The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-04-04

Tie village Ol DldChsouiS . o-S1
from here, some time last night, pre-
sumably about midnight, when FranS
w. Whisonant and Joe Brlnson, ne
groes. were hanged by mob, which
did it's work so quietly that so tal
no clues have been obtained as tc
the identity of the lynchers.
The negroes were in the Blacks
burg Jail, charged with assault WITH
q deadly weapon, carrying concealed
weapons, selling liquor, highway rob-
berry in the night time. 1t was alleg'
ed that the negroes met white man
named Jim Childress about IL O'CLOCK
Wednesday night, just after he had
arrived in town. Childress statea
that they tried to sell him pint OF
whiskey, but for time he demurr-
ed. then finally agreed to buy the
whiskey; that he was taken to de-
serted part of town, whereupon one
of the negroes drew a pistol upon
him and demanded his money, threat
ening to kill him.
Taken to Cemetery.
Childress says he gave up his
money, a small amount of silver fol-
lowing which he was ordered TO pro-
ceed to a cemetery away from the
town. and when he reached there the
negroes, he alleges, threatened MIN
with a pistol and treated him out
rageously.
AS soon as Childress escaped from
his assailants he reported the mat
ter to the police. A search was at
once begun for the negroes accused
by Childress, but they were not To-
Gated 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 ere
dence by the Blacksburg officers and
no precautions were taken.
Bodies Discovered.
Chief of Police Allison states that
he went off duty at 10 o'clock ana
that at that time the town was per-
fectly quiet and that there was no ex-
citement of any kind. This 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 that
the rope was gone. He reported the
matter and an investigation was
started at the Jail. 1t was then tound
that the door to the council chamber
had been broken open with sledge
hammer and the padlocks on the cell
door had been split open. The ne
groes we're 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.
Inquest Held.
Official notification was then sent
to Coroner Vinesett and Sherln
Thomas. By 10 o'clock Blacksburg
was filed with hundreds of visitors
from all, sections. 1t had been eX-
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
we're cut down at 1:15 o'clock.
The most important piece of evi-
dence presented to the coroner S
Jury was that of Mr.. CASTOR. Mr.
Castor was on his way home last
night about midnight, when he saw
a band of horsemen numbering about
ten or twelve coming into the town
He did not observe their actions but
there can be little doubt as to the
fact of their being the lynchers.
Both Necks Broken.
A Mr.. Smythe, who lives near the
jail, testified to having heard sound
as if a door was being forced open.
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, there
fore, evident that several men must
have borne down on their shoulders
to have caused this. The two ne
groes were trussed up in a mos'
workmanlike manner. Their hand:
and feet were tied: one negro had hi: