The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-08-31

our use. We reached this place some
time before sundown and took up our
quarters for the night. Court was to
convene two days later and we were
thus early on the ground in order to
give the lawyers, who had our case in
hand, opportunity to draw up the pa
pers and prepare for obtaining bail
if we were to be allowed to return
home. Gen. Butler, who was under
indictment, the Hon. George W.
Croft, the Hon. D. S. Henderson, of
the Aiken Bar, and Major William
T. Gary were acting as our attorneys.
"Among those whose interest had
induced them to accompany us was
my brother, the Hon. George D. Till
man, who had been nominated as a
candidate for Congress in our Con-
gressional district. He had been in
correspondence with General, after
wards Senator J. Z. George, Of Mis-
sissippi. the man whose constructive
craftsmanship in devising means to
safeguard Southern civilization by the
elimination Of the negro vote will
cause his name to shine for all time
as a great constitutional lawyer and
benefactor Of the South. It was un-
der him that Mississippi led off in
disfranchising the negro and practl-
cally every Southern State has follow
ed suit. Mississippi had thrown off the
carpet-bag yoke two years before
that, and Gen. George advised my
brother to have the South Carolinians
impress the negroes both as to our
strength and the purpose of the
whites by using ae spectacular uni
form and urged the parade Of long
professions Of armed white men
through the country.
The Shirts Secured.
1.-THE Hamburg riot had caused
such a furore throughout the North
and the Republican press Of that sec
ton was waving the bloody shirt with
such frantic energy that Mr.. Till
man suggested to Col. Butler that we,
though then assembled as prisoners,
should wave the bloody shirt in real
itv as a token Of defiance. The idea
was seized upon by all Of us and
Luther Ransom and myself were ap-
pointed committee to visit Aiken,
confer with the Democratic authorl-
ties, and see if we could induce them
to help Us in securing shirts to be
donned as uniforms Col. George ".
Croft. then county chairman, entered
into the scheme with great zeal, and
gave rs an order for the necessary
yellow hdmespun. Having obtained
this. Ransom, who knew nearly all OF
the ladies Of Aiken, accompanied me
in my buggy and we distributed TIE
bolts Of cloth among the ladies with
the renueS, that they make us forty
homcSl';IM shirts just as soon As poSSl-
| Die. | remember it. the cloth was dis
! lributcl one afternoon and the next
morning We drove into town from our
camp and gathered up the garments,
obtaining good supply OF turpentne
and Venetian red at the same time.
I had telegraphed to a friend IN Au-
gusta. Tom Henry, to send me with
out fail two negro paper masks or
dough-faceS and / kinky chlgnon. |
had ordered a carpenter to make
large fac staff in the shape Of cross
and @of one of the ladies to make
an enormous shirt, bigger than Go
Hath. Of Cath. would have worn. Tins
shirt waS H,rncd into 4 flag with tie
3jHlS iil>7ict,hcd over the cross
pieces. The negro faces were lacked
to the :":' back TO back. :" as i"
make q yrinning negro mead from el-
ther side, and the chignon was nailed