Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1898-11-17
T0LBERT'S TALE TOO THIN.
The Greenville News Correspondent
Tells the Facts.


inee for Congress in the Third Dis
triot of this State, brother of Thos
p. Tolbert, who was shot at Phoenix
Greenwood County, on Tuesday
passed through Greenville yesterday
seeking safety. In an interview with
representative of The Greenville
News he told his side of the story Of
the Greenwood riots and bloodshed.
Mr.. Tolbert is the son of John r
Tolbert, of Abbeville, who is the
Collector of the port of Charleston
by appointment of President McIIin.
Icy. The Tolberts have been the
leading Republicans in upper South
Carolina ever since the war and have
been the most formidable opponents
the Democrats of this section have
encountered. John r. Tolbert is a
man of good education and position
He is a graduate Of the South Caro-
lima College and was gallant Con-
federate soldier.
His courage is beyond question,
and, like the other members of his
family, he is prosperous, large far.
farmer and land owner. Politically
he has always been aggressive. In
1876 when so many white Republi-
cans "crossed Jordan" and identified
themselves with their race against
negro supremacy he was one of the
few who stuck to his party. He was
candidate for Superintendent of edu-
cation on the Republican ticket with
Daniel II. Chamberlain and fought
to the last. He has continued the
fight ever since, and with his sons as
they grew up, has constituted the
only strong Republican force above
Columbia for the last twenty years.
He has four sons-Thomas p, who
is about forty years old, and who
was shot at Phoenix; r. r., or
"Red," the nominee for Congress !;
Thomas N, who was postmaster at
Abbeville, and lives there, is popu-
lar among all classes and parties, and
Joe Elias Tolbert is the brother of
John r., and has never been promi-
nent, politically or otherwise.
"Red" Tolbert came here yester-
day on the Columbia and Grcenville
up train, which he boarded at Don
AIDS, Abbeville county. Conductor
Hughes, who was in charge Of the
train, knows Tolbert we'll and also
knows the sentiment along the line
of the road. There was small
gathering of white men at Donald's
when the train left and Capt. Hughes
thinks there would have been trouble
there in a few minutes more, al
though Mr.. Tolbert said he thought
the men there had assembled simply
to see him and intended no harm to
him. Captain Hughes, however,
warned his passengers that notice
that he was on the train would prob
ably be sent ahead of him. Mr.. Tol-
bort telegraphed Sheriff Gilreath
here to meet him at the train and
protect him.
The sheriff met the train. Mr..
Tolbert was among the last passcn-
gers to leave the first class coach
He is tall, well built, neatly dressed,
intelligent looking man with a dark
red moustache and small beard and
wore black waterproof coat. lie
carried heavy overcoat over his arm
and large and small valise and
one or two bundles. The small va
lise, from its appearance, contained
one or two revolvers and Tolbcrt
seemed anxious to keep it close to
his hand. He was in a condition of
intense but suppressed excitement.
The Greenvillc News had been
notified by wire from Donald's that
Tolbert was on the train and rep
resentative of this newspaper met
%im. With the sheriff and reporter
the fugitive came from the West
Greenville depot to the Mansion
House. A dozen times on the way
Tolbert broke out, breathlessIy, "Good
God Almighty! And this is what they
call white supremacy" Every time
he began to talk ho became almost
hysterical in his excited declarations.
He repeated, "I'm no coward. Every
man in this town and ali the soldiers
here couldn't scare mo-" Sheriff
Gilreath, in soothing voice, warned
him to keep quiet and cool.--Grcen-
Vile News, November II.
In his interview printed in The
Greenville News yesterday, "Red"
Tolbert, who passed through Green
Vile on his way to Washington, made
several misstatements regarding the
trouble at Phoenix, but the most