The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-04-26
FIVE SAY GUILTY, SEVEN SAY NA /.
MISTRIAL.

which number of Williamsburg cit
izens were charged with the murder
of Post Master Baker and the burn
ing of tie post Office at Lake City on
the night of 2lst day of February
1898, resulted in mistrial. The jury
stood FIVE for conviction and seven for
acouittal. Not siuce the days OF tue
political trials has there been so much
interest taken in the proceedings OF
the federal courts; every part of the
State was watching the trial and the
testimony as published by the News
and Courier was greedily read. Opin-
ions differ as to the guilt OF the ac-
cused, many are there who refuse to
place any credence in the evidence OF
the governments main witnesses,
while there are some who believe that
Newham, although a self confessed
william, did have bis testimony backed
up by strong circumstantial and cor
roborative proof. We doubt II there
ever was a case more strongly pre-
sented. The government had the
very best legal talent employed TO
aid its own appointed officer, and the
they all did their full duty can not
be gainsaid. The questioning OF the
defence and the arguments to the jury
by the governments representatives,
together with the Judges charge
prove conclusively that nothing was
left undone to bring the guilty to JUS
tice. Judge Brawley's charge was
one Of the grandest we have ever read.
He very properly rebuked the drag
ging in Of politics and race prejudice
into the case, and he also expressed
his disapproval Of tue governments
course in thrusting an obnoxious per-
son upon a community, and made 1t
plain that the appointive power can
not escape censure for the outrage
perpetrated upon Lake City by the
appointment Of an offensive negro to
the postmastership. All that could
be done, was done to convince the
jury that the parties on t1ial were
guilty of crime, not only horrible,
but one of the most blood curdling
that has ever happened in the history
OF the State. The testimony for the
government was stroDg,notwithstand-
ingits being hampered with witness,
whom every body believes testified
for what he could make out Of the
case. In other words he was regard
ed a man who would sell the life Of
another for money, and in our opln-
ion, had the defence relied more
strongly upon the prejudice that
Newham's villiany produced, shan
they did upon the alibis picked up
in the woods and around the fish
ponds; the defaced, changed or erased
court records, and private account
books, and the unnatural story of sit
ting up with another mans sick wife,
they would today be at their homes
free and forever clear of the crime
charged, as far as an earthly court is
concerned. The lawyers for the de-
fence put up a good strong fight, but
thv defendants in their zeal to secure
their freedom failed to convince TIE
entire jury Of their innocence and 30
result is that the whole thing will
have to be done over again.
Who killed Baker is what the gov
erDment wants to know, and what it
proposes to find out; it does not want
to punish an innocent man, this is
clear from the fact, that as soon as it
failed to show proof against some Of
the prisoners, such were discharged.
We differ with our esteemed contem-
porary the Charleston News aud
Courier OF last Monday, when it said:
"The only thing that stood between
them and toe punishment provided by
law was political and race prejudice.
1t is true, why not say so?' Because
seven men on that jury did not look
at the evidence as did the News and
Courier is no just ground for the be-
lief that it was political and race
prejudice" Go through the entire
State among those who read the tes-
timony as published by the News and
Courier, and it will be found that
people differ, some believe that every
mothers son Of the defendants are
guilty of the crime charged and 9TH
ers do not believe any such thing,
and as it is with the people through
out the country, so it must have been
with the jury who had an opportuni-
ty to look into the faces of the wit
nesses, and Judge as to their manner
OF testifying.
We do not believe it is true that
political and race prejudice" stood