree
ment. These men returned in an
hour and reported that they were sur
rounded by negroes and were COM
PEELED to plead for their lives. Rein
forcements were then sent for.
Fifteen men, while passing through
a deep cut, were fred upon by the me-
groes, and it was at first reported that
three white men were killed, but later
accounts say this was not the case.
This morning the negroes removed
the bolts from the rails over a small
stream on the Port Royal Railroad,
near jackson Station, AMI threw a
freight train from the track. The
locomotive and seven cars were thrown
into the ditch. The negroes afterwards
fired into the wrecked train.
Capt. Fleming, superintendent of