The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-02-01
A RIOT IN CHARLESTON.
THE STATE cONSTABLES SAVED BY
THEPoLlCe

TIE POLICE
From Body of Ausry CiHzsnS,
uan+eo ?, lynch Them-one Nan
wounded-A Lawyer Sent to the s'aV"oo
House.
CHARLESTON, S. c., Jan. 2o.-The
nrediction that the enforcement OF the
smended Dispensary Act would result
in bloodshe6 was very nearly verl9eo
yesterday afternoon, whel Wander:
horst street was packed with a crowd
of citizens angere'l at a flying rumor
that one of the constables, while raid
ing the grocery store Of Il. Nolee, at
26 VandOrhorst street, had struck the
wife OF the proprietor. The charge was
one which never fails to excite the
righteous Indignation Of men to tne
highest pitch, and when to it IS added
the animosity which is directed TO-
wards the Law and the bitter hatred
with which the constables are regarded
by many people, there is little wonder
that the passion of the crowd rose al
most to frenzy and made the people
wild in their desire to see the allegeol
perpetrator of such a dastardly deco
brought to swift justice.
It seems that the raid on Mr.. Notes
slace was not a premeditated one, and
few people knew it was in progress un-
til there was coupled with the an
nouncement the rupnor that the pro-
Drietor's wife had been struck by the
constable. Then the crowd began to
gather. People poured into Vandor-
horst street from every neighoorlDg
thoroughfare, and in lees time almost
than 1t takes 10 tell it the space. side
walk and roadway, between klng and
Coming streets, was q mass Of human
ity. TIE windows of the houses we're
open and hundreds of beads Of women
and children looked down on The scene.
Mr.. Nolte himself was away from
home when the raid was made, and re-
turned with the gathering crowd. He
rushed for the entrance Of his store,
asking for the man who had struck Gis
wife. Chief of Police Martin aad
Lieut.. J. II. Fordham rode up in the
heat of the excitement. AS Chief Mar
tin reached the front Of the premises
Constable Elliott was pointed out as
the man against whom the charges
were preferred. Mr.. Nolte started to-
WARD the constable and Chief Martin
interposed, with request to know
what was occasioning the disturbance.
He was told that Mr.. Notes wife had
been struck by constable. He turned
to Mr.. Nolte and asked did he prefer
such charge, and then he ordered the
people, who by this time were crowded
around, to move off while he attended
to the matter. He was then told By
Mr.. Nolte that Constable Elliott was
the accused man, and the chief arrest
ed the constable himself.
In the meantime the crowd was get
ting larger and more excited. The de-
monstrations which were at first con-
fined to mutteriDgs Of vengeance
against a man who would do such a
deed as that of which the constable was
charged. began to be more openly and
loudly expressed. The bitterest Ian
guage was begun now to be heard.
There was Al excited croWdlng OF the
people towards the door Of the grocery
where the chief of police and his pris-
oner were.
At this time the fire squsd Of the po-
lice department was ordered out to
clear the street and the sidewalks, and
subsequently they were reinforced by
half dozen other policemen. Inc
crowd was IN very excited condition
and held their ground or only gave
way temporarily before the officers
long after Constable Elliott had been
conducted to the Guard House by
Chief Martin. At the Guard House
Constable Elliott remained for some
hours until Trial Justice Milan could
be sent for. The case will probably
come up in that Court today.
A reporter called upon Mr.. Nolte
and asked for a statement regarding
the incidents of the raid. Mr.. Nolte
said: II was not at home when the
raid took place. When l got there /
found Elliott and six uc GiG1a spies
around my place. My VIE pointed
out Elliott as the man who had struck
her. 7 would have shot him, but l did
not have my pistol with ne. AS soon
as l heard the spies we're at my place l
sent for Mr.. Legare, Who is my la~yer,
for advice. He got there just as Chief
Martin ard Lieut.. FoTdnam arrived
and demanded tt2t Elliott and the 9th
er spies be arrested, Nearly two hun
dred Of 10Y friebGs were pressl :, but
we diG not see fit to use force. Is this
law to compel US to stand ldlv by ecd
see our homes raided and our families
assaulted?"
A rel orter saw Constable Elliott at
the Station House and asked him how
the disturbance had arisen. He said
be was passing Mr.. Notes place and a
negro said to him be had better raidslt.
He said be would md went in. Mrs.
Nolte met him AID told him there was
no liquor in there, and that he could
not goin. H. replied that be was an
cffcer IN the discharge of bis duty, and
passed by her. He said that he never
dr. amt 6 Of such q thing as striking
woman, and he believed that anyone
Wbu knew him would aceuit him of
such charge.
II was impossible to see Mrs. Nolte
personally, but general outline Of her
staten ert n regard 10 the raid was OBJ
tsiued from what she is repoTte 70
have said when charges were lodged
against Constable Elliott. After he
was taken 10 the Station Nrs. Nol;e
and her husband came to prefer char
ees against him. 1t is reported that
MIS-. Nolte said that Constable Elliott
came into the grocery and wanted to
search the place. She told him that no
LIQUOR was kept or concealed on the
premises, and objected to lis going any
further, and that it was then that the
constable struck her and passed On to
complete the raid. The raid took place
at about o'clock in the afternoon, but
it was several hours before the last Of