The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-12-14
THE INTELLIGENCER.
LOCAL MATTERS.
TIE LowNpEsy1ILE MURDER.

upon the plantation OF Dr. y. y. spear near
Lowndesville, in Abbeville County, on Sat-
urday the End inst, openly boasted in that
village that he could martial men enough
at any time to kill all the whites in that
country. His conduct was violent and his
manner threatening. On Monday morning
following he went to the house of DR.. Spear
and cursed. abused and villifed him in the
presence ofshis family, and threatened him
and the whitepeople generally with violence.
When Dr.. Spear heard of it he proceeded to
Lowndesville and procured peace warrant
for Rhodes, issued by Trial Justice Beck
ham, under which he was arrested, and IN
default of giving security to keep the peace
was committed to the Lowndesville GALA
boose by the Trial Justice to keep him in
custody until the. next morning, at which
time he was to be committed to the Able
vile Jail some twenty-four miles distant.
Rhodes boasts were not empty, as will be
seen from what followed.
At or 9 o'clock on that night, the 4th
inst, an armed band of forty or fifty negroes
broke open the calsboose and liberated
Rhodes without any formidable opposition,
as no such thing had been expected, and the
officers Of the law were unprepared to retain
their charge against such an attacking party.
The negro mob then retired about quarter
of mile in the direction of the Presbyterian
church and occupied anopen piece OF woods.
The citizens of Lowndesyille thought they
had dispersed, and gave themselves no
further :uneasiness about the matter. They
WERE however, mistaken. At II o'clock p.
m. .Messrs: Clayton Allen and Theadorc G.
Baker were returning upon horseback to
Lowndesville from prayer meeting held at
the residence of a ne:ghboring citizen, and
upon reaching the open woods were fired
into by the negro mob. Two vollies were
fired, and Allen, who rode upon the side
nextto the woods, fell instantly dead, hay
ing been literally riddled by the balls from
his assassins Two balls pierced his head
and seven or eight went into his body
Baker was shot in the neck and thrown by
his horse, whereupon he ran towards the
village and was pursued and shot at by the
assassins.
As soon as the news was heard, large
posse of citizens gathered and went in quest
of Rhodes and the leaders of the militia
company to which he belonged, but were
not successful in finding them that night.
On the following day, warrants were issued
by Trial Justice Beckham for number of
suspected parties, and about forty negroes.
including Rhodes. were arrested. The
whole matter was fully investigated, and all
but sixteen of the negroes were released by
the Trial Justice. Those held for trial were
oil implicated by their own confessions, or
by the testimony of members of the mob, in
having taken part in the shooting, which
was done with arms issued to them by the
State Government. The captain of the ma
litia company fed, and has not been ar
rested The first lieutenant and two Others
were arrested three miles above Anderson
on last Friday, and carried by Deputy
Sheriff Jas. n. Mcconnell, of this County,
to Trial Justice Beckham OH that night
On Friday morning thirteen prisoners,
all retained by the Trial Justice except
the three from Anderson who had not ar
rived at that time, were started to Abbeville
iail. under commitments from the Trial
Justice in the custody of citizens from
Lowndesyille some of whom were relatives
of the murdered man. They had not pro-
ceeded far, when they were informed that
large party of negroes were way-laying the
road to Abbeville to rescue the prisoners.
Thereupon they turned and brought them
to Anderson, where the, were received by
Sheriff VIM. McGukin at about So'clock p.
M. One prisoner named Samuel Burton
was dead, and his two brothers, John and
Gilbert, were at the point of death. Doctors
Sharpe, Symmes and McFall were imme-
diately summoned, and perceiving that they
were affected by Laudanum, gave them an
tidotes which restored them in few hours.
Trial Justice Whitfield, acting Coroner,
summoned jury, composed of both colors,
and of both political parties, and held an
inquest over the dead man. Several men,
bers of the guard were sworn, and testified
that Samuel Burton and his brothers ap-
peared sick soon after leaving Lowndes-
Vile, but would not tell what was the mat
ter with themselves. A wagon was pro-
cured, and they were put into it. Sam soon
was too sick to travel, and was left at
house with part of the guard, where he
very soon died, aud his body was brought
to Anderson. The Burton prisoners testi-
fed that they got some laudanum at
Lowndesville, and at a bridge on the road,
which was given them by tall white man
they did not know; that they drank it to
kill themselves; that they knew their
brother Sam died from laudanum which he
got from John, and that the guard had pro-
tected them from danger. The citizens be-
lieve the IatIdanum was carried to the pris-
oners by their wives, WHO were allowed to
visit them in the Eowndesvilie Calaboose
before they were started off for Jail. The
Jury, after investigating the matter, unani-
mously rendered the following verdict
"We, the jurors, upon our oaths do say that
=
Sam Burton came to his death by the vol
untary use of laudanum taken by himself,
and taken from the hands of his brother,
John Burton. Given under our hands and
seals, this 9th day of December, 1876"
Three of the prisoners were wounded.
One broke his arm by fall in attempting to
make his escape at the time he was cap
tured, and the other two were shot-not
dangerously-while attempting to escape
from the ofiears of the law.
AS soon as the citizens of the country
around Lowndesville learned that party
of negroes had formed to release the prison.
ers, some of them formed a party, and de-
terynined to capture and lynch the murder
ers to prevent the danger Of their liberation.
Learning of the double danger of attack