St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-29
LAME EXCUSES OFFERED.
The Sheriff's Advisory Committee
Seeks to Justify the Crime.

seeks TO Justify S0c Crinc.
CHARLESTON, S. c.. Dec. 2S.-The
following statement signed by Robert
Aldrich, Mike Brown. George IL. Bates.
William McNab, and James 4. Jenkins,
some of the most prominent and in
fuential citizens of Barnwell has been
sent to the News and Courier, the eX-
pIanatiOn of the horrible butchery of de-
fenseleSS men at that place last night:
In consequence of the lynehing which
took place here last night, the under
signed were this morning requested by
the sheriff to act as an advisory commit
tee to counsel such steps as may be
deemed best to secure order. We at
first proceeded to investigate and deem
1t right to put the public in possession
of the facts of the occurrence and causes
which we believe led to it as far as we
have gathered them. On the 30th of
October last, John ii. Heffernam,
prominent young merchant and brave.
public spirited citizen, was
SHOT DOWN AND KILLED
in Barnwell by negroes. Public fndig-
nation ran very high. Threats of lynch
were freely made, but this was diverted
by cooler counsel. At tire last term of
the court the grand jury found true
bills against the murderers and assessor
white people were disappointed and the
negroes, it is though, were embOldened
by this disposition of the matter. On
the 10th of December James s. Brown,
a planter and leading citizen
OF Fish Pond township. was shot TO
death on his own premises by negroes,
without the slightest Justification or ex-
cuse. The murderer has not been ar
rested. On the 18th of December.
while going to his store at Martins
station to his house, mile away,
Robert Martin. young man of most
exemplary character, and of the highest
standing as man and citizen, was fol-
lowed by negro and shot in the back
with a gun loaded with slugs, on the
public road which passes through his
fathers plantation, in hearing of negroes
whose houses were all around the spot
where he was shot, and who admitted
that they heard the shot and his cries
when shot, and none of them went to
his relief. None of them went TO his
body, although it lay in the load all
night and for several hours after day
light, in plain view of them all. 1t was
satisfactorily established that his mur-
der was the
RESULT OF A CONSPIRACY
to remove him in order that their license
upon the plantation of his father might
be greater. The murderer, that is, the
negro who fired the shot, and his access
sOries, six in number, after being clearly
Identified by the corOner'S jury. were
arrested and lodged In Jail. These sew
eral brutal murders of prominent white
men by negroes caused a state of indig-
nant resentment among our people that
can be better imagined than described,
but cannot be imagined by any one not
present in our midst. Last night large
body of armed men in disguise at about
2 a. IN. called at the Jail, overpowered
the jailer, took out the six murderers of
Martin and two of Heffernam, took them
to the limits of the corporation aud shot
them to DEATH" This explanation of
the causes which led to the lynching
does not, in the opinion of law-abiding
citizens, in any way justify the afro
cious murder of eight defenseless human
beings. The greatest indignation is ex-
pressed here at the brutality of the
deed. All is quiet at Barnwell late this
evening, although trouble has been an
ticlpated, and may yet come.