Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-03-28
Mistella,teo'ts 8eading.
For the Yorkyille Enquirer.

Continuing our narrative of last
week, we will say that it was about
5 minutes past II o'clock NJ. when
the drop fell. The taut rope was
wrenched as the culprit whirled back
and forth in the air. A Writhing
shroud fiuttering in the wind, added
nausea to the sickening spectacle.
After hanging 45 minutes he was
pronounced dead, and taken down
and placed in the coffin. AS the
corpse was being lowered, naturally,
a rush was made by the people to
get a glimpse at the supremacy of
the law of South Carolina, as we'll as
that divine law which says: "Whoso
sheddeth mans blood by man shall
his blood be she'd" The guards Or
dered the people to stand back. The
scene was marked for the decorum
of the actors as we'll as that of the
populace. The dignity of law and
order was the altimat,tm of those
present. " ,,,.:,
York man) was the sheriff whose
duty it was to execute "the sentence
ofthe law" to which the readers at
tention, in this, and the previous
chapter, has been called. He was
kind-hearted, good man, and moth
ing but his devotion to duty and al.
legiance to the oath of Office, could
have induced him to perform this
painful task. 1t was said that Sher-
itf Youngblood, desiring to evade the
painful task of hanging man, offer
ed tobacconist $25 to hang Vickers.
This, of course, the law OF the State
as we'll the tobacconist's own inclina-
tion, forbade.
The galIows on which James Wick
ers paid the extreme penalty of the
law, was the workmanship of Mr..
William A. Jefferys, of Yorkville, of
whom we have many pleasant recol-
lections during the war, and espe-
cially during our ordeal at the Win
der hospital, Richmond, Va, in 1863
'64. Many of the soldiers who were
confined there by disease, wounds,
&c., found in him a faithful and true
friend. He was one of DR.. j. Rufus
Bratton's 8 most trusted ward-masters,
and we'll did he merit that confidence.
He was the soldiers friend.
AS we have digressed from the
caption of these articles in giving an
account of this execution, we might
as we'll finish it. We have good au-
thority for saying that the morning
before James Vickers was hanged,
the sheriff made visit to the cell
where he and his brother, Newton
Nickers, were confined, and asked
them what they wanted for break
fast. Newton said he didn't care
about anything. James said: Bring
me good breakfast; / want to swing
heavy to-day"
The winter of 1S55-'56, was remark
able for its snow. On Saturday, 2lst
of December, 1855, snow fell and for
five consecutive weeks continued to
fall on Saturday. The result was
that on Monday, March 10th, 1856,
snow was still lying on the north
hill sides-notably between Bullock's
Creek bridge and the present resi-
dence of Mr.. Robert Whitesides,
seven miles from Yorkville, on the
Howell's Ferry road. The snow was
living under the shadow Of some
large rocks on the right Of the road
between the creek and the top of the
hill. The spring term of court was
held at Horkville on the second Mon
day in March, and that was the day.
The next day warm rain melted it.
Thus the ground had snow upon it
for . months and 81 days continu-
ously.
We will now take up the Sharon
congregation. Our first visit to this
church was in about 1913. Rev. r.
A. Ross was then its pastor, and has
been ever since. | know of no minis
ter, living or dead, who has served his
flock so long and acceptably as Rev.
Robert A. Ross. Perhaps Father
Saye, of the Fishing Creek church
is the only exception. From Rev.
Ross long and acceptable service, as
we'll as his "Godly walk and conver-
sation," we conclude that no man in
York county has done more to mould
religious sentiment than he has. In
our boyhood days we have heard
him make such eloquent appeals
to the unconverted as only, in our
estimation, Alexander Proudfit could
equal. The old meeting house stood
at the south end of the present
building, which was erected about
1850, or Immediately afterwards. 1t
stood east and west, with the pulpit
in the east end. Over the pulpit was
sounding board"-the first and
only one the writer has ever seen.
DR.. Talmage recently referred to it
in one of his lectures. Than this,
the writer has never heard any phi
losophical explanation of its utility.
It was an octagonal structure cover
ing the speakers stand. 1t was sus-
pended from beam and hung few
feet above the speakers head. At
first sight, and for long time after
wards, l thought it was merely an
ornament. The officiating elders (as
we'll as we remember) were: Messrs
John Kennedy, Hugh Galloway,
Lawson Jenkins and Thomas White
sides, (who to distinguish him from