The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-01-02
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A BRUTAL BUTCHERY,
Another Awful Crime to Stain South Caro-

a DkUIAA AAOOICACh1s
Another Awful Crime to Stain South Caro-
lima.
CHARLESTON, s. O., Dec. 2S.-A mob
of several hundred masked men broke
open the Barnwell County Jail at two
o'clock this morning and overpowered
the iailor. They seized Ripley johnson
and M. Adams, the two murderers OF
James Hefernan, and six men held for
the recent murder of Robert Martin, at
Martins, Barnwell County. The pris-
oners were taken out of town and shot
to death. Thejail was tied and forced
go with the lynchers. After the lynching
the iailor was released. The whole affair
vas conducted very quietly and without
confusion. The citizens of the town
were ignorant. of any attempt on the Jail.
A large crowd of negroes speedily con,
gregated at the scene of the lynching and
fears are entertained OF more trouble.
The Governor has been appealed to for
troops to preserve the peace.
The following statement signed BY
Robert Aldrich, Mike Brown, George
q. Bates, William McNab and James A.
Jenkins, some Of the most prominent
and influential citizens of Barnwell, has
been sent to the Neaus and Courier in
explanation of the horrible butchery last
night: g;9t go. i tha ,vnoh;nu
which took place here last night the
undersigned were this morning requested
bY the sheriff to act a, an advisory COM
mittee 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 public1in possession of
the facts of the occurrence and the
causes which We believe led to it, as far
ne have gathered them.
ssOn the 30th of October last John b.
Heffernan, q prominent young merchant,
and a brave, public spirited citizen, was
killed in Barnwell by negroes. Public;
indignation ran very high. Threats OF
lynching were freely made but this was
averted by cooler counsel. at the last
term of court the grand jury found bills
against the murderers and accessories but
the cases we're continued. While the
people we're disappointed the negroes, it
is Thought were emboldenea by that
disposition of the matter.
son the 18th of December, James L.
Brown, prominent planter and leading
citizen of Fish Pond township, was shot
to death on his own premises by negroes
without the slightest justification or
excuse. The murderer has not been
arrested. On the 18th of December,
while going from his store at Martins
Station to his house q mile away, Robert
Martin, a young man of the most e1em.
plary character and Of the highest stand.
ing as man and citizen. Was followed by
negroes and shot in the back with gun
loaded with slugs onlthe public road,
which passed through his fathers plan,
;tation, in the hearing of negroes whose
houses were al around the spot where
he was shot, and who admitted that they
heard the shot and his cries when shot,
and none of:whom went to bis relief.
They did not go near his body,
although it lay in the road all night and.
for several hours after daylight in plain
view of them all. It'was satisfactorily
established that his. murder was the re.
suit of q conspiracy to. remove him in
order that their license upon the planta.
ton Of his father might be greater. The
murderers, that is the negro who fred
the shot and his accessories, ak in all,
after being heard by the coroner's jury,
were arrested and lodged in jail. These
several brutalmurders of prominent white
men by negroes caused q state of indig-
nantresentment among our people that
can be better imagined than described,
but cannot be imagined by any one not
present in our midst. Last night large
body of armed men in disguise at about
two q. m. called atthe Jail, overpowered
the iailor, took out the ak nurderers of
Martin and the two Of Hefernan, took
them to the limits of the corporation and
shot them to DEATH"
This explanation of the causes which
led to the lynching does not, in the opin-
ion of Law abiding citizens, in any way
Justify the murder Of eight defenseless
human beings The greateat indignation
is experienced here at the brutality OF
the deed. Allis quiet at Barnwell late
this evening, although trouble has been
anticipated and may yet come.
After the lynchers bad got their pris-
oners, accompanied By the jailor, whom
they compelled to precede them, they
silently filed out of tho town to q dark
wood and there put the prisoners to death.
The victims were tied 20 trees and posts
on the road leading to Williston and
were shot to death, each body being
riddled with bullets.