The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-05-07
LEXINGTON LYNcHiNG.
After Pledging Their Honor to Protect
Prisoners Life, They ASsaSSinate HIM.

| SoOlltu SaEO1lIt HAS 6StIl DSeH
even far more so than few months ago in
the Barnwell butchery. Lexington was last
Sunday night the scene of one Of the most
deliberate and disgraceful acts that has ever
blurred the fair name of our State. Our
readers will remember that some time lack,
Willie Leaphart, q mulatto, was convicted
of criminally assaulting a young white wo-
man of Lexington, and was sentenced to be
hanged The day before the execution Gov
ernor Richardson, sitter conferring with
Judge Wallace, respitea Leaphart fora few
Weeks, and fearing that a lynching would
result had Leaphart secretly removed to
the Columbia jail The Lexington people
upon finding that Leaphart was respited
and had been taken to Columbia, became
exceeding wrathful, and held an indigna-
ton meeting in which they greatly abused
Governor Richardson and Judge Wallace.
They appointed committee to wait on
these two gentlemen, and try to get Leap
hart buck in Lexington Jail. Finally upon
the written pledge of honor Of fourteen Of
Lexingtons most prominent citizens that
no harm should befall Leaphart, and npon
the recommendation of Judge Wallace to re-
turn Leaphart to Lexington, the Governor
issued an order to reconvey him to Lexing-
ton jail
Aye, low indeed must be the stand
ard of honor in Lexington! Governor
Richardson and Judge Wallace each advised
against the publication Of the affidavit on
which the respite was based, but these Lex
ington people clamored for it and clamored
for Leapharts life blood, no matter what
the affidavit contained!
Last Sunday night score or more
forced the Jail and assassinated their victim.
To-day the Governor has given to the
public the afhdavits on which the respite
was granted.
One is from W. J. Miller in which he de-
clares that he had seen letters from the
young woman, Rosa Cannon, in which she
stated Leaphart had committed no outrage
on her person, but had simply seized her
for the purpose Of trying to get her to give
him money, and that she did not believe
the negro meant to do any violence to her
person; that none Of her family believes
that he attempted to commit any outrage;
and none of her kin people attended the
trial; that the young woman is a strong girl
about eighteen years old, and the negro
could not have forced her if he wished;
that he is we'll acquainted with Rosa Can
non; and that be is informed that her char
acter for virtue is not good.
Another affidavit from Charlie Cannon, a
brother of Miss Rosa Cannon, says that he
had private talk with his sister shortly af-
ter the alleged crime, and that she told
him she WAS not injured in any way and
that she did not believe it was LeaphartS
intention to do her any harm, but that she
thought it was his Intention to rob the
house or to get money He further testi-
fed that his sister would never have sworn
against Leaphart had not Sim Corley, with
whose family she was staying, persuaded
her to do so.
Two letters from Miss Cannon to her
mother state that Leaphart did not assault
her and that she does not believe he intend
ed to do so, but simply wanted money.
She also states that she does not really
know who the party was that seized her.
Clearly then the young woman herself
and her father and brother did not believe
the negro guilty, yet this Lexington mob,
in spite of pledge of honor, thought and de-
cided that the negro must die.
Leaphart made desperate fight for life.
He seized stick, and five Of his assailants
were cracked across the head before q ball
penetrated his skull and he lay corpse.
Then he was hauled out into the Jail pas
sage, and his body riddled with bullets.
Of course the breaking into the jail was the
same old story: the Jail door broken open,
and the keys taken from the sheriff.
After the assassination, the lynchers the
next day made little effort to conceal their
connection with the affair. In fact some of
then, Dragged about and claimed response
bility for the deed.
The Solicitor was present at the coroners
inquest, and developed the fact that certain
of the lynchers had been recognized, and
that one person had said publicly on the
street that he had assisted in the lynching
and was responsible for it. Yet in spite OF
all this, to the utter astonishment OF the
Solicitor, the jury rendered o verdict of
death by gun shot wounds inflicted by nm
known parties" Never more did a set of
men periure themselves. But not more so
than the honorable gentlemen who pledged
their honor that no harm should befall the
prisoner.
And to cap it all some one, probably one
of the honor men, tackled on q tree the
placara:
Governor Richardson and Judge Wallace
are responsible for lynch law in Lexington
county. Ourwires and daughters mnst and
shall be protected at any and every hazard.
The mob was after blood. l: is said the
intention was to hang Leaphart in the yard
OF his lawyer, G. T. Graham, but Leapharis
sturdy fight and his assassination in the jail
prevented this. They threatened Graham
with lynching however, and he and Miller,
who made the affidavit were forced secretly
to leave the county. They went to Colum-
bia to seek protection.
We believe in law, and justice, and capi-
tai punishment, but for Heavens sake de-
! liver our State from such cruel and barba-
rous treatment as this.
The Governor and Solicitor will do al
they can to bring these parties to justice,
but alas for justice! No Lexington jury
will ever convict because the jury will be
composed OF some of the lynchers them
selves
Ben Tillman and the News and Courier.
Capt. Tillman protests against being mis-