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* * * The Last White Man Hanged in * Laurens. * * * ** ***** ** * ****** The Laurens Herald of several days go contained an interesting aceount f the conviction and execution of a white man, Dr. Thomas W. Kininan, at Laurehs, for nergo stealig, in 1854. The story is as follows: Sometime in the springy or summer of 1853, Dr. Thomas Kinman was ->ught here from Greenville county lien district), a prisoner and lodged jail, charged wi-th capital felony, that he had stolen and carried wav a certain negro. the property of a citizen of Laureis district. A few days after his imprisonment Kinman was admitted to bail under a heavy bond,-for his appearance at the approaching term of court for trial. The sessions court at that time was eld only twice a year. March and etober. On Sunday evening before the op ing of the October term, Kinman as prompltly in attendance. stopping t Simmons' h.el. ippirentiy in thli best of humor and spirits, where the Writer saw him for the first time. iH was a man of rath1r fine personal ap pearance. quite six feet in height, florid complexion. with li-h- r saidy iiur, a man of imelligence. in passes sion of considerable prorerty7 in land and n'egroes. and up to the -time of his arrest bore a good character and was highly respected. Notwithstandiig these facts. and the gravity of .the charges against him, the case had ex cited little or no interest until he -went to jail Monday , morning of court; and even then no one seemed to think that he would be convicted, and hanged, as, under the law of South Carolina at that time, no Other penalty attached to the crime of negro stealing-slightly different now. There was very little direct or p~os itive proof against Kinnman-nearly all circumstantial, but the circumstan al evidence proved in the end dam -gig and fa6tal, as will be seen later :1 It developed in course of the trial 1ithat Kinman passed through this plaee in possession of a new, light two-horse Cox & Gower wagon, the cover of which was tightly drawn by trong' cords at front, rear and sides, so that no one couild see- i.ts interio.r. .itnesses testified that the same de scriptioni of ma'n and wagon crossed the Saluda river at Swansey 's ferry. -Another witness, a citizen of :the town of Abbeville, testified that the igentieally described man and wagpn passed through that' place. It so hap pened that? the Abbeville .witness :wanted just such a wagon'as the de ~fenda'nt had, wanted it at once, and offered to pay a much lar.ger sum for it than the usu.al cost of vehicles of ~that size, but he was forbidden to look inside the wagon, when he at empted. This action on 'the part of the defendanat for some reason, it ~eems, excited the suspicion of the ~witness, and he so testified, identify ng Kinman as the man in charge of the wagon. And it was firmly be lieved, though not proven, that, that said negro was secreted in said wagon. If transpired from the evidence that Kinman adopted the scheme of the great "Land Pirate,'-as the no torious John A. Murrell used to be called-made repeated sales of the same negro. He or his confederate with him would sell the stolen negro at, a certain place, secretly give him a pass, with instructions to meet him at another point a few days later, where the negro would be sold a'gain, signing, of course, a ficti-tious name to the pta.s. These sales 'were give~n in eaeh instance. And it was these pas ses t at betrayed him, and finally e the neck of the accused. ne of the Witnesses testifying 'nst ~Kinman was from Alabama, was one of the unfortunate pur s of -the stolen' negro, but was 'able to identify Kinman as the from whom .he bought the negro. passes given the negro, three of 'eh the prosecution managed to cure, were signed with the ficti s signature of "J. H. Smith,'' ept one of :the three, which was ed "J. M. Smith.'' Why this uge of initials from "J. H.' "to M.'' shon'ld have been t.aken by "prosecution as suspicious circum etces was not apparent at the time, that all three passes were proven to .1r2e been 'wrtiten by the saime t.and: and witnesses familiar with Kinman's hand.writing swore that all three of the passes were written by him. This seemed to "pin the bask et"' against the defendant, and was 'the State's case. It is not remember ed at this lapse of time whether the dfense introduced any evidence. but ink none was offered. though the 's5oner was badly detendedi by the atHon. Chas. P. Sullivan, one of hable lawyers of the Laurens bar. tthat thue" .nstiy rainking as one ot eablest in thle State. The case was tried before Judge reaL who was then a circuit udge. and bef-'re his elevatioln to I110 court of appeals. Jacob P. Reed. an able prosecuting oicer, was the soli eitor. The ciarge of Judge 0 'Neall, however, was'much stronger against the prisoner and had more influence with the jury than even the very able speech of the solicitor, as at that time a presiding judge was permitted to charge on fact. or on evidence, a well as on -The law. (And it inight be as well, or perhaps better. if former prerogatives were in voglel now.) Judre O'Neall was thoroughly con vinced of the prisoner's guilt, and the jury saw it, vIlli doulbtTess mater ially aided them in ar-riving" at a quick agreement. retturning- as tlhey did. witliinl less thai half aii hour with :the fatal verdiet of guilt Of the crime as charge, t1he onL ex I pia-fion of whicih was death o)l th1e galowxs. Thl-e were no de:_T-ees or modificti'm, in those Jays for tIre crime of negro stealing. Among other 11h1ilgS ill the cou1rSe of Jn(1e vNehl lar.:e. he t()hl1 hi jury. . ab amially. le i:nself ():ne(imes, tnd to fe n,sea ale *1aa % . i ! 1 fl~e IV lv. When theC verdiet of thies jury was announced. Mr. Sullivan made Imtion for a new trial, which. bein- denied. gave noti c of appeal and carried the ease to the appeal court, which body Istained tie action ' verditt v xvhe lower court, and t-he sentence of death.i was. pronounced upon the defendant. Mr. Sullivan fought the case with his characteristic energy and persistenee. and unless the writer's memory is at fault, succeeded in getting it before the appeal court more than once, but with the same result. Yet he did succeed in getting two respites for his client, but upon what ground is not remembered. When all hope was abandoned, Kin man set about trying to get his lib erty by breaking jail. Some weeks before the day of execution he man aged in some way to get a pocket knife, a long key hole saw and a rope. With these tocols lie went to work energetically, not. being shack eled,. and came very near cuttingZ his way out; but. unfortunately for him, the sheriff, who slept in :tihe jail, was awakene:d by the noise and thwarted the attempt to escape. The prison er, it seems, had become over-confi dent and bold in his -efforts. The slher iff (the late Oswall Richa rdson) stat edl that Kinman would have escaped in two hours or less but for the timely discoverv on his p)art. It was supi posed that the prisoner's faithful wife, who had been permitt-ed to s-is it him a few weeks previously, had conveyed the means of eserpe to the prisoner's cell, concealed in her cloth ing. The prisoner's effort to escape was detected and defeated less than a week before the day of execution. On the day of the execution a pe uliarly strange, if not an analogous and gruesome incident occurred. As Kinman was being conveyed from the jail to the gallows, -the writer was standing on the sidewalk in front of a store on grounid now occupied by the Peoples Loan and Exchange bank as he passed. sitting on a seat with the driver af a troohor'se w'agon, h.is cof fin. which lie was soon to fill. just in rear of him. The negro for whom he was soon to be hanged for stealing, stood on the same sidewalk, and not ten steu's from the writer, and seemed to gaze with, gleeful satisfaction on the doomed enlprit. It was suspected that Kinman was associated with gnd one of a clan whose business was to- steal both ne groes and horses and run them off, the headquarters of whieh clan was just across the line of La.urens in Green ville district. But this was mere sus picion. A moment before the death trap was sprung, Kinman was asked by his spiritual -adviser (Rev. David Wills), who went on the scaffold with him and offered prayer for shim, whether or not he was guilty, .that it was a duty he owed his family, himself and friends to make the statement as his last utterance on earth, and said to him: ''Kinmna,n, are you guaulty. or in nocent ?'' His irep.ly was. ''Guilty only n part.'' These were his last words. and as the signal handkerchief drop ped from his nervy hand and flutter 'ed slowly to the ground. 'he wa's launched into eternity. He was pub licly hanged the latt-er part of Sep tember, 1854, publi'e execution t'hen beng the law or custom, and the co d in attendance was immense. some of themi fromi adljoining districts. HF!i. laemnie reply as t. his Quilt in dited that if hie dlid be!''ii :": I 'i&vini' elan he wva- true to9 it. IIe div~ulgred no~ thingr save as !"' hhnmself. ad lit tle of that &even. KinmanN w:..: no ,nly a .ad ca- but a1 peia The ado'ln nw!rr was noned by the the iegro had been sold several times ill s41out\hwestern Ger ia and Alaiba ma. recovered hi.; property and the slave was bioug1ht back. The negro was a fine looking fellow. full six feet in heig'ht. and as the price oft ieroes rated then would have sold for fif te oli ( l i' teell hundred (dollars in t wIe negr inar-t-: (f Nv Orlea li or ven"Il is. The 1ornill. after hlle execlltiol tiIhe writer left here on his waY to Able ville, via Newberry, at which point Judge O'Neall boarded the train and I(Poh a seat just in frifnt of ihe former. $if wilom tl' judge imnediately ill 1luird whether K man had been 'a-ll(ed the lay before. B(ill' an swem'd ill the alirmative lie re:rheI. maIn was Ied befo re me. I w:a.4 ctoIn vinced( thlat hle wa guailty. oL' h iriie zia4 char.,ed,t ain1 muf iuffer the WeMay. Th, Luw mv seemi sftein. a er -:v I 'hin 'th ha g in: SOUTH CAROLTA'S QO.RY. Mr. A. S. Sally, Jr., Sas This State's Pr-td Record ShoLed be Made Commen Know ledge. To l Edit r of The State Like rself. I d> it wi h : en ,'jv ~ ~ w al' t 4 0U~. Uc . '~ .la Um.13 t he (eaionI we*~ aie so misrepreseited and misunder hvI i outsideri v,that - do not ;i*<1:.ly p1Ce.t our Uwin s:de ofou istry to .tLhe linvestigating world. We -sh.ould not qua-rel with people who hold coniiitra.ry opinion, to ocs u-inle;s we know those opinions are not nJoniest. and we shuld not won der at opinions based on invesitgaa tions made at. improper sources when we, ourselves. having the proper sources -at our comm-and, do not put them within the reach of those who would know abouit us. Our people can become indignant and hurl'out Jhot word. of defiance at strangers who mi.'epresent us (ei he:- i& nrant ly or analiciously'l un til tUe daiy ot judgumen.: without bij~t teri'ng' the~ m i:uatnin in the least. what we 'hould (10 is to pub)lish in accessi ble for'm. skillfulyx edited and present ed 'the ev idenc es o.f our past culture and 'tihe argonelnts based on those evi dences a-s.to tihe results obtained fro :n the evolu:jinS <-r progressive develop ment of that 'culture. A consi)cuio: ease in p:).nl isthi itf Chiarles Pinaekney anmd tie contst itu-l t:ion of the Unitedl States. When the cenltion met in 1787 iharl.es Pinekney.; one of the five delegates elected by Souh Ci(arolina. pr:esentred h imnsel f had pr~nepa1redi. Such a K'ingm w"as very mms.~ual in thiose days. Paswere usualy fr:muhate d by (con x'ent:is or' other bodies and r's!ndi tions prescribi.ng what ought -to b)e cone embodied the ideas agzreed upon. That was .the ease wit'h the other' plans su'bmitted ito .the cojnvention,. but Mr. Pi'neknevy's pl:n w'as an ad vance:ment.:andl it wvas u.niqme and( i;i gial. Along with the 'other plans submitted to the c'onv'entumn it wxas sent to lie committee c'hargzed with wor'k of drafting a 'constitu.ion. John Rutledge of Sou:th Carolina was chairman of tihat committee. In time it became common 'talk in South Car olina that: more of the- ideas of Pinekn'ey's consttntion were a.dopted than of 'any? other plan. It is likely that Rutledge spread tha t rumor. Nevertheless, outsiders paid lititle at tention to the claim, because Pi-nek ney 's d'raft was not in evidence~; a.ny body who desired .to see it could not find it. When President Madison de sired to prepare this account of t.he federal convention he got Mr. Jothn Quiney Adams to write to Mr. Pinek ney for a copy of this plan. Mr. Pinc.kney sent on a copy which was pronounced by Adams .to 'be a com pilation from memory, with many of the f'eatu.res of the constitution] there in that could .not :possibly have been in Mr. Pinekney 's plan. That to a great extent discredited Mr. Pinek ney before athhe world w'en it was publisihed years afiter Mr. Pincknrey'-s dea-th. Some years ago Dr'. J1. Franklin Jameson, then of .the University of Chic'ago, took uip the study of. Pinek nev and the eonstriution. He 'called upon me for help 'at this end of t.he line. Our records had never been sihaped up so tha.t I 'could find whait we had bu'i It I .fou-nd a coin-ider'able mnmber) it scratps t hat helped'~ D'r. 'd'-. t Pr , > t. leL mmchlin'\ f 'ei ~:v r a1 ' \1r t 3 IiN.ne mvId Wil's esoll lil-ell ave mo(*e credit to Pilk Ilev Glaln -had ver been given by an "UtSider of pi-nii-nce -before. Now colmes Judge Not.t. of the District of Columbia with a boofk v-indiealting and extoling,- Pinckney. Of conse. some may say that there i almple material rabout Gei. Lee. Tlat is trei. hIm Biss By\smi canl not e expei)ted 1i S>k upon Le as lie rea ;n.a,n we know hinn to be. S-he hi.as beeni raised up ro look upon him as an ceemy. Consequently The has benraihlir 4roacd in givng him the praise that she has. but if hec' had had fill acess .to t-he sidelights of South (1ii hisl:( he li.- wo umld hav.e avoided manV !f., tlie error of fact of wie:b e is e-uiSv. For instanee. if th? re eIs of' our e'dica;:ional attiainments hai been well woirkel up in the past. iW woldl1 not have saidl that the peo ple (r .the Soilih wer densely ig or lit. Let is take tie single case of Pinekine. If wve had lo-n- ago let. the XX~ I. i' I 1)- I I V C, Yvor ii 1 1 * ~ I : -' \von"i' 1, 1 ItF III a I a I I' 1,eL'iIi 'I l ftherol td the world ::bat he lived to :nlMs hasas to t he co:istiinii ion - I r half a century -after play' g - > p:-ninlent a part in the mak 1 . i t ,: in) nU t an1 d tiat Ji, ,:ine-- wvas f: the s:nne effect as I-ai 1f %i:l s 5iue)r. John C. cahoui. praps the extremie views, of State rights i:.hat Miss Boyson and others hold would .have been modified by the more g-n-.eral assimilation of the Southein views. What we need is not railing at those xho :honestly err, but the pat ience and :-he cunsideration to teach inm by placing wit,hin their rea'h tic. evidence bearing on our side of the question. The historia-el commission of South Carolina is publishing a great many re-nods that are now having and will in the years to come have great wei:!z.t with lt.ho:se who sit down to write some.thing about us. The South Carolina Historiael society is doing the' samne thing. IDo the 15eople of Suth Carolina help to put those :re e:ords i.n circulai>ion by buying them? i takes finaueial- suppo.rt -to carry on any sort of work. At presenit -mt of tihe ordiers for 'the publications i's sued by .tihie hist-orical -commssion come from libra,ries and -educat ional institutions i-n the Nouth and West. Perhaps in the course of time these :eords will be examined by Miss B-iyisoni and conviaew her that Sou h hiarolina wvas not sn-elh a benighted State a-s she has been ta-ught to be leve it was in t.he days before the nero was freed, but will our own people kniow as muco abo)nt their piast t!:en a.s Miss Bnvyson xwill k-now ~? A. S. Salley, Jr. (:flumbia, Feb. 11, 1909. Not Only in Aiken. Aiken Journal and Review. Aiken ha-s -a:n an ti-spitting law, and o'e of the first steps of the Anti Tbernlona~ league shoulid be to .try ad h-ave tihis law en-forced. BLUE RIDGB SCB'EDULES. Eastbound. No. :8, leaves Anderson at 6.30 a. n., for connection at - Belt on with outhern for Greenville. No. 12, -from Walballa. leaves Ar derson at 10.15 a. mn., for connection at Belton with Southern Railway for Columbia and Greenville. No. 20, leaves Anderson at~ 2.20 p. in., for connections at Belton with Southern Railway for Greenville. No. 8, daily eieept Sunday, from Wahalla arrives Anderson 6.24 p. in., with connections at Seneca with Southern Railway from points sonthi. No. 10, from Walhalla, leaves An derson at 4.57 p. in., for connections at Belton with Southern Railway for Greenville and Columbia. ' Westbound. ~No. 17, arrives at Anderson at 7.50 1. in., from Belton with connections from Greenville. No. 9, arrives at Anderson at 12.24 p. in., from Belton with connections from Greenville and Columbia. Goes to Walhalla. No. 19, arrives at Anderson at 3.40 p. mn.. from Belton with connections from Greenville. No. 11, arrives at Anderson at 6.29 p. mn., from Belton with con netions from Greenville and Colum bia. Goes to Waihalla.. No. 7, daily except Sunday, leaves Anderson at 9.20 a. mn., for Walhallo. with connections at Seneca for locaul -noints so'uth. Nos. 7.218 19. and 20 are mixed tryn beteenAnderson andi Belfor: Nos. 7 and S are 1local freight trains, carrying passengers. hetweer Anderson and Walhalla and bet wc' Wialal ane Anderson STATEM ENT. The Commercial Bank of Newberry, S. C., con densed from report to State Bank Examiner Novem ber 27. 1908. RESOURCES. Loans................... ............... $268,751 87 Furniture and fixtures....................... 3,116 93 i Overdrafts .............................. 12,645 6o Cash and due from banks..... ................ ioi,i8i 65 $3S5,696 05 LIABILITIES. Capital stock........................... S50,0oooo Profits less expenses taxes paid ............... 54,677 53 Dividends unpaid. ........... . ............ 1,277 00 Cashier's Checks........................... 255 00 Re-discounts ... ......................... 15,000 Deposits Individual................. $261,oo.o3 Banks............ .. ...... -- 3,486.49-$264,486 52 $385,696 05 The Comnrci Bank, NEWBERRY,S, C. JNO. M. KINARD, 0. B. MAYER, J. Y. McFALL, President. Vice-President. Cashier. SOME OF OUR POLICIES: To be conservative. To pay four per cent. To calculate interest semi-annually. To bond every employee. To be progressive and accommodating. To lend our money to our customers. -To treat our patrons courteously. To be liberal and prompt. To secure business from all classes. TO BE THE VERY BEST BANK FOR YOU TO DO BUSINESS WITH. Our institution is under the supervision of and regularly examined by the State Bank Examiner. SThe Bunk of Prosperlig, Pr osperity, S. C. R.vGEO. Y. HUNTER, DR. J. S. WHEELER, President. V President. JF.BROWNE, J. A. COUNTS, Cashier. Assistant Cashier. *The Pirsi Cough of the Seen Even though not severe, has a tendency to irritate the sensi *tive membra.nes of the throat and delicate bronchial tubes. Coughs then come easy all winter, every time you tat the i ightest cold. Cure the first cough before it has a chance to . * inet up .n Inflamation in the delicate capillary air tubes of theg * lungs. The best remedy is QUICK RELIEF COUGH NYRUP. It at once gets right at the seat of tr uble and --e m noves the cause. It is free from Morphine and is as safe ?or. MAYES' DRUG STORE.* WE, STOP THE LEAKS. ~PHONE 271 Jones & Gleason' CONTRACTORS FOR PLUMBING, TINNING and GUTTERING STEAM and HOT WATER HEATING REPAIRl WORK( A SPEGALTY UNDEiR CROTWELL HOTEL 1218m College St. NEWBERRY, S. C