The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-04-04
SUMTER. S. c., r 4, 1894.

panied to every place by the Sheriff aud
q deputy. Warrants had been. issued
for the search Of each place. A large
crowd followed the spies around, but
showed 20 violence. It was good
aatured aud seemed to be lots of fun
10 the affair. Especially was the crowd
merry every time it became evident
shat a waterhaul had been made. Moth
vas dooe, however, but the poking Of
a lot of fun at the spies. When a
place vas searched the crowd vas kept
outside. None besides the officers
were allowed to enter the premises,
except the proprietor Of premises
searched aud q representative of the
press
While everything vas done orderly,
one could not help being struck with
the deplorable fact that the Law in Civ
ing authority to the spies to make
such searches takes away the rights Of
the private citizen.
lille all during the Gay a feeling OF
suppressed excitement ~pervaded the
town, good order was maintained until
about three o'clock when it became
noised about that the report that spies
bad broken a lady's truck at the depot
CD Saturday (%mention of which is made
~elsewhere) vas true. A committee
called on the constables at the hotel
where they are quartered and asked them
about the trunk episode, but the con-
stables assured them that they had not
committed the act. Everything was
done peacefully and quietly the COM
mittee Offering no violence.
This telling of excitement and indig-
nation was increased by the rumor that
the spies would search private
residences. As quick as the twinkling
Of an eye a determined crowd of citi-
zens, many of them ordinarily. the
most ~peaoeable men in town, gathered
on the Square, armed with shotguus
and Winchester rifles. They did not
propose that private houses should be
searched and openly said so, but they
dispersed without any trouble occurring
as soon as they found that the spise
were not going to do such searching.
But these occurrences must have caused
alarm and someone must have tele-
grapbed to the Governor that trouble
was threatening for about four o'clock
the Governor ordered ont the Darlington
Guards.
The following kilograms in regard to
the matter are self-explanatory:
COLUMBIA, March %.
Scarborough. Sheriff. Darlington:
l expect you to preserve the peace
and see that the law is upheld.
B. r. T1LLAAN.
COLUMBIA, March %.
Captain Darlington Guards. Darling.
ton, S. G:
Put your command under orders Of
Sheriff and preserve the peace.
b. R. TILLMAN, Governor.
Immediately upon receipt of the order
from the Governor Captain Thompson
conferred with the other officers of the
company. 1t leaked out that the
Guards had been ordered out and while
the officers Of the company were con.
ferring in an Office in the Court House
an excited crowd of about one hundred
citizens rushed to the Armory, forced
an entrance and seized all the guns.
With the weapons on their shoulders
the meo passed shouting back to the
Square. When Capt. Thompson heard
what had been done he quickly repaired
to the scene and requested the crowd tt
return the guns to the Armory. This
was done and quiet was restored.
After consulting with the Sheriff
Capt. Thompson sent the following
telegram to the Governor:
Darlington, March %,
Gov. B. r. Tillman. Columbia, 8. G.
Telegram received. Have conferred
With Sheriff who says there is 20 dan
ger Of breach of peace and no necessity
for ordering out military.
HENRY T. THOMPSON.
It was concluded to wait furtbe,
development before ordering out the
Guards aud as the developments did mol
come up to the time We went to prest
the company bad not been ordered out
After the crowd returned the guns to
the armory a large number Of citizens
held a meeting 10 the Court House
The meeting was secret. The doors
were closed and what traspired within
is known only to those who participated
10 the meeting.
Somebody must have kept the wires
bot, informing Governor Tillman o
every step 10 the disturbance, as tbs
following telegram will show: