Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-06-20
FRIDAY. JUNE 40, 1873.
SOUTH CAROLINA NEWS

SOUTH CAROLINA NEWS
- Columbia special Of June Is to
News and Courier: "The designation
of Friday as "hangman's day" is loath-
some. Why should 1t be picked out
as a day to execute criminals? Ihaye
stated, on number of occasions, my
objection to this practice, and as long
as have the power to obviate this
custom I am going to do so. Friday ID
enjoyed by all the people equally as
much as any other day In the week.
therefore why set Il apart az hang
mans day?'" said Governor Blease
this morning in ordering the sentence
of electrocution passed on M. L. Gar
rett, Of Lee county, convicted OF MUIR
der, changed from Friday, July IL, TO
Monday, July IA. The governor Is de-
terminetl to- break up the custom Of
executing criminals on Friday, and
thinks this custom tends to make the
day loathsotne, and he is determined TO
eradicate IT. III ordering the date Of
the execution of Sam Dukes, negro,
of Clarendon county, convicted Of
murder, changed from Friday. June ~
to Tuesday, July 1, the governor says:
.sWhy, when or how the prevailing
custom of sentencing people to be
hanged or electrocuted on Friday
should have been adopted In this state
/ am unable to say. Friday is Just as
good as any other day In the week
and 1 think It an abominable custom
and practice to sentence all of the un-
fortunate persons Il to die on Friday.
thereby. degrading the day BY desig-
mating IL as 'bangman's day' TINS
custom and Iractles should pc aDolsn. =,
Cd and / exrect to do away with IL
while am In office.r FroL. = incep-
| zion of the state It has been customary
| 10 hold all legal executions on Friday,
and Judges were accustomed to SEN
tence all condemned criminals TO death
| on that day. Governor Blease mas SCI
himself the task of breaking up TINS
custom. :, 3 $50.
WATERFORD, June 1s: What came
naar beinR a iynching at the county
isil here on Friday night just came
10 light this morning. On account Or
the taciturnity Of the officers Of the
| law, the attempt to take ODDie boges'
colored, from the jail and lyncn him.
was not made public until this morn
! ing, after the prisoner had peen trans-
ferred to the penitentiary In Coiumpis,
denuty sherirf of Colleton county and
Keeper OF the jail. had quite q str
ring time with the would-be lynchers,
when. In the early hours OF SATURDAY
morning. q crowd Of about nifty came
TO the iail and, by sending forwaro
lnne Of their number who was Well
known. received admission into the
| iailer's quarters Of the prison. Threat
eniug to enter the room where the
wife OF the jailer was sleeping Ia Or
der to secure the keys to the cells
the crowd was held back py tne
deputy sheriff at the point or gun
and seeing the determination OF ME
Padgett, they finally desisted An their
| efforts and left the jail. threatening to
RETURN later. The trouble was started
by the negro, Obbie Boges. beating
i his wife severely for which he was
| placed in Jail The warrant however,
was withdrawn, and Boges returned
| 90 mis- home near Stokes, In this coun-
/ ty. TO find that his wife's father, IL u
| said. had carried his wife away py
1 force and with her had taken nearly
all of Boges's worldly goods. Becom-
i ing enraged, the negro went fmmeoi-
ately to the house Of his wife's fatner'
and shot the old man. inficting pain
| full but trifling wounds. be tnen
went to the town Of Stokes, where
acting on the advice OF the magls-
trate' who had been notified Of the oc-
| currence, Mr.. J. M. Bennett, promi-
nent citizen Of the town, attempted 10
arrest him. The negro resisted, and
attempted to shoot Mr.. Bennett After
a struggle Mr.. Bennett secured the
gun of the negro, an old-fashioned,
| muzzle-ioader, and held Boges while
the wife Of another wen known citi-
| zen made him fast with ropes. After
being securely tied, the negro made
threats against the entire settlement
stating that he would kill the entire
/ crowd as soon as he could get Gut OF
/ Jail, and 1t was these threats wnicn
later led to the attempted iyacning:
deputy Sheriff Padgett being notfned OF
i the arrest of the negro, went early
4 Friday morning to Stokes, but on ar
irving there the person who had the
i negro at first refused to turn him
over to the officer, but after much dis
| cussion, decided to do so. The negro
was then brought here and lodged In
| jail, and it seemed that nothing more
/ would be said or done about the az
/ fair. At one o'clock Saturday morn
ing, Officer Padgett opened the jail
door leading into his living apart
ments, after someone had knocked
loudly thereon. With 2 rusn, more
4 than ten men entered the apartment.
4 Threatening to hold the officer while
others entered the room where the jail
er's wife waS asleep. the crowd was
/ about to put such plan into effect
when Mr.. Padgett hastily regained the
i entrance to the room, and held the
crowd back. Through their spokes-
Il man, the crowd then threatened to
i blow I'D the back Of the jail and Sc
Il cure the prisoner by that method, but
/ Mr.. Padgett urged them to go away.
Seeing the grim determination Of the
officer, the crowd left the jail, and
after holding a conference, returned
4 and notified the officer that no fur
| ther attempts would be made that
night. Later on Saturday morning.
messages were received by the officers,
In which It was stated that the crowd
i would try again on Sunday night.
This led to q heavy guard being sta
4 toned in the jail all night, but Sum
4 day came without the appearance Of
the lynching party. The officers be-
fore this had gotten In touch with
/ Governor Blease, who ordered the
prisoner carried to the penitentiary.
which order was carried out on Sum
day and the entire affair made pub
lie this morning. It appears that the
negro was a desperate character and
i quite a terror to the community, and
4 this was probably the cause Of the at
i tempted lynching, for the crowd had
learned to take the negro at his word
. and wanted to remove him before he
would have a chance to carry out his
| threats. Certainly the bravery and de-
termination Of Officer Padgett pre-
vented the lynching. a.a
HICKORY GROVE NOTES