Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-10-06
HARVEY AS A PEACEMAKER
Governor Appears IN Most Comment. !.
able Role. -.
QUARREL OF EDGEFlELD OFFICERS
Dispute Had Reached Stage Close to
6loodshed and There Would Have
Been a Killing Except for the Kind
Heart and Good Sense Of the Chief

Been a Killing Except for the Kind
Heart and Good Sense Of tho Chief
Executive. '''
The story of how Governor Harvey
recently bro&ght peace out of a bad
situation, in Edgefield county has just
come to light, following publication in
thelEdgefield Chronicle of a report of
the peace making.
A personal difficulty took place be-
tween Sheriff Swearingen and Super
visor EdInunds, Of Edgefleld county.
For weeks condition of strain existed
between the two officials, and there
was much concern in Edgefield county
over the relations between the two
men and the possible outcome.
Quietly Governor Harvey took ac-
tion. He realized that the situation
should not continue. He wrote to the
two men and asked each one If he
would not call at the executive office
on. certain" day. He asked the two
to call at the same time and he stated
in his letter, to each that he had asked
the other Of the two to come at the
same time. After q, certain amount Of
correspondence, the governor affected
an arrangement whereby the two men
came to his office and he talked over
the matter with them, as, man to man
and as friend to friend. The governor
made it very plain that he was
friend to both Of them, that he wanted
to see them make friends in the inter-
est of law enforcement, as well as for
personal friendship.
The governors kind and yet manly
position impressed the two men and
the result was they became friends of
each other again. And both went
away with the kindliest feeling towards
Governor Harvey. The troubled waters
have been smoothed over; the two men
are friends; Edgeheld county thanks
the governor for his work as peace
maker and the arm Of the law is
strengthened where if the difficulty
between the two had been allowed to
continue the governor told the men, it
would have tended to weaken the
public's respect for law.
Trouble Over Nesress.
The trouble is said to have resulted
over the sheriff retaining a negro
woman at the Jail to sweep up and
clean the premises when the supervisor
claimed the woman should serve time
on the chain gang as sentenced by the
court. Many words were passed over
the matter, the sheriff refusing to give
in. and the supervisor demanding his
rights" according to the information
here.
After several days of rowing the
supervisor is alleged to have gone to
his home, procured his shotgun and,
returning to the courthouse, defied the
sheriff to come out and telling him if
he did "he would blow his head Off"
Friends persuaded the sheriff to re-
main quiet and temporary agreement
was reached to carry the fight TO fur
ther.
This temporary agreement was short
lived, however, as the supervisor is
said to have been passing the sheriff's
office a short time later when the
sheriff pounced upon him with an ak
handle, inficting painful wounds. A
pistol is also said to have been dis
charged during the fight. The supervi-
sor. it is said, used some very strong
words about. the sheriff.
When the two men went to Columbia
they were at first irreconcilable, but
after several hours Of talking the gov
etnor and w. Banks Dove, secretary Of
state, got them together and they left,
friends once again. Nothing further to
mar the peace has been reported it is
understood.
Statement Published.
Concerning the agreement signed by
the two officials, the EdgefieId Chroni-
Gle publishes the following:
The Chronicle is gratificd to publish
the following duly signed agreement
witnessed by Governor Harvey and
Secretary of State Dovc-whcrcby
Sheriff Swcaringcn and Supervisor
Edrnonds being requested by Governor
Harvey to come to his office for Il
peace coHfcrencc--h2ve come to terms
on a peace basis. II is unfortunate
for several individuals to fall OUT
and be ut enmity, but when it comes
to the chief county peace officer and
another county official. it renders the
situation bad and embarrassing. We
trust that this matter herewith ends
for all time and that peace will con-
tinuc to prevail among all county Of
ficial3, thereby better guaranteeing the
best service to all the people.
Anna Quilla, the negro woman in
vofycd in the misunderstanding, was
taken to the pcnitentiary to serve the
rest OF her sentence.
Columbia, S. c.
September Il. 1922.