Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1878-07-04

uuu general CONFUSION III tue cOuutrys AneSc
OWLS should be remeded and can be remodied
by appointing only good men as marshals aud
allowing them no cost when they fail to make
out ''prima .tacie" case. Under the law the
Marshal is the prosecutor generally, and if
his cost depended on prima .jdcie case ho
would not swear out warrants promisouously
against oitzons without being careful Of his
testimony. This swearing out warronts on
slight suspicion has led to the OWL of arrest
ing men without warrants, aud finally to the
killing Of citizens, simply because the people
have heretofore enjoyed no rights or protcc-
tion against these usurpations and abuses of
authority. Unless stopped the people, says
the Grand Jury, will bo tempted to devise
means to protect themselves and their families
from insult aud oppression.
This would be doubtful remedy, oven as
a last resort, and should not bo oontem-
plated until all legal means have failed.
The long forbearauce Of tho people Of
Pickens shows that this has been and is
now their view, aud wo feel sure they will
abide the law, if only tho law will tender an
effort at protection. This, too, we feel sure
will be done. The doom Of Radioalism
will DO followed by tho removal of these
men, who, under tho name and guise Of
enforcors of the law, have been law breakers,
who, with tho expressed purpose Of
suppressing lawlessnoss, have been most
lawless.
The action Of Judge Mackey in the
spring, ordering an investigation, and his
statement from tho bench that he would
bring to trial and punish any revenue Off
oials who had wilfully violated tho law, was
the entering wedge to the recent exposures,
and the recent killing of Ladd will furnish
the opportunity to fully establish the juris-
diction Of the State and United States
Courts over crimes committed by revenue
officers. The matter here comes to head
and no one will regret it. The issue is
simply whether revenue official has the
divine right to take the life of citizen of this
great country without being amenablc to
the law; whethcr an officer in this service
armed with warrant, can shoot down
citizen without just cause or provooation and
not be amenablc to trial for tho act Such
is tho proposition in its naked dcformity of
those who contend for the right oftransfer of
suoh cases to the United States; courts for
it is conceded these courts have no jurisdic-
tion to try for murder, except when committed
on the high seas. Such, too, has been the
practical working OF the law as evidenced
in the killing of Davis, near Bolton. This
case was transferred to the United States
Court aud the party has never been tried,
80 fur as we can learn.
On last Tuesday tho attorneys for the
parties implicated in the killing of Ladd
we're to make and argue motion before
Judge Kershaw at Grsenvillc for tho reno.
val of that case to the United States Court.
We have not heard the result, but we feel
sure the motion will be refused. 1t matters
not, nor do wo pretend to discuss the ques-
tion, whether the killing was justi6ablc or
not. This can only be determined By
judicial investigation and the verdict Of
jury which can only be had in tho State
Courts. We feel sure this will be test
case and that the right of the State Courts
to try these men will not be abandoned
until SO ordered by the highest tribunal in
the land. Even then should it be held
that the State Courts were oustcd of their
jurisdiction by any statute and that such
statute was constitutional, the sooner Con-
gress should repeal that statute the better it
would be for the country. 1t would bo o
terrible state Of things if tho people felt
they held their lives at the mercy of these
officials. Then, truly, would there be no
remedy but to meet awlessncss with law
lessness, violence with violence, and society
would be destroyed aud government become
mookery. We apprehend no such result.
Those officers may have been justifablc in
killing Ladd Let them rest tho issue
under tho law to On impartial jury. The
wrongs and expressions complained of under
tho presentment Of the Grand Jury may be
capable of being accounted for satisfactorily
and tho odium removed from their shoul..
ders. Let this be done and We will be
swift to ronder them full justico Full and
fair investigation Of these matters by an
unprejudiced jury would give general
satisfaction aud do moro than anything else
to restore peacc and tranquility to the
mountains. We know Of no troubles in
this county and the law has been properly
carried out. Let marshals realize they arc