The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1885-11-12
THE EDGEFIELD LYNCHING,
THE ACCUSED MAKE THEIR APpLICA
TION FOR BAIL.

(Condensed from the Ne,os and Courter)
COLUMBIA, November AT 1890 |
o'clock this morning the hearing Of the
application for bail made by the thirty
four men charged with the murder Of |
o. Il. Culbrcath, in Edgefeld 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.. e. MEG.
SimEins wcrc present as counsel for
the prisoners.
Attorncy-Gcncral Miles and Solic-
tor Bonham appeared to represent tho
State, and were assisted by Mcssrs.
Earnest Gary and N. g. Evans.
Senator Butler, Of counsel for the
prisoners, read the preliminary papers
in the case. The reading lasted from
10.45 to IL m.
Mcssrs. Sheppard, Butler and Gary
next took turns to read ninctv-two
affidavits in support Of the application
for bail Thirty-four of these were
made by the persons charged with
participation in the crime, and were to
the general effect that they had no
connection with the lynching, but that,
having gathered to attend public
meeting which had for its object the
detection and lawful punishment Of
the murderer of W. II. Hammond,
and hav ing been advised to dispcrSc
and return home, they had done So
MOST OF their atfidavits contained these
statements. The other af1idavits were
in greater part made by the wives and
relatives Of number of the accused,
who declared that the men were at
their homes when CulErcath was
killed.
The reading lasted nearly two
hours. 1t is of course impossible TO
report in detail the substance of all
these papers. Counsel for the prison.
crs consider the atlidavits Of Mrs. Cul-
breath, Miss Culbrcath, Senator w. j.
Talbert, Mr.. p. II. Busscy and Mr.. ID.
Z. Bussey tho most important ones,
ana they are accordingly presented
below:
MRS. CULBEATH'S AFFIDAVIT.
Mrs. Fannie Prescott Culbrcath, be-
ing sworn, says that sho was the wife
OF tho late 0. T.. Cubrcath, and that
she is the mother of Memphis Cul-
breath, now in the county Jail charged.
as she is Informed, with being acccsso-
ry to tho killing of his father. That
1t comes within the knowledge of de-
ponent that her son, Memphis Cul-
breath, was about her house during
the morning and afternoon of Monday,
the Plat 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 that he was al
her house during the entire night; that
he slept up-stairs, and dcponcnt does
not believe that it was possible for him
to have made his exit from the house
without her knowledge. Dcponcnt
knows absolutely that if the said Q. ~
Culbrcath was killed at or near Edge
Held Courthouse before 10 O'Clock of
the night of September 2l, her SON was
not present and could not have been
connected with the killing.
DepOnent further swcars that for
some months before the said O. ~
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 aud inhuman
treatment at his hands; that he frc.
quontly cursed and abused dcponcnt
and her dead father and mother; that
ne more than once threatened to take
her llto and to reduce her property TO
ashes, and said that if she should 90 to
her brother he would reduce his home
TO ashes; that she has remained ND at
m9ht, surrounded by her children,
tearing that if she should retire to bed
she would while asleep be murdered
bY him; that OIL one occasion he drew
q knife and sworc that he would take
her life, and dcponcnt now believes. /
and she then believed, that he would
nave executed his purpose but for the
timely intcrfercnco of her son Mem
phis.
That the treatment of deponcnt bv
tho said .. II. Culbroath was so horsl,
and so cruel, and he pcrpctratcd so
many indignities upon her, that she
found it impossible to live with him
the details of which she declines now
to disclose.
Deponent was so apprchcnsivc that
hcr life was in continual peril that |
when Mr.. Hammond was murdered in
her yard and the jury Of inquest failed
TO discover by whom the murder was
committed, she felt that the law was
powerless 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
1rom further annoyance and distress,
and he kindly did so while the pcopIc
were there assembled.
FANNIE PRESCOTr CULnREArU
Sworn to before j. G.. Shcppard.
notary public, October 2S, 1885.
MISS CULBREATH's AFFIDAVIT.
Miss Jennie p. Culbrcath, being
sworn, says that it comes within her
knowledge that her brother, Memphis
Culoreath, was at home during the
afternoon of Monday, the 2lsl Scptcm.
per last, and remained at home until
nedtime, and depOncnt does not doubt
that he remained at home durin~ tho