Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-06-01

I Istruck him. After this Stephen Lake got the
keys out Of Harmon's pocke. and went to the
store. Bette Perrin got the bureau keys, and
all of US went to searching drawers, &c. We
found a watch, (gold) pistol, bracelets, set
buttons. These I received. Stephen Lake
having gone to the store brought thence can
of kerosene, which Lark Holloway took and
poured it down upon the persons Of Mr.. and
Mrs. Harmon, and also over the floor, they
being at this time lifeless. The knife shown
me identify as Stephen Lakes, with which
the throats of Mr.. and Mrs. Harmon were cut.
Then Tilda clark Holloway's wife) went into
the bedroom and got an oak chunk of fire.
She then got Mrs. Harmon's gown, placing it
over a chunk of fire, and blew it into blaze.
l then left the premises, leaving all Others
still behind. Stephen and Lark told me to
60 and keep going; not to stop. This was
between 10 and II o'clock, P. NJ"
THE VERDICT OF THE JURY AND SWIFT
VENGEANCE.
The Jury of inquest found that the Har-
mons were deliberately murdered by Stephen
Lake, Larkin Holloway, Marshall Perrin,
Austin Davis, JEFF Settles, Jesse Lake, Bet.
tie Perrin, and Tlda Holloway, all negroes.
These parties had previously been arrested,
and when the inquest closed were delived into
the custody of Sheriff Richardson for COM
mitment to jail. He had no sooner received
them into his custody than he was approach
ed by party Of men, who told him that they
would relieve him of any farther trouble, and
at once bound and bliudfolded him. All of
the prisoners were taken by the crowd, which
was composed of both black and white citi-
zens, and marched to a point about half
mile from the scene of the murder. There
the six men who had committed the crime
were tied firmly together in row, and five
minutes were given to them to pray, at the
expiration of which time volley of one hun
dred shots was fred, and the six wretches
fell dead to the ground. About three hun
dred men took part in the last act of the
lynching. They were variously armed with
rifles, shot-guns and pistols. No masks were
worn by anybody. Previous to their execu-
ton Austin Davis and Stephen Lake had
confessed that the party had been concocting
the murder for several weeks.
Upwards of five hundred people were pres
ent, about fifty of these being colored. There
was no excitement, and the whole proceeding
was conducted with the utmost deliberation.
The reason assigned for shooting instead of
hanging the men was that by this means the
whole party might share in the execution,
while hanging would have made few of the
party the more prominent as ring leaders,
which result it was desired to avoid. The
lynchers openly acknowledged theirparticipa.
ton in the affair afterwards, and expressed
their willingness to submit to the action of
any authorized tribunal The feeling among
the colored people was as strong against the
murderers as among the white people, and
they even said that if the whites did nothing
the colored people would take the law into
their hands. One white man was supposed
to have been concerned in the murder and
would undoubtedly have shared the fate Of
the others, but no proof was found against
him and he was discharged, as was also an
other, an old colored man., The prisoners
testified that the three women were present
at the murder, but were not more directly
concerned in it. The lynchers turned them
loose, upon the condition that they leave the
country forthwith. They complied at once,
and this accounts for their alleged disappear
ance. 1t is denied that they were violently
disposed of. All the lynchers were from the
counties of Abbeville and Edge6eld. They
listened quietly to remonstrances of some Of
the older persons present, but said they were
fixed in their resolve. Nine tenths Of those
present, and at least an equal proportion Of
the citizens of the county, approved of the