The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-11-16

toi FSaI-
Previous to the day of election be,
together with another Tulbert, and
/ nephew banned Henderson, had
been holding secret meetings with
the negroes at weird places and
hours, at which irh .matory speech.
es were made and the negroes in
cited against the whites. On the
day cf election, at the Phoenix pre-
cinct, iu Greenwood county, the cleo
tion was being held in Watson S
store and on the upper piazza Of
which Tolbert was conducting a side
election, having private ballot box
in which were deposited certificates
of negroes who had been refused to
be allowed to vote, not having CON-
piled with the registration laws Of
the State. Tolbert was guarded by
strapping negro named Circuit, who
had on more than one occasion been
very insolent and insulting to the
whites. A young white man named
Etheredge, walked up to Tolbert and
demonstrated with him on account of
his unusual proceedings. For answer
.Tolbert struck Etheredge terrible
blow in the face, which was not :s-
turned. He was struck by some un-
known party fearful blow on the
head with an iron bar, which was of
itself sufi .ient to cause death, i'm
mediately after pistol shot rang
out and E.heredge lay corpse upon
the floor with hole in the center of
bis forehead. The firing then be-
came general and during the con-
fusion and excitement the Tolberts
and Circuit made their escape. The
whites were determined to have
vengence and what followed is told
in the account published below:
Specia. to the State.
Greenwood, NV. 1O.-Two more
negroes were killed in this county
today. This morning the crowd
which started from Phoenix met
near Rshobo.h church, the scene of
yesterdays lynching, Essex Harri-
son, a negro who was in the Tues
day fight when Mr.. Etheredge was
killed was halted and his heart
was shot out. He was thrown
on the pile Of four negroes lying in
front of the church who were lynched
yesterday. Their bodies still lie
there horribly shot and frequent
showers are falling to make matters
worse. Coroner Dean went down to
hold the inquest today. He met a
crowd, who did not modest him, and,
after some little threatening and par
leying, with some difficulty secured a
jury. The verdict mentioned the
customary unknown parties as re-
sponsible. Coroner Dean says the
bodies will be buried tomorrow.
1t is reliably understood that two
other negroes shot yesterday are
lying in the woods nearby. No in
quest held over these.
Later in the day party found
Ben Collins. another negro in the
Tuesdays fight when Etheredge was
killed. C)llins was on the place of
W. H S5allworth, Sr., and he was
promptly killed and left there.
Rhett R. Tolbert took the Green
vile and Columbia up train at Don
AIDS, dodging crowd looking for
him. He has gone to Washington.
Thomas Tolbert has been moved
to Abbe7ille. He will likely die
from wounds. Rhett Tolbert's fam
lily is at Due West. jim Tolbert,
whose wife is postmistress at McCor-
mick, has left on demand of citizens.
1915 p. m-The inquest over
Etheredge will be completed tomor-
row, he having been buried yester-
day. The two negroes killed today
are known to have been in the fight
when Etheredge was killed. Ben
Collins emptied his pistol at that
time, say eye witnesses. The white
men have lists Of all negroes impli-
Gated by crossed wire. I caught
telephone message tonight from
Kirksey's to Phoenix saying men
would leave Ki.ksey's for Phoenix
tomorrow and that the negroes shop'aa-
be killed j. d.
THE PRECEDING MIG HT.
Specialto to the State.
Greenwood, NV. 10.-Phoeni1 is
still the centre of excitement. When
I left there at 9:l5 o'clock a. M, a
hundred white men fully armed and
mounted were gathered ready to
start Some favored poino below