The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-12-29
GOT AHEAD OF THE LAW
Cansss Which Led TO tho Shooting Of
Eight Negro 1urdeFePs.
white Men shot Down In Cold Bleod by
BLACK wr~tches---Law-4Abis \ bisitug CIT
ixens lsreatly shocked aa
tho Terrible Result.


CHICAGO, Dec. 2s.-The Times has the
following account from Columbia, =. a.,
of the lynching of eight negroes at Barn.
well this morning. Three hundred armed
men. with faces masked, surrounded the
Jail just before daylight this morning,
when the inmates were sleeping soundly.
They moved with caution and AN or
Ranized body. The jailer was seized
and overpowered, his keys taken
from him, the cell doors unlocked
and before the frightened negroes within
were awakened from their sleep, their
cells were filled with strange figures, they
were seized and carried out into the night,
their cries for mercy, prayers and curses
alike UNDECIDED by the silent executioners.
The body Of men was soon put i'm motion
and proceeded n quarter of "A mile and
halted on the outskirts of the town. The
eight unfortunate wretches wcr secured,
several hundred shots were fired and the
eight bodies lay on the earth with the blood
running from hundred wounds, literally
torn To pieces. Such the scene of the
terrible tragedy enacted in the town of
retribution for a not extraordinary ofrense
as the records will prove.
Four years ago five men were lynched in
Yorkville for the brutal murder of a little
boy who caught them stealing. but they
belonged To an organized gang, whose
caught them stealing, and they were he.
iieveu to have committed several
murders muir previously. Their convis, ,,,,i,..
took the law i'm their own hands. But the
wholesale lynchinR OF this morning is
without parallel i'm the records of crimes
in this state, and there was less ground
for the act than probably any lynching
before. The eight negroes were charged
with committing and being accessories To
| crimes described below: On the after
| n Don of October - John T.. HeiYerman
rant in the town OF Barnweii by Ripley
John .ton. Hefermau was one of the
pr.nciDal merchants OF the town, and
| Johnston was IA coiored man employed at
| that time in running u gin. There had
been some trouble between the white man
| and the negro the day before and although
there were conflicting accounts as TO the
| difficulty il is probable that Heifermau
threatened the negro for he had been
council the morning following and had
been put under bonds. the killing
sa"E, sa"n pfs Where Heirerman So'"rsa had fts fol-
| lowed Johnston. Five negroes accused of
| he .ng acccssorsSs, who were i'm the res
bu, were shortly afterwards captured and
| ia led. large reward was offered for
| II p.ey Johnston, and he was captured
| of two murders for which the men were
| lynched this morning, the worst was COM
| ert Martin, "a young man of great promise
| and the only child of aged parents was
an,bushed and shot to death while riding.
| II was discovered that Martin was shot
| by party of negroes who worked on his
| fathers .piace and whom hc kept pretty
| Close. to their work and allowed little IL
| cense. IL was also believed that negroes
in houses near by knew all about it, and
| that is why they would not 20 to the as-
| s.stance OF the murdered man.
At O'Clock this morning the jailor was
| called by some men who Informed hnl
they wanted to lock up the murtlerers of
James Il. Brown. killed last week by ne
groes. He Opened the heavy gate and and
men entered the Jail and took out the fol-
Lowing prisoners: Ripley johnson
and and as.sss.rv Msss Aa"S TO In. pr,nS,Pa1 m%r!r
OF j. c. HeircrI,,.n, Peter Bell. Rafe Nor
I'll, Hugh Furse. Hudson Johnston. X It,ert
| Pns.onix and Judge Jones'. the latter six
charged with the assassination of Robert
Martin. They were marched To the out
Masked men then formed 1, line a short
distance from them and poured vollcy
after volley into the bodies of the ne-
grocs. Iney were literally shot to
1he firing was the first intimation the
| people of the town had of the trouble. A,
seemed then as if the negroes would
| arise and avenge the lynchiuH. and in re-
| response to n call the governor ordered
| service. Ihe whites in the town, however
| have armed aud are fully organized. To.
night the town il reasonably quiet.
| Another Accoun, of the Trouble.
| CHARLESTON, =. e., Dec. 2S.-The fol
lowing statement, signed by Robert Al
| NAiAe bTo"is ueo. Dsht's, w
| lam McN.iiDe and James A. Jenk ins, some
! of the most prominent and Influential
citizens of Barnwell, was sent to tile
| NeIcs and Courier in explanation of the
| horrible butchery at that place last night
| ''On the 18th OF October last. John ii
| Hcfferman, a prominent young merchan
aud publ q spirited citizen, was shot down
and killed i'm Barnwell by negroes. Pub
| lie Indignation ran very high and threat,
| of lynchinR were freely made, hut wers
| diverted by cooler counsel. Al the las
| term of court the grand jury found true
bills against the mursierers and acces
| sories. but the cases were continued. The
| white peo pie were dissppoiuted, and the
| negroes, il is thought. were embolslenet
| by this disposition of the matter
On December 10, James Brown, g