The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-10-28
HUMAN BLOOD STAIN.
It Caa Never Sc Washed Out in
This World.
soME TIMELY OBSERVATIONS
On the Horrors That Attend a
Slayer Of His Fellow Man.
Some Famous South
Carolina Killings.


Some Famous South
Carolina Killings.
This thing OF taking the life OF a
human being except il Self-deience'
during excitement or on the ht!o q
battle, is terrible thing and uuieSS 4
man be hardened into brutatltI auo
is utterly devoid Of conSclence II VIII
haunt him to his dying day.
Three times during my career l
have deliberately made up NY MIND
TO kill. but determined TO make my
antagonists first the asSailants and to
give them fair showing, and thus
put nv own life in jeopardy. But
when the necessity for any such en-
counter had passed the feeling Of re-
lief was indeScribable.
Thousands upon thousands OF use
ful and brilliant lives have been
blighted and rendered miserable by
the taking Of human life: and even
when the killing was justified IN the
sight Of both man and by the laws Of
the land, the curse Of Cain followed
the slayer his entire days.
Ny father, think, was with the
Hon. VIM. L Yancey, the great Sc
cession leader, when he killed Dr
Earle, OF Greenyille. They were boys
together, were warm friends, ana |
have often heard my father speak Vi
the circumstance. Iancey killed
Earle as the latter was advancing up
on hilo with an appraised walking
cane, and when the fatal shot was
tired. Just before the beginning VI
the late war between the States my
father and Mr.. Yancey met in Mont
gomery, Ala. Mr.. Yancey, in discus
sing the tragedy. stated that he had
no intention of shooting DR.. Earle,
but the encounter took place in The
piazza of the poStothce, an old wooden
building opposite the Mansion House
in Greenvllie, and which piazza bad no
railing, being several feet from the
ground. DR.. Earle attacked Mr.. Yam
cey because he had slapped The race OF
his little son, Elias, there being no
very kind feelings between the twC.
men. DR.. Earle raised his cane and
advanced on Mr.. Yancey, who DIRE"
his pistol, presented it and retreated
backward. Mr.. Yancey stated that be
had no intention of shooting the Doc
tor, but wanted to lntimidate him.
In stepping backward he felt that be
had reached the eSteeme end OF the
piazza and, in order to~Werent falling
off, had inaSSee115ently pressed the
trsssee, But, this great Soushern
statesman told my father, he woulo
freely give fame; fortune aad all ne
possessed and again start life a poor,
ignorant and obscure man, could be, by
so doing, only wipe that olood from
his hands: that often, in the midst o!
his most brilliant orationS, would Set
the figure of DR.. Earle, as he appeared
with that upraiSed cane, and when the
tragedy was enacted, rise before him.
1t haunted him Gay and night, and
while he was justified in the killing
and the sentence imposed by the Law
was light, his life was uneudlng re
morse and Self-reproach. Years AFTER
the killing, when Mr.. Iancey returned
to visit his mother-in-iaw, Mrs. Earle,
in Greenville and Elias had grown to
manhood, the young man, who had III
nocently caused the death OF bis father
appeared before the gate with shot
gun in hand and asked to Col Yam
cey. Yancey from behind the closed
door, told Elias to go away and be
would return to Alabama and not visit
Greenville again; that be had more Of
the Earle blood then upon his hands
than be could ever wash away and die
not want any more. This visit woulo
probably have resulted fatally had not
the Old LADY, who like all Of tbs
Ear,es, was as brave as lion, seized a
shotgun and told Elias that he must
go away and not further molest her
guest, and that if he attempted any
violence towards Yancey be must first
FIRE through her. The next day Mr..
Yancey left for Alabama and did not
return again, I think, to South Caro-
lima until as a delegate to toe Charles
ton Convention.
II the killing Of a human being can
be made justiiable it was that OF BY
mum by Perry. Bynum was a noted
duelist aud had been employed to pro-
woke Perry into a fight and take bis
life. The two men represented eX-
treme factions in South Carolina poll
tics, and which were as bitter as IN
the days Of TillmaniSm and conserval-
ism. Bynum was an expert with the
pistol. and had killed, SO I am told,
more than one man. On the other
hand, Perry had but little if any prac-
tice with that weapon. being man OF
peace, but undoubted courage. But
:Perry's steady nerve and cool head
proved superior to the skill OF his an
taaonist, who was killed at the first
fire, and his grave is still pointed out
at the old historic Rock Church, near
Clemson College. But even the
knowledge that this duel had been
forced upon him, and that his money
was given an equal, II not oetter,
showing for his life, could never wipe
the red stain from the tender con-
science OF Governor Perry. One Of
his sons told me be never heard the
subject mentioned but once in MS
fathers presence, when his face grew
deethly pale, be raised his hand, and
stated that be never again wanted to
hear that duel spoken of by any mem.
Der OF his family. That the borrow OF
that tragedy, committed on a little
island in the Savannah River, haunted
this great and good man all his days,
is not doubted, and it cast dark cloud
over brilliant and useful life.
I have known a great many men
who had taken human life, under all
manner Of circumstances, and with