The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1876-08-03

mends n judicial investigation, and
sundry threats of arrests have been
made oy certain valiant knights OF
tho quill, who | presume will yolun-
teer to play constable for that pur,
pose, will reserve my exposure OF
these falsohoods for that interestino
occasion.
Upon the heads Of those CHARGED
with the execution Of the laws, rests
the responsibility for this collision. =
Ii it is true that Gov. Scott placed
these arms and this ammunition in
the hands of these ignorant people, it
was crime against them and the
white people that he did 80. 1t was
/" crime in Governor Moses to have
allowed them to remain in their hands
ana 1T was more than a crime in
GOV. chamberlain, in the light of his
experience upon that subject. 1t
was q cruel and ineXcusabic WRONG.
an unpnrdonab!e sin against the
peace o. the country and The lives Of
the people, that he should have al
lowed these guns and ammunition to
remain in their hands.
The Jurisdiction and powers of a
Trial Justice are large and the re-
sponslbility proportionately increased
at an important point On our border,
like Hamburg; and man of the
greatest discretion, fidelity and firm
ness, could and should have been
procured to fill the office; but instead
of that, this man, Prince Rivers,
wholly unfit for so important q sta
tion, is the only acting Trial Justice
IN Hamburg, and | believe the next
nearest i'll Aiken county is about
twelve miles distant.
Now, if there had been a Trial
Justice accessible, who would have
given Mr.. Robert Butler Justice,
y hen, like a law abiding man, % he
Is, he appealed to him to- protect
members Of his family against this
so-called militia, this "horror" would
never have been chronicled.
Not only does he not afford him
protection, but the ruffianly constable
OF this Trial Justice, one Bill Nelson,
Il copper colored negro, insults me as
bis attorney when l approached him
IN perfectly respectful manner, to
enquire about the whereabouts of
the Trial Justice, in ordor to begin
the investigation. | was moreover
bafticd and triHed with for hours by
this Trial Justice, and his negro asr
sociates, until this armed company OF
outlaws had time to concentrate ia
their armory, where they could suc>
cessfully maintain their attitude Vt
armed insurrection, armed with guns
Which this same Prince Rivers adj
nitted in my presence had been tax ell
from him by these negroes without
authority.
The town bad q negro intendent,
negro aldermen, negro marshals. 1t
was almost terror to every white
man whose business required him to
paos through it, They had harbored
thieves and criminals from every di-
rection. They had arrested and fined
some OF the best and most peaceablc
citizens for tho most trivial Offences
against their ordnances-s some for
out OF q spring adjacent to
the highway. One young man was
hred upon, the ball passing through
his hat, arrested, dragged to prison
and heavily fined, because his horse
shiod on the edge Of Il sidewalk. An
old man was arrested, insulted,
and fined because his horse turned
on the sidewalk as he was in the acC
OF mounting. Market wagons, camp
ing within five or six miles Of the
town have been robbed night after
night, cattle had been stolen and run
into this place and sold. Stolen goods
have been systematically received
here, the parties knowing them 10 be
stolen. F>r nights previous to the
collision, unoifonding white citizens
were halted by the pIckets OF these
malltlamen, armed with State guns,
and stationed on tho highways. In
one instance, five or six of them had
scraped their bayonets OH the pail.
ings OF gentleman, and upon his
remonstrauce cursed and abused him
IN the hearing of his wife and some
visiting ladies. Thc names OF all
these persons can be given.
Why did this Attorney General
and these swift dcnounclng" news
papers not put themselves to some
Lrunblc u ascertain lhe prOYocaLluns