The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-02-25
TRIAL OF THE COllETON lYNCHERS.

TRIAL OF THE COLLETON LYNCHERS.
The Awful Revelation Of Brutaiy in Wni
Men--The Negroes Thrown Into Or
Grave--Suono Testimony Aserns, the A;
cused.
The tria.sof the parties charged wit
bridge, inColieton County, which too
place on the 2ud OF December, 1885,
was begun at Walterboro on Thursday
when Dir. W.. B. Ackerman, FranI
Jenney, Frank Brant and WymaI
kearse were arraigned for the murdo
OF Hannah Walker, colorcd.
The full story OF the lynching wa
told In these columns soon after the
occurrence. A negro named Isham
Kearse was accused of breaking int
a church in Barnwell County, from
| which Bible was stolen, and he was
suspected of graver crimes. Some
men went in search Of him, and he wa,
found just acr6ss the line in Collector
County, lere ms pothgf lived: He
WAS capturded by the party and along
,"1 VII us other and his wife he E,.t
S4rutaiiy S Grseated, which resulted in the
I1a1n VI ,i1Sham Xearso and his mother,
nnannah '.ieI.n Walker. The shocking details
Mere sivei at the trial last week, which
SoIio SdS pittoensiied iton over by Judge Aldrich.
Stata So,'or Bellinger appeared for the
Sv"Se, anS the, e,prisoners were defended
~. ,>9h ROBBERS ldrich, M. z. Howell
and several menSs>>rs of the local bar.
The first witnessNalled in the trial
of the Broxton Bridge Nynchers was
Malcom Wood, who livel near the
Broxton bridge and saw DR.. hakerman
on the night of the murder at $3.50
o'clock. Ackerman said he was going
to frolic.
George Robertson, colorod, saw Ack.
erman aud Jonny at Woods store, near
Broxton. Two white mon were with
them. They left about $50 and went
towards Broxton.
Will Johnson, colored, saw Acker-
man and another man at Woods store
on the night Of tho murder. They
gether.
Frank Robertson made the same
sworn statement as tho two previous
witnesses, having seen the men at
Woods store.
Jonathan Grant swore to the same
facts.
Three negroes swore they saw four
men at Press Hiers's on the night Of
the murder.
VIM. Folk, white, who had been ar
rested as an accessory to the crime but
afterwards bailcd out, was put on tho
stand. Almost every question put to
him by Bellin2er he declined to an
swer because it might in some way
criminate' him. Bellingcr fired ques-
tion after question at Folk, but in
every instance the witness declined to
answer. He would not saT where he
n trl, . h,
was q long discussion as to whether
Folk should be required to answer,
which was ended by witness declining
under his constitutional rights.
Iom kirkland, colored, sworo that
the crowd in which he recognized
Folk and Hires came to his house the
night Of December End and asked for
Hannah Walker. He saw them later
go to a negro house and get the woman
and Kearse. They were tied with
ropes behind buggy and hurried Off.
He made q clear statement and did
not finch under the cross s-cxamina-
tion.
Solomon Grant saw the men take
Hannah and Kearsc from Seymour's
house. He recognized Ackerman then
and in the dock as bcing in the party.
He denied that he had been bought
During this examination the prison
ers showed little signs of uncasincss.
DIR. AcFcrman was smiling most of the
d9v
The next witness was Rosa Kcarsc,
,hc coiora ttAo escaped with her
ifc from tn fury Of the ,lvnchors. She
s good looking girl, Ii S-nars old,
lulte dark, but with very good features.
She made her answers in q firm, clear
voice, and stood the examination with
,ut contradictions or blunders over
questions. Her hands clenched tig ghtly
rs she told about being stripped and
ashed, but never gaze any other sign
>f emotion. In the examination Rosa
Aearse SAID: II am II years old and
navo an infant months old Isam
kearse was my husband before he was
killed. [ lived at my uncle's. On the
night OF December two men came
md called me out. She recognized
the prisoneos, Ackerman and Frank
Jenny. They asked her about some
books. l told them that knew moth
ing about any books. They said | had
better tell them. They then took me
and tied rope around my neck and
tied me TO their buggy. Then they
started at q trot for the swamp. fell
and dragged ways and then they
held up and went slower"
"When we got to the bridge Frank
Brant, Wyman Kearse, Frank Stan
10y and Press Hires were there. Ac-
herman and Jenny were in the buggy
to which | was tied. Isam Kearse was
there and Hannah Walker They
brought Hannah to the house where
| stayed and carried her to tho bridge
also. They then stripped us naked and
whipped us with two traces from q
buggy. They whipped Isam first
They had lsam and me tied with
ropes around the neck and beat us
with the traces, one holding the rope
and two Others doing the whipping.
Whilc they were whipping Isam | was
tied to q tree. We were all kept
naked and they whipped us all around
and then hogan over again. Frank
Jenny, Ackerman, Brant and Kearse
did the whipping. We didn't know
what the beating was for. They said
it was about some books. While they
beat Us we were naked and it was very
cold. We were whipped standing up
Solicitor: What was said during
the beating ?"
Witness: "We only begged fol
mercy and they replied by cursing us
Isam begged them to shoot him. Blu
they said no, they had rather not
While the men wore beating Isum
again, after bcaaing Hannah Walk
twi ice, shn ran off towards the swan; :
That was the last time ever saw her
She put on enc or two pieces of under
| clothes and ran away. The men asked
whore she was, and | told them sh,
had gone. | have no idea how man.