The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-07-18
AVERY UGLY AFFAIR.
New Way to Prevent q Witness From
Testifying

TestifytnG
COLUMBIA, S. c., July 49, The State
yesterday obtained the details of an
exceedingly ugly affair which occurred
in the upper portion of the State, just
across the line dividing the counties of
Abbeville and Edge6eld, in the first
named county, on Friday night last.
The affair was the outrageous beating
and shooting of negro laborer by 8
mixed mob of white and cOlored men
without any apparent cause other than
that the victim had been summoned to
give testimoney in a case against some
negroes, pending in court. He will
probably die from the effects of the
treatment he received. The facts of
the case were obtained yesterday from
Cap. E. II. Youngblood, a prominent
and reliable gentleman of Edgefield
county, the United States Commission
or in that section, on whose pie 70 the
victim lived.
It appears that the negro, James a.
Nelson, is quiet. well-behaved labor
er upon Capt. Youugblood's place. On
Friday night last, some time after
midnight, several negroes and white
men came tn the negroes house and,
knocking on the door, woke him up.
They told him that their wagon had
broken down ard asked him to come
out and assist them In repairing it. He
got torch and went out with them.
When they got to the road the torch
was knocked from his hand and about
fifty white men and negroes surround.
ed him. They tied him securely and
started him across the line into Able
vile county. They gave no reason for
the seizure. AS the negro was passing
Capt. Youngblood's house he cried out
onoe, but the mob placed pistols at his
head made him keep quiet. They then
dragged him along distance of
about three miles Uatil the Cedar
Creek section, just over the AbbeVille
county line, was reached. There they
proceeded to whip him in a most bru-
tai manner, and finally wound up by
shooting him with shotguns in the
right leg and right side, leaving him
there, evidently expecting him TO die.
The negro MANAGED to secure aid,
however, and got home. Capt. Young
blood says that the mans body is d
mass of cuts, stripes and blisters,
where he was beaten, and that there
are numberless bullet holes In his leg
and side. He is in q precarious condi-
tion.
It seems that In this section Of Edge.
field county there are a number of
white men and negroes Of low class
who have been violating the revenue
laws. Several days before the event
referred to deputy marshal summon
ed the negro as a witness in a case
against another negro. The men who
had been dealing In Illicit liqdSr SUBJ
sequently declared that they would
kill any negro who informed on them,
and it is supposed that they took the
summoning of this negro as witness
to mean that he had informed upon
them, and they consequently wanted
to rid the community of him. Their
idea seemed to be to carry him over
into Abbeville county and let it be
thought that highway robbers in that
county had dealt foully with him. The
negro, however, recognized six men in
the party-fiye white and one colored,
the latter being the man who was un-
der indictment and against whom Mel.
SOC was to have testified. Such are the
facts Of the case.-State.