Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-12-06

they all kept aloof and would not venture
within ten feet of the animal. After consid
erable persuasion, and guarantees of mo harm,
he succeeded in gaining the assistance of about
dozen able bodied men to serve the exigen'
cies Of the occasion. The process of filling
the balloon with gas was then commenced,
and by degrees she began to swell out in full
proportions. When she was made ready for
the voyage to the skies, out of close tent pop
ed little trapeze performer, robed in blue
tights, and all the paraphernalia of a light
man. Before he jumped into the basket, he
instructed the hands pressed into service fol
the purpose ofkeeping the machine in position,
and when all was ready, gave the order to LET
90. All scampered of, struck with amaze
ment. Beneath the bottom Was coiled up q
heap of rope, aud over this one of the negroes
stumbled. By some mysterious action, hi'
foot became entangled in the rope, and as the
balloon ascended and took the rope up, the
negro was hoisted by the balloon. When be
got about forty feet from the earth, he, for the
first time, realized his position, and began an
effort to extricate himself from the difficulty
He caught hold of the rope by his hand and
disentangled his foot, clambered up the rope
to the balloon and perched himself alongside
the trapeze performer. Rounds Of applause
from the audience below greeted him on the
accomplishment of this feat, but the trapeze
performer, not feeling altogether safe, advised
the negro to slide down the rope to the earth
below. At this time the balloon was several
hundred feet from terra 6rma, and Sambo,
thinking this good idea. jumped at it at once,
and began to descend, the balloon ascending
the while. He slid on down until he reached
about fifty feet from the ground, when the
friction Of the rope on his hands cut him
through to the bone, and he was forced to let
60. He tumbled from thence to the earth be-
low. The crowd, intent on the trapeze per-
former, did not approach him until all was
through, when they found him still alive, but
terribly bruised, bleeding from the mouth, and
his hands literally sawed through to the bone.
Mutual Exchange Of Amnesty Proposed.
- The Washington Republican says that
Judge Mackey is engaged upon an amnesty
scheme which is of considerable public inter.
est at this time. The Republican, in prefa
cling its paragraph on the subject, says
"Judge Mackey, it will be remembered, rep.
resented the Hampton government 10 Wash.
ington during the discussion last March. and
it was understood at that tims that Hampton
gave the assurance that if the troops were re-
moved from the State House. there would be
no prosecution of Republican officials for
past criminal offences, but that they would be
proceeded against on the civil side Of the
courts only" This, contends the Republican,
was certainly the understanding of the Pres
ident, however derived, and of leading Re.
publicans The recent criminal prosecutions
in South Carolina are, therefore, regarded
among Republicans as breach of faith, while
they are viewed by prominent Democrats as
highly impolitic and untimely, although they
may be legally just in vindication Of the laws.
The Republican then details the proposition
of Judge Mackey as follows:
1t appears now that according to the re.
port of the Attorney. General of the United
States for 1872, some 1900 citizens of South
Carolina were then under indictment for Ku.
Kluxing, or warrants were lodged against
them under the enforcement act. The pro-
ceedings were simply suspended until further
orders, and the prosecutions may be revived
at any term of the court. There are, in ad.
dtion to these, some $50 cases under the same
act growing out Of the Ellenton and Ham.
burg riots
Judge Mackey advocates the passage of an
act of amnesty and oblivion by the Legisla-
ture of South Carolina, which convened on
the 9th of last month, covering the cases of
all State, county and municipal officers from
July 1, 1868, to May l, 1877, inclusive, up
on the passage of which act the President is
to extend amnesty to all persons charged
with crime in South Carolina under the Ku
Klux act. ...
1t is understood that this plan meets the
approval of Mr.. Stephens, of Georgia, and
Senator'S Gordon, Lamar, Bayard, Garland,
Merrimon, Morgan, and other leading Dem.
ocrats. Judge Mackey states that large
number of prominent citizens of his circuit
are now in forced exile because of their in.
dictment under the enforcement act.
1t is understood, and so reported by the
Presidents friends, that he will not agree to
any such arrangement, but will let the law
take its course.
A Noble Negro.
From the graphic description given by
the Rock Hill Herald of the scenes and in.
cidents of the recent railroad accident near
that place, We copy the following account OF
the noble conduct of colored man who res
cued two of the wrecked passengers from wa
terry graves:
Herculean efforts had been made by those
on the south side of the stream, and two of
the sufferers bad been carried to land, one of
whom had been rescued from the very jaws
of death. The benefactor in these two cases
was negro man, named Aleck Miller, who
resides not far from South Fork trestle, and
whose name will ever live in connection with
this tragic event. 1t occurred to Aleck to
try his mule as means Of accomplishing
what seemed otherwise impossible. Accor-
dinghy, knowing the bottom we'll. he noun
ted the animal and wandered far into the
water, finally getting within forty or fifty
feet of one of the anxious and suffering men.
Further approach could not be made, and
Aleck insisted that he must abandon the tree
and swim to him, and he would save him. At
length this was done, and Aleck, equal to his
faith, soon added one more to the list of the
saved. This done he Immediately set out for
another. He rode in water up to the mules
back, and after much difficulty got within
twenty or thirty feet of Mr.. Frank W. Eld-
ridge, of New York. This wretched man
had received several injuries in the back
from the timbers of the trestle, and was al
most too feeble to hold longer to the tree.
The anxious and sympathizing negro was
now in water level with the mules back and
could proceed no further, as be was edging
the channel and the irresistible current He