The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-09-12
RAPlNE ANO MURDER.
The Charge Against q White Man of Fort
Lawn.

CHESTER, Sept. 4.-The short dispatch
containing the news of rape and a
murder, which appeared in The State
of September 1st, has caused a great
deal more excitement in the county
than was at first anticipated. There
was no special attention paid to it by
any of your readers until later In the
day, Saturday, when young white
man named Lawrence Rlves. appeared
at the doors Of the Jail and asked the
sheriff for protection. News soon
reached this city that he was suspected
| of the crime and had been advised by
| his father and friend to give himself
up to the sheriff as there was strong
threats from the negroes of lynching
him.
The facts IN the case, gathered by
your correspondent today at Fort
Lawn, where Trial Justice Minors was
holding cororer's inquest, are as fol-
lows: Matte Heath, the young wife of
Andy Heath, negro laborer, living on
the farm of Col. Cade Rives. near Fort
LawD, went to the house of neighbor,
Amelia Marshall, on the morning of
3lst ult, and, having remained there
a short while, started on her re-
turn home, but never reached her des-
| tination. Her husband had been work
ing on the public roads that day and in
the evening, on his return home pass
ed through the yard of Col. Rives, who
told him that Matte had not been
home since morning.
| After learning from his children that
his wife had gone to the house of the
Marshall woman, Andy started along
the path leading to that place. About
200 yards down the path he found the
body Of his dead wife lying across the
path in a terrible condition. Her throat
was cut from ear to ear, her head
mashed in and her clothes burnt from
her body. Trial Justice Minors was
summoned and jury empanelled.
Suspicion at once pointed to two men,
and old negro, Jack Ferguson, and the
young sou of Col. Rives. Circumstances
cleared Ferguson but young Rives was
| not 80 lucky. The justice adjourned
the inquest then until the 11tb, giving
time to get up more evidence, but the
| disappearance of young RiVes Friday
| night caused him to convene his jury
again Saturday. 1t was found during
Friday night RiVes had csossed the
CataWba River and taken the Georgia
Carolina and Northern train at way,
| station Saturday morning for Chester.
| They then adjourned again until today,
when evidence taxing was resumed and
the prisoners wired for. Justice Min.
ors, fearing that serious trouble would
| result from the maddened and threat
| ening crowds of negroes gathering
around Fort Lawn, wired the Governor
| for a special force to help keep the
peace, ih answer to which Attorney
General Bunchanan authorized him to
swear in as many extra constables as
was necessary. Sheriff Hood also got
| orders from the same source to order
out the Lee Light Infantry to conduct
| the prisoner in safety to Fort Lawn.
About 1890 special train left for
| Fort Lawn bearing half dozen citi-
Zens. the Lee Light Infantry, twenty
four strong, the Sheriff and prisoner
AMI TWO newspaper correspondents.
On reaching Fort Lawn trouble
seemed imminent. About 500 infuriat-
ed negroes had gathered near the depot
and were surrounding an old store
house, where the inquest was being
| conducted. Forty or nifty special con-
stables, armed with all manner of arms,
were lined up to each side OF the track.
The special coach containing the pris-
oner was guarded about forty minutes,
when Justice Minors ordered the
prisoner to be brought before the jury.
This was done by the military without
any trouble and by the time his testi.
| mony was taken the train
| was ready for Chester and the
prisoner and Lee Light Infantry de.
parted, leaving Fort Lawn and the
negroes in the hands Of the special con-
| stables. }
The negroes were aroused by the fact
| that the suspected white man, whom
| they claimed had ravished and murder
| ed one of their daughters, had not been
arrested. The whites checked their
rashness in great measure by raising
purse and obtaining the service of
| Attorney John Green, Of Lancaster,
to represent the prosecution at the in
quest. j. K. Henry, of this bar, was
employed by the defense. 1t will be
| impossible to get the verdict until to-
| morrow morning. as news has JusG
| reached here, at 9 o'clock p. m. that
the jury has not agreed as yet. The
evidence is strong against young
Rives and all the circumstances tend to
, make it further than suspicion with
him. During his examation he con-
tradicted himself several times aud his
fathers testimony also. 1t Is clearly q
case of rape and murder and the young
| white man will likely be held in safe
keeping in the Chester jail until the
higher court meets.-State.