Wichita eagle., 1889-12-29

well court house this morning, overpoW-
cred the jailor and took out eight negro
prisoners charged with murder. These,
were Ripley johnson and Mitchell Adams
charged with numbering a man named
Hofferman, and six others charged with
the murder of young Martin. The pris-
oners were taken out of town and shot to
accompany the lynchers. The whole
thing was conducted in a
very skillful manner, the citizens
of the town not knowing anything about
it. A large number of negroes speedily
congregated at the scene of the lynching
and fears are entertained of serious trouble.
The governor has been appealed to for
troops to preserve the peace.
LAME EXPLANATION OFFERED.
The following statement signed by Rob-
ert Aldrich, Mike Brown, George II. Bates,
William McNabe and James Jenkins,
some of the most prominent and influential
citizens of Barnwell has been sent to the
News and Courier in explanation of the
horrible butchery of the defenseless men
at that place last night:
"In consequence of the lynching which
took place here last night the undersigned
were requested by the sheriff to act as an
advisory committee to take such steps as
may be deemed best to secure order. We
at first proceeded to investigate and deem
it right to put the public in possession of
the facts Of occurrence and causes which
we believe led to it, as far as we have
gathered them.
"On October 80 last, John II. Heffern-
man, prominent young merchant and
brave, public spirited citizen, was shot
down and killed in Barnwell bv negroes.
Public indignation ran high. Threats Of
lynching were freely made, but this was
diverted by cooler council. At the last
term of the court the grand jury found
true bills against his murderers and &C
cessories, but the cases were continued.
The white people were disappointed and
the negroes, it is thought, were embold-
ened BY this disposition of the matter.
ION the 18th Of December, Mr.. James S.
Brown, a prominent planter and leading
citizen of Fishpond township was shot to
death on his own premises by negroes
without the slightest Justification. The
murderer has not been arrested.
ION the 18th of December, while going
from his store at Martins station to his
house, mile away, Robert Martin. a
young man of most exemplary character,
Of the highest standing as man and citi-
zen, was followed by a negro and
shot in the back with gun
loaded with sIugs on the public road
ton in hearing of the negroes, whose
houses were all around the spot where he
was shot and who admitted that they
heard shot and his cries when shot and
none of them went to his relief or went
near his body, but let it lay in the road all
night and several hours after daylight in
view of them all. 1t was satisfactorily
established that his murder was the result
of 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 fatal shot and his accessories
six in number, after being clearly identi-
fed We're by the coroner's jury arrested
and lodged in the Jail.
s'These several brutal murders of promi-
nent white men by negroes caused state
of indignant resentment among cur peo-
pie that can be better imagined than de-
scribed, but can not be imagined by any
one not present in our midst. Last night
a large body of armed men in disguise at
about a. m. called at the Jail,
oyerpowered the jailer, took out
the six murderers of Martin and
two of Heffernam. took them to the limits
of the corporation and shot them to
death"
THE LYNCHING GREATLY CONDEMNED.
This explanation of the causes which
led to the lynching does not in the opinion
of law-abiding citizens in any way justify
the atrocous murder ofssdefenseless human
beings. The greatest indignation is ex-
pressed here at the brutality of the deed.
All is quiet at Barnwell this evening, al
though trouble has been anticipated and
may yet come,
1t seemed for a time as if the negroes
would rise and take revenge on the town.
The governor ordered a company of cav
airy to prepare for service at once. The
whites are pretty we'll organized and well
armed tonight. Ripley, johnson and Ad-
ans will be buried by relatives. The other
six will be buried by the town.