Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-08
A REMARKABLE CASE
Powerful CoIored Man Who
Could Not Be Hanged.
STORY OF CIVIL WAR TIMES
He Was Shot, Sabered and Thrown
Into River.
STRUNG UP TWENTY MINUTES
Humane Surgeon Succeeded in Bring
ing the Victim Back to Conscious
ness and He Recovered.
STORY OF CIVIL WAR TIMES
UP TWENTY MINUTES

ness and He Recovered.
Written for The Star by IT. J. Mackey Late Cap
tain, Engineers, c, S. A.
The facts of this remarkable case are so
extraordinary that he would be deemed a
daring romance writer who should venture
to tax the credulity of his readers by such
| a violation of the probabilities as the pres
ent. Yet there are many living witnesses to
attest the truth of this weird story of the
war.
The slaves were exempt from the suffering
that the war almost universally entailed
upon every other class of the inhabitants
Of the southern states. While strict order
was maintained upon the plantations, and
their work seemed to be carried on as
usual, yet the products fell off very largely,
since there was little stimulus to production
in moneyless land, where gold and silver
coin had become mere traditions, and the
government redeemed its treasury notes
only by issuing a new series of them, and
exercised the power Of impressing and ap-
propriating to its own use all agricultural
products. With few exceptions, therefore,
not much driving was done on the planta-
tons and the negroes toiled leisurely.
A marked exception to this general re-
taxation of plantation rules was seen on
the cotton plantation of Henry Baynard.
situated near the Wateree river, about five
miles west of the town of Camden, in South
Carolina. He had removed from Edisto
Island on the SeacoaSt of the state, with
about 500 slaves soon after the fall Of Fort
Sumter and located them in the up-country
for greater security. He was kind mas
ter, yet there was not more aiscon-
tented body of slaves in the state than
those on the Raynard plantation in Feb
ruary of 1865.
In the previous winter the old overseer,
humane man of kindly temper, had en-
tered the army, and his successor had
proved himself a thorough savage Mr..
Baynard had laid down the rule that none
o. his slaves should be punished except for
cause to be approved by him, and then only
in his presence. This overseer contrived
frequently to evade the rule and covertly
made the lives Of many weary burden.
Capture of Champ Baynard.
On February 81 1865, the news reached
the blacks on the Baynard place that sher-
mans army. which had for three days been
encamped at Columbia, fifty miles distant.
was marching northward in the direction
of Camden Their faith in its near ap
proach was strengthened the next morning
by seeing the Confederate cavalry, that had
garrisoned Camden march by on the road
with their baggage wagons toward the
southwest and they learned that the Union
troops were near the town. They decided
to send out a runner to learn the exact
situation, and chose Champ Baynard, an
athletic black of about twenty years of
age, and Of bright intelligence, for the mis-
sion.
watching his chance at noon time, when
the overseer had gone to dinner. Champ
saddled up mule and galloped on through
the woods for Camden. After riding about
a mile, he struck the wagon road and saw,
to his surprise, a detachment of fifteen or
twenty horsemen marching in the direc-
ton of the town: They wore bluish-gray
uniforms, and carried what seemed to him
the American flag. That flag was to him
and his the symbol of freedom, and he rode
in a canter toward the cavalrymen, who
were about two hundred yards away. They
halted as he approached. and ne came up
swinging his hat over his head and calling
"Gentlemen, Use free today bless de
Lord. Hurrah for Abra ham Lincoln"
The lieutenant commanding the detach-
ment ordered him to keep quiet and answer
his questions. He stated the errand on
which he was going, and the purpose of the
slaves on the Baynard plantation to follow
exclaimed, "D-n you. We are not Yam
keesv' and at the same instant he struck
the luckless negro on the head with his
sword. telling him to the ground AS he
fell several of the troopers fired their pis-
tolls at him, shooting him in the breast and
neck.
The lieutenant then ordered that the body
should be thrown into the Wateree river,
which was not more than one hundred
yards off, since If it lay in the road it
might brighten passing teams. 1t was then
dragged with halter rope around 1t under
the arms, and thrown from the river bank,
which was there not more than eight or
ten feet in height.
Victim Was Still Alive.
Having thus disposed of their victim. the
rlc fn,- c,,al fhn1y
started in a trot down the river to cross
at the ford, which was about a mile below.
They had not ridden more than two hun
dred yards when, on looking back, they dis
covered that the negro, whom they had
consigned to the river bottom, was still
alive and swimming diaSonally with the
current for the opposite side OF the shore
They at once opened fire on him, but he
was not hit by any of the bullets, and they
saw him scramble up the low bank with the
aid of an overhanging willow, and then lie
down, apparently exhausted.
he got upon his knees and begged for
mercy, Some of them were about to shoot
him again, but their commander ordered
them to desist, saying that they had al
ready wasted too much ammunition, and
that the negro should be taken into Cam
den and tried by court-martial. He was
taken to town strapped on the back OF
mule like sack of -four
Camden was then occupied by battalion
consisting of three companies of mounted
home guards that had taken up quarters
there only the night before. The major
commanding was about middle age. and
wore a heavy red beard. He had brutal
temper which had been rendered all the
more bitter by the fact mat he had spent
nearly four years of the war in studying
the law of safe distances as applied to mod
ern arms
He became fieYcely belligerent when the
prisoner was brought before him.. and after
hearing the lieutenant's statement, ordered
a drumhead court-martial to convene i'm
mediately. The charge as formulated by
the major was, attempting to incite in
surrection among slaves" That was capi-
tai offense under the laws of every southern
state.
Resuscitating the Hanged Man.
The court-martial quickly disposed of
Champ Baynard's case. without regard to
the manifest discrepancy between the
charge and the proof. He was sentenced
to be hanged at O. clock pm. that day. and
accordingly at that hour he was carried in
a wagon to the northern suburb of the
town, under a strong escort and after one
end of a rope had been knotted around his
neck. the other being tied to the overhang-
ing limb of an oak, the wagon was driven