The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-04
THE MARKED SELF-coNTRoL OF THE
PEOPLE.
How they were Affected by Brutal Re-
mark Of Gov. Tillman-The Meeting to
Protest Against House Raiding.

How they were Affected by Brutal Re-
mark of Gov. TilIman-The Meeting to
Protest Against House Raiding.
Especial to News and Courier.
DARLINGTON, March 31.-The story oi
the great tragedy which was enacted in
Darlington yesterday afternoon has been
told again and again, and yet the half OF
its gravity and horror have not been told.
Here on the ground, niugling with the
men who participated In it, hearing its
details recounted by an hundred tongues
and touching elbows with the brothers
and fathers Of the bereaved or wounded,
one begins to appreciate the magnitude
of the catastrophe which has fallen upon
the people and tie State.
So far as I have been able to see there
has been no violent display Of passion,
certainly not since the hour of the TRACE
dy, but never in my life have I seen a
community so thoroughly aroused aid ami
mated by such determination to seek
redress with their own hands for what
they conceived to be an unparalleled out
rage and such dastardly crime.
rILLMAN's BRUTAL SPEECH.
If there had been an outbreak in the
sense of violent demonstration Of anger
among the people it would have followed
upon the reading of the interview with
Governor Tillman in The News and Cou.
rier this morning, in which he IS reported
as saying that 'honors are easy" mean
ing that his constables had killed as
many citizens as they themselves lost
men. This is uot the time and reporter
IS not the person to comment upon that
| cold-blooded view of tragedy, which
should battle an entire State in tears, In
the language in which it merits.
It can only be said that that assertion
| exercised a powerful influence upon the
temper Of the people of Darlington. The
people felt that the words had been Mt
| tered BY an implacable enemy-one who
| was animated with a spirit of satisfaction
over the fearful catastrophe which had
fallen upon then-and they resented II
accordingly. There were many proml-
lent Ti11manites, some Of whom were
high staff officers and close friends of the
Administration in the town, but no one
| was found to defend or even to excuse
the brutal language which with 1l-timed
fippancy Governor Tillmar chose to fell
| citate himself upon the calamity which
had fallen upon the people.
1t was this possibly which suggested
the often reiterated statement that the
bitterness of the people was directed more
toward Governor Tillman than towards
the coDstab1es, who had been the mere
| instruments in his hands. Even the ami.
mostly which vas caused by this incident
did not break the coo]ness with which the
Darlington people are seeking to redress
the wrong which has been done against
their fellow citizens.
Hundreds of people, many OF them
armed with rifles or shotguns, were col
lected in the public square throughout
the day, but at no time was there the
slightest disturbance. Conversation even
was carried on in hushed voices. The
ouietness was unusual. There was an
unnaturalness about it which suggested
overwrought feelings. It was not the
bustling crowd which gathers IN an up
country town on Saturday, but throns
of citizens actuated by some terrible mo-
| tive.
WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE.
Whatever guilt results from this terri
| Bile days work rests npon the shoulders
of Constable McLendon and Mr.. F. E.
Floyd. Floyd was not probably actuated
by criminal motives, while McLendou
was No one who has heard the tull de-
tails accompanying the beginning OF the
| riot can doubt that the disturbance was
precipitated by McLendon with the de-
liberate purpose of murder. The public
may judge for itself ..
DISPENSER FLoYD's COMPLAINT.
1t is believed by the people of Darling,
ton that the extra force of constaoles was
sent to the town IN consequence OF com
plants which had been told by Dispenser
Floyd. He is the father,..I believe, Of the
Young man who subsequently had the
hght with Rodgers, and he thought to
put an end to the competition to his dis
pensary business by having wholesale
raid made upon the Illicit dealers IN Il
| quor.
NOT MANY BLIND TIGERS.
It does not appear that this business
was carried on to any great extent. Blind
tigers were doubtless in the city, but they
were no more plentiful nor aggressive
than they have been everywhere else In
the State.
A few of the people followed the
constables about and jeered at them occa-
sionally, but there was no open rupture
until Constable McLendon drew his pis-
tol on a citizen, and was subsequently
fined S for it in the police court.
This evidently aroused in him the bit
terest animosity, and from that time on
he became ugly" On more than one
subsequent occasion he was guilty of con-
duct calculated to cause trouble, and that
it was averted so long IS probably due to
the coolness aud vigilance Of Mayor Oar
gan, who from the first has been untiring
in his efforts to preserve the peace.
THE PROTEST AGAINST HOUSE RA1D1Ne.
AS has already been told in the dis
patches from this place, picked body Of
citizens held meeting and organized.
They were calm to degree, and were
guilty of no unbecoming conduct. They
Simply determined that they would not
submit to having the private houses OF
Darlington searched A committee from
them waited on the sheriff of the county,
at whose house the constables were stay
ing. They told him, and, I believe,
Chief Constable Gaillard also, that the
constables might raid every blind tiger
in Darlington and that they would not
raise a hand to prevent It, but that the
moment they attempted to ente: private