The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-10-21

during excitement or on the field OF
battle, is terrible thing and unless a
man be hardened into brutality and is
utterly devoid Of conscience it will
haunt him to his dying day.
Three times during my oareer I have
deliberately made up my mind to kill ,
but determined to make my antagon-
lists first the assailants and to give
them fair showing, and thus put my
own life in jeopardy. But when the
necessity FOR any such encounter he'd
passed tha feeling Of relief was inde-
scribable.
Thousands upon thousands of use
full 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.
My father, I think, was with the
| Hon. VIM. L. Yancey, the great Seces-
sion leader, when he killed DR.. Earle,
Of Greenville. They were boys to-
4 gether, were warm friends, and have
often heard my father speak of the
circumstance. Yancey killed Earle
as tho latter was advancing upon him
! with an upsaised walking cane, and
when the fatal shot was fired. Just
before the beginning of the late war
between the States my father and Mr..
Yanoey met in Montgomery, Ala. Mr..
lancey, in discussing the tragedy,
! stated that he had no intention Of
shooting Dr.. Earle, but the encounter
took place in the piazza of the post
Office. an old wooden building oppo-
site the Mansion House in Greenville,
and which piazza had no railing, be-
ing several feet from the ground. DR..
Earle attacked Mr.. Yancey because he
! had slapped the face of his little son,
Elias, there being no very kind feel
ing between the two men. DR.. Earle
raised his cane and advanced on Mr..
Yancey, who drew his pistol, present.
ed it and s retreated backward. Mr..
Yancey stated that he had no inten-
ton of shooting the Doctor, but want
J ed to intimidate him. In stepping
backward he felt that he had reached
the extreme end Of the piazza aud, in
4 order to prevent falling off, had mad
vertently pressed the trigger. But,
4 this great Southern statesman told my
/ father he. would freely give fame, for
tune and all he possessed AMI again
start life poor, ignorant and obscure
man, could he. by so doing, only wipe
that blood from his hands; that often,
in the midstfof his most brilliant ora
tions,' would he see the figure OF, Dr.
Earle, as he appeared with that up.
raised cane and,when the tragedy was
enacted, rise before him. It haunted
him day ond night, and while he was
justified in the killing and the SEN
1tence imposed by the law was light,
Il his life was unending remorse and self
Rreproach. Years after the killing,
when Mr.. Yancey returned to visit
ibis mother-in-law, Mrs. Earle. in
Greenville, and Elias had grown to
manhood, the young man. who had in
1nocently caused the death Of his fesh-
Ter, appeared before the, gate with shot
lgun in hand and asked to see Colonel
lYancey- Yanoey, from behind the
CLOSED door, told Elias to go away and
|he would return to Alabama and not
visit Greenville again! that he had
more Of the Earle blood then upon his
hands thar he could ever wash I away,
hnd did not want any more. This
visit would probably have resulted
fatally had not Che old lady, who like
Pill Of the Earles, was as brave as
Pion, seized shotgrh and told Elias
that he must gosaway and not further
molest her guest, and chat If he at
tempted any violence toward .SYancey.Y
Ihe must first fire through her. The 4
Inext day Mr.. Yencey left for Alabama
hnd did not retdrn again, Think, to
South Carolina until as delegate to
fhe Charleston Convention. 81,
II the killing 81 d human being can a
Pe made jnsti6able it was that of By
hum BY Perry. Bynum was3a noted
Fpellist, and had been employed to
provoke Perry into 8 sfight:and take
his life. The two men represented
extreme factions ID South Carolins
politics, aud which were as bitter as as in i
the days of Tillmaniam and Conserve
tism. Bynnm was an expert With the
pistol, and had killed, Sol am told, !,
more than one man. On the other,
band, Perry had but little if any Spracs il Il
Ece with that sapdn, being d 81 M aan, ,osf 81