The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-09-22
THOSE "wHITE GAPS" AT GOLD
WILLIE.

AVN III bh" ~
THEIR w HANDS.
Editdrs LdurcRspitc Herald:
AS MIR. J.. S. Blalock has published
card in the Advertiser over his own sig
nature, in regard to the negro-whippinl
near Hopewell, not long since, it is nov
necessary that the public be made &C
quainted with all the facts in the case, a
well as a short history of the organiza
} ton Of what is known outside of this com
munity as "The Regulators and VIII,
such an organization was made neces
sary. In May, 1850, the citizens of Hope
we'll and surrounding country called
public meeting of the citizens Of thi!
community for the purpose of disapprov
ing or condemning the miscegenatior
which, some of our citizens were known
to be guilty OF, and which immoral prac
tice existed to the shame and detrimen1
of our neighborhood. The matter wa:
freely and frankly discussed, and every
man present pledged himself to do all in
his power to put down such revolving
immortality as then existed. The object
OF the meeting having been made known
some of the parties who were known to
be guilty, at once began to make threats
against tho lives and property of some OF
those who participated in the meeting,
and so general and ominous did these
threats become that the citizens gener-
ally, in the neighborhood, lost no time in
banding themselves for their mutual pro-
lection in a society known as "The Pro
tectivc League" Mr.. n. p. Whitmire
was the President, and Mr.. d. r. Craw-
lord the Secretary of this organization.
Immediately following these threats
against our lives and property the valu-
able barn of Mr.. w. ii. Workman, who
was accused Of being one of the leading
spirits in the former meeting, was burn
ed to the ground, rotally destroying a
quantity of corn, fodder, farming tools,
harness, etc. In september following,
the dwelling of Mr.. N. p. Whitmire, to-
gether with all of it's contents, was also
laid in ashes. On January following, the
store houses Of Messrs. ID. r. Crawford,
John S. IIairston and j. III. Crisp were
burned. On May the Sth, eight bales of
cotton belonging to Mr.. Hairston were
also burned and about the middle of last
August eight more bales were fired.
This last fire, and the circumstances
attending it, was the cause Of the whip
ping OF the negro Wyatt James. James,
who was under contract with Mr.. Hairs
ton, had left his premises a few days be-
fore without any known cause, and was
working for another party in the neigh
borhood. On the night Of the firing of
the cotton, however, Mrs. IIairston, on
discovering the burning cotton, called for
the hands on the place, and perceiving
a man walking through the yard, (al-
though it was late in the night) she called
to him, and asked if it was not Wyatt.
He answered that it was, but did not
stop, nor did he respond to the call for
assistance in fighting the fire. Another
negro man was sent to a negro woman's
cabin on the place (NIrs. IIairston sus-
pecting that negro who had answered
her was perhaps some other negro) where
James was known to be in the habit of
sleeping, but on calling for him the wo-
man said that he was not in the house, as
he had left early in the night. Suspicion
naturally attached to James as the incen-
diary, and the other negroes on the place
who responded to Mrs. IIairston's calls
for help were so impressed with the sus-
picious actions of James that they told
Mr.. Hairston they believed he had done
the burning. Early next morning James
came to the house and said to MIR. Hairs
ton that he had heard it said that he had
been accused of the burning, which he
denied. On Mr.. IIairston's asking him
as to his whereabouts on the night be-
fore, he replied that he was in the ne
gro woman's house and didn't know any
thing about the fire. lie denied doing
the burning, but added: ''Thc man what
burnt dat cotton is got more money than
you is, Mr.. lIairston, or me either"
These were the circumstances which
led to the whipping Of the negro Wyatt
James, under the belief that if he himself
did not do the burning he at least knew
who was the real ~inccndiary or instiga-
tor. The threats that were first made
against our lives and property have al
ready been put into execution to the cx-
tent Of burning five buildings and ten or
twelve bales Of cotton.
Our Protective League is composed of
the best citizens in our community, and
forty-fve or fifty persons. And while we
have as high regard for the maintenance
Of law and order as any other vicinity,
the tediousness and GLORIOUS uncertainty
Of the law" make it imperative, for the
sanctity of our homes and the prescrva-
ton of our lives and property, that we
band ourselves together for our mutual
protection. These are the particulars of
the whipping Of Wyatt James, and with
this we commit our action to the consid-
crate and thoughtful judgment of our fell
low-citizens.
J.. a.. SMITH,
j. ID. HAIRSTON.
Goldville, Sept. IS, 1891.
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