The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-11-10
SERVED HIN RIGHT.
4 MOST HORRIBLE CRIME SPEEDILY
AVENGED.
a Negro Taken from the Williamson
Guard House and Hung In Grccnyiilc
County for II FicndIsh Deed-No
Delay for tho Law, and no APP
peal Allowcd-.i Swift and
Terrible itetrlbutIOI.

On last Friday morning. il Was ru-
mored in Anderson that negro had
been lynclcd near Williamson for one
of those hcinous crimes which shocks
the very foundations Of society, and calls
for the most speedy, certain and terrible
punishment that can be inflicted. In
quiry confirmed the substantial portions
Of the report, and showed that the action
Of the citizens was not only justifiable,
but that it WAS their duty as citizens and
| as members Of society to have done what
they did in the vindicalion Of the purity
Of womanhood and the rctributon OF
crime Tho circumstances which in.
| duced the hanging in this case were cs-
pecially horrible. The crime WAS in
liclcd by coppercolored negro man,
named Robert Williams, by violence
upon little orphan girl named Bladon,
who is only nine years Of ago, about the
first of last week, on the plantation of
a Mr.. Clark, in Grecnyille County.
The little girl WAS the daughter Of the
| Mr.. Bladon who was killed few years
ago on the Grcenvillc & Columbia Rail-
road, between Bolton and Williamson,
and her mother died short time after
wards of mania in the Asylum. She
was niece and ward Of Rev. John At
taway, of Williamson, but had ior somc
time been living at Mr.. Clark's in Green
vile County, and at the time of the
commission of tho crime was pick
| ing cotton in field where the negro
was working. She WAS forced to submit
to the most horrible outrage from him,
| after which lie threatened to cut her
throat or kill her if she ever diyulged it
to any person. From fear Of the negro
| she returned home and concealed her in
juries until the suffering from them be.
came so great ns to lead to detection,
when she told the whole facts TO her
friends on last Thursday. a party was
Immediately organized, and started after
Williams, who was found on the same
plantation upon which the outrage had
been committed. He was arrested and
brought to Williamson, and on the
way there he confessed to the com
mission of the crime, but showed no
feeling of regret or fear. Upon the ar
rival Of the party with Williams Friday
morning about o'clock, he was at
once carried before +. j. pinscn,
Esq, for preliminary Investigation, but
the Trial Justice declined to have any
thing to do with the case, because the
offence charged was committed in Green
vile County. The party then carried
Williams to the Calaboosc in Will
liamston, where he remained little over
an hour. BY that time large crowd of
citizens, both white and colored, had as
sembled in Williamson, and the de-
termination was quickly arrived at that
if the prisoner was clearly guilty the
Courts of the country should never be
troubled with his case.
The party was entirely orderly, and
they went about their work in careful
and business-lke way. They called for
the prisoner, but the authorities of the
town declined to surrender him, and Mr.
G.. w. Dacus, the Intcndant Of the town,
protested against the crowd taking Will
liams from the prison. 1t was, however,
of no avail, the sober judgment of the
men told them they were right, and they
did not propose leaving Williams to the
uncertainties of the laws delays. His
was no ordinary crime, and no ordinary
punishment was suited to the occasion.
He had given his victim no opportunity
to escape his violence, and they, the hus.
bands and fathers and brothers of that
country, did not propose giving him an
opportunity, however poor it might be,
to escape the merited penalty of his hell
ish deed. His crime had been awful, so
his death should be sure, swift and ter
rible. Fer these reasons the crowd paid
no attention TO the protests of the au.
thorities Of Williamson. They acted
in trying to protect the prisoner
as officers of the law, but the assembled
crowd had higher duty than The officers
Of the law. That duty was to make an
example Of the vile wretch who had
committed this deed, in order that our
country in future may have no recur-
renee of such horrible and fcndish
crime. The protection of the good name
of our citizenship, and the safety of so.
ciety required the work which was before
them, and the crowd proceeded TO obtain
possession of Williams. One of the
party had key which unlocked fhe Cal
aboose, and the prisoner was taken into
the custody of his judges and execu-
TONERS.
In order that there should no possible
mistake Us to his guilt, the negro was
carried into the presence Of the little girl
and fully identified by her. He again
it, and expressed willingness
to be put to death for his deed, bnt asked
that they would shoot instead of hanging
him. The party by this time numbered
over one hundred, composed of citizens
of Anderson and Greenville counties.
About one.third of the party were col
ored men, and, be it said to their credit,
they were as strongly in favor of speedy
as the white men of the
party. The mode of execution was dis
cussed, and there was strong disposi-
lion to burn tie guilty man in brick