Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-03-22
THE OUTRAGE MILL.

THE OUTRAGE MILL.
The outrage mill, run by Brewster, Mel
ton, Crowley and Snyder is grinding away in
this State, our exchanges containing notices
of the arrest of numerous citizens in differ
ent counties, on charges of violating the cleo
ton laws in the election last November.
Besides the arrest of the citizens of Fairfield,
the hearing of the cases against whom was
continued untilso evidence could be found
to sustain the charges, there have also been
arrested citizens of Marlboro, Lancaster and
Clarendon, and it is intimated that arrests
in Chester and other counties will soon
follow. The Chester Bulletin of last week
learns that the District Attorney has ar
ranged to make Chester the theatre Of a
plan of action in a few days. A room has
been secured, and United States Com
missioner will hold court there for the eX-
animation of parties from Chester and sur
rounding counties. Regarding the Claren-
don prisoners-the latest arrests that have
been made-the Neacs and Courier of last
Monday says:
The Radical outrage grinders are fairly
growing desperate in their efforts to secure
victims for the assiZes, and on Saturday
morning and night made raid on party
of farmers and merchants of Clarendon
county. The details of the arrest, as given
by gentleman from Darlington who saw
the prisoners and conversed with them
yesterday, are outrageous in the extreme.
The names of those arrested are: H. J.
Wheeler, Frank P. Cooper, G. T. Wash
burn, David Welsh, R. NJ. Pierson, D. NJ.
Pierson, Ned Kennedy, j. J. McFadden,
Jr., Robt. McFadden, colored, and Boykin.
The officer who made the arrest is named
Charles Wilson, and he was assisted by two
constables. He is Greenbacker and is
nephew of DR.. Kelly, the leader of the Rag
baby faction in Clarendon county. The
prisoners were not informed of what offen-
ces they were accused, but were hurriedly
carried off to Graham's on the Northeastern
Railroad, without being allowed time even
to change their clothes or make any ar
rangements for their departure. They Of
fered to give bonds for their appearance at
any time designated, but were shamelessly
informed by the officers that they could not
accept bonds because they would lose their
mileage if they did not take the prisoners
along with them. Upon reaching Grahams
the party were huddied together in an old
building and compelled to spend the night
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were informed that they would not get
hearing before Tuesday, and that on that
day they would be taken to Florence and
examined before United States commits
sioner, who would 60 over from Columbia
for the purpose. The only information
vouchsafed the prisoners on the subject 81
their supposed offences was the statement
that they had been arrested for something
they did at the Witherspoon box in Claren-
don county.
Another outrageous feature connected
with these arrests is the fact that the same
parties were arrested in November last for
some supposed offence at the WitherspOon
box, and after an examination were dis
missed for want Of proof against them.
They are now dragged from their homes at
the very time when their planting interest
demands their closest attention. Many Of
them had made arrangements for planting
their corn this week, and were in the midst
of preparing their lands for cotton planting.
The arrests are attributed to a recent tour
through Clarendon made by McLane, dur
ing the necessary charges. The prisoners
acted as law-abiding citizens, and submit
ted to their arrest, as outrageous and un-
lawful as it seems to have been.
The Anderson hateNigencer, commenting
upon the persecution to which our people
are regularly and Systematically subjected
by the United States Government, INDUCES
in the following remarks which we fully
endorse:
The United States District Attorney for
South Carolina is preparing an active cam
pafgn against the Democratic party of this
State, under the guise of prosecutions for
the violation of the United States election
laws. We have heretofore shown that in
thus arraigning our people, the Republican
tionS, but for political capital to 60 before
the country upon as the champions of fair
election. BY controlling the United States
Courts, and the prosecuting Attorneys, the
United States Commissioners, and by pack
ing juries, they have been able SO far to
make an altogether one-sided exhibit on
this question before the country. There
are very seldom any cases of Republican
fraud at elections prosecuted in the United
States Courts. It is only, to judge from the
record as made in these Courts by the Re-
publican administration, the Democrats
who commit election frauds, although it is
notorious as matter of fact that the COM
mission and repetition of election frauds
has again and again been necessary to save
the Republican party from defeat. These
prosecutions throughout the United States
are One-sided and unfair, but in South Caro-
lima they reach their acme of infamy. Here
it is that the general government resorts to
perjured testimony and packed juries to
convict respectable men of crimes of which
they are clearly innocent, and of which
they would readily be acquitted with any
thing approxiuating fair trial. But here
they must have convictions, the manner of
securing which is of utter Indifference.
Hence down here we find the government
sanctioning all sorts of little petty mean
ness and spite towards the citizen. In
suit and wrong is freely resorted to by their
officers, to annoy where they can do nothing
more. Large numbers of arrests are being
made over the State, and in some cases, like
those from Fairfield, when the witnesses
do not swear to enough to justify taking the
cases into Court, they deliberately continue
them to give the government time to look
up new witnesses. The whole business Is
an outrage upon deceney and justice, which
should consi gn the men engaged in it to
perpetual condemnation,