The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-01-07
!, isIf.ss,1sLass .AfF.llR.
CMafion Starr

(Mafion Starr
We greatly fear that this article
will be misunderstood, but such fear
is not strong enough to deter US in
speaking plainly in the premises: No
man regrets the shooting Of Sheriff
Rowell more than does the editor Of
this paper, who has been the personal
friend of John Roweu since boyhood.
We begin by stating that it is only to
be regretted that the bullet from the
sherit..E.'s gun, fred in self defense and
in compliance with law, did not i'm
mediately Kill the negro desperate
Tyho So Dangerously wounded ;h"
,sher;ss Had tAis ket., the case i
would have ended the whoie affair,
and this article would haze beer un-
necessary.
Reports from Sellers carry sad.
,:dings Tor the pecpl;: of Marion.
Cnun,y On the day following thi
shooting OF the .:.eriI s"yer;,! men,
armed with authority of law. went 10
Sellers it is reported. and made the,
law look ridiculous by terrorizing IN
nocent and. helpless negroes They
went :nto. negro homes, cursed al
women ,and children and threw into
a. panic the entire race. They ar
rested negro man, handcufYed him
and beat. hira-bea him while a pris-
s.i.1.. Of :; 81. Stat. ana while his hands
were tciissed behina his back. ThsE
.sre rs::aorI.d d...s, s;;y,ias g. John G.
Sellers. whn. i:luired into .the t:onoless
q ,dttft.,t' ssion: ,Wno he. is, except he is
a. dam nigger ana we ore going to
straightens him out: :;,.In the party
were two deputy sherifts, "a rural po-
lceman, a county engineer, and one
s.ntside-. ),
On c!;.ss.,:s.,G.:. j! u. as:cr .si.e negro
who shdt TIE saajSi.l zaa:; l11le:t:a tit'-
rest, Il! an suscn,ob!Ic, on The way to.
Jail, and in q desperate condition,
deputy sheriff Of Marion County
elm bed on THE car and attempted
"a, t.sTa his If he was SO bctste,.
..;l:s, ,s,sss tae:. es,.,r1 n;:
IL. e,"te5, .naoSls. Ee did. llate22.. strfsi.
end jbe;l. ths- negro. who vas a ,priS-
oaer 81 the St.;e. On tll'. way TO Jail
10 answer fo., his. Grim a:t; III an a,
most. dying condition..
This san.s man led the officers Of
the .aWk" on the raid in the. Town Of
Sellers The following d.ty. Evidently
he was; scekii{y vengeance. for the
shooting OF Sheriff .Rowea. . If SO his
ideas Of vengeance OF the law differs
from the ideas OF The brave Office:
who lies at the point OF death from
wound received in the discharge Of
his duty
Last Christmas night some men.
closely identified with the sher7nf's
c:mce, called, with several compan-
:ons, at the county jail, informed the
jailer that there was danger. Of a
gathering mob, and asked to be Civ
en- possession Of the negro. 80 that
they might take him to Dillon for
safe-keeping." There was no mob,
or evidence of mob. What their
purpose was, no one knows. but it is
a fact that the jailer, thinking he was
doing his duty delivered the prisoner
to this Officer" who, with his COM
panions, placed him on a truck and
rode him around for two or three
hours" when they carried him back
to Jail. The man was in desperate
condition, and yet he was treated to
midnight ride, in the cold. If
they meant to protect him they failed
in their object. If they meant to k:Il
him, they lacked the nerve to carr
out their intentions. Whatever their
intentions may have been. they only
succeeded in bringing tears Of shame
10 the eyes Of the brave officer over
whose wounds they appear to have
lost all semblance Of manhood and
decency.
Friends Of Sheriff Rowell. law
abiding citizens. although enraged a..
the act Of the man who shot him
down. arc alike enraged at the tray
esty of justice which allows crowd
of hoodiums to march into defense
less home (although that homo be
that Of a nesrb.) and terrorize and
abuse and violently threaten the ex-
. tinction Of the colored race for the
deed of an indibidual.
Men. Who would sacrifice their
lives in defense Of John Rowell, if the
occasion arose for such action. are
up in arms over .':e shameless con-
duct of these officers" and We un-
aerstand that they are determined TO
nfin. the raatter 30 the attention of
! The courts OF the state.