The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-03-28

reported to number about seventy-iiye
men, well armed and mounted. Isaw at
oIo3 that this people uere in the supreme
c.:s!s Of the; fate, and that they could
only meet successfully by bringing
them face 20 with their duty by in
Btant and fe. ICES discharge of mine, and
by thus quickening their sentiment Of
obedience to law, TO set in motion
counter current against the lawleas men
who stood In armed array against tho
constitutional authorities.
As Redmond was the central and SUP.
porting figure OF the unlawful combina-
tion, resolved 70 strike at hin. To
have selected one Of his subordinates %
the subject OF prosecution, would have
made 1t appear .hat the arm of the law
itself was aharinZ in the genera. psraIy.
els, while TO have united others with him,
would have benn 20 lose the advantage Of
isolating The chief criminal from his fol.
lowers, and tI have incurred the hazard
OF uniting them more closely to him by
o sense Of heir common danger. |.
thGyefore, sterL,iued that IT legal proof
of crime could be obtained against him
o bill should be laid before the grand
jury with view to his immediate indict-
ment, but not for his alleged forcible
entry into the Jail, for that wss only
misdemeanor under our laws, and public
sympathy was strongly in favor of the
three prisoners who were thus released,
as it was generally believed that they
had committed no offence against the
laws of the United States, and it was
known that they were respectable farm
ers, who were arrested without q warrant.
in violation of law, and had been grossly
maltreated by the revenue officers before
they were lodged in Jail.
was satisfied from il. rmation furn.
/ isned me that both law and Justice had
been outraged in the persons of those
priEonera, and my Judgment upon this
point has since been confirmed by the
fact that the fso0 who were recaptured by
the sherif's posse were discharged by the
United States commissioner to-day on
the declared ground that there was no
evtdsseS' -c'.Gfseerer L IN which to author
ize their detention, or to support the
charge that they had violated any law
of tho United States. But Redmond, g
day or two after the rescue of the pris.
oners, had with his armed band entered
the house OF q citizen in this vicinity and
had taken therefrom two oyercoats of the
value of forty dollars, left there for .e-
keeping by their owners, who were also
l
taking was done forcibly, in the presence
OF the lawful custodian or bailee. and by
putting him in terror, the act was rob-
51TJ, both al common law and under the
statute, and was grave felony.
After much earnest effort on my part
tbs citizen, Mr. Hendrix, above referred
to, overcame his feara and made the me-
ceSsary affidavit charging the robbery.
The trial juatice thereupon issued his
warrant, and upon the return of the
sheriff, that the accused openly defied
arrest, tho papers were delivered to the
solicitor, and en- last Monday a ill was
drawn accordingly and laid be.vre the
grand jury.
delivered most earnest charge to
them, admonishing them of their sworn
duty "to have no man unpresented
through fear, favor or Affection" and
said in the course of my charge: "Gen-
tlemen Of the grand jury, if upon the tes-
timony of credible witness, it should
appear to you that there is probable cause
to believe the accused guilty of the of
fence charged, and you willfully fail or
refllae to ird tine bill, then yon declare
to the world that in tho County of Pick
ems the trigger finger of Lewis r. Red
mond's right hand is stronger than the
arm of the law And you do this while
Wade Hampton, .hs defender Of !a- and
order, the wise and just chief magistrate,
the trusted leader and friend of the whole
people. rules as Governor in South Car
olina r.
The grand jury then retired, and after
remaining in their room several hours,
came into court and returned the indict-
ment endorsed mo bill"
l at once informed them that pre-
snmed the evidence was insufficient, and
that on the next morning the bill would
again be delivered to them, and the So
licitor would send additional witnesses
before them to support it. The next
morning Tuesday, the bill was again
stated to them that I had ipformssion
which deemed trustworthy 10 the effcct
that one Of theiE body wee the close aiIy
and intimate associate of Redmond, the
person accused in the bill, who was then
having his headquarters at the house of
the grand juror referred to, and that if
these statements were not denied by tho
grand juror on oath, he must be excused
from acting during the consideration of
this case, and should at once retire from
the grand jury. thereupon named the
unworthy grand juror, and stated that I
was prepared to hear his denial. He
Immediately Withdrew from the grand
jury without uttering word.
The grand jury then retired, but re-
turned into court within q few minutes
with o "True BILL" the foreman stating
that it was the Unanimous" finding OF
the grand jury. a bench warrant was at
once issued, and I ordered the sheriff to
forthwith summon and organize an
armed posse Of one hundred men and
proceed to use the necessary force in its
execution. In three or four hours the
posse, fully armed and equipped, and
we'll mounted, moved out from the county
seat, accompanied by Capt. Griffin, in
command Of tho Hampton Home Guard,
. company of State volunteer troops. who
had reported 70 tho sheriff for dnty, pnr
suant 20 your telegraphic order Of the
[ 18th instant. This company in abont
fifty strong, and has o numbsr of nloun-
taineera In it9 ranks, who ara all good
and true neu. HT.Fl43
Tho Htatement that some of the arms
of tbis company are in the hands of Red
mond's men, or that one man of the COM
pany has Joined tho outlaws band, is
utterly false. BY request of the sheriff.
which fully approved, the revenue off,
GERS did not accompany the Ss.ate posse,
but nave gone in an opposite direction.
received q dispatch (which / enclosel
- courier, ct IL o'clock last night, from
the sheriff and Capt. Griffin, from which
1t appears that they have reached Red
~. Il L.