The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1885-11-11
THE EDGEFIELD LYNCHING.
THE ACCUSED MAKE E APPLICA-
TON FOR BAIL.

LUX IuubOh n
Docisi N.
CONDENSED from the Rems and Courfer.)
COLUMBIA, November AT 10. 80
O'Clock this morning the hearing of the
application for bail made by the thirty
four men charged with the murder of
y. L. Culbrcath, in Edgcfield county,
on the 2lst September, was begun by
Judge Hudson in the county court
room. A number of lawyers were
present as Interested listeners. The
seats outside Of the bar were empty.
Judge Hudson having consented to
hear the application without compel
ling the attendance of the prisoners,
none of them were present.
Senator Butler and Mr.. f.. MEG,
Simkins were present as counsel for
the prisoners.
Acknowledgement Miles and Solic-
tor Bonham appeared to represent the
State, and were assisted by Messrs.
Earnest Gary and N. q. Evans.
Senator Butler, of counsel for =
prisoners, read the preliminarvr,0 the
in the case. The reading papers
1915 to IL m. "iosted from
Messrs. Shcppar''
nm ecok ~ ~ I'D, Butler and Gary
a1ndavits I'ontns to read ninety-two
o n support of the application
80. Thirty-four of these were
pasi"' by the persons charged with
,ticipation in the crime, and were to
The general effect that they had no
connection with the lynching, but that,
having gathered to attend a public
meet g which had for its object the
detect on and lawful punishment of
the m,.rderer of w. II. Hammond,
and hav ing been advised to disperse
and return home, they had done so.
Most of their afidavits contained these
statements. The other afidavits were
In greater part made by the wives and
relatives of q number of the accused,
who declared that the men were at
their homes when CulEreath was
killed.
The reading lasted nearly two
hours. 1t is of course impossible to
report in detoil the substance of all
these papers. Counsel for the prison
ers consider the affidavits Of Mrs. Gull
breath, Miss Culbreath, Senator w. j.
Talbert, Mr.. p. II. Bussey and Mr.. d.
e. Bussey the most important ones,
and they are accordingly presented
below:
r CULBEATH's AFFIDAVIT.
Mrs. Fannie Prescott Culbrcath, be.
ing sworn, says that che was the wife
of the late O.. L. Culbreath, and that
she is the mother of Memphis Gull
breath, now in the county jail charged,
as she is informed, with being accesso-
ry to the killing of his father. That
1t comes within the knowledge of de-
ponent that her son, Memphis Gull
breath, vas about her house during
the morning and afternoon of Monday,
the 21st September last, on the night
of which day his father was killed, and
until the usual hour of bedtime that
night, at which time he retired to bed:
and she does not doubt hat he was at
her house during the entire night; that
he slept upstairs, and dcponent does
not believe that it was possible for him
to have made his exit from The house
without her knowledge. Deponent
knows absolutely that if the said O. Il.
Culbreath was killed ut or ncar Edge
field Courthouse before 10 O'Clock of
the night of September 81, her son was
not present and could not have been
connected with the killing.
Deponent further swears that for
some months before the said o. II
Culbreath was killed he had not re-
sided in the same house with her; that
she had for several years been the
victim of unkind, cruel and inhuman
treatment at his hands; that he fire.
quently cursed and abused deponent
and her dead father and mother; that
he more than once threatened to take
her life and to reduce her property to
ashes, and said that if she should 60 to
her brother he would reduce his home
to ashes; that she has remained Up at
night, surrounded by her children,
fearing that if she should retire to bed
she would while asleep be murdered
by him; that on n occasion he drew
n knife and swore that he would take
hec.Gfe, and deponent now believes,
and she then believed, that he would
have executed his purpose but for the
timely interference of her son Mem
phis.
That the treatment of deponent by
the said o.. T. Culbreath was so harsh
and SO cruel, and he perpetrated 30
many indignities upon her, that she
found 1t impossible to i've with him
the details of which she declines now
to disclose.
Deponent was SO apprehensive that
her life was in continual peril that
when Mr.. Hammond was murdered i'm
her yard and the jury of inquest failed
to discover by whom the murder was
committed, she felt that the law was
powerloss to save her from harm, and
she requested the solicitor of the Cir
cult to appeal to the gentlemen of the
community and beg them to save her
from further annoyance and distress,
and he kindly did SO while the people
were there assembled.
FANNIE PREscoTT C%ULBREATH.
Sworn to before j. C.. Sheppard,
notary public, October 20, 1885.
MISS CULBREATH's AFFIDAVIT.
Miss Jennie p. Culbreath, being
sworn, says that it comes within her
knowledge that her brother, Memphis
Cnlbreath, was at home during the
afternoon of Monday, the 2lst Septem-
Der last, and remained at home until
bedtime, and dcponent docs not doubt
that ne remained at home during the
eutira NIGHT Thof Ohio Z, ,hcnJ.I.