The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-03-04
AWFUL RECORD.
Nearly One Homicide Each Day
In South Carolina.
DURING LAST Year.

DURING LAST YEAR.
The Rev. Leuis J. Eristew Presents
Some Interesting Figures Compiled
by Him from the Reports Made to
the Attorney General by the Solci-
tors Of the Various Circuits in this
State.
4 recent letter to the press Of the
State, in which I gave the number of
homicides committed in South Caro-
lima during the last SIX months OF
1907, caused a number OF papers
both in this state and others to ask
for record Of the convictions for
murder during the same time. A
careful study of the report Of the
Attorney General reveals th follow
ing facts:
There were In South Carolina in
1907 34e cases In which the defend
ants were charged with murder. Of
these, ten defendants were convict
ed Of the charge and sentenced to
death; 80 were convicted, but were
recommended to the mercy OF the
Court, which under the statute, re-
duced the penalty to a life term in
the penitentiary; "A were convicted
Of 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 8 in Union. The total num-
Der OF convictions thus was 10.
There were no murder trials IN
Pickens or Oconee counties. In other
counties they were as follows:
First Circuit-Berkeley, 8; George
town, S; Dorchester, 20; Orangeburg,
| Is; total 4S. Death penalty, George
town, l; Orangeburg, l; Dorchester,
/. Life term. Georgetown, L; Or
angeburg, 2. Short terms, Berkeley,
2; Dorchester, 7; Orangeburg, e..
Total convictions, 81.
Second Circuit-Aiken, Il; Bam-
berg, u; Barnwell, IL; Hampton, Z;
total, 40. Convictions, Is, but no re-
cord Of sentence.
Third Circuit-Clarendon, 4; Flor
ence, 8 Il manslaughter;) Lee, s;
Sumter, 3; Williamsburg, 2 (man-
slaughter;) total, 1S. Death penalty,
none. Life term, Sumter, /; VIII
llamsburs, 2; Clarendon l. Short
terms, Lee, l; Clarendon, 3; Sum-
ter, l. Total convictions, 9.
Fourth Circuit-Chesterheld, 2;
Darlington, 2; Horny, 1; Marlboro,
8; Marion, 4; total, II. Death pen
atty, 1 in Marlboro. Life term, Marl-
boro, /. Short terms, Chesterfield,
2; Marlboro, 2; Marion, l. Total
convicticcs, 7.
Fifth Circuit-Edseneld, 10 Il
manslaughter;) Kershaw s, e man
slaughter Lexington, 7 q man
slaughter;) Richland, II 6 man
Slaughter total, "a. Death pen
atty, none. Life term, Richland,
l; Edgefeld, /. Short terms, Edge
field, l; Kershaw, 2. Total convic-
tions, 5 (and 2 In Richland County
In which new trials were granted by
trial Judge.)
Sixth Circuit-Chester, IL; Fair
field, 4; Lancaster, 6; York, 9; to-
tai, 80. Death penalty, Chester, 2;
Fairfield, /. Life term, Chester. 8.
Short terms, Chester, S; Lancaster,
3; Fairfield, /; York, 2. Total con-
victions, IT. ct is worthy OF note
here that Of Chester's II cases there
were 10 convictions.
Seventh Circuit-Cherokee, 8;
spartanburg, s; Union, s; total, 22.
Death penalty, none. Life term,
spartanburg, 2. Short terms, Spar
tanburg, 8. Total, 5. (There are no
records for Cherokee and Union.)
Eighth Circuit -Abbeville, 7 e
manslaughter; Greenwood, 4; Lau-
rens, 80 e manslaughter;) Newber-
ry. IL a manslaughter;) Saluda, i
4 manslaughter;) total, So. Death
sentence, Greenwood, l. Life term,
Laurens, s; Newberry, 1; Saluda, 2.
Short terms, Abbeville, 2; Green
wood, 1; Laurens, Z; Newberry, 4;
saluda, 1. Total convictions, rs.
Ninth Circuit-Beaufort, l; Cole
ton, 6 4 manslaughter;) Charleston,
|27 6 manslaughter;) total 81.
Death penalty, none. Life term, Char
Ilestcn, 2. Short terms, Colleton, l;
Charleston, g. Total convictions, 8.
Tenth Circuit-Anderson, IT;
Greenville, 13; Oconee, none; Pick
ems. none; total, 80. Death penalty,
none. Life term, Anderson, 6. Short
terms, Anderson, 2; Greenvllle, D.
Total convictions, 13.
l have simply given the hguree as
complied by the solicitors for the At
torney General They need no COM
ment further than to say that out
jof 346 cases tried there were only
40 convictions OF course, 1t does
not follow that the other 236 men
were guilty of murder and got OH.
But these figures reveal the fact that
the taking of human life in South
Carolina is not often considered a
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
: executed for their crimes. I have Of
tan caid THAT more than so per cent