The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-08-24
F|END CAUGHT
And Governor Hayward Goes to
the Scene and
TRIES TO SAVE HIM.
The Governor Plead Eloquently and Ear
nestIy With the Crowd to Let the
Law Take It's Course. But
The Crowd Respr ctiulIy
Declined TO Do So.
Declined to Do So.

the Crowd Respectfully
Declined to Do So.
Bob Davis. the fiend who attempted
to assault white girl and who really
succeeded In assaultIng colored girl,
has been caught and lynched. After
tho crime was committed on Tuesday
a big crowd OF mon and boys of both
races went to hunt down the fond
They searched swamps and houses
and never did the zaal slacken. They
meant to catch that negro, and they
meant to kill him, and that Is the
whole story. For forty-eight hourl
the hunt kept up without abatement,
and then 1t Was rewarded, thirteen or
fourteen miles away from the little
store In the Whitehall section, where
Bob Davis attempted his crime and
bis murder. Will Brooks aaw q head
close up against log. The body was
prostrate, covered with cane, but the
head showed. Brooks and John Will
Jams caught the negro snd 1t was not
long before he WAS iti and under es.
cort, started for the l1aue of his crime
for entiiicatiOn.
Atou' this time there va q Cover.
nor In Cojun b.S with q de9a krene of
pride In his State, who was worried
and pacing his ofllce. The sheriff of
the county had telegraphed him that
If Davis WAS caught he feared lyn.
ching, and be asked for help Cover
cor Hayward consulted friends In
Greenwood, and realized that first of
all the negro might not be caught,
and II he should be, that the temper
of the people was such that armed
troops might lead to bloodshed and
useless loss Of life. He Thought over
the whole situation. No posse could
be assembled in the neighborhood, he
Thought, to defend the would he-rav
isher should he be caught. 10 order
out the militia might lead to blood
shed. 1t would have been premature
and had the militia been here Davis
would hardly have been brought tc
the house for personal Identification
Governor Hayward thought, perhaps
he could move the people to a realiza.
tion OF thelr duty as oltizsns and men
EtayS {pafaanal appeal Ito tlet the laps
| t%nO Aoc SOolpO' llO Wcuu OHDC UIlS
whole thing and felt that the people
might heed him a. G G)vetnor OF South
Carolina, pleading tor law aud order
1t was patriotic and an unusual re.
sort for Governor to virtually ge,
down on his knees and plead and beg
and implore that the law take its
course. Perhaps some day 1t may 40
complish good. Thursday 1t was U, @
less. The circumstances OF the assault
the young womSn In the room fifty
feet away, the long and weary search
The record OF the negro the bloody gar.
ments all conspired to make the elC
quence, the force and the earnestnes.
II Governor Heyward's appeal for Law
fall on deaf ears.
There had been o wreck near
Ohappell, on the Columbia and
Greenville Road, aud the train With
Governor Howard on board arrived
at Nlnety-Six about O'Clock Thurs
day afternoon. 1t was seen tina,
There was excitement and it was soon
learned that the searohers had u negro
and we're on their way to the home
Of j. p Brooks to have the man
identified. Governor Hayward talked
TO the State Senator Brooks. Former
Representative Kinard, Capt. Erase,
and other citizens at the station al
Ninety Six. They all told him the
same thing, that he could hardly
hope to do any good, as the crOw0
meant death to avenge the outrage
AS soon as possible arrangements
we're made to take the Governor to
the Brooks home, eight miles away
When he arrived there he found a
crowd Of fifty or sixty determined
mon there.
The store In which the outrage was
attempted was oren and across the
ROAD was the neat cottage in which,
Miss Jennie Brooks lay. There were
women folk about. Governor Hoy
ward made himself and his mission
known. He was cordially received,
but was frankly told that there was
no earthly chance for him to save the
negro should he prove to be the right
} man. He went about in the crowd
but got no sign Of help or encourage
ment. Tho mon were there with
pistols and guns ready to kill. They
were not mere bOys on lark, but
men With gray hairs and determine
tion. They came with their coats
! of and o deepset vengeance. Gov
! arnor Hayward was asked into the
house to get bite TO eat. lie sug
] gested that the lazy take It's course
. The women folk flashed that they
would act as mon If need be. Cover
! nor Htywar1 thought he might gel
b Mr.. j Pett Brooks, the father OF tht
young woman, and u sturdy man, tt
: help him; but no, he, too, wanted
quick VengcanCe. Ilo even WanJeC
G Une negro burned.
< 1t looked hopeless from the yer,
u start. Finally the cavalcade oRme III
+ to the house with the burly negr
: tied. The crowd had grown. Th
y news had spread and from far an
near came men with their firearms
Men from Greenwood, from auoye an
D below Greenwood, and even from
= Abbeville, were there. How man
y guns were there, Heaven only knows
= At least 500, ard counting pistols
+" twice that numb, r, and perhaps more
!, -Four mcn literally dragged Davi
= into the room to show him to Mi.
: Brooks. The crowd was 80 thick tina
y 1t was difficult TO get him into tn
y house, but he was linally taken int
y thc room and Miss Brooks identifie
- him beyond question. She had n
= : doubt In his Identification, and he wa