The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-10-19
lYAeHING OF WHITE Men.
Several Former Instances Record
ed---The Moore Case the First.

suffered from lyRch law since the state
got back to q rational basis and the
people returned to q saEe condition at
ter Radical misrule, says The State.
The case of Moore in Spartanburg
County had been cited already. The
case OF Cuibreath of Edgefeld is
another, although it is said to have
been more of an assassination or fend
than q lynching.
Another has been brought to recol-
lection. Et was the killing Of Nance
Waldrop in Pickeps in 1887 or 1888. 1t
was at the hands Of negroes that this
man raid with his life for the crime
which he had committed. But the
white people Of the community are
said to have, raised no serious objection
to this method of dealing with Wald-
ron. who was not strong minded and
his guilt was said ito be beyond ques-
5ion. The little negro girl died. and
her body, after being exhumed. was
examined by physician who declared
the nature Of the crime. Waldrop
had been out rabbit hunting the day
of the crime and there were many
evidences to show that he had been
near the place and that be was the
guilty party.
a gentleman who is now resident
of Columbia was living at Central at
the time, and he advised the deputy
ssheriffs not TO start at night with
their prisoner. But they started for
the Jail at / O'Clock and about mid
night were taken in hand by large
and enraged body of negroes, who
took the white man into the WOODS
and executed him according to the
accepted plans and specifications fnr-
nished in such a striking manner by
the white people on numerous occas-
ions. The gentleman who told OF this
tragedy said that he was one of the
party who found the body the next
morning after a great deal OF search
ing.
But the negro murderers did not get
off, as easily as the white men DO these
sdays, and four of them went to- the
State prison. That was when Col.
JAS. Z. Orr of Greenville was solici-
tor, ard he was powerful prosecut-
ing officer. The ex-Fesldent OF Pick
ems county does. not know whether any
OF the prisoner are still in the peni-
Tertiary, for their names had escaped
him.
The News and Courier has had the
following:
s. $ The John Moore case was the first
Iynching of a white man in South Car
olina Since the war between the
States, that is, the first regulation
lynching.o said gentleman more or
less familiar with Up-country affairs,
yesterday.
Your Columbia correspondent, y
lie added, did not name the crime
In his reference to it. The facts as |
remember them were that a respectable
white girl was found dead in ditch
with her throat cut and evidences that
she had been wiley abused. The crime
was traced to Moore, a rather worth
less white man. This was not far
from the village of Reidyille and 1
think was in 1873. At any rate it was
during a political campaign, for the
late Col. Tom Woodward Of Wins
boro was candidate for Congress in
that district, aud drove by the scene
of the lynching at about the time it
occu rred. About 5000 people are
said to have been present. Col. Wood
ward delivered speech counseiing
moderation and, think, advising
that the law should be allowed take
its course.
TIE mob, although it numbered
some of the leading citizens OF the
county, and perhaps of Greenville,
Laurens and Union counties, was in
no humor to hear him and he received
anything but sympathetic reception
Moore was placed in a buggy. a rope
tied about his neck and the other end
flung over the limb of a tree. Then
the buggy was pulled from under him
and he was left dangling. This was
probably the most representative
and the largest mob that ever lynched
man in South CaroinIa. 1t embraced
practically the whole population of a
large and prosperous section of coun-
try. The murderer's victim and the
lynchers' victim we're both white.
The negro question was not remotely
connected with it. Spartanburg has
never been under negro dominition, ,
not even III Radical lines.
"Another lynching, continued the
gentleman, (which escaped the mem
DRY of your Columbia correspondent
and which created intense excitement
throughout the State was that of
Culbreath in Edgeield. in about 1885.
Cuabreath vas a man of bad charac-
ter, but of good connections. He
had killed some members of his fam
ily and was in the Edgefeld jail. He
was taken from the Jail by a mob and
executed. l. think that some OF the
mem bers of this mob were indicted
and it included men Of prominence.
Although is vas not large-that is,
compared with the great gathering
that hanged JOAN Moore. The Moore
lyncbing, by the way, was probably
the first affair OF the kind, at least
the first that attracted general atten-
ton, af.er the Democats regained
control of the State in 1876 If the
Moore incident gave all impetus to
mob law it is curious, indeed, that it
was, as already pointed out, exclu-
sively white mans affair. -
j Ill., E.1 Do.St>