The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-08-11
NEGROES HEARD
By Governor Enerbe ON the Subject of
L%ynchinH.

Governor Ellerbe took occasion to
very plainly state his position in re.
gard 10 mob violence Tuesday. About
noon the committee of negroes ap.
pointed by the mass meeting held the
evening before to wait On him called
at his Office. They presented to him
the paper they had been instructed to
lay before him. The governor listened
attentively to the reading of the docu-
ment. The committee consisted Of the
Rev. B. W. Baylor, O. f. Holmes, II.
E Lindsay and E. B. Thompson. The
paper was read to the governor by
Lindsay as follows:
To His Excellency, the Governor Of
South Carolina:
As chief executive Of our govern
ment we realize most forcibly you are
in a position to render much relief to
a much abused portion of u citizen
ship, and in consequence of the con.
tinual reign of moo violencs we are
forced to call upon you to exercise all
law within your power to suppress
this growing evil.
That the colored citizens are chie fly
the victims of these outrageous prac.
tees, cannot be denied: the habit OF
lynching negroes for the usual crime
has led to the taking of lie by mobs
for small offences, such as petty lar,
ceny, fighting, shooting or insulting,
etc.
We would not have you believe that
we do not discountenancs all crime,
for there are among us thousands who
are 8 as sincere in support of law
and order as any citizens. W. forever
condemn mobs in a civilized country
with established courts and laws. We
look upon the matter as did your pre-.
decessor, the Hon. B. r. Tillman, who
said in his inaugural address in 1890
that he did not see the use of mobs
when the judges are white, jurors
white, sheritfs white and jailers white,
there was no earthly chance for a ne
gro who was guilty to escape.
We felt much pleased at the efforts
put forth by the members of the Con-
stitutional convention in passing the
antilynch laws; We thought the effects
would have been to prevent the recur.
rences of such acts, but to our sad sur
prise we have witnessed a reckless dis
regard of these laws BY mobs.
W. feel that you are in q position
to crown your administration with
lasting impressions and we appeal to
you in the name OF humanity, justice,
the sacred laws of our State and in
the name of the six or seven hundred
thousand colored citizens of our State
to uphold the law and suppress the
la wless acts of The mobs.
W. commend your act in making
an effort to remove the victim, Gray,
from Laurens to the State penitentia.
ry, and regret very much that your
efforts were not successful. But we
hope you will make some strong eff.
forts to overLake the lynchers and
vindicate the law. We also hope that
if the negro Chris Harris is overtaken
you will afford sufficient protection to
secure him from violence. We feel
that this appeal is but a legitimate and
lawful way of bringing to your atten'
ton the distressed condition of the
negro citizens of the State, with the
hope that the evils may be checked
and the disastrous consequences Of the
continuance of such practices averted.
Trusting that you will do all in your
power to correct these existing evils,
we will ever pray, etc.
When the paper had been read, Gov.
ernor Ellerbe proceeded to state to the
committee that when it was thought
that Harris had been captured at Ben
ne!tsville he had promptly taken such
steps as would have prevented the
possibility of a lynching. Governor
Ellerbe then stated to the committee
that he was very much opposed to
lynching and said further: "And as
long as I am governor I am going to
do all I can to suppress it. I am going
to do everything possible to put a stop
to lynching."
As the governor concluded, Baylor
rose, and after thanking the governor
for the courteous hearing given the
committee, said they would have the
governor to understand that they were
as much opposed to the usual crime
for which Iynching was resorted to as
any race of people upon the face OF
the earth. But" said he, I'VE have
a law, and by that law the men who
are guilty of such crimes should die.
| We, as law.abiding citiz sns and lead,
ers have advised our people not to re-
sort to any other means than those Of
fered by the law, and to appeal to the
governors of the several states to see
that those laws are carried out"
This ended the hearing.