The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-04-03
Two NEGROES hung
ACCUSED OF HEINOUS BRUTALITY
TO A White MAN.
THEY bore BAD NAMES

HILL UUlsL UHD NHliEL'
Deadly Work Done About Midnight
the Mob Leaving No Clue-Bodie
Found in Blacksmith Shop Nea
the Town Prison, Where Victim
Were Being Held.
The first lynching Cherokee Coun
ty has ever known occurred In tn
peaceful little village OF Blacksburg
eight miles from Gafney, some tim
Thursday night, presumably abou
midnight, when Frank ". Wilson
ant and Joe Brinson, negroes, were
hanged by a mob, which did it's worl
so quietly that so far no clues have
been obtained as to the identity O.
the lynchers The negroes We're il
the Blacksburg jail, charged with as
sault with a deadly weapon, carry
ing concealed weapons, selling II
quor, highway robbery in the nigh
time.
1t was alleged that the negroe:
met a white man named Jim Chill
dress about II O'Clock "wednesday
night, just after he had arrived II
town. Childress stated that they tried
to sell him pint OF whiskey, but
for a time he demurred, then finally
agreed to buy the whiskey; that he
was taken to a deserted part OF town
pwhereupon one Of the negroes drew
pistol upon him and demanded his
money, threatening to kill him
Childre says he gave up his money
small amount Of silver, following
which he was ordered to proceed to a
cemetery away from the town, and
when he reached there the negroes,
he alleges, threatened him with
pistol and trated him outrageously.
AS soon as Childress escaped from
his assailants he reported the matter
to the police. a search was at once
begun for the negroes accused by
Childress, but they were not located
until Thursday morning, when they
were arrested and arraigned in the
Police Court. There, it is stated,
they acknowledged the crime, but
each negro laid it on the other. They
were adjudged guilty by the mayor
of Blacksburg and sent back to jail.
Throughout the day there was some
excitement and there was talk OF
lynching, but this was not given Gre
dence by the Blacksburg officers and
no precautions were taken.
Chief of Police Allison states that
he went off duty at 10 o'clock and
that at that time the town was per-
fectly quiet and that there was no
excitement of any kind. Friday morn
| ing a clerk in a store went to the
we'll in the public square to get a
bucket Of water and there found the
rope was gone He reported the mat
ter and an investigation was started
at the jail. 1t was then found that
the door to the council chamber had
been broken open with sledge ham
mer and the padlocks on the cell door
had been split open. The negroes
were gone. A few seconds later the
bodies were found suspended from
the rafters Of blacksmith shop
within less than one hundred yards
of the jail
Official notification was then sent
to Coroner Vinesett and Sheriff
Thomas. By 10 o'clock Blacksburg
vas filled with hundreds OF visitors
from all sections 1t had been e1-
pected that Solicitor J. c. Otis, OF
Spartanburg, would arrive by noon
and therefore no official action was
taken up to that time, but when he
failed to arrive the officers took
charge and the inquest was begun.
After the jury was taken to the scene
and the bodies viewed, the bodies
were cut down at lis o'clock.
The most important piece Of evil
dence presented to the coroner's jury
was that of Mr.. CASTOR. Mr.. Cas-
ton was on his way home Thursday
about midnight, when he saw a band
of horsemen numbering about ten or
twelve coming into the town. He did
not observe their action but there
can be little doubt as to the fact OF
their being the lynchers.
A Mr.. Smythe, who lives near the
jail, testified to having heard sound
as if door was being forced upen.
DR.. T. S. R. Ward, who examined the
bodies, stated that the necks OF both
negroes were broken. The shop in
which they were hanged was not over
twelve feet high and it Is, therefore,
evident that several men must have
borne down on their shoulders to
have caused this.
The two negroes we're trussed up
in most workmanlike manner
Their hands and feet we're tied; one
negro had his mouth stuffed full OF
cotton, while the other was tied in
such manner that the rope passed
directly across his throat, preventing
any outcry After examining seven
witnesses, the coroner's jury decided
that they could not come to verdict
and. therefore, took an adjournment
until Friday. April 5, at 4 o'clock
in the afternoon. On that day tbs
hearing will be resumed.