Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1846-01-14
lPBasC CEL E,ANE0Us.
From The Lexington No. Telegraph
MURDER WILL OUT.

Il MURDER WILL OU Is.
That"truth is stranger than fiction"
has been oftensai,l. and the circumstances
was arc abo,,t TO relate, DIS uefal all lesson
The truth of The Quotatlon.
Inst week we noticed the, III" special
term Of The Circuit Court was IN session
far ,be ,rial,of john C, Lester, charged
win ,he murder Of King B. Scott.
Scot,gw as a young man who was brought
,To.in this county. wild and reckless III
nj, habits, and careless about the good
oninipn of the society in which he lived
His mother possessed considerable proper
s,r and Sccli-anI Lester. who had mar
RED SCOTS sister, were her only heirs
Mrs. Scott was, one morning aileS corn
shpckins al The house of Lester. found IN
her own house dead. Wheniaidcovered,
she was lying in, the fire place nearly
half consumed. as though she had iai'eh
in The FIRE accidentally. and thus died
Suspecious were aroused OF the time
that there had heen foul play. and MAT.
old Mrs. Scott had been murdered; how
.eyer.as: there was such an appearance oi
defiI. flo clue could then be tiadslo the
mlassrde NH ereTssifs she was murdered.
sIu.the mouth of October, lo43, Scott,
then abou1lS years old was then apI're-
hcuded on charge oi larceny, on the in',
!, formation Of Lester, his hrolher'u 'a".
He managed TO make bis escape from Gus
,ndv. snd disappeared. His sudden dis
appearance was freely commented upon
by the ncisbborhood, aud there were those
who did not hesitate lo, say he had been
murdered. subsequently, Lester was IN
dicted lnrhavins forged some instrument
Of writing, and man named john hor'
ton was indictcd for perjury, having as Il
subscribing witness, sworn 10 the genuine
ness of the instrument. by the delays
and uncertainties of the law. Horton WAS
frs, lsiei.(of The crime with which he was
charged. lester 50 managing the matter
as to pu, of. his tIial unlii the ia:c Of Hor.
,on was determined and al The March
term. 1914, 4,soflihe.kali,yelie Circuil Cour,
Horton was found guilty OF rrrjury, and
sentenced TO The apenileDIiarl for two
wears. Lester was subsequently tried for
The forgery aud acquitted. ..lr"rerrcP
resentaiions having been made 10 Gov.
Edward, !. he pardoned# Horton in April
last. =, 4. fz..s'',s, ..,-sg,.
Upun,he return Of Horont TO this conn
", s,.immcliately, alicr bezrecciScd h!s par
don ire declared that King b. Scott liad.
been murdered, aud made oali, hef"Te
Judge ltyland, that Lester was his m'ir'
.oerers 4. warrant was Immediately Is
sued for Testers. arrest, and he was APP
pretended his farm The neXs day. On
bringing the prisoner. to: town he atterlpt
ed ,ofcseape bur was hadlylswounn 81 l;t..n hn'
re. captured bs the guard.
The. examination so Lesles look place
before judge r yland The: next mex days: y aud
Hor,on swore positive yfhat he saw les
ter murder. Scott As well es VIC recoi,,
rlect. Hartan's narrative ol sthe:9hortid al
i II. NJ as bout as follossi:
He ssid he dad been 'o a Loets hh9Es I;.-I
Nc
evening s@ltcni he saw, ssolne deersln Tue
prairie. .wliichihefp pllowod-se!iiue 'snear'|
. smalktAicket OF grove inDlhe prairie; he
saw Lester ands Scor coming dpwn the
prairie. He determined 10 secret himself
in. The bushes To lei them pass, but ''s'ead,
of passing him, they termed sdown.a hni- !
low 5insihe prairie. near him, and he deier
mined 10 watch ,lhe;u aud sec what they
were about. ltwas by this slIme growing
dark.=and The TWO commenced making a
fire. After they had lighted a Ere, "A t,"i
lie was produced from which they drank
alternately, aud when Scott rDrued TO set
the bottle down, Lester .sirack him on the
heat>wilh a club. and continued 10 lnG'ct
blows upon him until he was dead-he
then buried him is a sort ofcsulley. and
covered him with dir; and loose stones.
A day or two after, Horton said he had
hcen ,hunliag. ducks. and or his return
nome he saw some turkeys which he fol-
lowed to the hillside came suddenly on
,heS,op of as,ccp hill. and in The hollow
he saw Lester digging a holc-he crepi
softly away, aud on returning TO the spot
where Scot, had been buried, he saw lha!
hogs had partly rooted him from his grave,
and had eaten part of the hndy-he
,hon supposed lha, Testers object in dig
cins tho hole. was TO make more secure
grave for, bis victim; he accordingly
watched Testers movements that evening
and saw hiu, remove Scol, aud re. bury
him..
a party was sent 10 the placc where
Horton said Scott was buried, accompa
uied by II. TO shnw the spot. and the body
was lakel up and recognized 10 he The
body of Scolr, from The clothing He
was buried in place where no suGlan be
ing would ever suppose 10 be selected as
grave, aud even those who were sen',
10 search furihis evidence 10 corroborale
MISUNDERSTANDING, believed The Story to
be fclion until the body was found, It
was ina ravine. where constant stream
Was.apwins over the grave.
Upon tllissleslimony, Lester was com.
nitied forlrial. 5i.-s 80
Lester applied for chanSe Of venue,
and his. rial was. removed 10 Jackson
couply. The whole, Of the week before
last and par, OF. the last were devoted to
the trial Circumstances e!iciied tesiimo-