The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-03-21
THREE NEGROES LYNCHED
NEAR ODOM'S BRIDGE.
Alfred and Richmond Dublin and Peter Rivers
Attempt to Burn Mayor Cookies Home
in Olar and are Shot to Death.

The first lynching for Bamberg
county occurred last Wednesday af-
ternoon when three negroes, Alfred
and Richmond Dublin and Peter Riv-
ers, were taken from Magistrate o.
]. C. Lain and Mr.. ]. E. Cooke, who
were bringing them to Bamberg to
be placed in Jail, and taken about
100 yards behind Union Baptist
church, colored, at Odom's bridge
over the Little Saltkehatchie river,
and shot to death. AS to what hap
pened after the mob took the negroes
from the officers is mere conjecture,
as no light has been thrown on the
tragedy so far. The officers imme-
diately took the road back for home,
and when about three hundred yards
away they heard the shots which
ended the lives of the three victims,
and next morning they were found
down in the woods beyond the'church
tied to small trees and their bodies
riddled with bullets.
These negroes were charged with
setting fire to the residence of Mr..
]. E. Cooke at Olar Monday morning
of last week, just before day, and
had confessed the crime. Last Tues
day night we heard that an attempt
had been made to burn the home OF
Mr.. Cooke, but that no arrests had
been made at that time. Wednesday
afternoon after we had gone to
press we learned of the arrest of
the three negroes and of their con-
fession, and the statement was made
that they were to be brought to
Bamberg and lodged in jail the same
afternoon.
Thursday morning, Col. Jno. F.
Folk rendered a seat in his auto
mobile to Solicitor Gunter and the
writer, and soon we were at the
scene of the tragedy. There a grue-
some sight met our eyes. Down the
hill beyond the church, in a small
open space, somewhat Of natural
amphitheatre, were the bodies stiff
and stark, tied near together with
their faces to the trees, their bodies
riddled with bullets, most of which
appeared to have been fired from
the back. Alfred and Richmond
Dublin were very near together, and
their ropes had allowed their bodies
| to come to the ground, but the body
of Rivers, a little farther away, was
resting on the rope which tied his
hands, it not having slipped and al
lowed his body to rest on the ground.
| Most of the bullets were in the body,
| but a few struck their heads, and
Alfred Dublin's face was turned
| backward and he had been shot in
the face and his eye shot out, his
face being smeared with dried blood.
His face was the most repulsive
sight, but the faces of none of them
showed fear or hate. They seemed
to have died peacefully and without
a struggle, and the faces did not ex-
hibit brutality and ignorance to that
degree usually found in negro Grim
inals. Peter Rivers was the older,
he being about forty years old, Rich
mond Dublin about 35, and Alfred
| Dublin about 25. The two Dublins
wer brothers, and Rivers their first
cousin.
A large crowd of white men was
present, many of taem being from
Olar and the surrounding country
A number of negroes were also
there, including a number of women,
but all were as quiet as possible
None of them spoke except in hushed
tones, and they were not heard to
make any comment on the lynching
Coroner Zeigler had already ar
rived, and Deputy Sheriff Pearson at
once summoned the jury of inquest
with Mr.. A. L. kirkland as foreman
the members sitting down on the
ground in a circle only few feet
feet away from the bodies which had
not been touched, they being TIED
with their hands in front of thei1
bodies just as they were when taken
from the officers and with the sans
ropes put on them by the officers.
Mr.. J. E. Cooke was the first wit
ness sworn, and he testified that he
woke up a short while before day
Monday morning and had occasion
to go outside and found fire burning
under the house. AS soon as pos
sible he procured water and put ou1
the fire, and upon investigation
found two bottles which contained
kerosene and several fat splinter!