The Lancaster ledger. (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, October 26, 1904, Image 4
JUDGE WATTS'S CHARGE
ON THE MORRISON
LYNCHING.
lie Tol-1 the Linctstfr (11 nd
j ury , Wiihout Mincing
Words, that Men who Lvoch
are Murderers?Sheriffs who
I
Do not Connive Do not L stheir
Prisoners ? No Nee 1 of
Mil it in when O dicers do (heir
Duty?Some Illustrative Incidents
in Florence, Hampton
and Fairfield Couutios?l he
Governor Doing his Best to
Knforce the Law.
Lancaster, October 19. ? Special
to New and Courier: The
following is the text of Judge
Watts* strong charge to the
graud jury this woex in rela
tiou to the Kershaw lynetting,
which ha- made u deep impros
sion on th> community and will
no doubt have a salutary effect
f ItrAiwvliiiiif I lm rwninfrt' vvltP i
read in I' ? - cv:* tind Courier.
Judge Watts \ .
Now go: ; ! mnn, I come to the
most s( n on - part of my charge
to you and that is in reference <>
this lynching down lure at Kei
shaw. It seems, as I gather
frotn the report the solicitor
made to the Governor when ho
went to investigate the lynching,
and also from tiio newspaper reports,
that there was'ii lvnching
down there and a man was put
to death by a mob. Well, that
is besmiichiug and befouling the
fair name of your county. 1
have not the slightest doubt but
what thuio rue a great number
of law abiding citizens in Linrastei
County, as groat as in any
other county, who Ueopiy deplore
aud regret lb it occur; once ;
but unluckily, aud unlo. tunately
for tho administrator.: ot
South Carolina, it is tho aggressive
mob that runs things for a
certani length of time. Whenever
you get the law-abiding citizens
stirred up and whenever
they come to a sense of their
citizenship theu the tough and
the rough, aud mob law and
those who advocate it have got
to disappear, because this is a
civilized State and lias been for
over a hundred years, and whenever
the law abiding citizens
take an idea into their heads
that they are tired of lawlessness
and get aroused, then tliey enforce
the law and then thoy convict
all violators aud breakers of
tho law. But, as I said before,
until they are aroused then the
aggressive and lawless run over
them aud they liavo to submit
to it. Now that is a v^ry di inranafnl
thino.
O 15'
I
FOI L, IXill MAN MU11DKK.
There is not ?. Inglo man actively
engaged in IhM mob that
took Morrison s life that is not
guilty of a foul, inhuman murder.
They havo got blood on
thoir hands and they can not got
it oir. Now, I see by the newspapers
that this man Morrison,
who was lynched there, is said i
to have been a bad man ; that ho
was a social outlaw ; that he had
killed other people. Well, now,
gentlemen, I see by the uewspapers
that he was tried and acquitted
at tho summer term of
Court in Kershaw County. Then
I began to scratch my bead to
recall the case. I tried that case.
I had presided at that Conri
aud tried liira for the killing and |
ho was acquitted. The testimony
in that case developed the
fact that he was in the employment
of the Southern Ita'lway
Company. Well, as a general
rult. they do not employ lawless
man. They have got frietion
enough in South Carolina without
stirring up the people unnecessarily
hy employing lawJess
men ; so, knowing that, as
I do, tho pr.-uiuption i", that^
when thev employ u man they
thi iik ho in a law a hiding citizen
Tho testimony, as 1 recollect it,
was tins: A lot of negroes'
sivuro that '!) y were going along
the railroad making some noise
and that lliov met Morrison out
on the railroad track and ho
killed one. They were State'*
witnesses. M rrison went, on
the stand and testilied, and his
wife corroborated him in if ? I
am not attempting to give all
the testimony, but simply tho
substauce of it?lio testified rt
lot of negroes eatno along in a
boisterous manner, using vulgar,
profane and indecent language,
and he bogged them to stop and
they lired into his liouso and
covered it with shot, and they
lodged against the door and on
the wall, and that lie returned
tin; (ire, and killed one. Well,
now, ho did not impress me in
Court as being an outlaw. It
was an ordinary ca9B of a white
mau killing a nej.ro, in Court,
and if th > people in Kershaw
had gone and furnished tho aol
and fearless solicitor of the 5th
circuit, Mr. Thurmond, witji
testimony going to show that
this man was an outlaw and
lawloss m in and helped the law
put him up, then the young
gentleman he killed would have
been alive today and tho people
who lynched him would have
been stainless and fre e from
blood 011 their hands.
Now there isn't any doubt
about it that this lynching business
in South Carolina is bringing
about an uohy aud lawlessness,
and I tell >ou right now 1
have got com iiuui sense, and si
have you, and 1 make this r.iat-n-j
munt and nob : I v (Mil cnotr.idiot
It r UCCOSsflll |y . i" 11 . * vv f* (11 < t be j
UD 1) liching i: I S ) 111 ll Cai'din i
whuu till! jjrisiiicl' got into tinhand*
of it11 '.Uicer of the luwj
unless he connived at it or winked
at it. Wbeliever you hear
of a man be in {4 in the hands of
an officer of the law and he is
lynched, the mob that took him
from him know that that officer
isn't going to defend that pris*
oner; tiiey know he is going to
connive at it or wink at it and
not going to resist them ? so,
like the fellow who wants to
bring a suit against tlio railroad
when the conductor wants to put
liira off for not having a ticket
or for not paying fare. The
conductor says "You must pay
your fare or get off." The fellow
says "Use just euough of
force so as to give me an action ;
you needn't hie* mo off, hut use
just enough force to give mo an
action against the railroad."
And that : ; .he way whenever
you h .. : .1 person being taken
by a mob out of the hand* of an
officer ; tin v know that, officer is
in sympathy with them and they
Know he I- not going to resist.
Now there is another thing 1
am going 'o stat". I am not. going
to h il l any Courts under
tho guns of any militia. I am
i~tit!rm?a <?f rhn militaru I namu
on after the \v,?r when wo were,
under Radical government and
h id United States troops and
United Stales marshals under
them, and they ari*39ted our
people and they couldn't give
bail nor got a fair trial. I like
the military and think it is a
good thing. We have got them
in South Carolina. [ think it is
a good thing to put down anar
chy ; but I don't think- any slier
.iv...n.v ; ........ k .. . i. ~r .....a
>11 ? 1 ? V-F I "3 WWII II U pi 111/11 Wl oI 1 14 11
is going to get hysterical and
call in the militia to protect him
11>to protect his prisoner, and
advertise to the world that the
county is lawless and tho supremacy
of th?> 1 i'v is Ivdng
thro ate in d
slir.KIl F .lolIN F. Ilt .NTKU.
Whenover 1 hold a Court with
such u sheriff as John 1*. Hunter,
1
tui ! he unci his deputies can't cnft-rcw
law and order and protect
t Court, t!io officers of the
C- t unci die prisoner c?n trial, 1
j in going to adjourn the Court
j ami go hotue utid stay there until
th? countv gets calm enough to
try the man as. the lanv says a
1 man shall ho tried, give him a fair
j ami impartial trial. It' is a perj
feet farce. The sheriff gets hysteiioal,
gets timid, dou't want to
? tietid anybody; telegraphs the
Governor to send a militia com
puny to the jail to protect the fellow
from jail to iCourt and to protect
the court whilo It is in session,
is thai fellow getting a fair trial ?
I Don t tho jury trying the case see
'that public sentiment is - high
| against him, to such an extent
| that the military has to be called
to prevent him from being torn
i to pieces by tin mob like a wild
beast? Now, gentlemen," 1 have
this to say. 1 have all .confidence
in your sheriff and 1 know if fin
had got his hands on that prisoner
that night there wouldn't have
been any lynching thore or somebody
would have been hurt. And
I know another tiling. Whenever
a mob finds out that the man
who has got the prisoner in charge
is going to hurt them - they ate
in t so keen and anxious for it.
There are always one or two
. I
leading men in a mob, one or two
cool-brained fellows directing ?be
mob, and a lot of hot-headed people
do the work, und if you put a
man like your sheriff in jail here,
with oue or two good deputies, 1
will guu-antee that no mob in
Lancaster Couuty can take that
prisoner. Why c because they
know he is not going to give liiiuup,
and they know that so vie buoy
i- going to he hurt, and if he
?< cdi litally bit the leadt i of the
:trm and Killed bun, then there
would b a u ii inle running and
! breaking of necks to gen away.
S'iei ill's who are elected in South
| Carolina are generally good men
and loonlar man and tlin nili'*ahn I
of the county who put them in of?J
lice don't want to .kill them. What
is t! result of hanging this fellow
dow i here ( lie was buog last
fenday night, two weeks ugo.
eleir l convenes today. If newspapci
lv.poi to uFOJCorroci he would
have been hanged just as certain
as ho wjis brought here, 1 take it,
under the testimony. It would
have had a very wholesome effect,
it would have punished the murderer
more than taking him out
ar.d killing him in hot blood. If
I understand, he had jus* killed
this gentleman and they hung him
while he was stili mad. lie didn't
care what they did just then,
j i hey took him oH kicking,stramb
nng anil ugnting an<l Hung him.Well,
if they hail arretted him t^jnd
let him cool off and realize what
he had done, and let him know for
certain he was going to he hung,
and brought him here and h ied
him and hung him legitimately,
let the .1 udge give him about six
weeks to got ready in, it would
have been a terrible punisbux ut
for him to go through ? let h:tu
know ho had forfeited his life and
was going to bo hung by law.
1 will tell you another thing. A
gentleman m this Stu'e told me
uutu ium j rm o hj:?; u?; >? w.-* tngnt?ed
iu a lynching; said they ly nch
ed a negro fur commuting rape,
it said ho was a prominent mem
Ik i of the church at that time and
took a g'-eat interest in church affairs.
That from that day to this
he never felt like he ought to take
any part prominency in church
a Hairs; that he was an humhle
fellow and went to church, ami
tried to repent and h# forgiven his
sins, hut ho felt that he was 111
Cipiihlo of directing tho you.ig
boys and girl* al'?ng Christian
lines. lie he had never bean
the >amo man since; that they had
#
all i < proof ngaintt i ii" - darkey "
and ijo Cuiirt would have hung i
him, and I hut ho regretted ox
h omely litul ho had ever takui
any part in it, and that ho h id
rover tioon tho simo man sinc?.
\Yt II, ? -\\\ I think it a ver\
terrible misfortune for a man to
kill anv one under any circumstances,
oven whore he acta >tne ly
in self- K feiie". \Yo have ?o <1<>
a groat mi my disagienit?h tbicyin
this world, and it is a very di.?agroeatdo
dutv a man has to do in
tftko the life of another even to
# %
save his own. ile is a matked
man at I or that*. Ho Is apart, ti>
it were, Irani human liituro and
the ch Idren point thoir ti-'gi-rs at
thHt man evorvwhere and siy:
"That is tho man who killed Si and-So."
"Yes," sn\s some
man, "ho was acquitted, and
ought to have been." "WeH,"
say8 another filiow, "I don't
know ah nit that, i heard ahout
the ease and I am-"not so sure
uhoul that."
COUIMS Ol'KN ANI) UKADY.
i h< Couris nro i>p? n am! rtndy
lo <i?? the work an I, as a general
ni!o ? this is the liith time 1 hive
tico 11 going nv r the State and I
have trie;! a'great number of cases
in iit-ii tune, l ie* j ir? nod .lodge
sori solicitors all make niistaUes
now am! th n, lot' tlx* general 10Milt
Utlut the ju-'i s teneril'^
givi c irect verdicts and we tip a
heap better otFlh-j.n we wo re \eais
aire, hut if wo ?:?# mi this lynching
and besmirching and befouling
the fair nn hi a of the State, direct,
ly we will have atiatchy; directly
pome fellow won't want to adjudicate
bis j no r t > rights in court
and will want to take the law in
lr- own b ind-, or a follow iv ill
l<i 1 moth-i' io self defens*, |?r ti
>lv II' d the -lead 111.10*8 fll^eds
he 11': m ' . b mi i j) ?? ?; I > i 1
lilt- j r ' I tn : - u 'i i ' i 1
f t: i- il o'c a d a l> u lb- > i tI
t : c i V : o \ I i. i i >
uii.ll111 r nod d w 'il pour < i.t
i m-ou-,1 irmililo if, u white in?n
shots cut. killing u negro aid
winds up killing i wlii?o man, and
a mo*. starts ut lynching a negro
and winds up I\ nching n white
man.
The whole tdiLg is wiong
While a jurv may not convict
them, yet in their consciences
they know that they h:iv?> done
wrong and know that they have
committed .minder. If this man
hnd killed thsse people, the courts
had acquitted him,and would have
bung him for killing the third
man. lie had a clean bill of
health, lie stood trial and was
acquitted and was entitled < > :
fa'r, impartial trial i.g?p'i
Now, 1 held cui.t down here
at Floronc Mil there were two
parties charged with rape, who
had been tshared to the >>!ate
penitentiary for : aoepii g, and
t.h? grand jury returned u true
bill for attempt to commit rape,
and they had to l?o brought.hack
there for trial, and 1 ?ent for Mr.
Bnrch, iho slier i IF of the; county,
told him 1 was going to huv-t 1 hi se
parties brought hack for trial and
safe keeping, and 1 was not going
to have any military; you huve
got to takb rare of them, and I
will give you an order for all the
deputies you want, Mid he said if 1
would give him an order for ten
he would guaruntee there would
he n > lynching. i did so. He
played a hold game, hut it workid.
He knew the leaders of the
tuob who wero going to lynch
these fellows.. Then ho got8 and
has them swoi n in at* peace officers
ml hid them in Court, and
brought the prisoners into Court
under guard of the men who had
hiontened to 1) neb them. The
men were tried and convicted
nid I gave them the extreme pendty
of the law and they wero
hack in the penitentiary that
'.iuht .
0
A II AM I TON INCIDENT,
1 was down at Hampton and
two men were charged with ar
w.g; 7 A A f
imiiaiBi juw
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I
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- . -^r.v " 'c. xiidnMB
t?or,an.i H.e\ had ( ten Rout to |
the jt i'1'i s : j.\ 'crp:-i,'i' keeping
?i.d slit* jury y t lui i.t-d n tri o bill. Tlap
1 m lit lui ShoriiF JLI- o! and told
him ?l.e u-R-p thing I told Mr. ^
Hi11*.h at Kiot et c ?. lb said there
would be no > polling. Ho wanted
an rv.'t-i 'or tei v or, aiul he luaeo?r?l
would select th< m. 1 gave him Letdsisturo
the rrder. lie brouglr the prin- .iononers
into Court ; the\ wore tried 1904, ? ?tlc*
and the case tuned * u' entirely Tteamr-r'a
d ff'erent Iv\h?t. people collection <
thought. p s The jury made .'r?>in i?-e i5
a m 'r; ! tstd sit to* i f*si term in the sin
r ho court ti-ey vs en* tried stud TI.e lev.j
uined loom*. 8 at?* 'l itx
Down at \VinnfV> )i-r4 w ?? tr\. < < ti n i v Jt?
itig i; t.;*gr<? and lie via sentenced !*? ?? ? ?u
to tie hung, ami wan .afterward (
convicted ami sort up l'? r lif<
, , , . Total
A gentleman on the j. r slid jury
told me that threat a of lytwhiig Inurent
were being made. T pent for (' A <
Sheriff ?tli-on ami Ik -.ppninteil fJane t r?
fifteen constables hi i scattered pi'^aiV
them over tr.e C.-urt iluuee, and
slmrifv aft< r dinner, when u e Local 8nh<
went back, Mr. McDonald, who Van IVy<
was defending the prisoner, was * ** '*'t*
speaking. A great, lug fellow , ??Jo?
got up ami i;>rcrrupt??it him. Ho
' Knr-lt* w
CONCLUDED ON 2<l l'AGK. J lit* X
??? ? | Jiu^lll1
OASTOXIIA.
B#*r3tho K'nd Vou Have Always Bcu^V T.-uI ifv>
Signature fjr , V/Tf/9-^-jO- ? I?<1 I
of Tn i.M I
U D. II ?\vhh W (i. Iliwer? Wax' *
BOWERS' BROS. - .
? if
Builders aud Contractors , - OI'.h
' re
Tjtinil?rtr, all kl-.da. for sale. <
PriHvng and Matcblny at oliori,
notice
T.jrrud work and Scroll work aspect liufnrd
aft.v. Flat f ret
PdT live USyour an.erH, ,,
BOWERS BROS. ?"? ?<
Near Depot.
Fe'.y it 1904 ..
J. 11ARRY FOSTER. ^ ?
Attorney at Law, " "
LANCASTER, 8. C.
ygf Collections A specially
nts and Children.
nd You Have
lys Bought
the A, A
Use
For Over
irty Years
in mummy. ??w yom #mr.
4 r.
ical Drops
iccomplish DESIRED
Price, $1.50 perbottle.
Is tint up only In pasUshoard CarohSi.
? ' v: > ?..
world's best baby^S:
tfe, sure and harm- ,
stomach and bowel
dren. Keep it al elj
upon it.
torat, SJe. ' W
s^^o^accr, qa. 'y^
NOTICE!
Taxpayers of Lanister
County.
*nce with the of the
to rilae itiippllai for the
bo (hitiin^ Jsminry 1st,
is hereby alveu tn*t Lbs
?<tll o will be op- i f ir the
nf tax?*s wltho'it peliilty
th day of October, 1004 an
day of D eein^er 1004.
is as f-4|ow? j.
*
ix . 4J mill* . v
Ion-. I nel ool tax S mlUs
or.nty 'tux' [hit on'"
H K b i ili H mills
L5 i ini'lu ?
^ ^ ? * r"
>11 Towhfch'p Bond* '* "'<
i' II It: . i' : '
5*k 4 1 inUla
Bk 5 mtOa
Hill 2 mill/
' ' *
wl THS: , ?
2 mill? ,
r, iuc'udlng
> bond* 6 mifU '' * "
pHn#e i mill,
4 u.Ua
4 rid-J*
itoerla 9fea<tll*
'?<'** t mllw
I y
> s ricl*:
Mini 15 1 m I'l
Van Wjr. k ITJ milla
K'i ti.l la
V ?n Wyck I7| mw?a
< k 20
I anojiflfi 36 in }? , ,
J m em X
ek * i IIhi la
aatrr 2<4 niV<>a
J X R ' S*4 rrlllr
154 roil
k 164 mill*
Kenliaw 104 "
Hill M* "
K*n)i<? 104
OakhuMt 224 "
HtAth Sprln^a 11J *
j x r yj
Ru soil Piao? H.'4
a?k 16?
J X R 17i
Ruawell Plate 17f
U-. ^jtecKully,
'* ; i