Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1896-10-24
A,xrx SO October 18th.

sccnsed of the crime which stancs /
T;thout parallel in its cruelty ana c
Uantonness, are men of family, lnhu- Z
Snce and property. DR.. W b. AcAer-
man is a young doctor, the son Vi q
Methodist preacher. Frank brant'
Woman Kiers and Frank Jenny are, or
were before mourning the expense Oh
this defense, prosperous farmers OF
Rarnyvel county They are accused OF
crossing into ColletOn county one
night last fall and whipping two col
ored persons to death, mother anu
her son. The story OF the CRIME is
briefly told;
THE ALLEGED CHARGE.
In the latter part OF NovemoSr 1ooo'
ST MichmPs church in Barnweu couh,
tv. was broken into and blOle anu
one or two pieces of church Iurniture
we're stolen. There was no clue 10 Inc
t,';af mt several IsVvless acts had been
recentlv committed in the neignDor-
hood and Isham Kearse was suspect
cd so although there was no oVner
evidence against him han general Ils- |
trnst. the theft of the church property
was charged TO him. 80
Kearse was young coloreo man VI
a roving disposition who soughe uo
regular employ ment, shu IL 10 Po.1r
BILE that his living was not honesty
made. For sometime after the rOD-
49, he aid NOT appear in the neigbor-
bood INIT about the fret day OF Sep
tember news was received that ne was
at his mothers house in Colleton coun
tv.a few miles over the Barnwen line
THE CRIME COMMITTED.
According to the evidence given at
the inquest, on the night of December
, four men from BarnwelI rode across
into Colleton county, and getting TWO
t,olleton citizens to join them, pro-
ceeded to the home OF old Hannah
Walker. Isham was intercepted Just
as he came out of the door: he was
halted. his hands securely tied with a
rope. which was passed around MS
Dack and then fastened to the back /
a buggy occupied 10y one OF the party
which was started at rapid pace 70
Broxton's bridge, about two miles
sway.
DRAGGED BY HIS NECK.
The unfortunate man was several
times jerked of his feet ana dragged
over the road by mis- neck.
BEFORE reaching Brox toms bridge
two of the men returned to the house
for the mother and wife of kearse, tn,
latter a I7-year-Old woman with
months old baby. Those in charge o
a. aaan awaited the coming OF tn
women at The bridge. When the.
came up, they were interrogatet
about the theft from st. Michael
church. Isham denied il, and TIT
women persisted in declaring their ig
norance of the thief.
FIRNDs oUrDoNE.
The three were then stripped of thei
elothing and the men began beatin
+ha;r ma ed bodies with buggy traces
Tcko IL haucra
them TO shoot him. He finally fell ur
conscious. The old woman, seizin
the onportunitY when her torturel
we're less vigilant. dashed away int
tha woods. Rosa Kearse, the wife of Ii
ham Law where she was until morning
when she made her way home, too tel
ror stricken TO mention the events
The night TO the authorities. The part
AT whippers made lire near lshal
Kaarse and then went away. 1t WI
-rsneraily known in the neighborhoC
9hat Kearse and his mother had bee
made away with, but 1t was two da.
lstar before search was made for the
bodies.
A PITIABLR POSITION.
That If the man was found where
had fallen. in a crouching attitud
resting on his knees and hands al
face. Ia 1900, ....
followed in the mud of the swamp, al
She was discovered laying face dov
with outstretched arms in water fe
inches deep. She was naked, with E
aocention of a string around her nee
That evening Trial Justice A. q. Wa
AZ summoned "A jury of inquest a
oroceeded to the scene OF the Grim
There was one colored man on the jur
THE old woman had string aroul
bar neck and a small piece of clio
around her waist. The evidence Civ
nv colored people was that while Fra
HERS. a white man from ColIeton, W
n the marty that committed the OF
RAGS. he had implored them to desl
from whipping the negroes.
CONFESSED THB CRIME.
u;ars acknowledged being presel
lilac the story of the whipping a.
@ivinS the names of DIR. Ackerma
G1a,,ne1 Folk and Brant as in the par
that came over the line from bsrh"s
o. that evidence the jury rendered
Ol 49,. against the Barnwel men.
S v erave - as dug in the swan
"a me two bodies put into 1t. 1t "
aoorted that the woman had be
I.nu-ned. so. ten days later, at the
stence of the solicitor, two docto
,';tb detective NewbOld, all heaV
armed, drove thirty miles across =
oonDtrv. and at midnight exhum
tbe bodies and held post-mortem.
DAMAGING TESTIMONY.
mLa;~ testimony was given
,,yI4o-toro when the defendants we
tr;ad for the murder of Hanna Kear
80 vas to the effect that the WON
Lad died of the shock there Delng
water in her lungs ana two-Ihlros
the body's surface Oellg Oruiseo'
aasb having been crushed.
~ Stete first indicted the defen
ts for the murder of the wom'
tbst heing considered the least conc
InaU 80 and it was. perhaps, desil
slVe 80 H. temper of the Col etOn
% When the case came TO trial
- evident that the sentiment agar
nviction in the predominant cl
was powerful
DEPIoRABLE CONDITION
u1.ts we're made against the pl
IN 2,s,,,r testified for the State, q
lie of Solicitor Belhnger be
the ny in danger, the presid
Sons. o secretly instructed an arm
Su9tv to keep near the person OF
Stdta,s prosecutor. Newspaper II
10 attended the trial were una
700 to be in danger, IL Delhg
t tnat town. The detective who had
t tn;ne d" evidence for the prosecut
ait,ocred on the streets ofthe to
% "os " night during the trial Those ,e9S
ono .-s,,,nnitV who was favorable
the c .nt;nn remained mum. Local phi
c cians refused 60 give their opinion
the e" stand. SO it was manifest d
public sentiment STOOD
THE ONLY EYEWITNESS