The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1884-12-10
KILLING

sumcd to be. in part, the representative
and exponent Of the People among
whom We live, it becomes our duty to
notice and reply to an article contained
in the last issue Of the Press and B0n-
ner, which docs a great injustice to our
people and our section.
Basing its indictment upon the report
Of the recent killing Of n negro by n po-
liccman in Laurcns, and the killing Of
one in Mncklcnburg, n c., it proceeds
to a~rrai,:n the white people Of this sec
ton on the chargcof killing negroes "at
their own sweet will, or on the slightest
provocation."
Although the published facts show
that tho white men who were actors in
the two tragedies which have stirred the
foundation Of our neighbours pity, were
held hlamrlcss, the Press UHd Banner
assumes that the papers which publish
cd these facts have wilfully falsifcd the
Facts, and that the negroes were brutality
shot down in cell blood, and asserts in
substance that this is nearly always the
case in encounters between whites and
blacks.
Perhaps we would not have felt i'm
PEELED to notice this article if the people
Of Abhcvillc had not been specifically
INCLUDED in this sweeping ~arraignmcnt.
in the following language:
SIT is disgrace to our civilization that
thrs" poor, helpless creatures may be
wantOniy killed ut any time with perfect
i%mpunity, and the Charlotte Observer
may cease to make any professions for
an equal administration of the laws if
such killing Is to go unpublished. We
claim no exemption of blame for Abbc-
willie County or this Judicial Circuit if
there has been dcrcliction in the PROSE
'rutlon OF white men for the killing OF
negroes. and we believe no white man
has ever suffered for any assault upon a
negro, although numbers Of them have
been slain"
We are not the apologiSt Of criminals,
and We dcfend-no man who wantonly
and without provocation commits MUIR
der. But we promptly and earnestly
raise our voices against this wholesale
:arraignmcnt Of the people of whole
section, upon belief and supposilion. 1t
has long been Il ~favoritc theory of the
editor Of the Press AMI Bunner that
the true province Of the Journalist is to
give the .1"ciS OF every matter it dis
cu$scS. Let him give to the public some
.JdctS to account for his strange opinions
and remarkable charges against the
white people Of this County.
Our contemporary affects to h~clicv,
that negroes arc systematically and con-
:stantly shot down by white Men without
~TrcteXt or color. Now Slice we have
lived in this community ". can recall
but two instances in winch negroes has
been killed by white men, and that
Was done in self defence. On the con-
trary the cases of Homicide that have
been tried within that time have been Of
white men who Killed white men. and
negroes who killed negroes. Our neigh
!bor knows that the l%ynching that occur
red here a year ago. WAS universally con.
demncd and denounced. Moreover. as
thu GrecnvilIc -ScmS says, deadly en-
counters are not apt to occur bctwccn
white and black men, unless the latter
arc the aggrcSsors. lC Il negro offcnds a
white mamie cannot inSHN himself, be-
cause h. il his infcrior-thc white man
publishes the offence Immediately and
personally, and it is very seldom thai,
recourse is had to deadly weapons.
Our contemporary assumes that there
IS a tarlt agreement IN the part Of the
Courts and jurisS to let 90 Scott-frec
every white man who assaults a negro
and TO punish every negro who assaults
Il white man. At the last term Of the
Court FOR this County a negro who was
indicted Tor an assault committed against
a white man was acquitted by n Jury
composed wholly Of white men. The
evidence was strong against him but the
'Jnry gave him the benefit Of the doubt.
At every term of our Court negroes are
defended for every grade of offcnsc by
able counsel, without reward or the
hope OF reward.
We shall always promptly Join the
Press ana Bnnner in the denunciation
OF nnprovokcd and wilrull murder, but
We shall judge each case upon its par
ticular state Of facts.
10 this charge Of murder, to which a
people who have ever been brave, ycncr-
"us and kind, are brought to answer at
the bar of the public opinion of the
whole country, we enter an earnest plea
Of SPOT guilty"