Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-10-26
AN UNUSUAL LYNCHING.
A White Man Lynchod for Assaultinq a Little
Colored Girl

The Pickens correspondent of the
News and Courier sends that paper the
following article concerning the lynch-
ing of u white man in that county for
assault upon negro girl SumD wears ago:
Pickens, October 2O.-Sumc allusions
have recently been made in regard to the
lynchiDg of white man in PickenS
county IL number OF years ago, and there
have been SO many errors made, many of
which, however, are minor, in order to
keep the record straight your correspond
cnt has consulted the official record i'm
the Clerks office
The records show that Il white man
Monnie Waldrop, was lyuchcd between
II and IL O'Clock on the night of Duccm.
Der 80, 1887, for haviug committed an
assault upon negro girl, "A daughter of
one Cato Sherman, in the morning of the
same day.
The girl died aud the inquest was held
on the night o. December 30th. Wal
drop was arrested the same afternoon
and brought to the CorOner's inquest
held that night at Central.
Waldrop was found guilty and the
magistrate ordered his constable. d. L.
Garvin, to carry the prisoner to PickenS.
There were threats of lynching at the
inquest, of which the constable was
aware, but deputiZing Gaylord Eaton
the two started for Pickens with the
prisoner shortly after II O'clock When
they had proceeded some distance the
white man was taken from the officers
by mob and lynched in a thick woods
very near the present residence of DIR. l..
u. Clayton, about a mile from town
On Monday, january l6. 1883, indict-
ments for murder were issued against
Gaylord Eaton, John Reese, Cato Shcr.
man, Bill Williams, Harrison Hayward
and Henry Bolton.
nl,.,, -,
9, lSSS, Judge William II. Wallace and
Col j l.. Orr, Solicitor The trial was
one of the most exciting every held in
the county and was attended by throngs
OF people from every nook and corner OF
the county The case went 10 the jury
on July 10th and resulted in mistral.
The second trial came up March 6,
1889. Judge j, j. Norton presiding and
MAJ tin f. Anscl Solicitor. The second
trial was even more exciting than the
first The jury found Gaylord Eaton,
John Reese and Cato Sherman not guilty
Bill Williams, Harrison Hayward and
Henry Bolton, guilty, with recommends.
tion to- the mercy of the Court. The
presiding Judge sentenced them to be
hanged Friday, April ;, 1889.
Bill Williams and Harrison Hayward
were afterwards pardoncd by the Gov
ernor, July s, 1882. The case of Henry
Bolton was mol pressed after the pardon
of the other two negroes and soon came
an order for his release
X. A. Child, James p. Carey, r. w.
Simpson aud ". a. Williams were the
defendants attorneys; Major John j.
Lewis was Clcrk pt Court.
The white man who was lynchcd was
an ignorant, hal,-wittcd fellow, and it is
the belief of a great many of the best
citizens of PickeuS county that he was
innocent and did not know how to pro
tcct himself.
There were eXtcuuatng circumstances
in favor of WalGrop existing in the home
life of the negro girl that the angry mob
did not heed, and the half wittrd white
man was hurried To his doom without
time for investigation
Such is the record of n lynChing that
people, even those who are familiar
with every detail of it, are loath to talk
about and to rchearsc the horrible de
tails.
It's matter of frequent comment by
the observaut that several of those who
were leaders and instigators in this
lynching came to sudden and violent
deaths, but chow are the mighty fallen!
Tell it not in Gath; publish it not in the
streets of ASkclOn.'