The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-11-27
LYNCHERS IN COURT.
Thirty-One South Carolina Citi.
zens Arraigned for Murder.
Probable End of the Case---History
Of the Assault.

An Edgefed IS. c. dispatch gives the
following details of the indictment of thirty
one citizens for lynching a man who had
been charged with murder. The case has
attracted great attention in the South:
When the long and tedious indictment |
against the thirty-one citizens accused of |
lynching T. O. Cubreath had been read to-
day and the prisoners had put in plea of not I
guilty and had asked in the usual form to be !
tried by "God and my country the clerk in |
quired
Are you ready for trial.n
Senator Butler moved for a continuance.
Attorney-General Miles said it was no matter /
Tor HIM to discuss but rested solely with the |
court he said the State was ready. The
attorneys for the defense then had the wit .
nesses called and forty of them failed to
answer. Arguments for continuance were
then made by Senator Butler, Lieutenant |
Governor Sheppard and Major Gary, of |
Augusta
Judge Hudson, after carefully reviewing
the points made by the prisoners counsel |
added to their objections the fact that the
condition OF the public mind in Edgefield
county would not warrant a fair and impair
tlal trial at the present time. He granted
the motion for a continuance.
Attorney-GeneralM Miles then read an order |
recommitting to the custody of the sheriff !
the eight persons who had been baed up to |
this term of court The counsel for the de- /.
AtllSc COIUtllleb bldJ INC D8li bona was III
effect until the parties were actually tried.
Judge Hudson said if any other application
was to be made in relation TO these
prisoners now was the time to |
make it. Senator Butler then made a
motion to have all the thirtv-one accused U
released on bail until the next term of court.
| Upon this proposition each of the three lead |
ing attorneys for the defense made stirring
speeches. Lieutenant-G Governor Sheppard |
remarks were given with great feeling and |
nd oil n, l.
! preston He took the grounds that the ac-
| cused were among the very best men in the |
! country. Some of them had represented the
people in the councils of the State. |
! They would surely answer to their |
names when called upon The extraor- |
binary spectacle was presented, he said, |
of thirty men, eight of them out on bail. |
remaining quietly in the jail, from which
they could have easily escaped had they de- |
| sired to do so. They were mostly men of
family and eighty children were depending
! on them. The Judge must know that theyI
! did not contemplate flight hey were gen
! tlemen Of character and standing in the COM
munity, and would be ready to defend them
selves against the grave charge against them
! when the proper time should come
Judge Hudson spoke kindly and feelingly
| about the case, and to the arguments made |
| by the attorneys for the prisoners he added |
the danger to the health of the thrty-one
! prisoners if they had to remain in Jail not
| well calculated to stand the winter weather.
| He then granted bail in the sum OF 81 500 for
each of the accused, and directed the eight |
previously bailed to surrender themselves to |
the sheriff and be included in the
J accused to remain in the court |
| house while their bonds were being prepared, |
in charge of the sheriff, and at O'Clock adj |
| journe1 the court until tomorrow at 10 |
! o'clock For two hours the lawyers for the |
defense were hard at work making out the |
thirty-one bonds. A little after o'clock |
the last Of the alleged murderers of 1.
| o. Culbreath was hurrying homewardV |
to join his family, after long impris- |
onment 1t is not expected that the case
will ever lie heard of again. Public |
sentiment is with the accused Culbreath is .
alleged to have lived here with colored /
woman for five years, and had deserted .
wife and two children, who were forced to t
make their own living. The story of the /
crime has been told many times The eldest
son of Culbreath, who WAS the main support
of the deserted wife, had to 20 away
from home one night, aud asked Willie
Hammond, a very popular young man,
to be the protector of his mother TOR |
the night Young Hammond, while playing
with Culbreath's youngest child late III thev
evening WIS shot and killed. When the citi7
Zens heard Of it they caused the arrest of l.
/ O. Cubreath and he was preparing TO give
bonds when the mob dragged him into the
woods and left him there dead as they
thought He crawl d to a neighbor's and gave
! the names of his aSsailants, and TINS led 10 U
the present case. Cuihreath was not re- /
specteI. and was not considered any loss to I
the community.
Edgefeld is not country of bloodthirstyI
people. On the contrary they are very peace
able OF its A., ASH inhabitants there are -:
| S2S Americans. The country Is made beauri- |
full with hills and valleys, placid lakes ard
ripping brooks, while forests are every
where There is a clearing here where abouu|
| 100 people live, following the most
/ peaceful pursuits. To the southwest
of us is the Savannah river. sepa
rating South Carolina and Georgia
| The Columbia and Augusta railroad inter
scots the county and Edgefeld is only TWEEN
ty-two miles north of Augusta Ga 1t Is +
sixty miles southwest of Columbia, 5. C.
| There are three churches and one newspaper |
The mansions are spacious and built ON an
eminence. The long rows of cabins where
| the negroes lived before the emancipation
| have been torn down long since 1t is a cen
tire of refinement and wealth.