The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-16
LYNCHEES AND LYSCHING.
Conflicting Opinions in Union County-Fin-
dication of the Law.
Especial TO the News and Courier.

| Especial TO the News and Courier.
UNION, August l0.-This community
| is again resting in the hlissIul reign Of
peace with all the world, and the peo-
Die, both OF the town aid country,
! breathcd easier when it was learned
that Sheriff Long had decided to carry
the prisoner, John Gist, to Columbia.
There has been some mistake as to the
right name Of the prisoner, and in JUS
tice to Robert Barnwel! | beg leave to
correct the same.
1t is admitted by all that the Union
County jail is the place to imprison and
keep a Union County prisoner, but III
this case the feeling cngcndcred by
keeping the prisoner here has been
bitter in the extreme, and 1T once was
The cause OF arraying bitter feeling be-
tween different sections OF our other
wise peaceful county. The keeping Of
the prisoner here IL Jail after Sunday,
when me authorities lad the time to
take h" prisoner away, acted like a
dare to ;hr people i'll whose nelghbor-
locd the d;.StardIy criminal assault
Was pcrpctruted and not only WAS the
feeling in thatinmcdiate ncighhcrhood
intense, but in every section OF the
county and in town, and even across
Broad River in Chester County. When
the whole truth Was learned and there
was no doubt rs 10 the prisoners guilt,
The feeling Of the people was wrought
up TO such = pitch that innocent lives
were put in great danger by keeping the
prisoner here.
Ii has been learned by good authority
that on Monday night party ofscven-
weight men, with scventE-eigtt Win
chester rifles, crossed Broad River from
the Chester side and met Il party on
this side, and proceeded towards town,
stopping four miles out waiting to be
/: joined by similar crowds from the
surrounding country, who were rapidly
gathering, When 4 party OF Plnckney
men. who remained III town all day
Monday until 10 o'clock Monday night
Accommodating, net them and told
them the condition of ;fl;lirs al tic jail.
1t is also known that tie party meet
ing the lynchcrs had 4 hard time iii
their efforts to turn the lynchcrs from
what they had set their heads ana
hearts upon doing. 1t Is also known
that the party did not want To hurt the
sheriff and the rifle company, although
the party was ';,Tned to the teeth"
with rifles, n!uskets and shotgunS.
Among the arguments used, SO far as
YOUR correspondent has been able to
learn, were: That they did not wish
to hurt or kill the brave sheriff, or a
single member of the Johnson Rifles;
that they only found out that the Ri
flies We're there under the orders of
Governor Richardson, and had no 81
tentative but to protect the sheriff; that
not protecting the dastardly negro, but
the law and the sheriff in the discharge
of his duty and his oath of office; that
the sheriff and the military company
had all the law on their side; that the
military company wore the United
States regulation uniforms, and if they,
the rifemen, were murdered or killed,
there would be hereafter, and all for
"a nigger" that would be hung any
ways.
1t was also learned that some of the
party We're Of the best people Of the
county-brave and determined. They
had reason enough to listen to argu-
ments, and went back home, but very
reluctantly. So far as can be learned
the lynching parties have all labored
under two very great errors. The first
was that the rifle company was Only at
the Jail to guard and prot; Tie prison.
e. The second 20, ", = Fiat Fiat one hundred
,-ts al onstltrf far.sile law, and whatever
ate fOr.nnu;u:s right and lawful. When
.t.,cne;,: ,.s; I'D out that the rifle company
-. ,-t..esSssSoEsrdered there by the Governor to
protect the sheriff and not to ''to stand
upn for the black scoundrel of a
prisoner, they had nodesire to hurt one
of them.
The second error was the result, so
far as can be learned, of a charge made
to the grand jury Of York County, by
Judge Prcssly when, (they are informed
and they believe it implicitly, he charg-
ed the grand Jury not 10 find a true bill
against the lynchcrs Of that county,
and said that public opinion was the
law, and law could not be enforced,
and men could not be found guilty
when the act Of so many of Il county's
citizens Joined them together. / do not
know the truth of the charge, and only
Judge from what they tell me and what
they believe. \ great many certainly
believe and say it openly that hun
drcd men constitute the law, and it is
All innocent but fatal mistake with
them.
The papers Of the State should do all
they can to educate the people against
such mistake, as the consequences of
such beliefs and reports are obliged to
be terrible to all concerned, and the
safety and tranquility of 4 people and
State can be easily affected by it.
Now for the mistakes the rif1emen
lahored under. They could not under
stand why lynchcrs would come into
town to run trough shod" over them
and maybe murder and annihilate the
whole company in which they take
such great pride 1t was daily reported
to them that men from the neighbor-
hood had sworn vengeance against
them. that they had bought five bags
of buckshot on Monday to shoot them
down, that some of the lynchers want
cd to wear our pretty and new "blue
coats rs they called them. All this
for a negro, whom the majority Of the
ritlemen would have liked to hang, but
who was in the custody of the sheriff,
and they themselves ordered by the
Governor to protect the sheriff and
vindcate the law. Such reports were
calculated to infame the "boys," who
had no alternative, and, should the
final issue have come, there would have
been an awful tale to tell; but, fortu-
nately for all concerned, wisdom, coun--
sci and natural affection intervened
between brave men, and the affair was
settled to the best advantage of all
concerned. -. Th"
| croSi,1-