The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-01-01
BLOODY BARNWELL.
AND PROPER ACTION BY Gov
ERNoR RICHARDSON.
DIP.
He Offers u Reward Of Two Hundred
Dollars Apiece for the aynchers.--
The CHASTITY Scene OF the Crime.
GrccnciHc Nc1DS.

COLUMBIA, Dec. m-Thc Governor mas OF,
fe.cd 4 reward of 500 each for tue capture anu
conviction of the Bnrnwell lynchcrs.
The special correspondent OF the Ne,rS ana
Courier writes from Barnwell:
The safety of the town depends. IT. is said,
on The tact that two hundred armed white
men will rendezvous on the square at the
very first note impending danger Thls was
considered this morning q bold position TO
assume when II is considered that there is
probably an equal number or whites ana ne
grncs in the town, and especially Us move.
mcnt against the village might he conducted
at night by the hordes of negroes in tho dis
tricts beyond the town. This Illusion would,
however, be soon dispelled by glance at the
faces of the negroes who catDc into the town
from the interior to-day.
There was strange fnSc1natlon lar them IN
the scene OF the lynching. IL was the o1lec-
tive point of many q long pilgrimage by the
colorcd folks from all parts of the county.
They looked in dazed, stupid manner at the
trees OF execution, but they would not 20 TO
see the bodies where they lay IN the town at
IL very public morgue. The correspondent Of
the Ncirs and Courier succumbed to the spell
or desire to see the blood stained traces OF the
crime. The landscape has already been de-
scribed MS IT. was left by the red-handed
artists. The place of Execution was OIL either
side of n narrow part OF the road leading
from Bnrnwell to Aiken. Slender white oak
trees and pine saplings grew on either side.
The prisoners were divided into significant
groups; the men accused Of the murder Of
Martin on the right, the murderer and his
accomplice in the Heffernan case on the left.
The question Is asked the lynchers: Were
the lynchers who killed these last two from
Barnwel, and were the lynchers who slew
Martins murderers from Martins Station ?
BE this as 1t may, the scene was one OF un-
qualified horror. more like picture from the
since the death Of Dante. The first view Of
the victims after the tragedy was obtained
by the high sheriff of this county, Chief Mar
shall Swan and MIR. A. T. Woodward. There
ell 70 &c In
still transtlXed In the throes OF their last
agony. First one and then another appeared
to view as the lantern held by the marshal
revealed each dreadful picture In turn. one
of these was shocking In the extreme. Five
of the dead negroes had been tied tightly
around the waist to the trees with ropes.
But in the death struggles of one the rope
slipped from around his waist and he fell TO
his knees. His arms were outstretched, and
his mouth and CLASSY eyes, fixed IN death,
were wide open. Those who saw this horri-
BILE vision say they will never forget It,, nor
will those who read of II, SO terrible is 1t In
others had fallen nearly down to their
breasts. On some Of their faces the blood had
been congested by the chilly morning air and
there 1t remained in clotted masses. One
tarily recall the sides OF O road marked by
the affixed bodies of cruciaed soldiers in the
olden time.
Columbia Register.
We hardly know what to say Of the Barn.
we'll horror. It is lamentable beyond express
izcns of BarnweIl can be found who would
break into the county Jail and seize helpless
persons under the protection of the State of
South Carolina rs her prisoners and put
them to death, seems to us not only utterly
unwarrantable from any standpoint OF civil
lied rule but as horrible.
The cxouerating statement of the citizens
committee Is doubtless true but 1t does not
I, itt-N Nf hn mot
The fact remains, with all the machinery &
Justice IN the hands of the injured commun-
| ity, with the wretched criminals locked up In
jail, with a true bill found against them and
trial awaiting them, we cannot see the first
excuse for this interference with justice.
Ne,Ds and Courier.
The lynchng Of eight defenceless colored
men at Barnwell on Friday night was abso-
lutely without Justification or excuse. y
more Infamous, cowardly, tuhuman deed has
never stained the reputation OF this Stale.
There was nothing brave or manly In the con-
duct of the mob who committed this afro.
EciouS crime against the peace aud dignity OF
the State and against humanity itself. 1t
was no evidence OF courage that mob OF
masked men, knowing that they would meet
with no resistance and almost certain that
they would ESCAPE all responsibility for their
crime should take eight unarmed negroes out
into the miStS of the morning and say them
as if they were so many beasts OF the field.
It speaks i'll for the condition OF public SEN
timent that O band of disguised men should
seize prisoners under the care OF sheriff and
put them TO death Without the formallty OF a
It is said that the murdered prisoners were
guilty of murder. that the evidence against
them was conclusive, and ii iS certain that
they could not have escaped their just pun
ishment If the law had been permitted TO take
It's course. Their murder was but another evil
dence OF the indifference to the sanclity or
human life which has done so much to dis
| ftn tt,o In, n
The guilt of the negroes who were murdered
ut Barnwell does not cxtenuate this fearful
crime.
Charleston World.
The good in every community, If they will
only act together, can see that justice Is dealt
out to all, and mat crimes al Punisnea wnen
pany OF maslsers. detlcs the laws OF his State.
and takes from the custody of ler agents and
kills those who have been committed to their
keeping, no matter what he believes them 10
he guilty of. is one whose actions should not
he dismissed lightly. for lie has himself cofn'
Inittcd murder.
Such one may comfort himself for a while.
with the reflection, thrown out by some, that
these dreadful happenings are common to the
whole South and that they Indicate the eX-
istence of n problem, and terrible one as
long as the law Is despised and violence Is
used to right wrongs.
Ne,U York World.
Yesterday morning q mob of $50 whites
broke open The Jail at Barnwell, 5. C.. took
therefrom eight negroes awaiting trial upon
the charge of murder and shot them to death.
This seems to have been cowardly and un-
necessary crime-one which calls for the Sc
vcrest condemnation. The prisoners would
have all been tried al an early day. They had
no earthly chance to escape il guilty, and
their lawleSS assassination seems to have
been the result of q flendish desire to terroriZe
colored aw-breakers in the neiehborhoOd.
There can be no Justification for this atroclty,
and 1t is gratifying TO know that reputable
citizens of South Carolina are sensible OF the
fresh disgrace which has been brought upon
their State.
Savannah News.
The Barnwcll committee says that when
John ]. Heifernan was murdered there were
threats of lynchiug the murderers, but that
cooler counsels prevailed. thus showing that
the bad effects of u lynching were we'll under
stood and O. resort to II deprecated. The lynch
ing of criminals Is q declaration Of lack OF
confidence In the law and those who admin
lister 1t, and mny be Interpreted by those VINO
are DISPOSED to be lawleSs rs meaning that
they have nothing to fear rs long as they
avoid arousng public Indignation. AS gen.
eral thing there are a great many crimes OF
violence committed wherever lynch law pre-
walls TO any great extent.
we can understand that the people of Barn.
wcll and vicinity are greatly wrought up by
the murders to which attention Is called, but
on Il second sober thought they must admit
,hat H. is wiser aud safer to uphold the law.
If those who are supposed to be iaw-abiuihg
disregard the law, 1t can hardly he expected
that those who do not respect the law Will
obey 1t.
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