The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-02-20
Court Proceedings.


Court proceedings last Wednesday
morning, the following cases were dis
posed of:
Oscar Childress, charged with assault
and battery with intent to kill, plead
guilty, and was sentenced tc Elk
months on the chain gang or fine Of 8
j. X. McCrider plead guilty to breach
of trust and larceny, and was sentenced
to nine months On tie chain gang.
The case against Luther Strickland,
charged with bigamy, was mol pressed.
In the case of Robert Given, Pink
Patson, D. c. Holiday and Hamp
Kinard, charged with gambling, tho
two latter named plead guilty and were
senten ced to three months on the
chain gang or a fine of $50 each.
Given and Patson's case was trans
ferred to the contingent docket.
The Grand Jury reported number
Of true bills and for good and sufficient
reasons tho cases were continued until
the next term of Court in June. The
Solicitor announced that he had no
ether bills of indictment. Judge Benct
then delivered the following charge to
the Grand Jury. and announced that
the Court would hear their present
ment as soon as they were ready 60
make it:
JUDGE BENET's CHARGE.
Me- Foreman and Gentlemen of the
Grand Jury: You are now at liberty
to devote your time and attention to !
the other business that properly comes
before you as Grand Jurors. Yon will
sentiment at this term to look into the
condition of tho Jail and the Poor
House and as far as you can will ex-
amino the public offices and the con-
duct of public officials. 1t will be i'm
possible no doubt to ovcrtake all of
that work satisfactorily at this term
and it will be advisable to appoint
special committees, or a committee, to
attend to these matters, but ut the
summer term you will be- ubie to make
fuller report US to these important
matters. But wish to bring to your
attention again tho stOckade scandal
to which [ referred in my opening
charge on Monday morning. At that
tiE,e SO far as the Court is concerned it
was matter of rumor and report and
the Daily Mail editorial without any
substantial charge and without the
names of any parties implicated. Since
then the case Of the State vs. Newell,
charged with murder, has been tried,
and during the progress OF the trial of
4hat case it was developed from the
testimony Of witnesses on tho stand
that the deceased, Will Hull, had been
killed while ia Newells stockade. To
the astonishment of the Court it was
shown that he was not there as con-
vlct, but was there under q so-called
contract to labor on the farm. 1t seems
that he was charged by Newell with
violation of labor contract; that New
ell swOre out warrant for his arrest
before Magistrate j. j. Gilmer; that
the magistrate issued tho warrant,
deputy, and that Newell thus deputized
and accompanied by q sheriff's cOnsta-
BILE. Dillingham;, went to the home Of
viii Hull and arrested him. 1t ap-
pears that tney did not take him 70
Jail, and SO far as the testimony shows
that was the end of the process of the
law. Instead of being taken to Jail, as
he ought to have been, under the war
rant OF arrest, by some strange prOce-
dure he was taken to Newell's stock
ade, where it seems that Newell had
some % cOnvicts at work on his farm
So, gentlemen, here was poor negro
taken from his wife aud children under
q pretext OF arrest. The machinery of
the law was used to seize him, take
him from his home and put him in n
cOnvict's stockade and work him like
convict without process Of law. He
was under no sentence of the Court, he
had not been tried. The testimony
showed that he was guarded like n
convict, made to labor like convict
and treated in all respects like con-
yict. And indeed the. manner of his
death would seem to indicate that it
was in an effort to leave this convict
be shot in endeavOring to escape tho
sentence of the law. Gentlemen, this
ls q serious matter, and charge you
that it is your duty to make q thorough
investigation OF this case. You will
bring before you the magistrate that
issued the warrant and the constables
that executed it, You have the power
will only be doing your duty in making
q thorough investigation and reporting
upon this treatment of Will Hull.
l hold in my hand q printed form of
contract entitled: estate of South
Carolina, County of Anderson, contract
and agreement for labor on farm.n
Let me read it to you.
.'This contract and agreement for
labor on farm, made and entered into
of tho first part, and - laboreI, party
of the second part, witncsstth:
.That g, iaborer, of the second
part, 49, do hereby bind over and hire
myself to - to do and perform gen
eral farm work under the supervision
OF said -- or his agents, for the period
of - months. commencing - and
ending and as pay for the said
services am to receive the sum of
3 pei. month";, together with my
board and .odging, which wages. less
or any advances made to me from
time to time, and lost time at per
day, is to be paid by mo at the expfra-
times to be subject to the orders and
commands of said - or his agents,
perform all work required Of me.
49, -. or his agents, shall have the right