Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1908-09-24
Hello FOR CONSPIRACY
ALLEGED PLOT AGAINST WHITES
DISCOVERED AT GREENWOOD.
Blacks at Ninety.Six Said to Have
Conspir'ed to Kill Four Prominent
White Citizens.


Eleven negroes were brought I,
Greenwood Saturday. September ~
about noon. from Ninety-Six, In tn,
custody of Sheriff Mcmillan and De
putty Sheriff Charles Dukes. under ;
warrant charging them with con
spiracy. The arrest of these negroe,
was the outcome of an investigation
on the part of the local authoritie,
and certain citizens in Greenwood
Very little was known in Ninety-Si,
up to Saturday morning of the pro.
posed arrest or the cause therefor
but several of the leading citizens
OF Ninety-SiX were fully aware OF
the situation, and the bringing OF
the negroes to Greenwood was de-
cidcd upon as the best method "a
proceed in lawful and orderly man.
ner. Saturday evening another
negro was arrested and brought there
on the same charge. The negroes
hrst arrested are: =. b. Dean, S.
t. Jackson. preacher, Jas. Step.
hens. Anderson Stephens, Ed Har.
ris, Tom Bishop, Davego Williams.
Wayman Jackson. John Calhoun.
Zekc Chappell, another preacher. and
Wade Williams. The negro brought
Saturday night was Press Goodwin.
The investigation, which led up to
the arrest of these negroes. started
IN Greenwood on Tuesday. Septem-
Der s. On that day a certain negro
In Greenwood received by mistake a
letter addressed to another negro In
Greenwood, and that letter, upon
which the whole case hangs. as II
were, is the most important docu.
ment and development In the whole
affair. The great question is. is the
letter genuine or a fake? This is the
letter;
"Ninety-SiX, September :. 1905.
Mr.. Hartie Harrls, Greenwood, S.
c.: We want you not to give us
away in this me an Tom Bishop and
Rev. Zeke Chappell Is n committee
to get up men 10 buy Winchesters. to
fix for white folks IN few days.
We are going from house to house at
night and shoot IN. and they will
think il is Tolbcrt Now. we want
YOU TO see how many at Greenwood
will help. All of us who come up
there to Tolbert Convention is in II,
but Joe. Don't know anything about
this. 1t is US. who is S. T. Jackson
there. We will be ready by Sunday
night to start If our men get back.
Don't tell anybody Of this, and burn
this letter up. Let me know who
will come from there by Tuesday.
('SiGncd) Wade Williams.
AS stated above. this letter by mis-
take was received by another party
than the one to whom it was address
ed. This party, negro. states that
he started to put the letter back in
the postofiice, but realizing the seri-
GUS nature OF It's contents, he turn.
cd il over to Chief OF police Nc
Comhs. The chief OF police imme-
diately consulted with Sheriff McMll-
Ian and these two with several other
representative citizens began the in
vestigation.
The negro who had received the
letter, having himself been resi-
| dent of Ninety-Six was most closely
questioned. He let II be known that
he knew something OF what Whs or
had been goins OH among the color
ed people at Nlnety-Six. Expressing
! fear for his own safety lie was reluc-
tant TO divulge anything. Repeated
! questioning finally brought out the
statement that two negoe societies al
| Nincty-SiX had been indulging In in
denciary talk against the whites in
their secret orders for some time
These talks had been more frequent
and more violent since the recent
trouble at Ninety-SiX. as the result
of the local election on the matter OF
issuing bonds TO build school house
The negro did not connect any white
person at all with these talks, but
stated that the talks were origina
with the negroes and confined ex
W lUciI own ttGTtl
He stated that the negro Odd Eel
lows Lodge at Ninety-Six was TAX
ing an active interest In the matter
as were the members of another Sc
cret society among the negroes
known, as the Knights OF the Guild
ing Star OF the East" He stated tha
a committee from each OF thes,
lodges had been appointed to have ;
conference with each other as to tn,
purchase OF guns. and TO do certain
other things 80 he had been inform
ed.
After considerable parleylng h
consented TO so TO Ninety-SiX an,
attend the meeting OF the negro oil
Fellows on Thursday night. this he
ing their regular meeting tonight
he stated before going that he di,
not know whether he wou.u he allow
cd 10 get in the lodge or not. as h
was behind In his dues. Money wa
given him 10 pay UP his dues aud b
left Greenwood for Nincty-Slx o
Friday he returned and as proof of tn
fact that he had been 10 Hinety-Si
aud had attended the meet
ioo I,- I-ouch, bocL u-i,i, biu, 4, ;