Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-03-23
BLACK MEMS BLOOD
Georgia's Fair Name Stained by
q Dreadful Crime.
THE WORK OF LYNCHERS.
Poured Lead Into tho Bodies OF Tied
and Helpless Prisoners, Sus-
peoted OF Arson.


PALMETTO, GEORGIA, March 16.---
Twenty mon, armed and masked,
rode into this little town this morn
ing at an early hour aud put to death
four negroes, fatally wounding one,
shot another and broke the arm of a
seventh man. Two others, who
were of the crowd upon which the
! bullets were showered, miraoulously
escaped. These unfortunates were
under guard of three men, awaiting
the hour of 8 o'clock, when they
were to have a hearing before q JUS
tlce OF The peace on the charge of
arson. William Cotton, the leader
of the nine men, confessed some time
ago that a conspiracy had been en-
tered into, which resulted in two in
cendiary fires here in February, and,
on this evidence, the men were to
have beon tried.
The dead are, William Cotton, Jr.,
Harrison Hudson, Ed. Brown, Henry
Bingham.
Fatally wounded, John Bigby.
Wounded, John Jameson, George
Tatum, arm broken. Ison Brown
and Glenn Watts, the other two
members of tho gang, escaped unin-
jured. After the inquest they were
turued Loose and left on the train for
Atlanta.
The town is quiet tonight under
the protection of the Capital City
Guards, of Atlanta, and posse of
scventy-five well-armed citizens.
CONFINED IN A STONE HOUSE.
The negroes were confined in the
office of the johnson warehouse, a
one-story stone building, just across
the track from the Atlanta and
West Point depot. They were ar
restod but, yesterday, were tied to-
gether with ropes, and were passing
the night under the protection of
three guards, sworn in for that pur-
pose. Their preliminary trial was
sc. for 8 O'Clock this morning.
About 1 o'clock this morning 20
men, mounted and masked, rode up
to the warehouse and dismounted.
Without waiting to announce them
selves to the guards within they
easily forced the door of the ware
house and second later stood in the
Office of the johnson Company,
where the negroes wore lying on the
floor around the fire. The guards
were covered by Winchestcrs, and,
with hands up, were marched to one
side of the little room and stood
against the wall.
SHOT DOWN LIKE DOGS.
The negroes, who were frightened
into silence by the bursting of the
door, now realized their peril.
Scream after scream went mp from
the victims as they saw tho gleam of
firearms in the dim light from the
Fireplace. Their appeals for mercy
were unheedcd. A short, hoavy-set
man, whose features were completely
concealed by white handkerchief,
acted as leader. He cursed the
blacks into silence for @ moment and
told his men to get ready. After
looking at each negro he commanded
them to get up. The trembling,
crying wretches, tugging at their
ropes in vain effort to get away,
obeycd the words of the mob's
leader. A last appeal for mercy
went unheeded and the word "Fire /"
rang out in the little room. The
volley filled the room with fire and
smoke, and the negroes fell in a
heap on the floor. The noise awak-
encd the little town, and as the
lights began to twinkle in windows
here and there secolr} volloy scaled
the doom of those who wero fortu-
nate enough to escape the murder
GUS fire of the first charge. As the
mob made ready to depart, three or
four mon with pistols sent bullets
into the PROSTATE forms on the floor,
and inside Of ten minutes after the
crowd had entered Johnson's ware
house, on their murderous GRAND,
they had completed their work and
were on their way to safoty on the
backs of feet horses.
THE CITIZENS AROUSED.
Soon the citizens began to arrive
at the warehouse, being under the
impression that the guards were be-
ing murdered by the negro prison.
ers. When the horror of tho affair
was presented Mayor ArHold tele-
phoncd Gov. Gambler at Atlanta of
tho occurrence and asked for sume
militia. He then doputizod seventy
tive citizens to preserve order and,
a l.. IL