The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-09-23
HELDFOR CONSPIRACY
ALLEGED PLOT AGAINST WHITES
DISCOVERED AT GREENWOOD.


q Blacks at Ninety-six Said to HAY
= CoMspired to Kill Four Pron,inen
White Citizens.
: Eleven negroes We're brought t
I Greenwood Saturday, September Il
about noon. from Ninety-six, IN tn
custody Of Sheriff McM.lian and De
putty Sheriff Charles Dukes, under
, warrant charging ghem with con
: spiracy. The arrest OF these negroe,
: was the outcome OF an investigation
; on the part Of the local authoritie:
and certain citizens; ia Greenwood
Very little was known in Ninety-Sia
jup 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
1.-THE situation, and the bringing OF
! the negroes to Greenwood was de-
cided upon as the best method to
|proceed in lawful and orderly man
iner. Saturday evening another
negro was arrested and brought there
on the same charge The negroes
first arrested are: P. B. Dean, S.
T. Jackson. a preacher, Jas. Step
hens, Anderson Stephens. Ed Hac-
ris, Tom Bishop, Davego Williams,
Wayman Jackson. John Calhoun,
zeke Chappell, another preacher, and
Wade Williams. The negro brought
Saturday night vas Press Goodwin.
The investigation, which led up to
the arrest Of these negroes, started
! in Greenwood on Tuesday, Septem-
Der s. On that day 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 it
were. is the most important docu-
meut and development in the whole
affair. The great question is. is the
letter genuine OF fake? This is the
letter:
"Ninety-Six, September !, 1903.
"Mr. Hartie Harris. Greenwood. S.
C.: We want. YOU not to give US
away in this me an Tom Bishop and
Rev Zeke Chappell is committee
to get up men to buy WincaesteCs, to
fix for white folks in few days.
We are going from house to house at
night and shoot in, and they will
think it is To!bert. Now, we want
you to see now many at Greenwood
will help. All of us who come up
there to Tolbert Convention is in it,
but Joe. Don't know anything about
this. It is US. who is S. T. Jackson
there. We will be ready cy Sunday
night TO start if our men get back.
Don't iell ANYBODY of this, and burn
this letter up Let me know who
will come from there by Tuesday.
t'.Signedl 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. a negro, states that
he started to put the Letter back in |
the postofice. but rea,izing the seri-
Gus nature OF its contents; be turn
ed it over to Chief of Police Nc
Combs. The chief of police imme-
diately consulted with Sheriff McMll-
Ian and these two with several other
representative citizens began the in
yestigation.
The negro who had received the
letter. having himself been resi-
dent of Ninety-slX Was most closely
questioned. He let it be known that
he knew something Of what was us
had been goins Oh among the color
eS people at Ninety-Six. Expressing
fear for his own safei'' he was rc!uc-
tant to divulge anything. Repeated
questioning hnally brought out the
Statement that two ncgoe societies at
Ninety-Six had been indulgins 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 original
with the negroes and confined eS-
clusiveiy to their own secret orders.
He stated that the negro Odd Eel
! lows Lodge at Ninety-SlX was tax
ling an active interest in the matter,
as were the members Of another Sc
cret society among the negroes,
: uown. as the Knights OF the Guild
! ins Star Of the East he stated that
Ia committee from each OF these
lodges had been appointed TO nave a
conference with each other as to the
purchase OF guns. and to do certain
otter things. SO he had been inform
led.
After considerable parleyluS ne
consented to go to NiNetT-SiN and
attend the meeting Of the negro Old
Fellows on Thursday night, ch!s be-
ing their regular meeting tonight.
He stated before going that be did
no, know whether he ~ou4u be allow
ed 10 get in the lodge or not. as he
was behind in his dues. Money was
given him 20 pay up his dues and he
left Greenwood tor Ninety-SiX. On
FRIDAY he returned and as proof osthe
fact that ha had been TO Ninety-sia
and had attended the meet
ing. he brought back with him hi:
membership card on which the pay