The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-01-01
WORSE THAN SAVAGE.
DETECTIVE NEWBoLD TELLS THE
INHUMAN STORY Of A LYNcHING.

INHUMAN STORY OF A LYNcHlNG.
Previous Reports Pale Into Insignifoance
in View OF the Later Faets-.A Blot on
Our Civilization Which Should be Speed
lily Wiped Out.
COLUMBIA, s. G., Dec. 24,-State De-
tective Newbold, who was recently de-
tailed to investigate the Colleton
lynching, was in the city Yesterday.
Although the public has been given q
general idea of the enormity of the
crime, there are many narrowing de-
tails that have not been published.
In the first place, the detective says
that he can find absolutely no motive
for the outrage. The negro Isom
Kearse had been charged with burgla-
ry. but had been acquitted by white
jury. He says that Kearse was as
black as black could be, and was a
young negro about 19 years old, one
of the finest specimens of physical
manhood he had ever seen. ~
Some time ago a negro walking
along the road near the scene of the
lynching cursed and insulted white
woman who was in field beside the
road. It has been given out that
Kearse was the man who did 1t, but
Detective Newbold says the woman
testifes herself that the negro was q
tall, slim, gingercake colored man,
which is almost directly opposite the
description of Kearse. The negro who
insulted this woman was supposed to
be the one who stole the bible from
st. Nicholas Church. The detective
has other facts which will be brought
out on trial to show that Kearse was
in no way implicated in either ofense;
that there was absolutely no charge
against his mother, who was also
beaten to death, or against his wife,
who, though fayed alive, still lives.
According to the facts ascertained
by the detectives the act was one that
even the most inhuman savage would
have hesitated to commit. The party
consisted of eight men. They went to
the Kearse's house at night, took the
man, his mother and his wife out to
the woods near by. They were armed
with two brand new buggy traces.
They built a fire and them stripped
their victims, each one of whom plead
ed most piteously for mercy, but they
might as well have prayed to stone
wall. Before whipping the negroes
one of the lynchers took some whiskey,
poured something in it and compelled
the negroes to drink. They then laid
upon their naked bodies hundreds up
on hundreds of blows with the traces.
each one of which brought blood and
laid the flesh bare. Some opiate had
been given the negroes in order that
in a short while that they might fall
asleep and their cries be hushed. The
only survivor, the wife of Kearse,
says that they first beat her husband.
His piteous cries were loud at first
but soon the strong opiates got in their
work and his yells ceased, but the
lashes went on Just the same.
Next the old mother was given tho
sleeping potion and the lashes were
laid on her back, and in fact, all over
her body. Not a sound spot was on
her body, but the opiate did not take
effect at once. After beating her to
their bloodthirsty and fiendish hearts
content they let her run away. She
went into the swamp, running through
three feet of water at times, until, still
running, death came to her relief,
and she fell dead in water but few
inches deep. -
The same savagery was displayed In
whipping Kearse's wife, who lay be-
side the fire in frontof her, now dead.
Notwithstanding the awful and ago:
nizing lashing laid upon her, she did
not die. But she fell unconscious and
no doubt the devils thought she was
dead. They left her lying naked on
the ground, but after while, she
knows not how long, she revived and
managed to get back home. -.
Detective Newbold had the bodies
exhumed last week. They were In q
fine state of preservation, having been
practically frozen before burial. He
had physicians to examine them and
he says there was not a sound spot on
their bodies. The flesh had been beat
en- into a pulp, and so deep were some
of the cuts made by the buggy traces
that some of the vitals were affected,
and the physicians gave it as their de-
iberate opinion, that the whipping
alone was sufficient to cause death.
Their stomachs were sent to Char
lesion for analysis to discover what
poison was administered, but no re-
port as to the result has been made.
Kearse's wife, who survived, as If BY
a miracle, is one mass of deep, bloody
gashes from her head to her feet. One
of the men named HERS has confess
ed, but it is understood that the others
will plead an alibi when the case
comes to trial in the third week OF
January. :,
Detective Newbold says that in all
his experience he never has seen more
inhuman cruelty and savagery perpe-
trated, and he can find no reason
whatever why these negro IS should
have been killed. His report makes
this crime one of the foulest blots on
our civilization, and all good citizens
of that section and of the whole State
will rejoice to see the perpetrators,
some of whom boasted of their acts,
brought to a richly merited punish
ment.-Register.
Passed Without Dissent.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20.-The Unit
ed States Senate, by an unanimous
yoto ond witho,t the formality of q