The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-08-23

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against him at that time among both
white and blacE>Swa intense, which
feeling settled down to q firm con
viction of his guilt of a>most foul muir
der.
HIS BAD RECORD.
He was always regarded q bad
| negro. In the Fall of 1872 he was
indicted and convicted in the Court o,
General Session for the crime of bur
glary, in the breaking open ofiip'
scomb & Sous store at Ninety-SiX
and abstracting therefrom "a golo
watch and other articles. For this Of
fence he was sentenced to. the peniten'
tiary for a term of years, but after
serving some three months he was
%pardoned out by that notorious Cover
nor Moses, and he at once returned tc
his old home, in January 1873, having
been made worsc by this temporary
confinement. and bad association in
the p%enitentiary. In the April fol-
lowing he committed the crime fol
which he has just suffered the SX'
treme penalty of the law. Il.
Mr.. J. NJ. Mathews was assaulted by
some one who entered his bedSSaehfa'
Ninety-Six, and struck him'a blow
while he was asleep, and the would DC
assassin, after running off, fired back
INTO the room through the open door.
bv which he had made his exit. Jer-
nv was supposed to be the guilty party
i'm this instance but sufficient proof
was never adduced to have him con-
victed. y
NC 1~ofrrppENcE WHEN ON TRIAL,
Throughout his confinement of over
three wears he has had the utmost
confidence in the ability of his couscl
to save his neck aud never seemed to
realize the danger>of his situation.
Even on his trial he seenled inditter-
ent, and especially on The last trial he
laughed heartily at sor'ethipg said by
O witness who was on the staal.
THE FACTS OF THE KILLiSG.
Several witnesses were sworn in
Court, all proving substantially the
following facts:
Anderson Burton, sworn-was pres
ent when difficulty occurred between
Jerry and Adam Anthony Jones and
Epsy we're standing in door talking a;
Jerry got up and came to door and
showed Anthony one side and Epsy the
other side; Anthony said to Jerry he
did not act like q gentleman-he acted
like a rascal Anthony started out of
the door and Jerry kicked at him then
Adam got up and sad he should rot
fghta boy, if lie wanted to fight any
thing to fight a man Jerry got a hoe
out from under the house and started
after Adam with it; the women caught
him and took the hoe from him and
started on home with him he got loose
and started back, and there was a
straight fence near, and he ran to the
fence and got q rail off and started
back; the women got hold Of him and
started off home with him !; after An
thony and Jerry went out doors wit
ness went also don't remember any
out there around him !; they stayed at
the house about two hours after the
fuss, and then started on home; when
they got below DR.. Stuart's front gate,
down at the big gate where the lane ia,
Jerry got over the fence and told Ad-
am TO stop, that he wanted to know
what right, by damn, he had to take up
for q little damn bully Adam told him
certainly he would take up for boys
when they could not take up for them
selves; from that they began to quar-
rel and curse; when Jerry got over
the fence he had his knife open and
a rock in his hand ; then they began
to curse each other and both began to
pull off their coats; Jerry began to pull
his off'and went towards the fence and
laid it on the fence and picked up a
great big sassafras stick and walked
back towards Adam; Adam told him
to put down his stick and he would
pull otfhis breeches and whip him as
good as his nanny ever did; they
began to curse each other; Adam spit
OH his hands and Jerry told him to
stand back Adam stood back and
turned his face around liketo start off,
and Jerry struck him; the boys told
Adam to come on and have no fuss,
about same time Jerry told Adam to
stand hack, he turned his head and
Jerry,struck witness had told him be-
fore to come on and have no fuss-wit-
ness was scared; suppose he is going
nineteen after Jerry knocked Adj
down, he took after the rest of Is
said he was going to Kill the last one
Of US; We went on home then and got
some of our folks to come back with
us-staycd all night where Adam was
Newton Williams came back with
them; found Adam at William Will
liams' house; stayed there till he died
was buried Tuesday lived that night
and next day; did not see Jerry after
he struck Adam till next day mover
had any conversation with Jerry about
the matter.
DAMN YOUR FRIENDSHIP NOW.
1t also appeared in the evidence that
Adam said to Jerry, when he was
brought back and in his presence that
the dying victim said, Jerry, | have
been Il good friend to you, and have
lent you money. You have killed me
for nothing" The prisoner still no
~relenting felt, but replied, damn
your friendship now"
TIE EFFECT
of this execution will he most salutary
and will no doubt contribute more TO
the public peace and safety than any
other single act. 1t has removed
one source of irritation and doubt
and q feeling Of relief is OK
pressed by many. This country
seems to he almost on the turning
and we had begun to fear the will
lingness of the party in power to
punish crime when committed by
members of their own political creed.
We believe if Coleman's sentence had
been committed and Lewis Chiles, the
clubhouse burner had been pardoned
out of the Penitentiary, as it was re-
ported he would be, Nwould have con-
tributed largely to the inauguration of
lynch law in this old and respectable
community. Our people have borne
much, and we fear to see any act of the
Government which would lessen the
of confidence which our
now have in the administration
of Justice. Let the people lose entire
in the judicial and eXeeu-
tive departments Of the State and our
will become lawless. !