The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-05-10
THE LOWNDEsyILLE MURDERERs.
Three of them Executed, and the others
Imprisoned for Life. :.
[ From the AJJeviNe Med;,.n. I

On last Friday jenkins Whitner, John
Allen and Wightman Allen paid the
fearful forfeit of their lives for the mur-
| der of Clayton Allen at Lowndesville on
Monday night, fourth of December last.
The public are already so familiar with
the story of this awful crime and the
speedy punishment that has pursued and
overtaken its brutal perpetrators that we
need not 90 into any extended rehearsal
of the facts of the case.
In March, 1876, Osborne Rhodes,
copper-colored negro, came to Lowndes-
vile from Georgia and after "knocking
about" in that community for some time,
at length succeeded in hiring himself to
DR.. Speer, with whom he lived for eight
or nine months. He was loud-mouthed,
turbulent, pestilent fellow and soon ac-
quired sort Of controlling influence over
the conduct and actions of the Radical
negroes in that community. On the day
before the murder he had difficulty with
his employer about the payment of his
wages, and became 80 violent in beha-
viour and made such serious threats that
DR.. Speer prayed the peace against him
in Trial Justice Beckham's court. A
warrant was issued upon which he was
arrested, and in default of bail he was
confined in the calaboose at Lowndes-
vile preparatory to his removal to the
Jail at this place on the following day.
During his confinement in the calaboose
he was visited by several prominent col
ored men to whom he expressed the fear
that the white people intended to take
him out and kill him that night. He
asked them to collect crowd for his
rescue from such q fate and said that he
would give the alarm by cry of murder.
Among those who were especially active
In raising this crowd were Peter and Will
liam Cozby and Wightman Allen. After
perfecting this arrangement Rhodes made
q proposition to Mr.. Pritchard, amember
of the Lowndesville town council, that if
he was released from the calaboose and:
conveyed across the river into Georgia he
would never come back to Lowndesville
again. To this Pritchard assented tell
ing him that he would come to the Gala
boose that night with such an escort as
would insure his safe conduct across the
border. According to agreement Pritch-
ard, accompanied by Clayton Allen and
Theodore Baker, repaired to the calaboose
at about ten o'clock that night. On the
! door being opened Rhodes set up fear
full cry of murder, but upon being assured
| by Pritchard that no harm was intended
he became quiet and agreed to go with
Allen and Baker. As the party ap-
preached the Presbyterian church, some
hundred yards distant from the calaboose,
they were halted by large band of ne
| groes and fred into. Allen fell from his
horse with eight bullet holes through his
body, and Baker was seriously wounded
in the neck but effected his escape. The
firing party instantly dispersed and the
community was thrown into the widest
state of excitement by the news of this
horrid crime. The most vigilant and
active measures were at once taken for
the discovery. of those engaged in the
murder, and seventeen negroes were ar
rested for completely in the crime. They
confessed their guilt and were commit
ted to Jail to await their trial for murder.
In order to prevent threatened violence,
the prisoners were taken to Anderson and
confined in jail at that place, and as a
further precaution were thence conveyed
to Walhalla and there kept until the Jan
uary term of court for this county when
they were put upon trial for their lives.
| A jury. composed of four white and eight
colored men was entrusted with the case,
and, after protracted trial continuing
through two days, on Sunday morning,
January 18th, Judge Cooke sentenced the
prisoners to be hung on April Goth. AZ
ter the excitement of the late political
campaign had somewhat died away there
was a marked revulsion of public senti-:
ment as to the execution of the whole
number of the condemned. Petitions,
numerously signed, were forwarded to
Governor Hampton and the most active
agencies were set to work in behalf of
the prisoners. Acting upon the sugges-
tions contained in these petitions, the
recommendations of Judge Cooke and the
earnest solicitations of the jury that tried
the case, the Governor respited the sem
tence of the whole number of the CEN
demned until last Friday. A further ex-
animation of the case influenced the Gov
ernor to commute the sentences of seven
1 VI LuC W u lllC tlllc
onment in the State penitentiary. These
seven, William Johnson, Hutson Cozby,
Gilbert Barton, Edward Prince, Capers
Allen, Eli Hunter and Asbury Allen,
we're taken to Columbia on last Thursday
under guard and placed in the peniten-
tiary-the death sentence as to the re-
naming three was allowed to stand and
on Friday they suffered the extreme pen
atty of the law.
The parting between these men on
Thursday morning was full of emotion.
Tears streamed down the swarthy cheeks
of the confederates in crime as they bade
each other an eternal farewell. During
the day and on Thursday night the wives
and children of two of the doomed men,
1.-THE other, John Allen was unmarried, J
were allowed to remain with them in
their cells and the time was passed in al
ternate tossing and prayer. Far into the
night the voices of the unhappy captives
Aoated out upon the soft spring air, and
now and then a spasmodic shout Of
"Glory, halleluiahI" would relieve the
monotonous petitions for mercy and par
don. John Allen alone, of all the three,
slept. He passed the night as if no crime
rested upon his head-slept right under
. the shadow of the gallows as if his soul
was not stained with the blood of fellow
human being. Not so with jenkins
Whitner and Wightman Allen-the gray
dawn found them on their knees sending
up the most pitiful petitions to their
Master that if it were possible he would
let this cup pass from them.
On Friday morning there was the bus
tie of preparation on every hand. The
condemned were attended in their cells
by Reys. Wightman and Pratt and
Maxcy, colored, who prayed with the un-
fortunate wretches and administered the
communion to them. They spent the
entire morning with the prisoners and
did what they could to reconcile them to
their horrid fate. The two Aliens were
calm and selfpossessed but jenkins
Whitner was so much unnerved that the