The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-06-20
A Manly Statement.

the stand before the Military COurt
of Inquiry he made the following
outspokec and manly statement in
rege.I to the refusal of the Zouaves
to obey Gov. Tillman's orders. All
men will respect and honor Capt
Capers the more on account of this
statement, for who does not admire and
respect a manly man.
] desire to say that at about half
past 4 o'clock on the afternoon of
March 80 Gen. Richbourg came into
my Office, on Law Range, and stated
that he had been instructed by
Governor .TilIman to order me to
assemble my company at the armory
to await further orders. The Gen.
eral said very little about the trou-
BILE at Darlington or the purpose of
our being ordered under arms.
Just as the General left my Office
Col. Watts came in aud repeated
the Governors instructions, stat
ing that four men had been killed
at Darlington over the dispensary
law and that citizens were chasing
the constables and if caught they
(the constables) would certainly be
killed. l at once appointed Corporal
Craig special messenger and put
him on horse to summon the men
to the armory in fatigue uniform.
In an hour my company was ready
for alignment put Second Lieut..
Beevers in charge of the men and
armory and ordered him to let no
man leave and to admit no visitors
| then went out foraging for informa,
tiou
l got no further orders until about
20 o'clock that night, when Gen.
Farley met me in front Of the Caro-.
lima Bank and asked me where my
company was. l told him | bad q
fall company at the armory where
they had been for four hours. He
then said: ..Governor Tillman
directs me to order you to bring
your men down here ready to take
the train for Darlington in twenty
minutes. l saluted him aud went
up to the armory aud called the
company to order; delivered the
order and explained it's meaning as
l understood it. gave the men
time to express themselves to their
comrades aud then ordered the first
sergeant to fall the men in line
with arms and "count fours." This
was done and as the men called out
their numbers they, with the excep-
ton of four men, fell out of ranks
and put aside their arms aud accou-
trements. The four remaining men
then changed their minds aud joined
the men in the declination to form
line and March out.
/ thes went to Gen. Farley and
Col. Jones, who were together, and
told then that had no command as
my men had declined to march out
of the armory Gen Farley then
said: AACapt. Capers. as you have no
command have no use for you, and
you are dismissed I"
Now while l know that technically
/ disobeyed no orders, bat on the
contrary executed every order given
me, do not propose to take advan.
tage of the protection such techni.
cality throws around me. 1 think l
am wholly responsible for the action
of my men, and l assume it all.
The confidence my men have in me
and the consideration they have
always shown me satisfies me that
my influence with them was very
great, and l told them in no uncer-
tain way that the order looked very
much to me as if the volunteer
militia was being made an arm of
the dispensary constabulary, Win.
chester rife feature and all, and that
in my opinion, as we were strictly
volunteers and had never enlisted,
we had a perfect right to quit and
withdraw from any association of
citizen soldiers whose duty it was to
protect these spies and uphold their
dirty work.
recited the scene at the Darling
ton depot and expressed my indigna-
ton that We should be called upon
to protect men who had under such
circumstances committed murder
w;th the arms the State had issued
them to enforce the dispensary law.
Caador compe's me to say that am
satisfied that l could have marched
every man out of the armory, and,
therefore, knowing as l do that my
;nAaeace with them was thrown
entirely the other way, my duty at
this time in assuming the response
bility is very clear.
Every member of my company is
brave man and thev all come from