The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1878-07-11
NO. IA

L
Intervention of a court having no
jurisdiction in such matters, or
whether the circuit judge, in whose
virtue and ability all reposed the
strictest faith and confidence, would
be found to possess sufficient firm.
ness also to- vindicate what every
man believed to be the rights Of his
court and the law of the land.
7 A MoMENToUs QUESTION.
The issue was indeed serious one,
and as I had repeated opportunities
for remarking, involved little less
than the future peace of the conutry
and perhaps of the State itself. The
feeling among the people was deep
and strong and was perhaps the moro
formidable for the absence of any
approach to violent expression of it.
Their silence was very evidently that
of men who had long suffered wrongs
but were willing sc leave them for
the law to correct if it would. They
had borne much with rare patience;
had submitted to every conceivable
indignity without resenting and all
most without protest, and that pa
tience construed as an evidence of
weakness, cowardice and guilt had
oniy subjected them to renewed OPP
preston, which had finally culmin4.
ated in the deliberate murder of one
Of their number. No mans house
had been exempt, for years, from
unauthorized invasion at all hours
and under all circumstances, no
mans person had been safe against
insult, imprisonment and Violence
| Both had been violated at last in one
instance, and a harmless boy shot
down on the threshold Of his widows
ed mother's home, in the midst of his
mothers family, and in spite of the
pleadings of mother and sister,.
Where wonldit end, whose;.life was
safe and who might not be the next
victims The question came home to
each and every one and met with but
one answer: 'It is enoughI if tho
law cannot or will not protect us we
will protect ourselvesl'' ........,. /
THE TEACHINGS OF EXPERIENCE.
No threats were made, and des~-
pite all that has been said or may be
said to the contrary the prisoners
now lying in Greenville Jail would
have been perfectly safe, even had
they been at liberty, in tue streets of
Pickens village. 1t was a remark.
able and significant feature of the
occasion. l may say here that, des-
pite the interest felt in the trial, and
despite the we'll known disposition of
all the people of this State to flock
into the towns during court week,
there were not nearly one hundred
country people of Pickens County in
the village on the day of this ex-.
pected trial. The majority who
were present, indeed, came because
they were compelled to do 80, in the
capacity of jurors, Witnesses and
other required attendants upon the
court. asked the reason for this.
and was informed in reply that it
was expected that a number of re-
venue officers would be present ON
the occaslon, and no man felt him.
self to be safe from arrest, and per-.
haps imprisonment at their hands, il
he should place himself within reach. <
Experience is a hard teacher, but it's
lessons are we'll remembered.
THE ARRAY OF COUNSEL.
The prisoners were not brought to
Pickens, but were represented in
court by the counsel whose names
have been already mentioned. There
was also present in town Mr.. J. E.
Hagood, the Clerk of the United
States District Court, who had ac-
companined Mr.. E. w. M. Mackey,
assistant United States attorney,