The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-08-18
FOR INVASION OF S. G. MOB INTO
GEORGIA.
BY JUDGE HAMMOND.
Augusta Judge Writes Letter Of Pro-
test to Gov. Hardwick Asking
Delivery of Member of Mob.
Is. 1921.

August 1o, lSA L.
His Excellency, Thomas W. Hard
wick, Governor of Georgia, Atlanta,
Ca:
Sir: As citizen of the state Of
Georgia I respectfully request that
you lay the following statement of
facts before Hon. Robert E. Cooper,
governor of the state of South Caro-
lima, and that you demand from him
apology for what has occurred and
immediate effective action in righting
a grievous wrong to sovereign
commonwealth, of which you are the
chief executives:
On the Sth day of August, two
o'clock at night, near Leesville, S. c.,
S. J. Kirby, c. O. Fox, and Jesse Gap
pins foully robbed and cruelty murd-
cred William C. Brazell, the driver of
the taxicab in which they were rid
ing. In the stolen car the three murd-
erers came to Georgia, passed through
the city of Augusta and county OF
Richmond. At Mclean, near the
Burke county line, the car broke
down and while two of the three went
forward on foot, the third, S. j.
Kirby, sought a nearby chaingang
official, W. D. Roberts, to whom he
made,a statement charging the other
two with the robbery and murder.
He was arrested and J. T. Plunkett,
sheriff of Richmond county, notified.
Immediately the sheriff put in motion
every force at his command-drove
with two deputies sixty miles. At
Greens Cut, in Burke county, with
the assistance of Frank Hurst, it's
sheriff, he effected the arrest Of the
two fugitives from South Carolina
and lodged them securely in the
Richmond county Jail. More than
this; he actively and skilfully and yet
by legitimate means obtained from
the three conspirators confessions CT
guilt ample to secure their conviction.
The sheriff then Immediately got in
communication with the South Caro-
lima authorities. One of the prison
ers, consenting to return to South
Carolina, was taken by the sheriff OF
Richmond county in the death car,
which bore blood stains, and was car
ried to Leesville and led to the scene
of the murder, Sheriff Plunkett turn
ed over to Sheriff Ruff, sheriff Of Lex
ington county, at the Lexington coun-
ty Jail the prisoner S. j. Kirby.
Sheriff Plunkett then returned to Au-
gusta, accompanied by Sheriff Ruff,
it being his purpose to remove the
other two prisoners to Lexington
county, but before the prisoners were
removed Solicitor T. c. Callison tele-
graphed Sheriff Plunkett as follows:
Don't let Sheriff Ruff leave Augusta
with prisoners tonight. Have him
call me-" Sheriff Ruff reported that
the solicitor told him over the phone
that a mob was forming to way1ay
him on the road and take his prison
ers from him and that he would ask
the sheriff to hold them for him. This
the sheriff of Richmond county con-
sented to do, and the sheriff of Lex
ington county left for his home.
Your Excellency is asked to take
into thoughtful consideration the
foregoing as the first act in the drama
which led to the outrage put upon
the state of Georgia by the state of
South Carolina. On August 10, at 8
O'Clock at night Sheriff Plunkett was
notified that the Augusta Chronicle
had received from the Columbia State
a message stating that an armed mob
in automobiles was forming in Co..
lumbia; that it was going that night
to Georgia and take by violence from
the Richmond county jail the two
slayers of Brazell and lynch them.
Upon receipt of this Information
Sheriff Plunkett Immediately called
over the telephone Sheriff Heise,
Sheriff Ruff, of Lexington county, and
Chief of Police Derrick, of Leesville,
asking about the information that had
reached him, requesting that he be
given further information and that
these peace officers, one of them 10
Gated in the city where the mob was
forming, and the others along it's
proposed line of march, should inter-
cept and use all necessary force to
prevent the mob coming to Georgia.
He received absolutely no word of
warning nor aid of any kind, nor as
far as is known was any step taken
by these or any other officers to pre-
vent this invasion of Georgia by an