Richmond planet., 1890-07-05
w. T. FINLEY's SUFFERINGs- THE
STORY OF A CRIME DONE IN
South CAROLINA.
BEATEN WITH BARBED WIRE.
HIS LEG BROK EN-.
A Heartless Crime Described In the
Language or the Sufferer.

Mr.. w. L. Finley who was appoint
ed at the Abbeville, ). G. Post Office
sends the statement which appears
below, He was beaten as he states,
his leg broken, and a partisan doc
tor reset the shattered limb, so that
it would grow crooked. Post Mas
ter.General Wanamaker, learning
of the affair gave him a position in
the Post Office Department.
The story of his suffering Is pitiful-
ly told in the lines which follow.
WASHINGTON. ID. c., APRIL 26, 1890.
To all whom it may concern.
l was appointed Postmaster last
May, at Ahbeville c. H., S. c. In
a few days after was appointed,
white man visited me. On the 31st of
May 1889, about a quarter after ten
O'Clock in the night. was lying in
my bed. | heard some one call at the
door, and ask Mrs. Mary Adams
where was her husband, (Mr. Robt.
Adams and she told them he MIR.
Adams, was at church. They then,
asked her where was Tom Finley.
She told them she thought he (Mr.
Finley,) was in the room. | then
got out of my bed, and looked
through a crack and saw crowd of
white armed men, standing there
with guns, pistols and large clubs, in
their hands. then jumped out of
the window, and ran away from
them as fast as possibly could, and
they ran and shot at me, about one
y ukssa&ged yards, and they caught me.
- bent me unmercifuily with
s<~al.d kicked tne IN my
"a their feet. In this scufiie
right leg was broken. They
threw me down upon the ground,
and caught me by my hands, dragged
me on my stomach about four hun
dred yards, and they then stripped
me naked and beat me with barbed
wires, until | was very bloody.
They had teeth like n cross cut saw.
j asked them what were they beat
ING and numbering me for. They said,
"You want to be Post Master do
you, and we do not intend for you or
any other damn negro TO ever be
Post Master; also, t ~ did not in
tend TO allow any dahn Radical of
any race ever to be Post Master
here at Abbeville G. H., s. C.. They
told me after they quit beating me,
that l must leave the State that
night, aud if l was caught in the
State again, would be killed. They
left me, then started away; they
got OFF piece, and came back to me
and said, you must get away from
here tonight. ] told them that
could not leave that night because
my leg was broken. G.. A.Shillito said,
'you are a damned liar" / said, ,"You
can look, and see for yourself" He
(Shillito) struck a match, looked,
and said again, you are a damned
liar, you are putting on, and if you
are found in town tomorrow morning
you will be killed They then left me
lying upon the ground to die ]
was in great pains, with the wounds,
and / thought, | would be sure to
die right there.
/ wanted to drink, but could not
get any. l lay there until between
u and o'clock that night, when
two colored men, Messrs. Thomas
Brown and Howard Taylor came
along, l called to them, and they
came to me.
TOLD MY TROUBLES.
Eey took me up, and carried me tC
SDMr. Robt. Adams house. then asked
y them to go for the doctor. The,
went and returned and said the,
could not find the doctor. | laid Their
all night, in great pain. The next
morning the doctor came in to Sc
me about ten o'clock, examined my
leg, and said it was badly broken
! asked him if he thought he cOul,
save my life. He said, he could.
4 told him that l was in very ba,
81 condition, and if he thought h
could not save my life, would b
very glad for him to let me know it
because / was not afraid to die.
further stated to him, that | wOul,
rather the mob would hav
killed me, than to have left me il
s in this condition. l thought tn
s. doctor was going to make a Job on
of my leg, one that l would b
proud of, and proud to show it t.
any one, but he left it in such con
litiOn that | am ashamed to show j
81 to any one. The mob asked me
j was going to tell any one VIII
beat me, told them no / neve
would tell any one who beat me
S They said, if l did tell it to an,
S. body would he sure to be killed
w. s. COthran and g. A. Shillit
made these threats. The Hon. Jas
S. Cothran denies that was mobile
on the account of the Abbevill
Post Office. Says that / made a
untrue statement in my petitio
against Mrs. Lawson, and the boy