The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-10-06
SERIOUS CHARGE
-Four White Men Arrested for Whipping a
Negro Man to Death
MAN Was Ill AND DIED

The Law Abiding Citizens Are Very
Much Aroused and the Governor
Called Upon to Act-The Evidence
is Not Convincing That the Whip
ping Caused Death.
The State says a report by a prom
inent citizen Of Greenwood county
to Gov. Ansel's Office reveals a state
of affairs at Dyson, near Ninety-Six'
that demands Immediate investiga-
ton. According to this report a ne
| gro died as a result Of injuries In.
fIcted by a severe whipping. and
the magistrate, James Rogers, held
an inquest at which q verdict OF
death from natural causes OF
heart disease" was brought In.
The case as reported to Secretary
| Bethea, Gov. Ansel being out OF tht
| city, was that the negro, who had
| worked for Henry Williamson,
farmer, had been arrested charged
with violation of contract and taker
to Greenwood jail. Last Saturday ht
was taken back by the men who
placed him there and Saturday nigh
the negro died.
Some Of the law-abiding citizen'
in the community determined to TAX
up = the matter with the State au
thorities and as a result Mr.. Bethea
on hearing of the facts, at once tele
phoned Sheriff Mcmillan. The sher
if stated that he knew nothing q
the arrival or departure of the pris
oner. He promised to Investigate
the matter at once.
The particulars of the whippin.
is given in a dispatch from Green
wood to The State. The dispatc.
says four white men, Henry R. VII
hanson, Sloan Williamson, Ashb
King and Sam w. Cooper, were ar
rested and lodged in Jail by SheriI
Mcmillan on the charge Of havin
caused the death Of a negro, Gu
Gilcrease, near Dyson's last Frida
by whipping him.
An inquest was held Saturday b
Magistrate James Rogers of Ninety
Six. An old negro named Robir
son testified at the inquest, but sta
ed that he knew nothing of the ma
ter. DR.. John Lyon Of Ninety-si
examined the body, with Magistrat
Rogers, and saw the marks OF whiI
ping, but nothing further developed
However, later the old negro Robil
son came to Caps. James Rogers. tn
magistrate, and told him that he ha
not told the ruth, that he kne
he was a dead man if he told th
truth, but he had to tell the trutl
He then told that the four men abov
named had whipped the dead neg-
and that he afterwards dropped deat
Magistrate Rogers sent the old negr
on to Greenwood and he Is now
jail.
Gov. Ansel wired Sheriff McMilla
to look into the matter with a
possible diligence and also wire
Magistrate Rogers Sheriff McMi
Ian went to Ninety-Six and Maj. s. ]
Brooks, foreman Of the grand jur,
also went down to Ninety-Six, an
they consulted with Magistrate Rol
ers and other citizens there. an
Sheriff Mcmillan placed the William
sons under arrest there. Ashh
King and Sam Cooper were In tow
and were arrested here. Henry 7
Williamson Is the young man VII
had to serve two years in the pen
Tertiary for the whipping Of J. T
Wertz, now living in Greenwood
then a neighbor Of Williamson's.
The correspondent interviewed a
four men now under arrest and the
deny the charge made against then
They state that they did not viii
the negro. Two of them. Coope
aud King. say they were not wit
the. Williamsons but a short TIM
having met them in the road. ths
the negro got out of the buggy an
started to the field to work an
dropped, that Henry Williamso
went to him and asked him what wa
the matter and the negro said b
was sick; that the negro got up an
started off again and dropped agar
that they carried him to his sister
house and that Henry Williamso
sent for a doctor, but the negro die
soon after.
Henry Williamson had the negr
under contract but he ran ava
about three months ago. He CAV
a description of him to diferen
chiefs Of police in adjoining town
and last Thursday the negro was al
rested in Greenwood by Chief Nc
Combs. Williamson was in tow,
Friday on his way home from a sho'
at Abberille and vas told by Chile
McCombs that the negro was there
He carried the negro on home wit
him on the train and says that h
told the negro. II he wanted to g
back to work it would be all RICH,
He was met at Dyson by his buggy
driven by the negro, Robert Robin
son. The four drove of In the bug
gy and he says that the death o
the negro occurred as above stated