The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-05-11
BAMBERG, S. c., THURSDAY. MAY II, 1911
RUSHING NEGROES TO PEN.
Governor Takes Precautions in Flor.
ence Case.


will be rushed to the penitentiary to-
morrow under the most peculiar cir
cumstances ever, known in the his
tory of the State. The negroes will
be brought here by order of Gov.
Blease. Alex Weldon and William
Burroughs, the two Florence county
negroes under sentence of death for
the killing of E. NJ. Moye, Florence
county farmer, are the men who will
be brought here.
Following the announcement by
the supreme court that the situation
revealed in the appeal for new trial
in the case of the two prisoners, on
account of the allegation that the
jury was overawed by the presence
of such a large crowd in the court
room at the trial, Gov. Blease re-
ceived information that the prison
ers, under certain conditions, might
be summarily dealt with. It was in
order to protect the negroes that he
ordered them brought here from the
Florence county jail.
Basis of Governors Action.
The information that Gov. Blease
has is twofold. He was first inform
ed that one member of the supreme
court had stated that if there is any
law to do so, and the facts are as
complained of in the appeal, namely,
that the court room was so crowded
that the jury was overawed and for
this reason brought in a verdict Of
guilty, that this justice will be for a
new trial.
Afetr this information got out,
Gov. Blease heard from representa-
tive citizens of Florence that if the
negroes get a new trial, they will
never be brought into the court room
alive. The information was straight
that the men would be dealt with in
| summary manner.
Taking no Chances.
Fearing the result of a possible de-
cision by the supreme court in favor
| OF the negroes, in view Of the state
| ment attributed to one member of
the court, Gov. Blease thought it
would be best to give the negroes all
the protection possible and to this
end he ordered the sheriff of Flor
ence county this afternoon to bring
the two men up here in the morning.
| Gov. Blease stated this afternoon
that he thought it would be best to
have the two negroes in the peniten-
tiary. OF course, nothing may have
come of the threats attributed to
Florence county men, but the gov
ernor said he would rather be on the
safe side and that it was the proper
thing to have the men given all the
protection in his power.
About the time that this story is
read in The News and Courier in
Florence, the two negroes will be on
. their way to Columbia. Leaving the
Florence county jail early in the
morning, the men will quietly be
brought here. Perhaps few men in
Florence will know that the prison
ers are on the way to safety.
Sensational Feature of Appeal.
The sensational exception referred
to in the supreme court record is as
follows:
ellis Honor erred in allowing a
crowd, some of whom were bent upon
killing the prisoners, to take posses
sion of the court house and to hold
the same during the trial, occupying
every available space, including the
bar reserved for the lawyers, to such
an extent that the jurors were en-
tirely cut off from the view Of coun-
sci, and counsel had to request his
honor on several occasions to cause
the sheriff to clear away the crowd
that counsel might see the witness
he was examining; thus, in effect,
overawing the jury and as such the
accused did not have that fair trial
awarded under the constitution and
the laws of the State"
The supreme court directed few
days ago that the record in the case
be sent to Special Judge Brown and
he report on the facts as to whether
or not the court room was as crowd
ed as reported in the appeal to the
court, and if so an investigation will
be had. One of the negroes that was
connected with this case was recently
hanged. His name was Clarence
Ham.
Byrnes at White House.