Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1908-01-16
AWFUL RECORD.
Rev. NJ Srlstow Writes Of Muir.
deEs In This State in
THELAST SIX MONTHS.

Since July Last There Has Been One
Hundred and Fifty-Bight Murders
in South Carolina, Of Which Eigh.
ty-Two Were Committed in Pro-
hibition Counties and Seveuty-Six
In Dispensary Counties.
Rev. Louis ]. Bristow, a young
Baptist preacher and a strong pro-
hibitionist. has been keeping the re-
cord OF the murders committed in
this State in the last six months, and
gives out the following on the SUBJ
ject for publications:
THE appalling frequency OF homi-
cides in South Carolina is a matter
which should give the officers of the
law and all law-abiding people cause
for serious consideration. Legisla-
tive. executive and judicial officers
are confronted with a situation
which, if tolerated much longer,
will result in untold evil to the
state. II necessary, drastic measures
should be adopted to put stop to
the reign Of riot that is rampant in
South Carolina.
"For a long time l have been CIV
ing attention to the matter, and
herewith append figures covering re-
ports in the daily papers for the past
six months. from July to December
81. inclusive.
"Homicides. 1853; of the dead,
whites 10: negroes. 10; OF the slay-
ers. whites 20, negroes S5. unknown
3. II will thus be seen that the
number OF deaths is and the men
who did the killings were almost
equally divided also. have often
heard II said in answer to argument
against killing that the large major
ity of the homicides in South Caro-
lima were ordinary 'nigger killings
The reports in the daily papers for
the last six months are complete re-
futation OF the claim.
LAS to the manner of death find
that 121 OF the dead were killed by
guns and pistol Shots Is by blows
from rocks, brick and pieces of
wood; II by knife cuts, and two by
blows from axes. Here, too Is a ter
rible indictment against our people;
the deadly weapon-the pistols
carried by far too many men and
boys. Pistols are made and carried
for the purpose of shooting men, and
that person who habitually carries a
pistol is in his heart already a
murderer. with the possible excep-
tion Of certain officers OF the law,
who are supposed to go armed.
believe it is true that an indictment
for murder in this state carries with
a charge OF carrying concealed wea-
pons; but i have never heard of a
case where the accused was convicted
Of the charge, or count, relating
thereto.
Another matter. and one which
leave to others to account for:
''Of the 1853 killings since July I =.
SO were committed in prohibition
counties and 76 in counties in which
there are dispensaries. Since Octo-
ber 90. killings have been reported
in prohibition counties as follows:
York. Saluda, Oconee, Union. Pick
ems, Marlboro, Cherokee and Spar
tanburg. one each; Greenville, New
~ txtrn nnI,
| field and Marion, three each, Ian
caster, four. and Anderson eleven.
I'm prohibition counties. Hamp-
ton, Williamsburg, Georgetown and
Dorchester, one each Charleston
and Columbia, two each: Bamberg,
Aiken, Orangeburg, Richland, Lau-
rens, three each, and Barnwell. four.
| II recite this last paragraph for
the information of those who have
desired to compare the homicide re-
cords of prohibition and dispensary
counties.
| MY remedy for the evil of homi-
eide is for the legislature to make
1t a crime. per Sc, to be punished
according to the degree of felony in
each case.
TO take a human life is an of.
Tense against God and human SO.
ciety. except it be due process OF
law. When the Lord gave his laws
to Isreal, he made provision for the
manslayer who killed eby accident
But even he was not to go scott free
According to the Mosaic dispensa
tion every person guilty of a homi
eide suffered a penalty for his of
fense against human life and society
whether the death blow was giyer
premeditatedly and wantonly. 1,
heat of passion. or in fear: o
whether by error or accident. Thj
was Gods command: and every nro
vision of the Mosaic economy en-
shrined some enduring principle p
1t some lasting moral lesson was in
tended to be impressed upon tb
minds of the people. The institutio,
may be altered or entirely diaapnea
: amid changing social conditions; hu
the principle ever remains the same
The Cities of Refuge provided fo
by the Mosaic laws were TO give a,
esylum only to those who killed h
accident or error, but even they ha,
to suffer on indeterrinate santano