The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-03-14


Compromise Verdict After Four Hours Of
Consultation-Three Men Acquitted and
Three Convicted.
Greenpille Neus, sth inst.
The end ofthe famous Central lynching
case was reached at Pickens Wednesday
night, resulting in the acquittal of three
of the men charged with the lynching Of
the white man, Manse Waldrop, and the
conviction of three others.
The case is familiar, having been pub.
lished far and wide st the time of it's oc-
currence as furnishing the first known in
stance Of the lynching Of a white man by
negroes for crime for which the same
punishment had come to be meted out as
by an unwritten Law in cases where the
criminal WAS negro and the victim
white. Manse Waldrop, a half witted
white man, was charged with felonious
assault on the thirteen. year.old daug ghter
Of Cato Sherman, negro man living
near Central. He was given a prelimi-
nary hearing before a Trial Justice at
Central and committed for trial. Late
in the evening of December SOth, 1887,
Waldrop Was started to Pickens to be
placed in Jail in charge two constables,
one of whom vas R.. Gaylord Eaton.
Within q mile Of Central, the officers were
halted by party of negroes and their
prisoner taken away and hanged to a tree
until he was dead.
The lynching created great excitement
in the neighborhood and throughout the
country. Very soon after the inquest
over the body oft.e victim, Waldrop, d
number of arrests of negroes were made,
and one white man, Gaylord Eaton, was
taken into custody. The case was called
at the spring.ie-m Of court following the
lynching at Piokens, but was continued
Negroes throughout the State had held
meetings and collected funds to help de.
fend the case, and when it came up John
M. Freeman, 8 colored lawyer from
Charleston, was at Pickcns in the interest
of the colored lynchers.
The lynchers we're finally brought to
trial at the summer term of court las,
year, and the hearing resulted in mis-.
trial. The case then came up for Sec
ond trial last Tuesday afternoon, the six
defendants being then arraigned as fol.
lows: Gaylord Eaton, white William
Williams, Cato sherma an, father Of the
girl in the case,) Jno. Reese, Harrison
Hayward and Henry Bolton. The five
negroes had been irjail since their arrest
fourteen months, but Eaton had been out
on bond during; that time. The prosecu
tion, which had been begun in Col. Orr'e
term as Solicitor, was conducted by so.
licitor Ansel. The defendants were re-.
presented by Colonel r. W. Simpson, Of
Anderson, Maj. VIM. "A. Williams, of this
city, and Messrs. Child & Carey, of Pick.
ems. The trial vas ended Wednesday
afternoon, after Eve hours of speeches.
james P. Carey opened for the defence
and was followed in order by Messrs
Williams, Simpson and Child, Solicitor
Ansel closing for the State.
The jury, after being charged by Judge
Norton, went out with the case about six
o'clock. For more than four hours they
we're closeted and fears began to rise Of
another mistrial. But about II O'Clock,
P. m., they returned with their verdict.
They found Gaylord Eaton, white, and
Cato Sherman and John Reese, colored
not guilty, and they found William Viii
liams, Harrison Hayward and Henry
Bolton, all colored, "guilty" Of the crime
Of murder, and recommended them to, the
mercy ofthe court.
It'll said that the verdict was com.
promise, some of the jury fayoring the
conviction of all the defendants and
Others advocating the acquittal of all
The trial was watched with the intensest
interest, by q large crowd, in which there
we're numbers Of negroes, but there was
no excitement over the verdict and nc
violence is expected. An appeal will be
taken in the case.
The Recommendation to mercy in thiz
case, it Is explained, does not limit the
punishment to life imprisonment. The
Judge would be compelled to sentence the
convicted men to be hanged, and the
Governor might or might notact upon the
recommendation by computing the aen.
tences to life imprisonment.