The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-12-14
THE IN1'ELLIGENCER.
LOCAL MATTERS.
rrE 1oWnpEsYILLE uuRprR.

Iowndesville, in Abbevil!e County, on sat
urday the 2nd inst, openly boasted in that
village that he could martial men enough
at any time to kill all the whites In that
country His conduc. was violent and his
manner threatening. On Monday morr ing
following hc went TO the house of Dr. Spear
and cursed. abused and viliiied him in the
presence ofhis family, and threatened him
and the wliitepeople senerally will, violence.
When Ur. Spear heard of 1t lie -oceeded to
Lowndesville and procured reace 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 Lowndesvlle Gala
boose by the Trial Justice to keep him in
custody until the neyt morning, at which
time he was TO be committed to the Ahbe-
vile Jail some twenty-four miles distant.
Rhodes boasts were not empty, as will be
seen from what followed.
At 3 or 0 o'clock OH that night, the 4tli
inst, an armed band of forty or fifty negroes
: broke open the caiabooso and liberated
Rhodes without amy formidable opposition,
as no such thing had been expected, and .le
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 al open piece OF woois.
The citizens Of Lowndesvillc thought they
had dispersed, and gave themselves no
further uneasiness about the matter They
were however, mistaken. At II o'clock u.
III. ,,cssrs.i Clayton Allen and Thcadorc @.
Baker were returning upon horseback to
Lowndesville from prayer meeting held at
the residence of ne:ghboring citizen, and
upon reaching the open woods were fired
into by the negro mob. Two voll;cs were
fired, and Allen, who rode upon the side
next to the woods, fell instantly dead hav-
ing been literally riddIcd by the balls from
his assassins. Two balls pierced his head
and seven or eight went into his BODY.
Baker wns 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 Us the news was heard, large
posse of citizens gathered and went in quest
Of Rhodes and the leaders of the militia
company tC which lie belonged, but were
not successful in finding them that night.
On the following day, warrants were issued
by Trial Justice Beckliam for n 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
all 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 ina
litia company fled, and has not been ar
rested. The first lieutenant and two others
were arrested three miles above Anderson
OH last Friday, and carried by Deputy
Sheriff Jas. III. Mcconnell, Of this County,
to Trial Justice Beckham OIL that night.
On Friday morning thirteen prisoners,
al retained by the Trial Justice except
the three from Anderson who had not ar
rived at that time, were started to Ahbeville
Jail. under commitments fom the Trial
Justice in the custody Of citizens from
I.owndcsville, some of whom were relatives
of the murdered man. They had not pro-
u
large party Of negroes were w:y laying the
road TO Abbeviiie 10 rescue the prisoners.
Thcrcup0n they turned and brought them
to Anderson, where they were received by
Sheriff Wm. McGukin at about 8 o'clock D.
III. One prisoner named Samuel Burton
was dead, and his two brothers, John and
Gilbert, were at the point of death. Doctors
Sharpe. Symmcs and McFall were imme-
diately summoned, and perceiving that they
were affected by I.audanum, gave them an
tdotcs which restored them in few hours.
Trial Justice Whitfield, acting Coroner,
summoned jury, composed of both colors,
and of both political parties, and held All
inquest over the dead man. ssc.ela! mem
bers Of the guard were swoIr and testified
that Samuel Burton and his brothers ap-
pearcd sick soon after leaving Lowmdes-
vllc but would not tell what was the mat
ter with themselves. wagon was pro-
cured, and they were put into it. Sam soon
was too sick to travel, and was left at n
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 ut
Lowndesvilc,, and at bridge on the road,
which was gi:cn 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 Iahdanuin was carried to the pris-
oners by their wives, WHO were allowed to
visit them in the TowndesvilIe Calnboosc
before they were started on 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
lntary 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 ho was cap
tured, and the other two were shot-not
oangerously-while attempting to escape
from the officers Of the law.
AS soon as the citizens of the country
around Lowndesville learned that party
oi negroes had formed TO release the prisons
en- some of them formed party, and de-
'efn'ned to capture and lynch the murder
efs TO prevent tho danger of their liberation
learning of tho double danger of attack
rom both sides, :he Sheriff and Jailor, Mr..
-fratI tI,1w.- -. a