The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1894-04-19
THE DARLINGTON PASTOR.
The Darlington Baptist Minister Tells
the Story of the Riot.

but the brotherhood may very nat
urallv be desirous of hearing some
thing from one who occupies my po-
sition here.
In your judicious editorial of this
week YOU touch the cause Of our ca
lamitv. 1t was not the law, but The
method and the men employed in the
administration of the law, that eX-
cited the animositv of our people: and
it seems clear that the criminal folly
and passion of..an officer to be dan
gerously lacking in self-control, struck
The spark that caused the contlagratlen
here. Our people had recently been
stirred to great Indignation by the
wantos search of an old lady's trunk.
| This was utterly without excuse, and
done in a spirit Of bravado. They
suspected when an increase of the con-
stabularv force was made without any
manifest necessity, that some usual
procedures were intended, and the
mere rumor that it was the intention
Of the constabIes to search private
houses was enough to put the endur-
ance of an.e1cited community on Sc
we're tension. Prudent counsels held
our people back from interference.
And these selected officers of most
difficult and delicate service, allowed
themselves to be drawn into per-
sonal quarrel between two youths,
| lust at their leaving town. The en-
| tire truth of the said affair will never
be known, but responsibility for pre-
| cipitating the fatal affray cannot be
lifted from the man who, with bitter
curses and vile epithets, called ou;:
:Let 'er roll" and fired.
The sequel-a whole community
maddened sver the death of two citi-
zens-one Of them one of the most
popular young men in it, and pur-
suing the fleeing murdcrers,-that
SEQUEL, might have been written be-
fore the fatal shot. 1t was sure TO
follow.
One of the constables left on the
ground was not dead, really he was
not seriously hurt, but lay feigning
| death when I arrived on the scene. 1t
was suspected that he was not dead.
Men, sobbing with grief over the form
of their friend, Frank Normcnt, were
threatening to shoot this man who
killed him. Norment's father and
others restrained them with difficulty,
and the man was removed from the
view of the crowd.
Such was the bitter feeling Of many
towards this man that at the request
of the sheriff I rode with him under
| the protection of a guard Of soldiers
to the Jail. And after he was safely
lodged in jail, I exerted myself per-
sonally along with some others to pre-
vent the lynching that seemed to te
imminent, taking q message to men
most determined upon the horrible
deed from their murdered friends
mother and wife, begging them to do
no violence to him.
| And now submit, that when after
unusual exertions of this sort had
been hardly enough to prevent the
lynchins of McClendon, the taunt,
siwhy didn't they lynch the man whe
they claim originated the trouble and
whom they had in their power
sounds passing strange:
svn Mnasddi had aet5ssfe tHats ssaTposs:asrsllo6.
And it has ever since continued to be
normally quiet, but it is impossible to
express or adequately suggest the
deep, burning indignation of our peo-
pie, that this community has been
subjected to such an experience Of
humiliation, misrepresentation, muir
der and official wrath The coming
Of troops, welcomed by us: their COM
mander's declarations as to the lack
of necessity here for there presence;
the verdict Of coroner's jury, and that
of the military council, supporting
our contention that the catastrophe
was caused by the constables; the
final departure of troops, are all too
well known TO be recited here.
Let me say, that the killing Of 4
negro man on the 3rd by stranger
here is regarded by our people with
deserved Indignation. 1t had no con-
nection with the affair of March S0th.
If the fatal and deplorable occur
rences, Of which I have tried to write
with moderation and with pains tax
ing accuracy, and the consequent con-
vulsien of society throshout the State
shall cause the changes in the present
methods and personnel Of the admins
tration OF the dispensary law, that arc
imperativc:y demanded for the sake
of the peace and welfare Of our whole
people: and shall produce radical
revision of the law so as to satisfy the
moral sense of on" people, or shall
cause the total obliteration of the law
because Of its impracticable nature,
thhen some little compensation will be
gained for the heavy cost of death
and social disorder we have suffered.
JOIN Stout.
EOw'S This,