University of South Carolina Libraries
THE STAIN OF HUMAN BLOOD. It Can Never Be Washed Out-Observations On the Horrors That Attend a Slayer of His Fellow-Man. By T. Larry Gantt. The thing of taking the life of a human being except in self-defense, during excitement or on the field of battle is a terrible thing and un less a man be hardened into bru tality and is utterly devoid of con science it will haunt him to his dying day. Three times during my career I have. deliberately made up my mind to kill, but determined to make my antagonists first the as sailants and to give them a fair showing, and thus put my own life in jeopardy. But when the neces sity for auy such encounter had passed the feeling of relief was in describable. Thousands upon thousands of useful and brilliant lives have been blighted and rendered miserable by the taking of human life; even when thelkilling was justified both in the sight of man and by the laws of the land, the curse of Cain follows the slayer his entire days. My father, I think, was with the Ion. Wm. L. Yancey, the great Secession leader, when he killed Dr. Earle, of Greenville. They were boys together, were . warm friends, land I have often heard my father',speak of the circumstance. Yancey killed Earle as the latter was advancing upon him with an upraised walking cane, and when the fatal shot was fired. Just be fore the late " war between the States my father and Mr. Yancey t met in Montgomery, Ala. Mr. i Yancey, in discussing the tragedy, stated that lie had no intention of shooting Dr. Earle, but the en counter took place in the piazza of the postoffice, an old wooden build ing opposite the Mansion House in Greenville, and which piazza had no railing, being several feet from the ground. Dr. Earle attacked Mr. Yaucey because he had slap ped the face of his little son, Elias, there being no very kind feeling be tween the two men. Dr. Earle raised his cane and advanced1 upon Mr. Yancey, who drew his pistol, presented it and retreated back ward. Mr. Yancey stated that he had no intention of shooting the (octor, buht wanted to intimidate himi. In stepping backward he felt that he had reached the ex treme end of the piazza and, in order to p)reent falling off, had in advertently pressed the trigger. But, the great Southern statesman told my father, lhe would freely give famie, fortune and all lie pos sessedl ',and again start life a poor, ignorant and obscure muan, could he, b)y doing so, oiily wipe that blood from his hands; that often, in the midst of his most brilliant orations, wvould lie see the figure of D)r. Earle,I with thatj upraised cane as wh'len the tragedy w~as enacted, rise be fore him. It haunted1 him day and night, and while the was justified in the killing and the sentence im-< posed by the law was light, his life was unending remorse and self-re-- < proach. Year-s after the killing, when Mi-. Yancey returnied to v'isit his miother--ini-law, Mrs. 1 'arle, in Greenv'ille, and Elias had grown to< nianhood, the young man, who had innocently 'icausedl the dleath of his father,j appeared before the gate < with ahotgun in hand andl asked to see Cot. Yancey. Yancey, from< behind the closed dloor, told Elias to go away and lie would return to1 Alabama and not visit Greenville< again; that he had more of the Earle blood then upon his hands1 than he could ever wash away and1 (lid riot want any more. This visit would lprobably have resuilted fatal ly had not the old lady, who, like all of thelEarles, was as brave as a lion seied a shotgun and told Klias that he must go away and not further molest her guest, and that I if he attempted any violence toward Yancey lie must first fire through I her. The next clay Mr. Yaucey left -for Alabama, and did not ever return again, I think, to South i Carolina until as a delegate to the I Charleston convention. If the killing of a human being :an be'mide justifiable it was that i f Bynun by Perry. Bynumi was - noted duelist, and had been em ployed to provoke Perry into a fight and take his life. The two mien i represented extreme factions in South Carolina politics, and which i were as bitter as in the (lays of Till- < muanism and Conservatism. Bynum I was an expert with the pistol, and , liad killed, so I am told, more than I >ne man. On the other hand, Perry I liad but little if any practice with I that weapon, being a man of peace, - but undoubted courtag-. But Perry's 1 steady nerve and cool head proved I ;iperior to the skill of his antag nist, who was killed at the first ire, and his grave is still pointed >ut at the historic Rock church, lear Clemson college. But even the <nowledge that th:s duel had been 'orced on him, and that his enemy vas given an eq.al, if not better ihowing for his life, could never vipe the red stain from the tender .onscience of Governor Perry. One )f his sons told me that he never ieard the subject mentioned but >nce in his father's presence, when iis face grew deathly pale, lie raised I 1is hand and stated that he never I gain wanted to hear that duel poken of by any member of his amily. That the horror of that ragedy, committed on a little island ii the Savannah river, haunted this I reat and good man all his days is c iot doubted, and it cast a dark loud over a brilliant life. I have known a great many men vho had taken liumian life under all nanner of circumstances, and with- x mt a single exception they wore he brand of Cain upon their brow%s. 'here was no pleasure or happi- I jess in store for them. Their ex stence was oue long reign of re norse and self-reproach, and if they lid not manifest the same by word >f mouth, it could be seen in the estless eye, and nervous starting it every unusual noise. Many urned for consolation to drink, and %hich only added fuel to the eternal \ ires that ev'er !burned within them.I )thers prospered, but during those t utervals when the mind was per-. nitted to wvander back to the pas5t, I tlook of ha~ggardl misery o'erspreacd heir faces. The brand of Cain was ixedl upon the browvs of those shed ers of human blood by D)ivine ven ~eance, and only death can erase t.t I remember, wvhile living in Ogle horpe county, Georgia, talking ,ith a young friend of mine who mnd gonie with a party to chastise a iegro for a reported insult to a .vite woman. This young man vas stationedi at a window through vhich the negro endcavoredl to es ~ape. lHe fired on the man and ~hot him dead , his body' hanging~ ver the sill. This young man, het was a successfu mi 1 erchan t, ~tatedl to me that he afterw~ard dhis :overecd that lie hadh killed an inno ~ent and slandered man, and the >art y who had made upl that. storyT vas enragedl against the negro he ause lie had intended to leave his arm and lie wanted to have him hlastised. But my young friend tatecd to me that his whole life was >lighted, and his entire existence mne of misery and remorse; that the ight of the poor negro haunted im all day long and was a constant ightmiare. Freely wvould he give ip all lie possessedl and become a ~onvict in stripes to have that stain vashecd front his conscience. HeI >ften felt that did he possess the ean1th of the world1 lie wno1r1 fr.oely ,ive it for even one day's relie rom the agony of mind that pur med him, and that lie might ex erience the feeling of innocene h< new before that wretched night. Were this globe of ours coinee nto gold and placed at my disposa o take the life of the most debase m1id miserable human being thal valks the earth, even under tl nost justifiable circumstances, I vould scorn the bribe. Unless a man, as I have stated ias a heart scarred with sin, and i! icapable of feeling remorse, I some imes think it would be an act o nercy and kindness to put himi tc leath, after wilfully and deliberate y taking the life of a fellow man, k jury may acquit him, and he ma3 ive a long life, applauded ane ionored by the world, but ther< )eats in his breast an inner monitor ind which will ever keep him re ninded of that dark deed. His en ire existence will be one prolonge( igony, and there will ever walk b3 iis side in day, and repose upon hi: )illow at night, an unseen spectri >f the dead man, and from whic errible and constant visitor then s no escape. The murderer is reminded o he fate that awaits him by th, Bible, and which commands tha 'He who sheds man's blood by maj -hall his blood be shed." I admit that that there are oc !asions when it becomes imperative y necessary to take human life, bu ny greatest hope and desire is tha lo such dread alternative shall eve >e forced upon myself. I had soon r go to my grave the victim of an ther, than spend my days on earti vith hands dripping with the life lood of any one created in God' wn image. Life is sweet, but it is anythinj mt sweet to a red-handed nurderer In penning this article I had ii ndividual case in mind, but give i is the observation of my life and arning. W ANTED.- Manager for ne branch of our business here i 4ewberry. Write promptly, with refe nces. The Morris Wholesale Hous< "incinnati, Ohio. WEEDS Consumption is a humar veed Ilourishing best in weal ngs. Like other weeds it' aisily dlestroyed while young Then ol, sometimes im Strengthen the lungs as yoi couild weak land and thi veeds wviilisappe)ar-. The best lung fertilizer i: ;cott's Emulsion. Salt p)Orl Sgood too, but it is very har< o digest. The time to treat consumni: ion is wvhen you b)eginl trying o hide it from yoursell 3thers se* it, you wvon't. Don't wait until you can' iecive yourself any longei Beginl wit the first though atake Scott's Emulsion.. I Sisn't really consumption s nuich the better; you wvill soo) orget~ it and be b)etter for th reatment. If it is consuii ~on you can't expect to 1) nired at once, lbut if you wvil Agin in time and will b ;idly regular in your treal rent you will win. Scott's Emulsion, fresh ai est all you can, cat all yol :an, that's the treatment an< hat's the best treatment. -___ We will send yo a little of the Emu ., sion free. lie sure that this p,ictu,re the formi it a huel IS ontl I wrapper ofi every bottle -EEmulsion you buy. SCOTT & BOWNE Chemists, 409 Pearl St., N. ' In Order To REDUCE OUl And to effect a dissolu we offer our entire sto chandise at greatly rec items will be sold beli consists of High GradE Cook Stoves, Furnii everything usually foi general store. Comei to spend one dollar or and we will save you n We have an especial stock of Crockery and almost your own price during December, AULL, E POMARIA, - SOL P. S. Persons indet and settle. t WeDe n To remind our friends that we c be bought. Loose Buckwheat. 1 'Figs. Dates. Grated Cc Mince Meat DAVENPORT & Phone 10. Have You Linen Ck AT H( tThe Newberry Steam Laundry Cc the very latest Collar andI( Cuff lIr every reIopect. We give t be latest If We cannot please You your patronage. We do ni because we leave all thei SNewberry, but because You Get Beti And Bette 'We would be pleased to o_ur machinery in operatii SPhone 116 and have wagon C R STOCK tion on January I st ck of general mer luced prices. Many >w cost. This stock Buggies, Wagons, :ure, Clothing and aind in a first-class to see us if you'want one hundred dollars ioney. ly lar-ge and varied Glassware to go at Come to our store ITZI Col JTH CAROLINA. >ted will please call' sire arry the very best flour can aisins. Nu coanuts, Cranberries s, etc. CAVENAUGH. Main Street. irSoiled ~ansed )ME mnpany hasi ins4talleil o of >ners. It is up to date in gtossi or dlomepti,<- finish. then we do not v ot want your sup n~oney you pay have yo ca ou Aue