Reports: Man shot by masked gunmen during home invasion. A2
No break for SHS Gamecocks face Yellow Jackets on Friday. B1
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 118, NO. 283 WWW.THEITEM.COM
Our faith is rooted in fact
FOUNDED OCTOBER 15, 1894
Family of teen executed in 1944 discusses possible new evidence Jackie Blackwell, a member of Green Hill Missionary Baptist Church, led a choir and sang a solo on Saturday during a memorial service for George Stinney Jr., who was executed June 16, 1944, at the age of 14 for the alleged murder of two Alcolu girls.
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n article I read recently reported the findings of a study that asserts religious people are generally less intelligent than their nonreligious counterparts. The thrust of the study centers on the fact that atheists or those who decidedly do not profess faith are generally more analytical in their approach to life. Without relying on intuition, the study implies, they are able to examine the world without religious bias, a factor that dulls the brain. While the study negates very crucial parts of what we know is human intelligence and focuses only on the dubious measurability of religiosity, I think the topic has merit. Are those with a professed faith more naïve because they believe in things unseen? Do you believe because it feels right or because there is a logical, reasonable basis for your faith? I’ve heard some say that we must trust God with a blind faith. I don’t believe that is true. I believe the divine has called us to plumb the depths of our faith, to test our understanding of spiritual matters. You don’t have to believe just because someone else told you to. You don’t have to believe because it provides you a measure of comfort. You can believe in spiritual faith because you have corralled a combination of historical and scientific evidence that provides the most logical explanation as to why we are here. I do not mean to offend those who are satisfied with citing a belief in things unseen as the entire basis of their spirituality, but I want those who experience the occasional doubt to understand that faith is more than a blind leap. It is my firm belief that our faith is rooted in fact, meaning that our faith has a concrete history. Of course this column isn’t long enough to explore the realm SEE FAITH MATTERS, PAGE A6
ROBERT J. BAKER / THE ITEM
Service memorializes 14-year-old accused in 2 Alcolu girls’ deaths BY ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com ALCOLU — To George Stinney Jr.’s remaining family and neighbors, the young boy was a quiet, straight-A student who enjoyed drawing, reading and introspection. In 1944, he would become known to Alcolu and Clarendon County residents as a cold-blooded murderer who bludgeoned two young girls to death with a railroad spike. His family has always
challenged his conviction, which took an all-white jury only 10 minutes to decide in the summer of 1944. Sixtynine years later, Stinney is mostly remembered as one of the youngest defendants executed in American history and the youngest executed in the 20th century. “The Stinney family is still very much alive, though, and there are thousands of us throughout the United States,� said Irene Hill, Stinney’s second cousin. She and other family members
FILE PHOTO
George Stinney Jr., 14, of Alcolu, is one of the youngest people in American history to be executed. He was sent to the electric chair in Columbia in 1944 for the alleged murder of two young Alcolu girls.
joined friends and supporters of efforts to have the boy’s name cleared posthumously on Saturday at
Green Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Alcolu. The SEE STINNEY, PAGE A8
Victims of homicide will be remembered BY JADE ANDERSON janderson@theitem.com
FIND SUPPORT
Sumter County residents will soon have the opportunity to come together to support families of homicide victims. “I think we need to remember not only those who died, but all victims of violent crimes,� Chief Russell Roark said. “It’s particularly good for family members to keep that memory alive. If they are up to it, they can engage in conversation with other individuals that have had the same experiences. It normalizes some of their thoughts. It
WHAT: Third Annual Remembrance of Victims of Homicide WHEN: 6 p.m. Sept. 25 WHERE: Sumter County Courthouse COST: Free
normalizes some of their feelings.� Established in 2007 by resolutions in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, the National Day
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of Remembrance for Murder Victims takes place on Sept. 25. Sumter’s third annual memorial service will begin at 6 p.m. in front of the Sumter County Courthouse. “Each year, attention is focused on these victims so that they are not forgotten,� said the Rev. Kenneth Smith Sr., manager for Tuomey Chaplaincy Services. “Thousands of people in this country die each year for reasons that do not make sense. As people of faith, we are called to bring attention to murder so that we can prevent others SEE REMEMBER, PAGE A6
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