Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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WEDNESDAY, JiN. 13, 1897. The Sumter Watchman was founded in 1850 and the True Southron in 1866. The Watchman and Southron now has the combined circulation and influence of both of the old papers, and is mani? festly the best advertising medium in Sumter. * MASS MEETING CEN? SURE. "The candid opinion of the writer, after several boars deliberation, is that the killing of Cooper under the circumstances, wa9 uo jastiSable, and outrageons. It is a blot on the fair fame of Sumter County, within whose borders a ly oohing oever before occurred. Of course Cooper was a fiend, a devil in? carnate, with a tigerish lust for blood, a rav? isher of female virtue, and richly merited death, but be should have been ?eft for the law to deal with. His guilt was unquestion? ed; be was io the bands of nearly a hundred armed men, making bis escape impossible, and that be would have been legally banged was as sure as fate." The above paragraphs, which ap? peared in this paper on Friday, gives, / in a nut shell, the deliberate opinion of the editor of this paper ; and the longer' he coosiders the matter the clearer and stronger becomes his convic? tion that be was justifiable io condemn? ing the manner in which Cooper was killed. This opinion was not formed from evidence obtained at second band and at long range, for he was an eye-witness when Cooper was shot down at Jake Dargan 's house. In fact he was within three feet of Cooper when be was shot. If any one io the party bad reason to feel outraged and inflamed against this fiendish murderer, we had, for we were resb from the scene of the murder of Jolson family, and that scene in Nfl-sickening, bloody horror was Fresh in our mind At the moment that Cooper came out of the boase the impulse to shoot bim down was strong witbio ns, but fro LI tb at moment to this we have never ceased to be thank? ful that impulse did not gain the mas? tery, for^ had we shot Cooper as he ; stood surrounded by a crowd of men, I hinds above his head, cursing and Jt blaspheming bis captors though he was, we could never have felt other than as a murderer in our own mind,-in the eyes of (redland in the eyes of all law-abiding aqd right thinking men. In order that there shall be no mis understanding or misconception of the matter, we will review the career of Trooper frti-n bis first crime and de Since of the law at alaguclia on Friday, Jan? uary 1st, and his bold and unopposed return to that community at intervals j during the following week, to the murder - o^tbe Wiisoo family and bis subse? quent capture and killing near this city. His career in and around Magnolia is related by the Magnolia correspond? ent of the Columbia Register as fol [agoolia. S. C, Jan 4.-On last at Magnolia, a small town ?ynche's River, located on the igton, Columbia and Augusta Sumter County, Simon Coop id, created a row, shot a number of colored persons, discharg? ing bis pistol He reloaded, shot and killed Grant Davis colored He then shot into a respectable white widow lady'sjiouse. Alter iii? fght kwas over, there were six colored >erson8 wounded, several severely il >t fatally. It seems that Cooper ie ided his pistol twice and shot about teen times. He * then went about miles and deliberately took from a colored man's house a double bar? relled shotgun ile returned to Magnolia, terrorized the people of the town, defied arrest, captured the town, made every mer? chant in town but one shut up shop and seek safety under theil counters and go out their back doors He was monarch_ of all he surveyed, held up the East bound passenger train, kept passengers from leaving the town, and then quietly walked about unmolested and is now at large. He has been reported to be within a few miles of Magnolia every day and so far no attempt has been made to arrest bim Some of j the citizens still look pale. What a shame ! Comment is unnecessary A Mag? nolia man tells the story and tell* it weil ; and in the telling makes it as plain as daylight that Cooper was re? cognized by the people of that commun? ity as a desperate and defiant outlaw, who did not he3itate at any crime. Yet after this record, they say io their reso? lutions censuring the Item and the Cc-, iumbia State: "Our citizens forebore to act precip? itately on the first provocation, waiting for the law to take its course and suffer? ing as a consequence the murder of a whole family, the shocking details of which have been only partially por? trayed by the press." Forbearance indeed ! Read again what the correspondent of the Reg: said. The maes meeting should have ac one more paragraph to their resoluti They should have denied in exp terms the report that they intec burning the mangled remains Cooper bad the body been sent to ?i i nolia. They should have made haet clear themselves of the imputation I they proposed committing that crowe ! aot of savagery. We do uot yet fi believe the report, and would hail v pleasure a denial by the people Magnolia. By a strange fatality the edi of the Item is able to spi from personal knowledge of nea every stage of the series of tragedi On the night of January 1st he i on his way to Florence and pasi through Magnolia. As the train st ped at the depot he heard some c cursing io a loud voice and tbreateni to shoot any one who got on the tra Putting his bead out of the window negro with a gun io bis hand was se by the side of the train, while a oro of terrified negroes were fleeing every direction, ^his mau, who v Simon Cooper, crossed the train on t platform between the first and seco class coaches and stood on the der. platform until the train left. Frc several gentlemen who boarded t train the facts of the row, the killing Grant Davis and the wounding of fi others, were ascertained. The inquiry, "Why was Cooper n arrested ?" was met with the stateme that it was a negro row, and as he w not molesting the white people tl white poople would have uotbiog to < with it. The following Wednesday night w the first time that the white people Magnolia and Lynchburg made at effort to capture Cooper, and citrons the community informed the writer th this effort was made because Cooper ha threatened to kill several white men < the place. The names of our io fora ants cao be given, if desired by auy < our readers And in addition to thi Capt. D. E Keels, whose name ap pears first amoog those who sigoed tb resolutions of censure, told the write at Magnolia,on Thursday night last, th a he bad done bis duty, but could not ge a sufficient number of men to back hie up. He made .similar statements o: the streets of this city ia the pres euee of reliable citizens during Thurs day afternoon'. These statements ar given for the purpose of showing th inconsistency and unjustness of th* censure directed against The Item and the Columbia State when coming froa the people of Magnolia The oum erous other inconsistencies in the Mag nolia resolutions are apparent and wil be discovered by our readers. When the news of the murder of th? Wilson family reached Magnolia ear 1 ^ Thursday morning, the people, white and colored alike, at last became thor ougly aroused and every effort was made to capture Cooper. They did their duty like men and brsve met), The oouotry was scoured in every di rectioo, and one posse tracked bim tc the limits of this city, but lost, him where he left the buggy and concealed himself in Turkey Creek Swamp. Now, to return to the capture and killing of Cooper All are familiar witb the facts concerning how he sought refuge in the house of his uncle, Jake Dargan, how Dargan informed Mr. W. S. Burker, of Cooper's where? abouts, bow a messenger was sent to Sumter for a pospe, how Deputy Sheriff Gaillard and Messrs. Joe F. Turbeville, Rees McCowo, F. E Floyd, E. S. LaCoste, Tom DuBoec, Geo. P. McKa geo, Jr., W. S. Burkett, C. L Rhame and Jake Dargan, surrounded tbe house an hour before daylight and kept guard until the larger posse arrived oetweeo 9 and 10 o'clock. The bouse was approached from the rear and one end, under cover of the surround? ing oat-building!-', until one crowd was within thirty or forty feet, and the other not more than seventy-five or an hun? dred feet. The house waa riddled with bullets and Cooper was commanded to come out. While the parley was in progress a dynamite cartridge was plaoed on the gill at one end of the housu and fired. Cooper was told by Mr. C W. S?an8?l that if he would come out naked he would not be killed He refused to do so but finally agreed to take off his coat and vest, leavre bis weapons and come out with his hands up. The parley was in progress several minutes and a part of the crowd objected to permitting Cooper to sur? render, as they thought be had at last been placed in a position where he could eithei be killed in the house or foroed out by setting it- on fire or blowing it up with dynamite. Mr Stansill insist ing oo permitting Cooper to surrend if be could be induced to do f Sbootiog through the house was sto ped and Mr. Stansill took some those who objected to the surrend aside aod endeavored to persuade the to agree. Ia tbe meanwhile, Mr. Sa Chandler, who was with Mr. Stansil crowd io the rear of the house conti ued the parley with Cooper and to him to come out. Cooper came out the back door and was met at the s!ej by Mr. T. W. Lee and Mr Joho ? Barrett, who covered him wi'h pisto and made bim keep his hands well c above his bead. After he bad walked least ten steps from the house and w? surrounded on all sides by men wt rushed up from ail sides, he was struc over the head from behind with th barrel of a rifle The blood ran dow over bia face. Mr. Stansill, Mr VS B. Boyle, Mr. B. D. Mitohell and sci eral others took hold of bim and tb satchel was removed from across b shoulders. One or two men went t look for a rope with which to tie hin During this time Cooper, who wa plainly druok, kept up a continus cursing, and several times attempted t lower his hands but never got tbet down below the level of his shoulder -as far as tbe writer could see from distance of not more than three feet-a Mr Boyle threatened to shoot him eac time if he did not hold them up When one of the crowd ordered Coope to stop cursing be said, " I'll kill you/' He was shot io the side o the head, first with a pistol and then a he reeled, in the side of the face, wit! a shot gun. Mr. Stansill, who had bis band ot Cooper when he was shot, gave expr?s sion to the feeling of many of th< crowd when he exclaimed, as he turnee away when Cooper fell: "My God! ] thought I bad white men with me," When Cooper was searched, while lying on the ground, a pistol was found stuck dowo inside the front of hie trousers. When he was shot dowo oo one knew be had a pistol. Wheo he was struck on the head with the rifle barrel his bauds wre up above bit head When the crowd wanted to shoot him while gasping on the 'ground, where he feil, be was to all intents a dead man ; when some of the crowd wanted to shoot him at St James Church he was to all intents a dead man ; wheo he was dragged from the wagon, hanged to a tree and riddled with bullets at Green Swamp he was was to all intents a dead mao. This ts the story. Tbe public can form its own conclusions from the facts. We have related the facts as we wit? nessed them up to the shooting at Dar gao's house. Subsequent events have been related as told to us by some of the most reliable men in the community. We condemn the manner in which Cooper was killed, because to shoot him down io that manner was breaking tbe word of Mr. Stansill, who was chosen leader of the crowd, and Mr. Chandler and others, who promised that bo should not be killed; because when shot he was as far as tbe crowd knew, unarmed; because he was in the hands of four or five strong men, who oould have held him securely had he attempted to draw a weapon; because a trial and execu? tion according to law would have been a greater punishment and a more effec? tive example to law breakers and would have shown that the people of this county were respecters of law, which they were supposed to be attempting to uphold when they went out to capture Cooper; because the reckless shooting in the midst of the crowd was perilous to the .nen who were nearest Cooper and the large crowd surrounding bim; and because it was, in the circumstances, unnecessary and from our point of view wholly unjustifiable It is said in ex tenuation of tbe mon who shot bim, that they were on the other side of the house and too far away to hear the promise that had been made Cooper, had not agreed to it, and shot him down as soon as they came up. This may be true,three or four minutes having elapsed between the time Cooper came from the house and the shooting. We would gladly exonerate those men of breaking the promise made by Mr. Stansill and others, and would hate to believe that they had deliberately shot down an apparently unarmed man, knowing that bc had been promised protection. There is no possible excuse for the hanging and shooting at Green Swamp, and wc shall not endeavor to find a pretext for palliating the' butchery. The spirit that prompted the mob that committed this bloody outrage against hw and civilization was an out crop? ping of the identical latent savage : instinct, present in most men, that possessed Simon Dooper himself wheo he slaughtered those who crossed his path. It was a lust for blood, nothiog more nor less, and the most repulsive feature of the tradegy was that the impassioned mob let loose their savage passions upon a helpless and dying prisoner. It was tigerish, not human; savagery, Dot civilizatioo; crime, D?t respect nor the enforcement of law; blind and irresponsible slaughter, not justice Simon Cooper merited death and was sure to receive bis just deserts for his fiendish crimes, but no ooe can suc? cessfully show why lynching meted out more ezact justice than he would have received at the hands of a court of justice &ni the legal hangman. And this should have been his fate. The State and society in general would have been the better bad the law been per? mitted to take its course, and we of Sumter county would have oot ooly es caped the odium that now attaches to UP, but would have been an example of law and order that would have had a jastiog iofluence. This is the opinion of the Daily Item, sod although every community in Sumter county and in every couoty of the stare should hold mass meetiogs aod pass resolutions of censure, we shall adhere to our opiuion. The resolutions of ceosure adopted by mass meerings in Magnolia and Mayesville are reproduced from The State, copier not having been furbished rbis paper by the secretaries of the meetings We lay them before the people of the Couoty of Sumter and State of South Carolina, wb?> C?D judge between them and us. There is also a communication from Bisbopville cen? suring our stand. Thc personal allu? sions we can afford to pass unnoticed. The people of Sumter know the editor of th ts paper aod they koew where he was wheo danger was present. As we have said in a previous issue, we regret to differ radically with our friends, and it is with the keenest regret that we have seen the names of some of those whom we have for years counted a? true friends signed to reso? lutions of censure But if a candid expression of an honest opinion shall oause friends to censure us and turn against us ir will have to be so. Our opinion was formed deliberately, with a full knowledge of the facts, and with this to satisfy our own mind and con? science, a'l tbs resolutions that may be adopted will not cause worry-only regret that we have not the support of our fellow citizens in what we deem a just cause. The editor of The Watchman and Southron and of The Daily Item, as is well known, is the same man ; the editorials in reference to the Simon Cooper lynching, which appeared in the latter paper, are reproduced without change to day. From Daily Item, Jan. 12. Communications censuring the Item j for its editorial condemnation of the the lynching of Simon Cooper are j presented elsawhere to-day. We pre- j eeoted mir side of the case yesterday j and hball dit>eu*s the matter no further uri lens 9:1 me new argument is presented against, the soundness of our conclu? sions and the justness of the opinions heretofore presented. The few words of commendation received are appre preoiated. The best anodyne and expectorant for the j cure of colds, coughs, and all throat, Icng, j and bronchi?! trou Mee, is undoubtedly, Ayer's Cherry Pectoral, the only specific for colds and coughs admitted on exhibition at the Chicago World's Fair. Booka in cheap editions, prices not dopl i caud in Sumter. H. G. O?teen & Co. mrs psiis Cure All Liver Ills. ARE YOU1 BANKRUPTinhealth, constitution undermined by ex? travagance in eating, by disre? garding the laws of nature, or physical capital all gone, if so, NEVER DESPAIR Tuft's Liver Pills will cure you. For sick headache, dyspepsia, sour stomach, malaria, torpid liver, constipation, biliousness and all kindred diseases. Tutt's Liver Pills an absolute cure. THE of I8?T, Is now af hand and we are better prepared to supply the want? of our friends than ever before. We have been handling fertilizers very largely for 14 years, and we believe we know how to buy and where to buy. We will handle nothing but. Standard Brands, Unless forced to do so by illegitimate com? petition. Our leading brands for which we are SOLE AGENTS Wagener's High Grade. High Grade Blood and Bone and Navassa. In addition to these we handle. Atlantic and Chicora, Cotton Seed Meal, Genuine German Kainit and Acid Phosphate. As eaRh is quite an item to us in our business any person who is foi t?? nate enough to be able to pay cash for his fertilizer, will find it to his inter? est to see us before buying To those who are not so fortunate we will figure as close as the character of security they have to offer ' will admit. We would advise our friends in making their calculations for the purchase of fertilizers and other things, not to exceed five cents as a basis for the price of their cotton as all indications point that way OUR STOCK OF Staple Groceries and Farming Utensils For the Spring trade is very complete. We buy our Meat direct from Western Packers In car load lots. And our Flour direct from the Mills, And all brokerage and commissions that is paid by a great many of our competitors we give tbe benefit of to our customers. With best wishes for a prosperous new year and hoping we may be fav? ored with a liberal share of your business. Very respectfully, O'DONNELL & CO. FOR THE JANUARY TRADE. I Meet be Well Prepared to ;he Demands of the January Trade. Just Received. One car load of fine Mules. One car load of 1-horse Wagons. To Arrive This Week. Two car loads extra choice work horses. Sumter,'S. C., Dec 28, 18G6.