The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1898-11-17

is correct.
80.
Notary Public.
......... 20 W,
Nov. Sth, 1898.
Etheredse demanded Of Tolbert his
right to carry on such O side election,
beng closely followed by Cheatham
and several young men. Tolbert struck
Ethridge in the face, and at about the
same time some one dealt him hor-
rible blow with an iron rod. Almost at
the same instance n pistol was fired,
and Etheredge fell dead with bullet
hole in the centre of lis forehead Then
there was excitement and fury amount
ing almost to distraction, and rapid
and seemingly indiscriminate firing
commenced By the time the men up.
stars at the boxes got down, Tolbert
aud all the negroes present scattered
aud got away. Those who did the firing
were mainly young men, and their ann
was bad Tolbert was the only man,
it seems, who was seriously hurt.
Several negroes were hit, but the
wounds were not sufficient to stop the
fight of anyone.
TWENTY-FIVE man had been refused
the privilege of voting when the killing
took place, two being white Democrats.
Eighteen negroes had deposited in
Tolbert's box, the certificate being
copied.
The news was quickly telephoned to
Greenwood and all other points In
reach. Armed men Immediately start
ed for Phoenix Over 100 fully armed
men, embracing many of the level
headed and best citizens of the city,
went down.
A company formed in Greenwood to
peaceably stralghten affaras, went to
Piney Grove Church, and met 300 men
resting, guarding several negroes.
They went to the Harris place and
found it apparently deserted. They
entered and found Jno. Tolbert in q
dying condition, with only his sister
present. They secured the woods for
band of negroes, but found none.
The party returned by Rohobeth
church, four miles from Phoenix. A
crowd of 300 men with eight negroes
commercially quiet, were soon aroused.
They took one negro to the road and
fred 100 shots into him. Four negroes
escaped and left three on log, who
were Immediately butchered. Three
hundred shots were fired at them.
Four negroes were lvnced near Phoe
that they were implicated in the shoot
ing of the white men. About 100
white men participated in the lynching
and there was no attempt at disguise
or concealment. The efforts that have
been made to prevent bloodshed have
been of no avail Public sentiment IN
Greenwood unanimously endorses the
lynching.
Behind this death and trouble there
is black story. For two or three weeks
past Tom Tolbert and r. p Henderson,
a young white mau heretofore esteemed
in this section, have been holding
meetings with the negroes-sometimes
at weird places and unholy hours. A
party of young men attempted to To-
cate these meetings to break them up.
but the meetings were always held and
the participants gone before they could
be definitely located. At one meeting
at Damascus, R. P. Henderson made
an incendiary speech, telling the
negroes that Greenwood county was
theirs, that Phoenix and Ninety-Six
would be carried by the Republicans.
This was "nigger news" but events
show that it was real news.
Henderson is a relative of the Toll
berts and had become seized with am
bition to hold Office. He was about to
be appointed postmaster at Edgefield
and had promised to appoint negro,