The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-10-21
WORSE THAN THE BENDERs.
The Shocking Deeds OF Sawney Bcane and
the Members OF His Numerous FnmiIy.

tho Members OF His Numerous Family,
History contains no parallel to the hor.
rible cruelties and robberies that were
committed by one E:wney Beane, a
Scotchman, in the reign of King James
l., before he came to the :.crorn Of Eng.
land by the demise of Queen Elizabeth.
Sawney Beane was born about eight or
nine miles eatward of the city of Edin-
burg, in the county Of East Lothian. of
parents who went o hedging and ditching
for their daily bread, and who brought up
this, their bloody. minded child, to the
same occupation but as he grew up, his
disposition to idleness not permitting
him to follow an honorable employment,
he lett his father and mother, and ran in
to the country, where, following most
wicked life, and taking up with woman
as vicious as himself, instead of living in
any city, town or village, they took oSup
their lodging on a rock by the seaside, on
the shore OF Shire Galway, where thew
lived for upward of twenty-five years.
having both children and grandchildren
in that time, whom they brought up 80
| wickedly that they never separated. kent
no other company but themselves. and
supported themselves entirely by robbing.
| and, what was worse, they never commit
ted robbery without murder.
LIVED UPON THEIR PREY.
They never frequented any market for
provisions, but as soon as they had mur.
| dered any man, woman or child they did
not leave the carcass behind, but carried
it to their den, where, cutting it into
quarters, they would pickle them and live
upon human flesh until they got another
prey of the same kind. But they had
generally superfuity, insomuch that
they oitentimes in the night time. but at
great distance from their sanguinary
mansion, threw legs and arms of some
they had killed into the sea, which the
tide frequently cast up atseveral parts of
the country, to the great as
tonshment Of the beholders. Persons
! who went about their lawful occupations
fell often into the hands of tnese merci-
less cannibals and never returned home
again: This raised o general cry among
their friends and relations, insomuch that
the whole country was alarmed ct such a
common loss OF the people, which hap.
Pened IN travelling into the west of Scot
land, and private spies were sent out
into all parts to find out, if possible, how
these melancholy eyents happened. Fer
length of time their strictest searches
an inquiries were to no purpose. However,
several honest travellers were taken up on
/ suspicion, and wrongiully hanged upon
bare circumstances, besides several limo.
cent inn keepers, who were also executed
Tor no other reason than that persons who
had been thus lost were known to have
iain IN their houses, and were supposed
to have been robbed and murdered by
hai ir - 81. l.
obscure places to prevent q discovery,
To such an extent was this carried that
! several inn-kcepers on the western road
OF Scotland left off their business for fear
of being made the like examples, and
followed other employments, so that tray
eiers again were put to many inconven-
fences for went of accommodation.
However, after several had been exc
cuted, and no one made any confession
at the gallows, but declared they were
innocent of the crime for which they died,
this rigorous way of proceeding was Civ
en- up, and the finding out Of the murder
ers left wholly to God.
A SAVAGE FAMILY.
Sawney Beane, with his wife, children
and grandchildren, still pursued their
barbarous actions with impunity; and.
being somewhat numerous, they would
attack four, five or six men together. if
they were on foot. AS for horsemen, two
were the most they would ever set on,
and then with such caution, that an ar:
buscade was laid to secure them, ride
which way they would, provided one or
both made their escape from the first as
| sailants. Thus, whose fortune soeyer it
was to fall into their barbarous hands.
he or she never came off with their lives.
The place was solitary where they inhabi-
ted; and, when the tide came up, the
water s.ant fer nearly 200 yards into their
subterraneous habitation, which reached
almost mile underground; 80 that if
they were seen thereabouts by any person,
it was not in the least suspected that any
thing human resided in such q dismal
place OF perpetual horror and darkness.
The number of people they had killed
vas not exactly known; but it was reck.
oned that in the twenty-five years thew
had reigned in these inhuman slauphters
hey had washed their hands in the blood
of about LOCO mou, women and chirdren |
At last the discovery of the cannibals was
thus mede:
A man and his wife, who was behind
him on the same horse, coming one eve.
ming from a fair, and falling into ambus-
cade OF these merciless wretches. they fell
upon them in the most furious manner :;
the man to save himself as we'll as he
could, fought it bravely against them with
sword aud pistol, riding some OF them
down by main force of his horse, from
which.his wife in the conflict fell off, and
was presently murdered before the hus-
bands face; for the female cannibals
forth with cut her throat, sucking her
bleed With great gasto as Il Il had been
wine, ripped up her belly, and pulled out
all her entrails, which unparalleled bar
bariry made the poor man make the
more obstinate resistance. as expecting
the same fate if he fell into their impi.
GUS hands. It pleased Providence tha:
! twenty or thirty passengers were riding
that way from the same fair that he had
been at, and Sawney Beane and his blood
thirsty clan withdrew, made the best of
their way through solitary wood, and so
retired to their den.
ONE MANS STORY.
The man, who was the frat that ever
CAME off alive after falling into their
hands, told the passengers what had hap
pened, and showed them the bloody spec
| tacle of his wife, whom the murderers
had dragged some distance off, which
struck them all with etupefactiou and
emazement. They carried him with them
to Glasgow, and, relating the matter to
the Provost of that city, he Immediately