The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1907-01-25
I NOT GUILTY.

!" NOT GUILTY.
is THE vEisDlCr. IN TBE LIME
HOUSE CASE.
An Orangeburg Jury Restores Dor.
chester's, sheriff TO His
| High Office.
1. Sheriff Limehouae was tried Last
Friday by an Orangehurg jury for al.
lowing a prisoner 10 be taken from him
and lynched. After being oat about
one hour the jury brought in YER
dot OF rot guilty" which verdict
restores Mr.. Limehouae to his high
o6ios, ne having boen suspended by
Gov. Hayward pending his trial.
The facts are so we'll known as to
hardly need repetition, but 10 will be
recal!ed that ON the 23.d day of Au
gust, 1905, q negro, VIII Spain. made
an attempt to cri>ninally assaulb the
little daughter Of Mr.. L. s. Connor,
one of the best known and most re-
spacted mon In Dorohester, Th3 negro
was captured by posse, among whom
was the father of tho little girl, and
| taken to ST. Georges and delivered to
tho gher'ff Tnis was about l o'clock,
on the day Of the crime, and just an
hour or two later second posse,
composed Of o score or more of men,
game to the jAll and committee OF
about IL entered and asked the sher.
if for an interview with the negro,
who was looked in an iron cage on the
second floor.
The sheriff went for and brought
the prisoner down stairs and the mob
COOK him away and lynohed him. The
sheriff claimed that ho thought that
the mob only wanted TO question the
negro-to hold sort Of preliminary
trlal-and that he had no idea that
tboy intended to make way with the
prisoner. The sheriff alGo claimed not
to know any Of the mon who cnmpos
cd the mob, although they demanded
the prisoner within four hours after
the dasd was committed, and were
undoubtedly men from within rad
fus Of five miles OF tho county seat.
Governor Hayward r, q obted SOlic
itor Hlldebrand to Investigate the
matter, which be did, but 90 the sher.
III claimed not to have recognized any
of the mob, and az the jury rendered
o verdict TO the effact that tho negro,
VIII Spain, came to his death ab the
hands OF mon unknown to them, the
jury, no indictments w're handed out
against the mob, but at the fall term
OF the court Of general sessions for
Dofchester county Solicitor Hide
brand prepared bill! charging Sheriff
Limehouse with criminal ooWardioe.
The grand jury found true bill
and Gov. Hayward, who had taken q
deep interest In the matter, promptly
suspended the sheriff from ofiloe,
pending his trial. The coroner, p. T..
X zer, WAS commissioned sheriff and
mas 80 acted ainoe, but did not want
fhs q Sc and yg,ote the 8onernar TO
appoints some one else In his stead.
OfangeburR county was seleoted as
che county In which the case would be
6ried, the c. Sc was reached Friday
as scheduled. Solicitor Hildebrand
represented the State again as ably as
he did little less than o year ago
when he prosecuted the Eutawvilla
| lynchorB, and Sheriff LimehOuse was
repre- ented by brilliant array OF tai.
ent composed Of Messre. Oonnor, HERS
and Dennis CT the Dorchester bar,
and RaysOr & Summers, Wolfe 81 Ber.
ry and Bowman q Bowman of the Or.
angehurg bar.
The first witness for the State WAS
LaWton LlmehOuse, son Of the defend
ant, and deputy Bheriff Of Dorchester
county, who testified that he received
the prisoner, WIN Spain, and looked
him In the cell. Said that az request
Of parties who came to the jail he
turned the prisoner lvBr to them for
the purpose OF holding q preliminary
examination and having the prisoner
properly committed; that the moo
overpowefed him and his father and
G0Hk the prisoner from them, and that
tho mob was composed Of rs nen, 10
OF whom carried the prisoner away on
hand car on the Southern railway.
Dr. a. II. johnson testified thap he
was In the jail and that he saw the
mob overpower tho sheriff and his
deputy and take the prisoner away.
lie saw the soeriff try TO use his pis.
tol, but recogn'z ID none OF the mob.
DR.. Joe p. Johnson testified as to
conditions as he found them when he
went to the jail, after the mob had
dispersed.
L.. Virgil Minus testified that he
was at work In an Office near the court
house. He took the testimony at the
ooroner's Inquest, but didn't honr the
sheriff say he knew any Of the mob.
Miss Sibyl Thomas and Mrs. E. E.
Thomas testified 90 to the sherjff'a
conversation with Gov. Hoy ward, they
being Southern Boil long distsnoa ope-
rators. Mrs. Thomas testified she
heard Sber,f Limehouse tell the gov.
ernor he knew the members of the
mob.
Ike Minus testified as to tho search
ana capture of the prisoner aud ss to
delivering him TO the sheriff. This
was oorroborated by Peter Stokes.
DR.. j. p. Minus testified that he
vent to the jiil after the mob had
aakon the priSoner, saw the hand CAR
In tho distance and told OF the sheriffs
mental condition at tho time.
a. II. Mccormick, secretary and
treasurer Of the Dorchester Lumber
company, Of Badham, and who lives At