The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-06-26
LYNCEING A LUNATIC.
Eockton, Fairfield County, the Scene Of
the Extra. Judicial Execution-The Ne
gro an Escaped Inmate Of the Insane
ASylum.

gro an Escaped Inmate OF the Insane
Asylum.
WINSSBoRo, June 2l.-ISpecial to The
Register. This morning, about 9o'clock,
Andy Caldwell a negro. attempted to
commit an assault upon Mrs. J. c. Beck
ham. white lady living on the planta-
ton of Mai. T. W Woodward, three
miles from here.
Mrs Beckham, at the time of the as
Sault, was some distance from the house
in which the family lived, attending to
some gardening operation. In her COM
pauy was her l4-year- old daughter. Her
husband. Mr. J. c. Beckham, was away
frem home, having left early in the
morning to 90 to his work at or hear
Winnstoro
The negro came up and threw Mrs.
Beckham down and begun choking her
and treated her very violently. The
little girl ran to the house and got her
fathers gun and came back to the scene
of the outrage, where she pointed the
gun at the rutian, attempting to shoot
him. The gun snapped, whereupon the
negro released Mrs. Beckham and took
the gun away from the child.
He told her she must give him all the
money in their possession, which she
promised to do; but when she turned to
90 and get it, he discharged the gun at
her and hit her in the leg near the knee.
The whole Of the contents Of the gun
entered her leg, but she IS not danger
ouSly wounded. The name of this brave
and heroic little girl, who acted so nobly
in defense of her mother. could not be
learned. The negro did not accomplish
his purpose, although he came very near
killing the child.
Immediately after the news reached
town, a number of gentlemen started
out in search of Caldwell, who was
soon captured. Caldwell was found to
be an escaped lunatic. He was sent to
the asylum some time during the early
part of the present year, but made his
escape on or about the 9th Of May.
At the time of his capture he was
going through some kind of invocation
which he claimed he thought would re-
lease him from the spell of the conjurcr.
He was found burning roots and hold
ing a looking glass over the flame in
order that the charm might be,
as he said, cured He is evidently III
sane, and but for this, he certainly
never would have another opportunity
to assault respectable ladies.
THE VENGEANCE IN THE EVENING.
The particulars of the vengeance
wreaked on the perpctrator of the out
rage are given as follows in later dis
patch from WinnSboro:
W!NSSBoRo, S. c., June 81, 1880
Especial to The Reg. .ster. Andy Cald-
well, the negro who assaulted Mrs. j.
c. Beckham at Rocktou to-day, was
taken from the guard on the train and
lynched. When the negro was turned
over te Sheriff Milling be telegraphed
to the asylum authorities that he was in
his custody. 4 guard cane up on the
2:15 train and took him in charge,
and left for Columbia by the 4 o'clock
train.
There was some rumor that Caldwell
would be lvnched, and this coming to
the ear of the Sheriff he promptly made
arrangements to defend his prisoner.
He called upon Captain Jordan of the
Gordon Light Infantry and received bis
assurance that in case Of need he would
order the company out.
Several parties from the ueighborhood
of the crime came to town and made
observations which aroused the suspl-
cions of the Sheriff, who wired the ope-
.rator at Rockton to find out If there
was any gathering at that place. The
operator, mistaking the calm that pre-
cedes the storm for security, replied
that all was right so far as he knew,
whereupon he put him on the train.
As the Sheriff led the prisoner out of
the jail yard, one of the observing party
made demsaStrations eS yIolegse
I towards the prlsonar. and the Sheriff
Immediately arrested the party.
The balance of the party got OF boarc
the Southbound train. When they
neared Rockton some one in the train
made signal by waving handker
! chief or some other article, and as the
train stopped the prisoner was forced
! off by those inside and Immediately
LED AWAY TO EXECUTION.
The lynching party consisted of forty
or fifty men, none of whom were masked
The man was hurried away, amid the
excitemant which prevailed, to tree
about 200 yards from Rockton, on the
public road leading TO the rock quarry.
! The intention seems to have been tc
hang him, but the lyncherS afterwards
changed their minds and shot him.
He was shot apparently with a shot
gun loaded with buck shot. Only one
wound could be discovered upon his per
son, and that was in the side of hi
head, and from the aperture the brains
oozed out.
While being carried away Caldwell
asked most piteously that his life be
spared, but no need being paid to him
he asked for time to pray.
Whether his request was granted could
not be learned At the time of his
arrest it was not known that he had &C
compllshed his purpose. This was not
known until some time after he had
been in the custody of the Sheriff.
The inquest will be held by the C"ro'
ner as soon as a jury can be summoned.
TROUBLE AT JoENsToWN.