The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-03-02
The Hanging of John Moore.

"a. B. Williams in Roanoke Times.)
| Again a name suggests a reminis-
cence. Yesterdays dispatches tell
us of series of fights of mountain
clansmen in the streets of Spartan
| burg, S. G.. That is the town which
! once had mayor German and
jeweler a peaceful tinker with dilap-
idated watches, but certain Confed-
| crate artilleryman and a conscien-
| tious official and all man. One day
crowd of mountaineers raided his
town to take out and lynch a pris-
oner In his methodical, exact, Ger
man way he hauled out an old brass
cannon, placed in front of the Jail
and pointed it carefully to the centre
of the approaching street. Then he
loaded it with full charge of pow
der, emptied into it keg of ten pen
ny nails, rammed down the patching
and quietly awaited the coming of
the mob. When it appeared he
stood alone, lanyard in hand, and
advised his fellow citizens not to
come any further. They did not
come. There was no lynshing.
In June, 1879, John Moore was in
Spartanburg jail. He was a man of
wealth and influence of a certain
kind. He had thriving farm and
more thriving distillery. He sold IL
quor in his neighborhood and had a
gang around him. One or two stran-
gers who went to his house disap-
peared and never were heard of.
Men who offended him were shot at
or mysteriously beaten or cut. One
Sunday girl came along walking
from Spartanburg toward her home
in Pickens county, in the mountains,
80 miles away-a sturdy, honest
mountain girl to whom a 80 mile
walk was no great matter and who
was accustomed from her surround
ings and upbringing to trust men
frankly and to call withuot hesita-
ton on the hospitality Of the country
people. She stopped at John Moore's
house and when she had had her
dinner trudged away along a path
through the woods which he pointed
out to her. as short cut. He follow
ed her. Three days later, men, their
curiosity aroused by circling buz-
yards, found her dead beneath
tree, few feet off the path, hun
dred yards OF so from Middle Tiger
River. Her throat was cut. The
ground about showed that she had
fought until the very moment of
death, when she could fight no long
er. Her body was mutilated, but the
coroner reported that she was right.
The unerring perception Of noun
taineer trailers, silent and sparing
of speech but deadly in their con-
clusions, showed John Moore's shoe
prints from the body to the river.
There he was supposed to have
thrown the little tawdry jewelry the
girl had, the rings from her fingers
and the brooch from her neck, all
torn from her.
Moore was arrested and put in the
Spartanburg jail. He employed the
best lawyers at the local bar The
story went out that he was to apply
to the circuit court or to the supreme
court for bail.
The mayor of the town was then
Mr.. Thompson, large, placid man.
He sat on the curb stone near the
front door of the Jail about, II
o'clock of star-lit night with a re-
porter for a Charleston newspaper
and a citizen. The Morgan Rifles
named after old Daniel Morgan, who
led the continentals at the battle of
Cowpens, locally known as 'The
Cuppins," few miles from Spartan
udu UOOA Sdl1OO. A<oI q A'ASA
gan Rifleman could be found, high
or low. No Morgan rifleman want
ed to serve to protect John Moore.
The mayor arose near midnight,
smiled and drew long breath in
satisfied way, and said:
"Well, nothing will happen to-
night"
The citizen thought differently. He
threw his head to one side, paused
intently moment, and then said:
Nothing? Hell, listen"
Through the darkness, along the
long rock bottomed road leading in
to the town, came the sound Of the
steady Gathering of the hoofs of
horses-many horses, ridden at a
slow gallop. Presently into the town
they came-six hundred or more of
foi, rid on1