The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-12-26
, Dec. 9, 1895.


less you deem 1t neces-
ate the facts us | stated
then I would prefer that
,tinto one of your editorials,
administer [ wish to keep
Mt as much as possible; anu
the same facts have moro
..n editorial. l leave it cn
your judgment.
.ly wish that l could soften tho
facts. Most of my youth was
mt in THAT community. | have
Oxen bread with the men who did
,neEdeed. Some Of their families have
beIn intimate friends, and-"tell it
not in Cath, - was the pastor of two
Of them Two of them arc connected
by marriage with my own homo people.
I could not, would not, misrcpresen:
them. Gladly would l hear any rcal
yindication they could bring.
Let me give again the simple facts.
Isham Kearsc was q man Of bad rcputa-
tion; he had many things laid to his
chargo-guilty, doubtless in some; ; ~
soapegoat in others.
As to &his attempt at rape, [ know
nothing.aEl first heard it mentioned
after the murder. He broke into
Folks storeiand stole some goods, 80 [
have been told. Afterwards the store
~
Sproof, was also laid to his charge. He
became a kind of'pariah even his own
color Stunned him Two wore stead
4 fast, EShis martyrcd mother and his
bruised and Beaten wife. He lurkcd
= in the woods, poor, hunted semi-sav-
age, and his mother and wife stcalthily
conveyed him food.
Mr.. HERS and others in the neigh
borhood lost some hogs. This was
also added to tho long sum already
cast sup against him. They found out
where Isham stayed, and sent word to
parties in BarnWell.
Once before an organized party had
come over, hunting him. Such was
their mood that my step-brother said
even If he knew his hiding place he
would not inform them.
On that eventful Monday night the
four men named in the corOner's ver-
dict came over on still hunt for this
OutcaSt In the Same crowd was Frank
Stanley, clerk at Folks store, who
lost his clothes when the store burned
down; Mr.. Preston HERS and Mr.
Jake Folk wore also with them when
the negro was taken. They wanted
him out OF the community, but did not
seek his death. They tied q rope
around his neck and roughly dragged
Folk soon left them and returned to
his home.
! y The avowed purpose of the party
was to recover the stolen Bible and to
punish Isham for the theft. On the
way it was suggested that his mother
could toll where the Bible was. The
gang then divided, part going after
Isham's wife and mother, and part
moving on with the doomed man until
they reached the old spring, near the
river ford.
There they waited until their ac-
completes came with the helpless,
trembling women. Out from under
the spreading branches of the great
swamps until they reached an open
place, partly enclosed by sand bat
terry, erected in war times to command
the passage over BroXton bridge.
Here the victims were stripped and
10 brutal beating inflicted. Again
10 svowod object was the discovery of
o stolen Bible. In vain did Mr..
crs entreat. the negro to confess,
.ying he would be killed If he did not.
n vain did he beg the rest to stop
their cruel work. The heavy trace,
ike sounding -hail, rose and fell with
ickening thud on the quivering
/. On zeal 6&rS Qlu his CFle5 IOf
fall, and to hearts hot with
and inflamed with drink did his
.ls vainly come that his sufferings
the ended by death. Only when
TX, mangled and unconscious, did
lesist Then, as If fhalf-mocking,
elenting, they built q fire by him,
over him his CID coat, and left
.aten wife to watch by his side
the long hours of that cold De-
rnight. He never spoke. When
gave surcease to his pains only
erciful, all-seeing God knows.
sealed his own lips and mado
her dumb as to the stolen Biblo
ret yet unlocked.
tho whiskey which thoy say
4nk, it was told mo that he was
/ to drink it by the ones that
!. him. His old mother, beaten
cruelty, hurried in q aazed way
o scene of horror. Traced by
''uts and pieces Of her clothes,
@ had made q small circle |
sold Ford Field" back
}; and there in o small
'-nee-deep, they found |
glare OF pine
death--her |
arms
aless !,
20 ,