The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-12-16
A TRIPLE LYNCHING.
Particulars of a Horrible MUIR
der in South Caroline
Three Negroes LyBched.

der In South Carolina
Three Negroes LyBched.
| CHARLESTON, S. c., Dec. 1.-THE
News and Courier has received de
tails of the murder of Mrs. Kennedy
in Clarendon county, and of the
subsequent lynching of three muir
lderers. Last Sunday, .rhos Kenne-
dy, living near Salem, intending TO
visit Charleston, went over to his
! fathers house, q short distance
from his own, to take his mother to
stay with his wife during his alb
sence. Kennedy's wife vas former
ly Ada Wright, of Darlington, and
had only been married about year.
She was only 10 or I'd years of age,
intelligent, refined and highly re
spected. When her husband left,
she shut the door and sat down by
the window to write letter to her
mother AS she sat there she saw
Joe Barnes, colored boy about 16
years old employed by Kennedy
the previous week, and she asked
him TO bring her an arm full OF
wood. This boy had been induced
by two negroes living near by, Vance
Brandt and his sister Julia, Is and
Is years, to hang around the prem
Uses, and when Kennedy left the
place, give the signal to Vance and
Julia, who kept themselves con-
cealed. These two had heard OF
Kennedy's intention TO yisi:
Charleston, and thinking he would
have good deal of money in the
house, determined to break in and
get it. When Joe turned to go for
the wood, he gave the signal and
soon met Vance coming into the
yard. Vance asked him where Mrs.
Kennedy was, and went immediate
ly to the window and three times
tried to get in, and each time he
was showed out by Mrs. Kennedy.
Finding he was determined to get
in, she opened the front door, ran
through the yard and was. just 60
ling through the gate, when Vance
snatched up a stick and overlook
her and knocked her down. She
implored mercy and told him she
would give him all the money in
the house if he would spare her life.
He cursed her and said: Else been
waiting TO kill you a long time"
and struck her two blows. In at
tempting to avert them, it is sup
posed her hand was broken. just
then Julia came up and severed her
head with hoe. r 2Taa sor@s-t
When Mr. Kennedy returned,
some three hours afterward, he
found his wife lying outside the
front gate, mutilated, cold and stiff,
her head almost severed IN twain.
The entire Uranium was cut off
from ear to ear, leaving the brain
scattered around on the ground. A
jury of inquest being had, rendered
a verdict of murder in the highest
degree by unknown hands. Sew
eral colored persons were arrested
Monday, but no clue to their guilt
being obtained they were promptly
released. On Tuesday the coloFed
boy Joe Barnes was arrested. He
showed so much confusion on be-
ing questioned as to his wherea-
bouts on Sunday that only few
questions served to bring out his
full confession, from which the
above account is taken. Vance and
Julia denied having anything to do
with it, but the clothes which they
wore Sunday were very bloody
with small PARTICLES of brains upon
them. The money and pistol OF
Kennedy, found in their possession,
were bloody. and on being ques-
toned about the blood on their
clothes, the woman said she had
killed a chicken aud the man. said
he had killed some cartridges. On
examination, bloody finger prints on
a hoe handle were found to CORES
pond precisely with those on the
shawl worn by the woman on the
day of the murder, which circum-
stance had as. great weight to con-
vict her as the testimony of the
boy. The horrible character of the
murder awakened intense indig-
nation ia the neighborhood, and a
crowd of $50 white men and so col
ored men assembled to punish the
murderers. A further examination
established the truth OF the comics
sion of Barnes. The negroes
begged the whites to permit them
to take the prisoners and burn
them alive. This was refused, but
vote was taken whether they
should be jailed and await the court
or be lynched. Only % voted to
await the law, and it was deter
mined to hang them to the tree
nearest the scene OF the crime.
Halters we're obtained and fastened
to limb of the tree. A cart was
placed under the limb and the pris-
oners ordered to mount. just then
Joe Barnes begged to be allowed to
pray, and commenced by saying he
had never prayed before and never
expected to again. Nothing was
said by either of the others, except
groan and "Lord, have Mercy"
from Vance. Handkerchiefs being
tied over their faces, the cart was
pushed away and the trio soon dan
gled in the air. 'ipi5
Who Owns the RailrOads?,