Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1908-03-05
AWFUL RECORD.
Nearly One Homlcids Each Day
In South Carolina.
DURING LAST YEAR.

The Rev. Louis J. Bristov Pr...,t,
Some Interesting Figures CompiIe,,
BY Him from the Reports Made r.
the Attorney General by the solici.
tors OF the Various Circuits I'm this
State.
A recent letter to the press OF the
state in which 1 gave the number q,
homicfdes committed in South Caro-.
lima during the last six months .,
1907, caused a number of papers
ooth In this state and others to as,
Tor a record OF the convictions for
inuruer during the same time. A
careIul study OF the report OF the
attorney General reveals th follow
ing facts:
mere were IN South Carolina in
IsOf 346 cases in which the defend
ants were charged with murder. or
these, ten defendants were convict
eo or the charge and sentenced to
death; 80 were convicted. but were
recommended to the mercy of tho
court which under the statute. re-
duced the penalty to life term in
the penitentiary; A were convicted
or man-slaughter and given short
terms in the Penitentiary or on the
county chain gangs. Besides these
there were Is convictions reported
from the I'd judicial circuit wherein
no record OF degree OF guilt or OF
sentence was given, and 8 in Chero-
kee' and In Union. The total num-
ber OF convictions thus was 1lO.
There were no murder trials in
Pickens or Oconee counties. In other
counties they were as follows:
First Circuit-Berkeley, 8: George
town, 8; Dorchester, 20: Orangebure
l5 total 4S. Death penalty, George
town, /; Orangeburg, /: Dorchester
L. Life term. Georgetown, /; Or
angeburg. 2. Short terms, Berkeley
z; Dorchester, z; Orangeburg, 6.
Total convictions, IL.
Second Circuit-Aiken, IA: Bam-
berg, -; Barnwell. 12; Hampton. Z:
total, 40. Convictions, is, but no re-
cord OF sentence.
Third Clarendon, 4; Flor
ence, 8 Il manslaughter;) Lee, 6:
Sumter. 3; Williamsburg, Oman
slaughterO total, Is. Death penalty.
none. Life term, Sumter, /; VIII
lamsburg, 2; Clarendon 1. Short
terms, Lee, l; Clarendon, 8; Sum-
ter. L. Total convictions, 9.
Fourth Circuit-Chesterfi 2:
Darlington, 2; Horny, L; Marlboro,
S; Marion, A. total, IT. Death pen
atty. 1 in Marlboro. Life term, Marl-
boro, 1. Short terms. Chesterfield
2; Marlboro, 2; Marion, 1. Total
convictions, 7.
Fifth Circuit-Edgefield 10 q
manslaughter;) Kershaw 6. e man
slaughter;) Lexington, Z Il man
ilaughter;) Richland. IL 6 man
slaughter;) total. "a. Death pen
atty. none. Life term. Richland,
1; Edgefeld, 1. Short terms, Edge
field. /; Kershaw, 2. Total convic-
tions. (and in Richland County
in which new trials were granted fy
trial Judge)
Sixth Chester. IL; Fair
field, 4; Lancaster. 6; York, 8; to-
tai, 30 Death penalty. Chester. 2;
Fairfield. 1. Life term, Chester. g..
Short terms. Chester. 8: Lancaster,
3; Fairfield, 1; York, 2. Total con-
victions. IT. (It is worthy OF note
here that of Chester's IL cases there
were 10 convictions.
Seventh Circuit-Cherokee, g;
Spartanburg, 8; Union. 6; total, %.
Death penalty, none. Life term,
Spartanburg, Q. Short terms, Spar
tanburg, 8. Total, s. (There are no
records for Cherokee and Union.)
Eighth Circuit-Abbeville, 7 q
manslaughter; Greenwood, 4; Lau-
rens, 80 & manslaughter;) Newber-
ry. II a manslaughter;) Saluda. II
4 manslaughter;) total. SO. Death
sentence, Greenwood, 1. Life term.
Laurens. 6; Newberry. 1; Saluda, 2.
Short terms. Abbeville. 2; Green
wood. 1; Laurens. z; Newberry. 4;
Saluda, 1. Total convictions, 25.
Ninth Circuit-Beaufort, /; Cole
ton. (1 manslaughter;) Charleston,
i27 g manslaughter0 total "a.
Death penalty. none. Life term, Char
lesion, Q. Short terms. Colleton. l (;
Charleston, 5. Total convictions. 6.
Tenth Clrcuit-Anderson, IT;
Greenville, 13; Oconee. none; Pick
ems, none; total, 80. Death penalty
none Life term. Anderson, 6. Short
terms. Anderson. 2: Greenville, 8.
Total convictions, 13.
1 have simply given the flguree as
compiled by the solicitors for the At
torney General. They need no com
ment further than to say that out
OF 346 cases tried there were only
lilo convictions. or course, 1t does
not follow that the other 236 men
were guilty of murder and got OF. .
But these figures reveal the fact that
the taking OF human life in South
Carolina is not often considered q
crime against society.
! One other matter: While OF the
346, no less than 40 were convicted
by as many juries OF felonious and
wilful murder, 80 of these juries de-
clined to permit the murderers TO be