The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-03-20
AFTER TURNER'S BLOOD.
An Angry lob Como to Huve the Pri
Ouer,


oner.
The feelings against Turner around
Valley Falls was intense.
On Saturday night rumors of q de-
termination to lynch him reached the
city; ON Sunday uneasiness prevail led
here, but no manifestation was made
until Monday morning.
The people of Valley Falls had re-
ceived notice that a party Of 200 lynch
ers, thoroughly organized, would
reach towE 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 Monument. When twelve
o'clock arrived, and the North Caroline
lyHrAGGheefGss rAGheGs did rot come, the crowd
grew restless and ugly. They wanted
to lynch the prisoner 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 revslvers.
MIR. Nichols was brave Confederate
soldier, with reputation for COURAGE
and devotion to duty which is known
all over the country ahd byeond il. He
was standing behind tho bars declaring
that no man should reach Turner but
over his dead hody. They knew the
man and no one was willing to charge
him.
Finally four mon went to the encamp.
ment for the cannon belonging to the
Spartan Artillery. They raised it up
with shout and hurrah, and unlimber-
ed It in 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 rifles.
The distance was seventy.fve yards. A
bloody duel at short range with artillery
and rifles seemed imminent. Men who
| had remembered the scene Of blood at
Birmingham, bcgaN to scatter from the
streets, but still the narrow Jail alley
was packed with excited men. No ons
| knew whether the cannon was loaded.
The men in the Jail thought 80 and
were determined that it should
never be fired into the building. They
were ready with lCveled rifles to shoot
of the gunncrs at the first hostile move
mcnt. The gun was not loaded. The
men in charge had made their plans to
use iron fish bars from the railroad and
] stcclyard peas for cannon shot, but thcy
had not yet gotten them. The crowd was
getting momcntary more excited Just
at this moment Mayor IIcnneman met
the editor Of the HERALD and said +:
'What is to bo done noww
"Seizs the gun and spike it," replied
Mr.. Jones.
| Mayor IIcEneman's resolution was
taken at once. Thers was no time to
orgariZe force. What was to be done
must be done promptly. He had but
six policemen at his command, but he
did not hesitate.
"Follow ine," he continued, and they
moved down Jail street, through tho
mob.
Mr.. Jones ran through Archer's
store and rushed up on tho opposite
side OF the cannon with the shout,
"Spikc the gun and arrest the men who
brought it hcre"!
Mayor Henneman placed his foot on
the cannon and said: 81 will arrest
the first man who touches tho gun"
| 1t WAS a critical moment. The man in
charge Of the qua, taken by surprise.
stepped back in the crowd. Mr.. Il. II.
| CslVcr, VINO was one OF them, says that
he saw half drunken men on all sides,
reachingfor their pistols, and that he saw
one man draw self-eocking revolver,
and the hammer was half raised froa
the cartridge, when some one seized /,
and stopped him. A single shot free
by drunken coward would have beer
the signal for bloody fusilade. Bsfor,
they recovered from their surprise, Mr.
Jones seized q hatchet, and drove a mai
; In the touch hole of the cannon, and il
. less than two minutes six policemer
and two civilians had captured th,
cannon in the face of two hundred
angry men, and spiked it, and th'
danger was over, and dozen negroes
were trundling the useless cannon intt
the Jail. Without artillery the Jail i
: impregnable.
ii The condition in the Jail was hardly