The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-01-04
The BarnWeIl Massacre.

There seems to be a slight differ
ence of opinion in South Carolina
about the BarnWell massacre. The
"leading citizens" of BarnweII have
issued circular, explaining that
several white men have recently
been killed there-presumaby, of
course, by Negroes-and that they
are confident that any other eommu-
nity in the county would have acted
in the same manner. This, it will
he seen, is an attempt at a complete
Justification of the massacre, and
shows that public opinion in Barn
well supports the lynchers. Further
evidence in this direction, if any
were nee led, is furnished by the re.
assuring news that the white people
of Barnwell are now pretty well
armed and organized. and are patroll-
ing the town, so that it is probable
that no general Negro uprising can
occur. OF course, after the massacre
IF eight defenseless Negroes by a
lynching party, there was every
reason to dread Negro uprising
and the promptness and GOODNESS Of
the white people of BarnweIl in arm
ing themselves and getting ready to
repel the expected uprising is fully
as admirable and is as great a proof
Of genuine courage as anything that
has happened in South Carolina since
The days of the Hamburg massacre.
The one diScordant note comes
from the Charleston Nelos and Cour.
Ter. which talks about the matter in
this way:
Nothing has transpired since the
horrible butrhery at BarnWel to
cause US to believe that there was a
single mitigating circumstance con.
npcted with the c0wardly, lawless
shooting to death of eight men by an
organized mob of law breakers. We
do not know whether any really
seTlOuS tllUt VIII TIC iIld'ie W leITtt
out the facts of this lynChing, hit if
Gov. Richardson fails to exhaust
every resource to discover and pun
iSh these tranSgreSSOrS Of the law,
who have put an unsightly blot of
hIOOd upon the eScuicheOn of the
State, he will simply fail to live up
to his oath of Office as Chief Execu-
tive of South Carolina.
"This Is no ordinary case and
therefore should not he dealt with in
the usual manner. The authority of
the State has been set at defiance by
Il sreaking, murderOus mob. and the
majesty of the law has been made a
mockery by few hundred miscre-
ants"
We confess that we do not know
what to make of such talk as this.
If there were an edition of the paper
for purely Northern consumption.
and such sentiments appeared in
that, it wonld be easy to understand.
But the Ne,os and Courier prints no
such edition. We think that it must
nave Inexperienced the SITUATION.
When it comes to understand that
this is a trace war;" and that il was
absolutely necessary for the whites to
vindicate their supremacy in Barn.
we'll it may come down. The Nea0s
aud Courier always did kick little
occasionally. For instance, 1t sus-
tanned Gov. Chamberlain for a while
about fifteen or sixteen years ago, but
the "cOlor line" was drawn, and it
came into the traces obediently, just
as il always does when the party
whip is cracked. We have no idea
that its present protest is anything
more than a sporadic outburst, or
that it at all represents public feel
Ing among the "best people" of
Charleston or the State at large. We