Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1914-12-23

ing was on the SOutheaSteTnsc corner corner
and there were several small wooden
shanties on the other parts OF the
square. As soon as darkness fell the
whites began to search all of these
buildings and very shortly5a negro
man vas discovered in hiding. He
was dragged out while squalling at
at the top of his voice through
fright. He was shot by some one
who IN the excitement and anger
forgot himself and, though not Sc
rionsly wounded, his screams and
cries resounded so as to be heard
for half mile around. Just about
this time we were all shockedSand
enraged by the news from the
bridge abutment that MeKie Meri-
wether, the brave young man whose
exchange of arms with his>fathar |
have mentioned, had been killed.
There bas always been some nays-;
terry about his death. He along with
the other four rihemen had been
firing at the windows when his
brain was pierced by a ballW'vhi,h
entered at the top Of his forehead.
1t was never known whether he was
shot from above by some one who
crossed the bridge or was struck by
a ball from the armory which hit
some piece of iron aud glanced g.rlc
downward. l f the white men were
angry and determined when they
b ,gan that bloody business, this sad
and unexpected death added ten ten
fold fury to their feelings. ThesmseHn 81
who were holding the horses had
.hitched them by this time ina va
cant lot and without orders from rf
anyone and apparently withont5p'tlaaEel p'laE
they joined in. As soon as it wassen-
tirely dark the negroes in the ar
mory took advantage Of the oppor--.
tunily to make their escape down
the steps of which / have spoken
and to flee up the river. Some of
them were too much frightened to
make this attempt and sought con
cealment in the cellar and otherShid-
ing places in the wooden shanties.
Some of them ripped up the floors
and hid under them. The whites
from Augusta brought over at Gen.
Buffers request small piece ofsar-.
tillery. This was loaded with small
pieces of firon (no regular balls were
available and fired off in front3of
the Sibley building. After two dis;
charges there was no further firing
from the negroes, as all who could
had fled and the town was deserted.
The square which was entirely sur
rounded by this time was searched
thoroughly. Every nook and corner
of every building was examined lby
the whites who broke in the doors
with axes. Prisoners to the number
Of thirty or forty men were captar-
ed, and as soonas taken were placed
under guard on River street s6,>
rs yards above the wagon bridge.
About $3.50 o'clock, after period
Of intense darkness, the moon rose
and began to cast it's lurid light
over the strange and unaccustomed
scene. The number of whites had In
creased immensely by this time,
mainly from Augusta, and the
searching parties worked norlhward
from the oibley building which had
been the first one taken and thor
oughly searched. Two negroes, who
had reasons to know that their lives
would not be spared if captured,
tried TO make their escane by jump.
ing over the fence on the north side
of the square and running down the
street towards the trestle. The first
to do this was Jim Cook, the town
marshal who had in the years of
negro rule clubbed a great number
white men and in.every way IL
lusLrated his brutal and fendish
hate of the whites as we'll as the de-
light he took in degrading them. AS
he, sprang over the fence the squad
to which I belonged was the first to
fire. We all fired once at him. He
ran down the center of the street in
the direction of the railroad trestle
towards the moon 80 thas it was
easy to see the whole performance.
White men were standing or sitting
on both sides of the street and as he
ran between these they fired at him,
the wonder being that as the street
was narrow the bullets did not
wound or kill the white men oppo-
site. 1t seemed as though Cook was
bound to escape as he had nearly
reached the trestle; and none of the