The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-12-02

New York, Nov. 22.-Gov. Richard
I. Manning, of South Carolina, as
result of the recent lynching of An
thony Crawford, at Abbeville, has
taken stand which promises to clear
the name of his state of the stigma
which attached to it during the ad-
ministration of his predecessor, the
notorious Cole Blease. Governor Man
ming, in a statement given out to the
press on the day before election, says:
81 was out of the state when the
Abbeville lynching occurred. AS soon
as learned of it called Solicitor r.
A. Cooper and Sheriff R. NJ. Burts of
Abbeville to the office and called on
Coroner F. w. R. Nance of Abbey
vile county to comply with the law
and furnish me with a copy of the
testimony taken at the coroner's in
quest. l found that the coroner held
an inquest, but took no testimony.
Solicitor Cooper and Sheriff Burts
came to my office and l requested
them to secure the names of all par
ties connected with this affair, those
who took part in the whipping, in the
taking of the Negro from the Jail, in
the lynching, and all those who were
at the meeting reported to have been
held on the following Monday. l have
requested Solicitor Cooper and Sheriff
Burts to make a complete investiga-
tion of the whole matter and get the
names of all parties concerned and to
swear out warrants and arrest them.
81 intend to do everything in my
power to uphold the law and let the
offenders know that such acts will not
be tolerated, and that those guilty of
| violating the law must suffer for it.
have requested Solicitor Cooper as
the states representative and Sheriff
Burts as the highest peace officer in
the county, to leave no stone unturned
in order to vindicate the law and all
the powers of the governors office
are at their disposal in bringing the
guilty ones to justice"
The lynching referred to occurred
on October 81 in one of South Caro-
linas most beautiful and progressive
cities. Anthony Crawford, the victim
was Negro fifty-one years old worth
over $4,000. He got into row witt
white storekeeper named Barksdale
over the price of cottonseed. 1t is re
ported that Mr.. Barksdale called hin
liar and the Negro cursed hin
roundly in return, whereupon a clerl
ran out TO give Crawford beating
with an AK handle. He was savet
from this by policeman who arrest
ed Crawford and took him to the mu
nicipal building, but when they lie
him out on bail crowd of men too
after him again intent intent on pur
ishing him for daring to curse a whit
man.
1.-THE day a white man hits me
the day die" Anthony Crawford ono
( said to a friend. When he saw tn
crowd coming after him, he went dow
7 in the boiler room of the gin, pickle
up a four-pound hammer and waited
The first man who came at him, M
Kinney Cam, received a blow in tn
head which fractured his skull, br
someone hurled a stone which knocl
ed out Crawford before he reache
: anyone else. While he was down, the
knitted him in the back and hcke
5 him until they thought they had fiji
ished him, when they permitted th
4 sheriff to arrest the unconsciou
Crawford on condition that he woul
not take his prisoner out of town IL
e til they knew whether Cam woul
a live or die.
Cam wasn't hurt as badly as the
n thought, but nevertheless a mob wei
J. back to the Jail at four o'clock thi
o afternoon, took their keys and gun
e away from the sheriff and jailo
u dragged Crawford through the stree
n of the Negro quarter with a rol
is around his neck, hung his mutilat'
e. body to a pine tree at the entran
Is to the fair grounds, and expended
10 couple of hundred rounds Of ammui
AZ ton at it.
10 On Monday a meeting was called
OF the Abbeville courthouse at which
IN was decided to order the sixteen SO
and daughters of Crawford and thu
ne families to abandon their 5000
home and get out of the state by !
vember Is. After the meeting Il
a mob proceeded to close up all the
gro shops in Abbeville.
The Columbia State, in power