The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1876-07-26
a SEARCHING REVIEW OF THE
HAMBURG HORROR"
EDGEFIELD, S. c., July 1G, 1876
10 tie EltorS Of lie .Io,u,d Of Conincrcc.

10 Tie Ei;tor$ Of Mc .'ous"d Of Gom,ncrcc'
The high joint commission, eon,
sisting Of William Stone, carpet bag
Attorney General, and the mulatto
Adjutant General of the State,
Purvis, have lately visited Hamburg
to investigate the Horror" md the
former has made his ''rcport. "
( Why Governor Chamberlain should
have subjected the State to the
expense, and tho two disnitarics to
the trouble, of going to Hamburg,
is somewhat surprising. When we
read tho ''report," and consider the
data from which it is made, the
"nporte statements Of lying negroes
and the partial. partisan and false
conclusions Of its facile author. the
suggestion arises, why the atlidavits
were not written out in Columbia,
made to order there, and sent bv
exp css to be executed without
limit by the dusky atlantis of that
renowned rendezvous, Hamburg.
Ihls plan would have answered the
purpose Of outrage manufacturers
and their hircling newspaper
champions just cs well.
If this so-callcd Attorney Gcner-
III had been in pursui. Of the truth,
why did he continc his inquiries to
the besottcd negroes, and a few
rcrjurcd white mon who hud in>
stiSntcd them into an almel iasnr
rcc;ion against the laws of the
country, tho rights and property Of
It's citizens, and the safety ana peace
OF that community il nc;ing
within the pulNicw Of the duties
incident to the high position in the
State to which the accidents Of war
have elevated him, why did hc SO
has lily conclude his investigation
before getting ut tho renA ,1'ic'a of
this unfortunate cn.emtc. and rush
into print with report pregnant
with partisanship, and fragrant with
the odor Of Radical falschood? If
his hircling champions of the press
had desired to present to the public
II fr"thf"i "cconnt and II 1uir rtI,rc.
$c"f0tio" of the "Ifamburg H,lror,"
why did their accommodating
reporters seek for publication the
statements Of such worthless us
"Dock" Adams, Prince Rivers,
Gardner and other negroes of that
ilk, and avoid sources of informal
ton which could have thrown light,
at least, upon the subject Of i'll
quiry ?
Why should these champions of
Radical outlaws, these bulstcrcrs of
the waning fortunes of one of the
mostiniamou$, imbccile governments
that the world has ever known, SO
'Swlttly dcnomcc, the white men
engaged in the mcritcd chastisrmcnt
of this body of armed outlaws,
| bandits and robbers, as "iicnds,"
''cowards, etc, and have not one
word OF condemnation for the out
laws, bandits and robbers them
selves !? Why have the editors and
reporters Of those malignant sheets
lashcd themselves into spnsms of
horror and shame and modification
ut the death OF II few OF these armed
outlaws, and find in their hearts
not feeling of regret or sorrow at
the death Of that splendid, fearless
and honorable young uH,n, McKic
Mcrrlwcthor. VINO Was murdered in
cold blood by these same outlaws ?
[ can point out just twenty mis-
statements of facts III this ''report,"
which could have been easily avoided
if tic doughty Attorney General
had taken tie trouble f. arrive ut
the truth. AS he recommends Il
judicial investigation, and s,tndry
threats of arrests have been made
by certain viliant Knights of the
quill, who l prcslirno will volunteer
to play constable for that purpose,
L will reserve my exposure of these
falSchoods for that interesting
occasion.
Upon the heads of those charged
with the execution of t!e laws rests
the responsibility for tins collision
Ii 1T is true that Governor Scott
placed these arms and tl,is nn,muim-
; ton in the hands Of this ignorant
people; il was crime against them
and the white people that he did So.
1t was IL crime in Governor Moses
to have allowed them to remain in
their hands. And it was more thnn
n cl imc in Governor Chamberlain,
in the light Of his experience upon
that subject. II WIS u cruel and
incxcusablo wrong, uh unpardona-
bic sin against the peace Of the
country and the lives Of the people,
that he should have allowed these
guns and ammunition to remain in
their hands.
The jurisdiction and powers of u
Trial Justice are large. and the re
sponsibility proportionally increas.
cd, at IN important point on olir
border, like Hamburg and man
OF the greatest discretion, fidelity
and frmncss, cUnld and should
have be1n procured to fiji the Office
bnt instead Of that, this man, Prince
Rivers, wholly unfit for 50 import
ant q station, is the only acting
Trial Justice in Hamburg, and I
believe the next nearest in Aiken
/ fn,1ntv about {u,I,, ,, IL,