St. Landry democrat., 1880-12-18
THE NEGROES WHO MURDER A YOUNG
LADY WITH UNEXAMPLED HRu-
TAEITT ARE HANGED BY
POPULACE OF WHITES
AND NEGROES.

| CHARLESTON, December II. - TIL,
| News aud Courier lasl received detail,
| of the murder Of Mrs. Kennedy, il
! Clarendon county. and of the Subsequent
| lynclling OF the three murderers.
| Last Sunday Mr.. Thomas Kennedy
living near Salem, intending to visi,
Charleston, went over to his fathers
house, short distance from his own
to ask his mother to stay with his wife
during his absence. kennedy's wife
was formerly Miss Ada Wright, of Oar.
lington, and had only been married
about year.
She was young lady of only nineteen
or twenty years of age, intelligent, re-
fined and highly respected. When her
husband left she shut the door and sat
by q window to write letter to hel
mother. As she sat there she saw in
the yard, Joe Barnes, cOlOred bow
about sixteen years old, who had been
employed by Kennedy the previous
week.
This boy had been induced by two
negroes living near by-Vance Brandt
and his sister Julia-aged respectively
Is and 16-tO hang around the premises,
and when Mr. Kennedy left the place,
and give sigGal to Vance and julia,
who kept themselves concealed in Il
thicket. This couple had heard of Mr..
kenncdy7s intention to visit Charleston,
and thinking he would have a good
deal of money in the house determined
to break in and get it.
When Joe gave tie signal, Vance
went Immediately to the window and
three times tried to get in, and each
time he was showed ont by Mrs. Kennedy.
Finding that he WAS determined to get
in, she opened the front door and ran
through the yard, and was just going
through the gate, when Vance snatched
up q hoe lying in the yard, overlook her
at the gate, and knocked her down.
She lmplored mercy, and told him she
would give him all the money she had
if he would only spare hcr life. He
cursed her, and said. "Tse waiting to
kill you long time," and at that struck
her two more blows. In attempting to
avert which, it is supposed her band
with another hoe and severed her head.
When Kennedy returned about three
hours afterwards, he found hiss wife
lying outside the front gate mutilated,
cold and stiff, her head almost severed.
The entire Uranium was cut off from
ear to ear, leaving the brains scattered
around the ground. A jury of inquest
being held had returned verdict of
murder in the highest degree by un-
known hands.
On Tuesday the colored boy, Joe
Barnes, was arrested. He showed so
much confusion on being questioned as
to his whereabouts on Sunday, that only
few questions served to bring out his
full confession, from which the above
account is taken. An examination of
Vance and Julia elected evidence show
ing that they were the murderers, marks
OF blood and brains being found upon
their clothing
The horrible character of the murder
awakened intense Indignation in the
nelghbOrhOod, and a crowd of $50 white
men and so cOlored men assembled to pun
ish the murderers. The negroes begged
the whites to permit them to take the
prisoners and burn them alive. This
was refused. But vote was taken
whittier they should he jailed and await
court, Or lyncled.
Only 90 voted to await the law and it
was determined to hang them to the
tree nearest the scene of the crime.
Halters were obtained and fastened to
the limb OF tree. A cart was placed
under the limb. Hankerchiefs being
tied over their faces, the cart was
pushed away and the trio we're soon
dangling in the air. Their victim, at
the time of the murder, was enciente
with twins, and was near her confnc-
meDt.