Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-05-28

\
rry. and he said to his wife Lucy, you were so
excited when he knocked you that you don't know
who did it. This is the boy who knocked you,
bins let's take him down TO the woods and
blow out his--brains." Then they went off with
hm and put him on the wagon, but didn't shoot
han any more. The colored people gathered
about him and finally took charge OF him and hsd
his wounds dressed. They were much excited over
it, and said that j; was Il shame TO shoot man IN
that way. This happened on FRIDAY forenoon,
and the whites gave orders that Wil!sns oouy
should not be removed. Nilllsms died ID Aoou!
a we, k protesting to The last he did not assault
Mrs Harley. Another witness tesuhed that they
tried 10 trace hun by putting blood-hounds on has
Il ack.
The prosecution continues TO show new horrors
every day A weak boy of 10 was examined, who
,e.nied 10 the killing Of his father, MIR. Goodwin,
and his uncle, Robert Turner, they were all at
work In their cotton fields; his father had with
him his little shotgun, which he always carried
to the lie Id TO shoot squirrels ana Drds WIN the
white men rode INTO the field and marched his
fla her and uncle off mile or two into the woods
and then shot them; he with others hunted Tor
their bodies aud found them next day. his father
had nine wounds in his LETT side and great hole
IN his back; his uncle was shot IN the head, so
that his brains fell out when they picked hun up ;
neither his father nor his uncle had been away
from home ior several days; his father had been
sick for two weeks, and this was the hrst day ne
had been at work. Testimony was also gwen OF
the shooting of "A negro named Fennessy, whose
crime was running away when called on 10 matt
The witnesses continue TO tell OF declarations
made by tue white men that they INTENDED to car
~ the election, IT they had 10 wade In blood up
to their saddle gilhs. Almost every witness tells
of the use OF this expression 10 his presence
As a general thing, the attorneys get along WIN
very little spairing, but now and thea the South
Carolina lawyers grow a little vexed at what they
call lmpudence on the part oil the colored witness
es, ana attempt to crack their whip, while occa-
sionaly the same tendency arises from other
causes For instance during the cross-examlna-
ton of a certain witness, it was brought out that
he RECON- zed only few OF the defendants IN the
al med band at Rouses Ridge, while he had made
atidavits against about 80 men. Ine defense en-
deavored to get the court to order the District AT
toruey to produce these aifdays, but failed. Mr..
Youmans, one OF the counsel for the defendants,
then turned to his associate, who was examining
the witness, and said, GO on make the witness
tell every OF the 30, and II he 1alls, we VIII
| indict him for perjury" The words were hardly
! spoken, when Judge Bond sharply rebuked MIR.
| Ioumans. The latter excused himself by saying
il was merely as a direction to his associate coun-
sci. Eyes" said Judge Bond, but the fault was
that you spoke loud that the witness could hear
you and the effect was TO tend TO lnlImldate the
witness" Just then Chief Justice Waite made
the remark that they could not examine the wit
ness in regard to his atidavits until they showed
that they were unable, after proper effort to obtain
them.
To-day one OF the most thrilling recitals, and
the most effective, so far as proving the charge Oh
con spiracy is concerned, WAS made by mercuriai
| little colored man named Richard Thompson. lie
had a comical air, but he gave his testimony win
| the utmost particularly, and made deep impress
| sion upon all who were not hardened to such sto-
| ries. According to his testimony, on the Ihurs-
day after the trouble had been ended AT Rouse =
Bridge q body OF armed men passed his house
lust after dinner. They stopped at the mouth oil
The lane that ran up 10 his house and two men
Richard Roundtiee and Richard Anderson-rode
up to the house. 4. w. Bush, colored, was at MS
house with his wife and three children, aud WAS
sitting on the bed with the witness when Round
tree came in with his double barreled gun. The
fist thing RoundtIee said was, "You--blaek
rascals, you are the men | sm looaing for. Wit
ness SAID, GOOD morning, MIR. Koundtiee. lhen
| A third man rode up, and he SAID he was from
Georgia and that his name was Woodward. lie
| said the men OF Georgia had made 1t up TO carry
the election for Hampton and lllden and he want
ed to see the-South Carolina Republicans
| dance over the ground. BY tins time Roundtiee
had searched ali the house, but had not found
apy one lie then asked for a half dozen coloIed
men most of whom witness knew, and said they
were gong to put them through that day.
Then they took Thompson and Bush out and by
this time Mr.. Ashley had come up. lie asked
Thompson If he had been at Rouses Bridge, ana
witness told him he had not. Ashley then told
him to get his sack and 20 to picking cotton. lie
was greatly relieved, and went right over into his
cotton patch. As he went he heard +. w. Bush
begging for his life. PLEASE, Sir, don't Kill me,
he said, land iii vote any ticket you ask me to;
but they drove him along, and, after be had been
| talked 10 q very few minutes, Woodward shot him
| twice and Roundtree and Anderson also fired two
shots each INTO his body after he was down. Then
| they rode on and joined the main part OF the
company. Witness mother and Bushs wiie saw
the shooting, but were afraid to 20 10 his body Tor
an hour or more. When they did 60, they found
him dead Later in the day some OF the party
returned with a cart to take the body away, and
asked the witness to help them; he refused AT hrst,
bat at last went, and after he had helped them
Dr. Turner one OF the party, leveled his gun at
him and cooked it, saying he was under obllga-
lions to shoot him. Witness said, If 1t must be so,
Gods will be done. Then one of the men inter
fered and told the Doctor not 10 shoot this negro,
because Mr.. Ashley had spoken good word Tor
him. His life was then spared. In day or two
afterward he met some more armed men, and they
asked him what were his politics. lie sand he
| was Democrat there were too many guns III
Carolina for him TO be a Republican.
Immediately after this witness came Mary Bush,
who told IN very simple phrase oil seeing her nus,
| band shot down. She was too much heightened
TO say do anything to help him. Sue mad
three children who saw their father shot One
was in her arms. The other two could walk.
| They kept saying, "Don't shoot my papa
| The testimony Of these witnesses was so direct
| and positive that 1t had most damaging effect,
under which the defense themselves seemed u
stagger. They dill not make any effort to parry
| the blow by cross-exsm nation. The greater
number of the men in this party were from
Georgia, and this testimony goes strongly to show
the existence OF an organized effort among the
Georgisns to overrun and lniimidate the colored
| Republicans of South Carolina. AS the trial ad-
vances the wonder increases how the defendants
hope 10 escape. 1t may be that the jury gives
them the greatest hope. know nothing OF the
composition Of the jury, except that ELK are white
and six are colored men
IOLITIC4L.