The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-01-02
Especial to Register. 1

: Especial to Register
BARNWELL, S. c., December 2S.-
J. An armed and masked mob of about
! one hundred men went to the County
Jail this morning between 3 and 4
o'clock, overpowered the jailer, took
! eight negro prisoners to a point about
; one mile from town, tied them to trees
and shot them to death-literally rid
ding their bodies with bullets.
Two men came to the Jail and asked
the jaller to receive prisoner, and as
he opened the gate he was seized by
them and the keys taken from him.
The men lynched were two of the Hef-
ternan murderers, Ripley Johnson and
Hltchell Adams; Peter Bell, who was
he'd for the murder of young Robert
Martin on the night of the 24th; Handy
Johnson and Hugh Furse, who were
heIo as accessories, with Judge"
Jones, Robert Phoenix and Roper Nor
rail-, who were held as witnesses.
The sheriff was notified by the taller,
and he summoned the town marshal
and the writer, and we three procured
lantern at 5 a. H., and proceeded to
see If all were killed. AS we walked
silently up the road the rays of the
light fell upon the most horrible sight
we ever witnessed eight men tied
around the waist: hands and feet. to
trees, riddled with bullets. 1t seems
sif they were tied with their backs to
the trees, standing up, but some had
slipped down and some were hanging
/ with their feet and hands down. They
were within five feet of the road, and
the men stood in the road and fired,
From empty shells lying on the ground,
there was number of volleys fired all
of which were heard by many of the
citizens, but they thought it was fire.
works.
The lynchers were as quiet as lambs
and as determined as bulls. The crowd
OF over one hundred men rode into
town with no more noise than if two
gentlemen had leisurely rode in. They
passed right beneath the window where
the writer was innocently slumber-
ing.
The news OF the lynching was not
known in town till we returned at 6
O'Clock a. III. The negro women rushed
to the Jail with wild shrieks, and men
were prowling over the town with re-
vengeful look. The sheriff at once
WTea S55 q to BIpsskkyilIe PSI llg ga Raanh9er1 NIL
Richardson. Things had a bad ap-
prarance until the train came in with
about forty men, who formed lille
and marched straight to the sheriff,
under the command OF Colonel D. l..
Copeland of Bamberg, and are now
subject to his orders.
Acting Coroner Hammel summoned
4 jury and held an inquest which rem
dered the usual verdict: Game to
death by gunshot wounds inflicted by
parties unknown to the jury"
The lynchers came from the country,
and no one here has the slightest idea
who they were, for the affair was
great surprise to the town.
Samuel Lee, barber, who is held
as an accessory to the Heffernan muir
der, was taken out ofjail and put back,
rs the party thought him innocent.
Everything is now quiet.
PROMINENT TIZENs TELL THE STORY.
BARNwELL, S. c., December 2S.-In
consequence of the lynching which
took place here last night, the under
signed were this morning requested by
the sheriff to act as an advising conf
mittce to counsel 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 the occurrence
and the causes which we believe led to
It, as far as we have gathered them.
Ga the 30th Of October last, John J.
: HetIernan, a prominent young mer-
/ chant and brave, public-spirited citi-
zen. was shot down and killed in Barn
we'll by negroes. Public indignation
ran very high; threats Of lynching were
freely made, but diverted by cooler
counsel.
At the last term of court the grand
jury found true bills against the mur-
derer and his accessories, but the cases
were continued. The white people were
disappointed, and the negroes, it is
thought, were emboldened by this dis
position Of the matter.
On the 10Th Of December Mr. James
:. Brown, a prominent planter and
leading citizen of Fish Pond Township,
Was shot to death on his own premises
by negroes, without the slightest justi-
fcation or excuse. The murderer has
not been arrested.
On the 18th of December, while 60
ing from his store at Martin station
to his home, mile away, Mr.. Robert
Martin. young man of the most ez-
emplary character and Of the highest
standing as a man and citizen, was
followed by negro and shot in the
back with a gun loaded with slugs, in
the public road which passes through
his fathers plantation, in hearing Of
many negroes who were all around the
spot when he was shot. and who ad-
mtted that they heard the shot and
his cries when shot, and none Of them
went to his body, although it lay in