Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1893-05-04
DENMARK,s LYNCHING.

DENMARK, S. c., April 29.-A mass
meeting of the citizens of Denmark was
held in the store Of J. E. Steadman at
$50 P. NJ. tod: :. About 500 persons
were present. Capt. J. E. Steadman was
called to the chair and ]. D. Milhouse
acted as Secretary.
Col. D. Paul Sojourner explained that
the meeting was called to denounce the
course of certain newspapers, and. the
course of Editor Gonzales in particular.
S. S. Laf6tte offered the following set
of resolutions:
"Whereas, negro fiend assaulted Miss
Mamie Baxter, the 14-year-old daughter
of J. D. Baxter, on the morning of the
14th of April, while she was on her way
to school, attacking her brutally and
with drawn knife threatening her life,
and after choking her to insensibility and
dragging her down an embankment to
the South Carolina Railroad and there
attempted to rape her; and, whereas, the
citizens of Denmark, acting with the citi-
zens of Barnwell county and those of
adjoining counties, hunted diligently for
the rapist, and having caught one John
Peterson, whom the citizens believed to
be guilty of the crime, and whom the
girl said looked like the man except his
eyes and nose,' and of whom she subse-
quently said 'he is the man., and against
whom we have abundant and sufficient
proof that he was the man who assaulted
Miss Mamie Baxter, and said John Peter
son was hung and shot to death on the
spot where he made the brutal assault;
and, whereas, the editor of The State, N.
G. Gonzales, has by every means known
to himself sought to .besmirch and befoul
the people of this community, and by his
editorials sought to arouse the passions
of the negro race against the whole peo-
pie and incite negro men to attack and
rape white women to avenge the punish
ment of John Peterson; now, therefore,
we, the citizens of Denmark, in mass
meeting assembled.
''First, Do regret that such an outrage
Gus attack was made on an innocent and
unsuspecting girl by the brute, and fur
ther tender to the unhappy and grief
stricken father our deep and sincere SYM
pathy.
Second, That we fully commend the
act of those citizens who inflicted the
punishment of death upon John Peter
son, believing him to be the guilty wretch,
and we say to the world that we believe
John Peterson guilty and have proof to
support our position.
"Tnird, That we condemn the editori-
ais of n. G. Gonzales, who, for political
purposes, has seized upon this occasion
and the punishment Of Peterson for a
pretext to vent his hostility to Gov. Till
man; that we especially condemn his
editorial, in which he by covert words
seeks to excite negro men to attack and
rape white women when nlrotected, as
being unworthy of the pen CT ;spure jour-
nalist, and emanating only from the
heart of one blacker than the wretch who
assaulted Miss Baxter and deserving the
same fate as John Peterson.
Fourth, That we condemn The State
as paper which seeks to array the negro
race against the white race and thus
return to the days of Moses and Cham
berlain.
Fifth, That we commend the action
of Gov. Tillman for sending John Peter
son to Barnwell, for he would not have
been harmed unless guilty, and if guilty
he deserved death.
Sixth, We commend the course OF the
colored people of the county who realize
that John Peterson was given fair hear
ing and a just punishment, and we fur
ther declare that we believe that all peo-
pie who would protect the virtue Of their
women should hold aloof from man so
destitute of virtue and truth as is y. G.
Gonzales