The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-02-16
The Last White Man Hanged in
Laurens.

IduIGUS.
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The LaurenS Herald of several days
ago contained an interesting account
of the conviction and execution of a
white man, DR.. Thomas ". kinman,
at Laurens, for nergo stealing, III
J 1854. The story is as follows:
Sometime in the spring or summer
Of 1853, DR.. Thomas kinman was
Wrought here from Greenville county
hen districD, a prisoner and lodged
Jail, charged with capital felony,
that he had stolen and carried
= way certain negro, the property of
a citizen Of LaurenS district.
\ few days after his Imprisonment
J kinman Was admitted to bail under a
heavy bond, ,sfor his appearance at the
approaching term Of court for trial.
The sessions court at that time was
held only twice a year, March and
October.
On Sunday evening before the op-
ming Of the October term, klnman
'as promptly in attendance, stopping
1t Simmons hotel. apparently in the
best OF humor and spirits, where the
writer saw him for the first time. lie
Fwas a man Of rather fine personal ap-
pearance. quite six feet in height.
florid complexion, with light OF sandy
hair, man Of intelligence in posses
sion of considerable property in land
and negroes. and up to the time Of his
! arrest bore a good character and was
) highly respected. Notwithstanding
/ these facts, and the gravity Of the
charges against him, the case had eS-
{ cited little or no interest until he
went to Jail Monday morning OF
court; and even then no one seemed
to think that he would be convicted
and hanged, as, under the law OF
! South Carolina at that time, no other
penalty attached to the crime Of negro
]. stealing slightly different now.
4 There was very little direct or pos
Esitive proof against Kinman-nearly
all circumstantial, but the eircumstan-
sasial evidence proved in the end dam
q 81 aging and fatal, as WILL be seen later
#*on.
5 It developed in course Of the trial
!: that Kinman passed through this
place in possession of a new, light
:; two-horse Cox & Cover wagon, the
!. cover of which was tightly drawn by
strong cords at front, rear and sides,
I. so that no one could see its interior.
II Witnesses testified that the same de-
seription of man and wagon crossed
2the Saluda river at Swansey's ferry.
s. Another witness, a citizen Of the
. town Of Abbeville, testified that the
e ddentically described man and wagon
:. passed through that place. 1t so hap
pened that the Abbeville witness
wanted just such a wagon'as the de-
ss=fendant had, wanted it at once, and
s--offered to pay a much larger sum for
sssit than the usual cost Of vehicles OF
ssthat size. but he was forbidden to
sslook inside the wagon, when he at
This action on the part OF
ssfthe defendant for some reason, 1t
ss2;seems, excited the suspicion Of the
Ess:switness, and he so testified. Identify
zing Kinman as the man in charge OF
sssthe wagon. And it was firmly be-
.lieved, though not proven, that, that
said negro was seereted in said wagon.
II transpired from the evidence
that Kinman adopted the scheme of
the great "Land Pirate, as the no
5 torious John A. Murrell used to be
q ealled-made repeated sales Of the
same negro. He or his confederate
with him would sell the stolen negro
at a certain place, secretly give him a
pass, with instructions; to meet him
] at another point rev Gays later'
where the negro would be sold AGAIN,
signing, of course, fictitious name to
the pass. These sales were given IN
each instance. And it was these pas
ses that betrayed him, and finally
Ike the neck of the accused:
One of the witnesses test1fylng
inst Kinman was from Alabama,
b was one of the unfortunate pur-
hasers of the stolen negro, but was
hot able to identify Kinman as the
man from whom he bought the negro.
The passes given the negro, three OF
! Whieh the prosecution managed to
opcure. were signed with the flctl-
Eaus signature of 81. II. Smith, -
L