Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-07-04
KATE SOUTHERN.

MATTER oF.FAcT ACCOUNT OF THE CRIME
FOR WHICH SHE IS SUFFERING.
We give in this paper the evidence elected
in the much. .talked-of trial Of Kate Southern.
It differs as much as light and darkness from
the sensational accounts we have been read.
ing in certain correspondence. There is moth.
ing in the scenes, the surroundings nor the in.
cidents to CLEAN tithe of romance. The
whole was fight between two women, while
gallant Bob Southern and the rest looked
on. They were all very ignorant people.
Kate and her sister both centered on isis
Cowart. There is no evidence that the men
present tried to part the combatants, nor
dees there appear to have been such scene as
the sentimental writers picture of Bob with
pistol in hand forcing Kate's way through a
crowd. All that was the imagination of a
fancy sketcher. Kate Southern is not pretty,
even. She is of medium height, about 20
wears of age, and has dark brown hair, and
the twang of North Georgia cracker. She
is very ignorant, can hardly read and write,
and Bob is worse educated than she. Kate
is passably good.looking, and wears imitation
let. She SAYS the witnesses swore lies against
her; that she acted in self:defence that she
cannot Dance and that night at her fathers
was the "fust time she ever seed reel run"
She is now on the plantation ofCol Smith, in
Washington county, and will be employed in
the household, cooking and washing for the
convicts who work on the plantation. The
six month "baby" is sick-teething-a that
now requires most of her time. She says no
money has been sent her from the North.
Her health is bad.
Her 16year old sister, sentenced to two
years as an accessory to Kate's crime, has
been in Col. Smiths house as servant. She
is handsome, and has been taught to read and
write by her kind mistress. On her fathers
farm she worked in the field and drove an OK
to the plough. Her sentence has proved a
blessing.
Bob Southern is nothing but a strong, good
looking animal-a common, ignorant boor.
He is now guard of convicts on the same
plantation The woman Kate killed was on
par with the rest.
On reading this evidence one feels utterly
disgusted with the amount of sentimental
twaddle that has been expended on the case.
~ OF SClUtllld Cdu Dt Ootoiueu w oASito q
single expression Of admiration. Why, the
parties surrendered themselves to get the re-
ward, and the understanding was that Kate's
mother was to get $50 of the money. Where
even fertile fancy would extract anything Of
a romance from an atrocious crime we can.
not imagine.
We do not believe there is single woman,
no matter how warm and sympathetic her
heart may be, who, after reading this sworn
testimony will sign petition for Kate South
ern's pardon. Governor Colquitt did right
He weighed the evidence carefully, and dis
played both justice and humanity in his de-
cision. A crime has been committed, wo-
man killed another in her fathers house, after
she had been received kindly by her pa.
rents-and then demands of the authorities
that she shall 60 free, is preposterous. If such
an act were pardoned, the doing so would be
a mockery Of law. Crime already has too
much license because the statutes are not en-
forced Columbus ( Co., Enquirer,