The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-12-12
DID JUSTICE MlScARRy:

ern WHO duN iSSSt AsS'.
Johnson to slay Willie Belllnger,
at Bamberg should write to the
Chinese minister WI Ting Fang,
for copy OF his address on
s:The teachings Of Confuslus,
and from it they might gather
information concerning the goI-
den rule "Do not to others what
YOU would not wish them to do
to vou." The celebrated murder
trial ended last Sunday morning
and a Jury of twelve men by their
verdict proclaimed that Rev W.
E. Johnson. a Baptist preacher
who weighed near 200 pounds,
was justified in taking a shot
Gun from the hands Of friends
the day before, and with it slay
Willie Bellinger, frail young
man whose weight was about 10
pounds, for applying an epithet
to him.
From the testimony it seems
that trouble grew out Of the
painting of a line fence and John
son ordered the negro who was
doing the painting out of his
premises, Bellinger ordered the
negro to continue the work and
cursed johnson, whereupon
Johnson armed with a borrowed
pistol challenged Bellinger to go
out on the street; Bellinger &C
cepted the banter and Johnson
although big enough to have
easily handled Bellinger, refused
to continue the matter further,
giving as a reason that Bel
linger was armed, and re-
turned to his premises. A
Col. Counts and a Mr.. Sanders
figured extensively in the un-
fortunate affair, they were dea-
cons Of Johnson's church, we
think, and day before the killing
Sanders loaded some shells and
Counts carried a double barrel
shot gun to the parsonage. the
next day Johnson and Bellinger
saw each other at the postotflce,
but nothing occurred between
them, Johnson went home, and
as Bellinger was returning to
his home leisurely walking along
reading a newspaper, Johnson
came out Of the parsonage, and
according to some of the wit
nesses, he got behind a telephone
pole. used it for rest and fired,
and Immediately after, Bellinger
fred several pistol shots. It is
very evident that friends Counts
and Sanders busted themselves
more towards bringing on trou-
BILE than they did towards avert
ing it, and if these omcious breth
er had not loaded the shells and
carried the murderous weapon,
in all probability the blood of
Willie Bellinger would not be on
Rev. W. E. Johnson's hands to-
day. On account Of the standing
of the parties We kept a close
watch on the proceedings and
from the testimony as published,
we reached the conclusion that
the preacher contributed largely
to provoking Bellinger, whom
knew had no liking for him, and
while Bellinger was wrong in
cursing the man, the wrong was
not so great as to warrant the
taking of life; the jury in ac-
Quitting him must have based
their verdict on evidence which
did not appear in the papers.
The jury was from 6 o'clock
Saturday evening until 5 o'clock
Sunday morning in the endeavor
to reach a verdict Of acQuittal.
It is said when the verdict was
announced Mr.. johnson took it
calmly. and filed his pulpit the
same morning. The despatch
did not say that his text was
Thou shalt not kill" The fact
Of the jury who heard all of the
evidence hanging for about y
hours in trying to reach conclu
sion will always leave an i'm
preston that Rev. ". E. John
sons usefulness as a minister of
the gospel is ended. Life is GER
tainly cheap when juries acquit
on such testimony as was given
to the press.
Dom Paul could have found
out how cheap talk is without