The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-12-11
A DOUBLE LYNCHING.
A MOST HORRIBLE AND DISGRACE
Full AFFAIR. .-.-

A MOST HORRIBLE AND DISGRACE
Full AFFAIR. .
A Man and Woman Stripped Naked and
and Beaten to Death in Colleton.--The
Coroner's Jury Charges Four Men With
the Deed.
COLUMBIA, December 5.-The details
of an ugly lynching which occ lrred
in this State last Monday night came
to light to night. It took place in
Colleton County, near the Barnwen
and Hampton lines, and was not
known generally in that vicinity un.
til Wednesday morning, when the
dead bodies of two of the victims
stripped of their clothing were found
one being an old woman. They
had been taken out and beaten to
death with new buggy traces-the
mans offence being that he was s1s-
pected of having stolen a Bible and
some furniture from church, and
the woman's offence being that she
was supposed to know something of it.
Liquor seems to be the only excuse
for the deed, if excuse there can be. y
The affair occurred in Broxton
Township, Colleton County, at Brox-
ton Bridge or ford, as it is frequently
called. Several months ago ST. Mich
olas Church.. in Barnwell County,
was broken open and robbed, Bible
amp some pulpit furniture being taken
away. A young negro named, Isom
Kearse, who disappeared from the
neighborhood about that time, was
suspected of being the thief. He had be
come somewhat notorious for thefts
and had been suspected of burning
store some time ago.
In some way four Barnwell men
had gotten information that he was
at his mothers home, near Broxton
Ford, and they went over there on
Monday night last. These men got
two men from the neighborhood to
assist them, one of them being Frank
HERS. Then they went to Isoms
house. They found him just coming
out of the door. The party took the
negro, put rope around his neck and
tied him behind their buggy. Then
they drove to the ferry, two miles
away, very rapidly. The negro kept
up as long as he could, and it is said
that finally he fell and several times
was dragged along. On the way two
of the party were sent back to get the
negro's aged mother, "Old Mauma
Hannah" and his young wife, a girl
about II years of age, who has a FIVE
months old infant. At the ferry the
party held up and awaited the arrival
of the detail. When the women ar
rived none of the three would or could
tell anything about the church prop
erty. Upon their refusal they were
all stripped naked and beaten with a
new buggy trace, which, it is said was
almost worn out. The man was given
about $50 lashes and fell insensible,
his body being in a terrible condition.
The women were likewise severely
beaten. The men several times plead
ed with his termentors to shoot him.
The old woman broke away and
dashed into the woods. The young
woman did likewise, going in a differ
ent direction. The men built a fire
near the insensible negro. threw his
old coat over him and left.
On Wednesday morning his body
was found where it was left, cold in
death. 1t had been there one night
ard one day. About one hundred
yards away in the swamp, lying in q
pool of water about knee deep, was
found the old woman's body, cold
and stiff. She had fallen face down
ward, with her hands extended. The
young woman managed to find her
way home and is said to be in a criti-
cal condition. She told some of the :
negroes about it Tuesday afternoon,
but they seemed to be afraid to men
ton it. .
Trial Justice A. G. Walker held an
inquest yesterday evening, the bodies
still being where found. The jury,
composed almost entirely of good
white men from the neighborhood,
upon the testimony of HERS, who. it
develops, tried to prevent the deed,
and who gave all the details, has rem
dered verdict charging directly four
prominent men, one physician, with
the crime.