The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-03-19
AFTER TURNER'S BLOOD.
An Angry Mob Come TO Have the Pris-
oRor.

oRer.
Tie feelings against Turner around
Valley Falls was intease.
On Saturday night runor5 Of a d.
termination to lynch him reached the
city; On Sunday uHeasiuess prevailed
here, but TO NANTES. .asioa was made
until atopday morning.
TIE people Of Valley Falls had re-
ceived notice that party 200 lynch
ers. thoroughly organized, would
reach towL on Monday at noon, and
were instructed to be prepared there
to assist in the lynching. About two
hundred OF them assembled near the
Morgan AonuAent. When twelve
o'clock arrived, ard the North Carolina
lynchers did not come, the crowd
grew restless aud ugly. They wanted
to lynch the prisocer without further
delay; but, relying on the organized
mob which they expected, they were
without concert or leadership. Sheriff
Nichols and his deputies, Brewton
and Vernon with Mr.. AndIew Moore
and Ed: Gentry were in the Jail arm
ed with Winchester rifles, shot guns
and revelvers.
Mr.. Nichols was brave Confederate. 6.
soldier, with 2 reputation for courage
and devotion to duty which is know
all over the country ahd byeond it. 70
was stsndiog behind the bars declaring
that 70 MAJ should reach Turner but
over his dead body. They knew the
man aud no one vas willing to charge
hin.
Finally four n.cr went to the encanp-
ment FOR the cAanon belonging to toe
Spartan Artillery. They raised it up
with shout and hurrah, and uplimber-
ed tin front Of the Jail.
The men who brought the. gun were
members of the artillery company and
knew how to use it. The men in the
Jail were armed with Winchester rises.
The distance was seventy. FIVE yards. A
bloody duel at short range with artillery
and rifles seemed imminent. Men who
had remembered the scene of blood at
Birmingham, began TO scatter from the
streets, brs still the narrow jail alley
was packed 1i:h excited men. No OBS
knew whether the cannon was loaded.
The men in the Jail thought so and
we're determined that i, should
never be fred into the bulldog. They
were ready with leveled rife. to shoot
off the gunaers at the first hostile move
ment. The gun vas net loaded. The
men 70 charge had made their plans to
use iron G.h bars from the railroad aad
steclyard peas for cannon shot, bus they
had not yet gotten them. The crowd was
eett,1g momentary more cScited. Ju.t
at this moment Mayor Ienueman met
the editor of the HERALD ana said:
"What is to be Gone now2"
''Se;ze tue gun and spike it," replied
lir. Jones.
Mayor Hezreman'a resolution was
taken at opce. There was no time 70
orgarizs force. What was to be dcae
must be done promptly. He had bat
six pslicemen at his command, but he
did set hesitate.
"Foilow me-" be continued, and they
moved down Ja!! street, through the
mob.
Mr.. Jones ran through Archer's
store aad rushed up on The opposite
side Of the cannon with the shout,
'Spixe tac gun aad arrest the men Bao
brought it here"!
Mayor Herncman placed his foot on
the cannon and said: Il will arrest
the fret man who touches the gun
l. was critical moment. The man in
charge of the qua. taken by surprise,
stepped back in the crowd. Mr. E. II.
Carver, who was one of them, says that
be saw half ..drunkea men on all sides,
rsacaingfor their pistols, and that he saw
one man draw self-cocking revolver,
and the hammer was half raised from
the cartridge, when some one seizsd it
and stopped him. a single shot fred
BY drunken coward would have besa
the signal for a bloody fusilade. Before
they recovered from their surprise, Mr..
Jones seized hatchct, and drove nail
in the touch hole of the cannon, and in
less than two minutes six policemen
and two civilians had captured the
cannon in the face Of two hundred
angry men, and spiked it. asd the
danger was over, and dczea nesr2e.
were frundlins the useless canaon .nto
the jul. Without artillery the Jail is
imp7egnable.
The condition in the jail WAS hardly
less exciting, and the danger from tha;
quarter was greater than from the mob
The officers did rot understand the sud-
den commo.ior aad thought that the at
tack was commencing. Their guns were
ready, their fingers on the trigsars. and
the Sheriff was OF the point OF giving
the order to irc when 3layor Henoeman
held I'D bis handkerchief. Tee men in
charge Of that caDnon never knew how
near they were to death.
Friends of Sheriff Nichols selesraphe
to the Governor for military aid. When
the Sheriff heard Of it he at once tele-
graphic the Governor that he could defend
his prisoner without assistance and would
do so at I'll hazards, and the military
was not called. on. That night, it was
reported, another attack would be made
Information was brought that the moth
er and sister of the slain mon woald
leod the lynchers, believing th.. the
Sheriff would not fire on them. Con-
citizens went to the Sheriff
and urged hin to carry the prisoner to
Columbia and allay me excitement, and
avoid the blocdshed which they knew
would follow aa attack or the jail. The
Governor telegrapbed the same advice.
So after supper the Sheriff quietly re-
moved the prisoner. drove down to Union
ard there boarded the train Tuesday
morning, and On Tuesday night Turner
slept 10 Richlard jail.-sSpartanburg
Ierald.