Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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JRwiTxiV. JflNGSTREE, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1898. ^w* wmnma^mmmmMM>RiaKMaailBV>IMIM*****wmmmmm^mmtm?BBI IMtr /i iiiliSipl Lake City the I Scene of Mob I Violeiioe. [ HFMDW1 n mm ii mi tl Deon ii lit Soft flaw. nutans oihmud : f Moo fli Ms M fire it Baker's: Residence qhh Wtiea [tie Negroes /i m ifl \m. Itei fife ! ) M Don HMI& ! One of the mo>t brutai aftt} hor , . rible deeds that has ever occurred j I in this State took place in Lake < Monday night when j portnQtar Baker aftd Irs baby ' were killed and the other mem- i hers of his family were wounded j by a mob. , ! rv._ ? 11.~ . r'?rst?\rrai luunun yic jw|/ir i ol Like Oily have be? n troubled with the misdeeds of the colored | post master and several times have j attempts been made on his life < The brutal acts of the mob that killed the poor negroes last Mon- i day night are without parallel in j the history of this county. ? i Frazier B Baker, a black negro, was appointed postmaster of Lake , City last August. He was at ( that time a resident of Florence ( county, but moved to Lake Oitv < and took charge of the office. He moved the postoffice to a small, rudely constructed, log hut on the outskirts of the town and there ( -1 i.-j . - ? t me ciuzens nau iu go loriurn , ran(l. Just after the appointment of Baker he was shot by some unknown p^rty, but was not hurt | * much. He clung to his office, reiving upon the United States government to protect him. In De ' cemfcer the assistant postmaster, another negro, was shot from am- , bush by parties unknown. He was not senously wounded. Last -January the postoffice was burned to the ground with its entire contents. Whether this fire was accidental or of an incendiary origin was never known. For some time after the burning of the office there was no mail received for transmission or delivery ^t Lake City, but a lew weeks ago Baker re established the office in a small, two-room negro shihty that had been formerly used as a school house. The * postmaster's family,, consisting of himself, a wife, three daughters K. and three so~s, lived in the, little room in the rear of the roomyised as*a postoffice. They ate cooked and slept all in the same small room. Last Wednesday night a mob attacked the building and fired several shots'into it, apparently trying to get Baker out of the house in the dark. y r But the <Mi<i came last Mood ?\ ! niirht when a mob, said to have, numbered several hundred, went to the house and committed the horrible deed related below. The fo|lowing facts were brought out at the coroner's inquest Tue.? day afternoon: ' Baker's family were all as'eep when, about one o'clock, his wife was awakened by some stranire noise. Upon ari>in^ she found thai the house was on lire and she immediately called her husband and children* Ju*i as she did so a perfect volley of shots was hear i and the bullets came whistling through the walls of th? house. Baker attempted to put out the flames, but the firing caused him to leave that, off and tell his family to follow him out ol the house. The wile took the little infant in her arms and Ba ker opened the door. Just as he did so, he was shot down. The baby was sl^ out of the woman's ain.s and killed. The same bullet that passed through the baby's body entered and fractured the mother's arm. All the children >creamed that they were shot. The flames of the burning building iv^.ro /.Into hp 11 i ml I hp nnor wound ed negroes and the mother made it leap Irotn the house right into the lace of the assassins, followed by her children who were able !o walk. The mob then quickly dis appeared, and the neighbors having been awakened i y the noise :>f the shots, and seeing the horning building, came to the house. The woman had been shot through Ihe thigh alter leaving the bum ing building, and eou d not walk. She was picked up, and, together with her remaining children, was .arrie 1 lo the home of a neurit Iriend about a quarter of a mile away, where they wt-re interviewfd by a County Record reporter Tuesday afternoon. The charred remains of Baker and his litlle infant weru found in the ruins of I he houSc Tuesday morning. Coroner Burrows was notified and Jit on *e went to thesoene. He empaneled the following jury and commenced the inquest: H H Singletarv, foreman; H E Moody, foe Woods. II 0 Edwards, John Webster, M B Spring, W W Moore, EBP rosser, Essie Brown, (colored), Tom Henderson, (colored), Josiah Graham, (colored)," P E Severance. The only witnesses to examine were the mem bers (if i he negro's family, so after viewing the remains the jury went to the house where the wounded people were. The sight here was horrible to behold. In one bed lav the mother with her left arm shot all to piece and her thigh pierced with a ball from a rifle. In the same b.d was the youngest daughter, a negr?ss about grown, whose right hand was shattered and with a bu'let in the groin. In another room' was the other surviving daughter with her left arm shattered at the elbow. It is thought that she will ln*#? her arm. Near her lav the 12-*e?rold boy who had been j?hot through the abodmen and whose left arm was shot almost entirely off. Two lit lie fellows had escaped unhurt?a miracu lous escape, as there was a regular fusillade ot bullets. 1 he good people of Lake City had" sent to the poor, unfortunate creatures food, clothing, etc., and they had received the best of medical aid at the hands of L)rs. Wil ' iiams and Fulmore, but the sight [Continued op page 5.] eiofifflpej MUCH WORK DONE IN TWO DhYS OF LABOR. The Eloquent Charge of Judge Gary.? The McCallister Shooting Compromised.?Other Matters. The February term of the court of general sessions convened last Monday. Judge Ernest Gary, solicitor Wilson and stenographer Parrott were all at their respective posts, and the usual preliminaries were quickly gone through with. The charge of Judge Gary to the grand jury was an unusually strong and lucid one. He called attention to the fact that if the grand jury would always do its duty and bring everyone who com milted a crime to trial, that that would have the tendency to reduce the commitment of evil deeds His ho^or spoke of the grand jury as "the right arm of the law.'* The entire charge was said by those who know to be one of the finest that has ever been heard here. One thing that commands attention is the fact that the calendar of the court had not a single ease upon it when the court convened Monday morning, and the entire "machinery of justice" was at a standstill alter the retirement of the grand jury until a true bill was presented. The Judge spoke of this fact, saying that in all his ca reer as a lawyer and Judge he had never before seen a court calander entirely clear. The ca^e of shooting Mr. George McAllister by his wife was com promised, and the Solicitor nol prossed I lie case. The grand jury brought in "true bills'' agiinst Billy Scott, colored, charged with forgery; J no | McFaddin, colored, burglary and larceny, and Henrv David and Jane Matthews, white, adultery. The,first>ease railed for trial was that against Billy Scott. Billy wa* beseeched for an explanation of his exceiitric demeanor last March, he having while in need of some goods fractured section 295 of the statutes of South Carolina with a lorged order on Mr. J S McCollough, drawn nn Mr. W H Kennedv. Billy's explanation did not suit the jury, so, at the suggestion of the presiding Judge, the negro accepted a job on the county chaingang for a perion of one year. The next case called was that against Henry Davis and Jane Mat hews. Davis had\ never been arrested, so only the womon was tried. She was ithout counsel or witnesses, and made no defense whatever. She was convicted, and the Judge sentenced her to pay a finecf $100 or to be confined iu the county jail for a period of six months. The case against John McFaddin was then called. John is a bov in years and he fell in love with the cot ton in a Mr. Rodgers' ginhouse. So much enamored with the cotton was he that he became an infidel on the subject of law and proceeded to run things his own, sweet, black way, which way was to break info the ginhouse and purloin 26 cents worth of the fleecy staple. Confinement in the county jail, how ever, somewhat cured John of his unbelief, and he acknowledge stealing the cotton, ana the Judge ceommended him to the tender care of the superintendent of the county ehaiugang. John will remain uqder the pare of the ?ui periutetident until the experation of six months, unless sooner pardoned by I he Gov ? nor. William Kenedy, white, was next called lie was too fond of gelling married, and had joined himself in the holy bonds of wed j lock to more women than the law allows, so he was charged with breaking the statute relating to bigamy. Kennedy had evidently become very much grieved at having been so unwise as to take unto himself more than one wife for when he was arrainired for trial he plead guilty. The Judge was vefy light en the unfortunate bigamist, and sentenced him to pay a fine ot $50 and serve of the county chaingaig for a term of six monts. At the conclusion of this case the Judge adjourned court until 10 o'clock Wednesday mornm g.Tues day being a legal holiday (Wasingtoi's birthday). Wednesday morning the case against Mr. J Z McConnell, Jr.. was called. The defendant en tered a plea of guilty, and made a statement that, while he did use the funds held in trust by him wh le judge of probate, it was not done with fraudulent intent, he hoping to be able to replace the money. The sentence of the court was that Mr. McDonnell should be confined in Jhe county jail for one year and pay a/ino of one thousand dollars. ( The case against the boy Abrnm James, colored, was called next. The grand jury had ' found ;"ho i bill" as to lbe charge or murder, but a "true bill'' as to cjr- ( rying concealed weapons. Jaines' plead guilty as to the charge of carrying conceal- i ed weapons and the judge in sen leocing him, said that as he had ( been in jail for about tyjvo months, ( he would make the sentence light. ( He will work on the chaingang till March 1st. David Spring and Lugenia Castleinan, white plead guilty to the ( charge of adultery, and were sen- , fenced to six months in jail or one hundred dollars line each. "No bill" was lound in the case against Geoige Pinkney, charged with selling liquor... The only other case to come up was that against J A1 Hicks,'tDoug- ( las Hicks, Samuel Brown and Henry W Lee, all white, charged with riot. This case was continu ed. upon motion of John A. Kel- . ley, Esq. defenders' attorney, until the next term. ( I Important Notice. % Owing to the burning of the 1 Lake City postoffice, we have sent i this week's Record to our Lake ' City subscribers to Mr. \V. ft. Sev- 1 erence, who will deliver them up- 1 on call. I For Sale. j One hundred bushels of King's ? latest improved cotton seed at *1 I per bushel. In lots of five bushels , or more, 75cts a bushel. Terms, cash with order. Apply to .? > W G Rich, Gourdin, 6.C. Dr. W J Gamer, of Darlington, ' died at his home after an illness 1 of only a few days last Saturday. ' Dr. Garner was married last July to Miss Carrie Montgomery, a ! daughter of Mr. E P Montgomery, 1 of this county. Dr. Garner was one of the most prominent physi- 1 ciansin the State. He was a mem j oer of the State board ot medical examiners^ vice-president of the Stale club, and held several other positions of honor and trust at the time of hje death. k FIERCE FOREST FIHE. GREAT DESTRUCTION OF VALUA<BLE PROPERTY. Every Section of Williamsburg County Visited bv the Flames. Terrible forost (ires have reoenf 'y swept the Slate. From almost every county comes the reports that great loss of property has been sustained. The following letters to the County Record show what the loss was in this county. From Duck we received the fol- ! lowing: This section was visited on the 15lh hv the most destructive lor est tires ever seen in these parts ; One came from towards Black river and passed through the Messrs. Khem's turpentine farm, playing havoc with the timber and burning several of theii tenament houses. Some of the in mates of the houses barely escaped with their lives. The dwelling of Mr. F Rhem was saved i with great difficulty, as was a number of houses near by. 'The store was in great danger also. The tire passed on from that place ihi* river The wind was blowing h perfect gale, at time6 fifty miles an hour. 0;j the same afternoon some negroes let firp get oat near Dr. J U Bmckinton's and in a few minutes it hart swept across the Georgetown road, going towards Mingo swamp. Mr. B F Brockintor. was cutting turoenline boxes nearby, and hear with his men, came promptly to our retime. All worked like Turks, but to no avail. We would hoe arounJ the dead trees, but the wind would literally blow the fire irom the level ground and seNfire to the top of trees at least three hundred yards distant. Mrs. Mc Uutchen lost several thousand dollar# worth of timber. The wind veered around to the northeast and the fire back across l he road. Then Dr. J K Brockinton's turpentine farm went under. Mrs. A Brockinton's quick- ] Iv followed. Dr. . Brockinton had ? jreat difficulty in saving hisdwel- ' ling, barns, etc. Capt. F. E. Taylor lost all of his timber on the Wilson place. There was no rest j r>r sleep for anyone in the vicinity. Messrs. Gardner, Stuckey, C ? and W S Brockinton rendered val liable aid in fighting the fire HinrcHav niirht. "T The third fire was let out on the Burrows place by negroes and was put out with great difficulty. Mr. R D Gamble had to fight with ill his ability to save his place. I am not word painter enough to i iescribe the fire in ail its horrors. Old dead trees, covered with rotlon wood, woald take fire, when the wind would come, like so | many screaming devils, and hurl it through the air for hundreds of yards. The falling of trees and the roar and hissing of the flames was enough "to bring awe to the >toutest heart. ? The lo?-s from these fires are hard to place. The drvness will , - - . . 1 ;ause nearly all of the old boxed timber to die, therefore the d amount will be great. I do not think I will Jbe far wrong when I say fifty thousand dollars would not cover the loss. What damage was done beyond Morrisville I am unable to say, so 1 do not include i in my estimate the damage done there. The pasture * fence from Mrs. Brockinton's to the Wilson . place was consumed. What will [Continued on page 5.] We have the larfesi stock of SH0E8 thai has ever been brought! to this market and ftaf m are gomg at prices that will surprise yea. | j We are mafrfay i big run on | Hamestrings, HAMESTMTGS, Hamestrings. You ought to see our | Double-Twisted '* % niii ii' r* IVIUL.C BITS. 1 See this "scordrtr": | LI Yards of Bop? for J 10 cents. '' ^Sj Bridies, oue?* ~ Bridles, 50c B sidles, 50c. BUCKETS, 3 bra## J loops, for 20& ( CURRY . XOMBsJ Back Bands, Back Bands, Kings tree, S. C,