The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-03-21

was upon him and threw the lap
robe over his head, and by the time
he could get straight and look, the
crowd was hurrying off through the
woods, he just getting a glimpse of
their backs. He said he never saw
so many pistols at one time in his
life Some men stood behind trees
and presented their pistols, one man
presented a double barrel gun from
behind a tree, and all of them were
disguised in various ways. He did
not recognize any of the mob.
The coroner and solicitor then ask
ed if there were any other witnesses,
if anybody could throw any light on
the affair, and only one old negro
replied that he did not know any
thing about it. Several persons
stated that they heard the shots, but
they knew nothing else, so were not
sworn. Nobody appears to have seen
any of the mob gathering nor going
away after the lynching. The jury
then rendered a verdict that the ne
groes came to their death at the
hands of unknown parties, this being
all they could do under the circum-
stances.
1t appears that there was consider
able excitement in Olar that day on
account of the arrests and that there
was a good sized crowd in town, but
that it had thinned out before the
officers started to Bamberg with the
prisoners. 1t was the desire of the
citizens there and Mr.. Cooke that
the law be allowed to take it's course,
and although some threats were
made, Mr.. Cooke told the writer that
he did not really expect any trouble,
as he had begged the crowd at Olar
not to do anything rash, as there was
more behind the affair and that by
lawful course the whole thing
would come out. No doubt some
lnyching talk was indulged in at Olar
during the day, for the solicitor was
called up on the long distance
phone, he being in Aiken, and asked
to recommend a special term of court
to try the negroes. Judge Copes,
who was holding court in Bamberg,
was also called up. 1t appears, how
ever, that no promises as to special
term would or could be made. 1t
was stated to US that if the solicitor
had agreed to recommend a special
term there would have been no
lynching.
So it may be assumed after all
that a lack of confidence in the
courts brought about this fearful
tragedy, which is regretted by a very
large majority of the citizens Of this
county.
But back of it all is series of
events which were bound to cause
trouble sooner or later. Some months
ago a white man named Main was
shot and killed by a negro near Olar.
The negro was tried at the recent
term of court and acquitted, the
shooting appearing to have been an
accident. However, it seems that
both the white man and the negro
were drinking, the white man hav-
ing gone to the negro's house to get
some whiskey, and the negro was
shooting around promiscuously. A
few days after the killing the negro's
half-brother indulged in some incen-
diary talk and was taken by crowd
of white men, put over log, and a
buggy trace properly applied, which
laid him up for couple of weeks.
This the negroes resented, and in
fact the negroes of the Olar and Co.
van section have been rather saucy
and uppish with white people for
several years.
About the first of the year several
negro men were made to leave the
county on account of their relations
with some white women Of the COM
munity, stencil that had unfortu-
nately been allowed to go unchecked
too long. However, there was nc
violence done the negroes. A crowd
of the best citizens of that section
got together and sent for the negroes
and talked plain to them about the
matter, telling them that they and
their families must leave the county
This the negroes did, but the wife
and son of one of the negroes re,
NAMED, and short while afterwaro
one of the gentlemen of the party
met this negro in the road and in
quired if he and his mother were not