The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-07-10
Another Story of an Old GreenyiIIe
Tragedy.

.EpiIoRs lNTELLIdENCER: The story
Vi Tue apcey- Earle tragedy In GreenvilIe
many years ago, which appeared in the
Birmingham Age Herald recentlv and
which THE INTELLIaENcER copied last
week. docs not tally with the sccount
contained in DuBose's "Life and Timea
of William l.. Yancey" in several yery
important particulars. DuBose got HE
fec.s relating 10 Ehe homicide and the
trial OF Yencey from the files of the
Greenvills MoMntairoor. BENJAMIN f..
Perry was In charge Of the paper at the
time, and he doubtlese wrote the ac-
counts from which DuBose drew. The
record aa 1t appearp In the "The Life and
Times Of William l.. Yancey," highly
valuable contribution to the history OF
the country, by the way, may, therefore,
be accepted as authentic.
lanoey was scholarly, talented, one Of
the finest orators our country has pro.
duced, prolific as she has been of these.
and l believe he was thoroughly natrl-
oSio' lie mas been much misrepresentsd
and consequently much misunderstood.
II has eeen bruited all the years, the cur
rem set In motion by unfriendly tongues,
that Yancey IAN off to Alabama imme-
diately after the tragedy, az If to escape
the frowns Of an outraged public, but the
facts are that he had been resident of
Alabama for full two years prior to the
unfortunate affair.
Below IL what Mr. DuBose says, and
the reader Is asked to compare it with tho
version which appeared last week.
w. A. DICKSON.
Broyles, $. c., July 8, 1901.
"Mr. Yancey removed his family and
his slaves to Alabama the year after his
marriage. spent the winters there in the
oversight of his cotton plantation and re-
turned with his family to spend the sum-
mers near Greenville for the sake of
health.
1t would be Unnecessary to relate
here with particularly deplorable aoci-
dent which befell him, save that In the
heat of political conflict in after years,
bitter speech was made and much error
was written of It. Early in September,
1888, he rode to the muster OF militia
company twelve miles from Greenviile,
where, after the military exercises, 1t was
expected debate would be held between
General Waddy Thompson and Judge
Joseph N. Whitner. candidates for the
lower House Of Congress, After the
debate ended gentlemen, In ooteries,
standing. on the ground discussed the
prospects Of the candidates, Yancey's re-
marks 80 dsspleased youth or seventeen,
nephew of General Thompson, and
cousin Of Mrs. Yancy, Elias Earle, that
he replied In rude speech, for which
offence Yancey boxed his face. Elias re-
turned the single blow with one or more
strokes Of his riding whip. Bystanderg
at once stopped the difficulty. Elias be-
came pacified and Yancey then spoke to
him kindly, advising him to tell his uncle
what had been said, adding: Il did not
intend to fight You, Elias, but only to
ohastise your impudence; would rather
give you Salvador "a favorite saddle
horace than to have personal difficulty
with you.' DR.. Robinson M. Earle,
father of Elias, and uncle of Mrs. Yam
cey, several days after the occurrence, and
after he bad assured Yancey that If his
son had acted with spirit In tho affair he
was content, attacked Yancey on the
porch of store at Greenville With sec-
tion Of the handle Of grain cradle az
weapon. Yancey, at the outset, began to
retreat, step by step, still facing his an
tagonist and warning him repeatedly, as
II reluctant to defend himself by the use
Of the weapon he carried. His hat had
been knocked Off, his shirt bosom torn
open and he had been forced to the ex-
treme edge OF the porch, some two or
three feet above the ground. He then
fred and mortaily wounded his antag-
onist In the left eide. Or. Earle was ak
feet high and weighed two hundred
pounds. and declared on tho spot, Had
YaEcey not fired I would have easily
whipped him.
"The case was put on trial at the term
OF the Circuit Court at Gresnville. The
jury brought In verdict of manslaugh-
ter. During the seventeen consecutive
hours in which the trial progressed tt5
prisoner retained perfect repose, neithsr
elated when the evidence was in his
favor nor cast dow: when it appeared to
go against him. The universal testimony
was that Yancey had never before been
in any personal difficulty in Greenville;
that he was uniformly polite and quiet;
that he had very high sense of personal
honor; that he had not provoked the
trouble with DR.. Earle; that the knife
and bludgeon that Earle carried when the
attack was made were In the hands Of the
deceased threateningly presented when
the shot was fired from Yancey's pistol.
October 26, following, the prisoner was
brought before the Court, Josiah j.
Evans presiding, for sentence. The
Judge said the crowded state of the house
indicated an unusual interest in the duty
before him, and he would depart from
to explain his mind. The prisoners de-
pertinent, he said, since the affray on the
muster ground up to the moment Of the
difficulty with DR.. Earle, was such as was
to be expected from one In his station of
life. No ona cor1ld haliRYA. that ha hid