The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-04-23
- Z a N s FER-L EER,
Fropa the Sumter Watchmoa.
Crime and Suicide.

e 49,, Crime and Suicide.
Since opr last issue, case involving
circumstances Of deep and exciting inter
est has been developed in our very m9st
---exciting in every detail from the begin.
nipg, qs-doulSlJ more lin the tragical
isspe. -
Our readers will remembcr to have
seen. some time since, an advertisement
in the Watchman, by our lownsman, Col.
r. J. Moses, of two slaves who were mis-.
sing from his premises. Their long alb
sencc, which could no, be accounted for
on the score Of any provocation or indig
ni'y offered them, Or of any expressed dis
satisfaction on their part, taken in connec-
ton with the mysterious Disappearance.
some time before, Of negro boy Of an.
other one Of our citizens, soon induced the
belief in the minds Of most persons that
they were stolen. Various circumstances
fixed the suspicious Of the cq,pmuui,y up
on particvl lar individual. The matter
WAS KEPT still, hcwever, for some time, rn-
III at last, after some fincssing, II sufficient
clue was obtained to the Whereabouts of
the negroes, to warrant u gentleman Of
our town i'll taking n trip to the town OF
Amercus in the lower part Of Georgia.
Arrived there. he was not long in discov.
erng the person to whom they had lecn
Sid, and in identifying the negroes. The
purchaser, Mr.. Hooks. upon being con-
vincedtlat he had been vic,imizcd, reali
ly yielded them up, and upon the suggcs-
ton OF the gentleman WHO had gone in
quest Of item, consented TO return with
him to this place. They arrived here on
Tuesday evening, the 9th inst.
After some delay in making out the
necessary papers, Mr.. Hooks, accompani.
cd by our efficient sheriff and others,
strolled 10y the new store of Byrd Il
Louis. 1t was brilliantly lighted up, and
vas filled with jolly company. imme.
diately, and without hesitation, Mr.. Hooks
declared, that, in the person Of Mr.. VIM.
Friendly Byrd, he recognized the ,ndivid.
ual from whom he had purchased the
slaves. The Sheriff then entered the
store, accompanied by friend of Mr..
Hooks. Telling him, that there WAS
some dissatisfaction about the titles to GER
tain property that he had sold, he was ca.
silly persuaded to mike CO, f.ssiou of
judgment. II is said that he understood
the allusion TO bc 10 apo,hrr trausacrion:
but OF that we cannot speak. This ac
complshed, the Sheriff produced a war
rant, arrested him on the charge of negro
stealing, and lodged him in Jail. The
Grand Jury returned verdict Of "True
Bill - on the INDICTMENT on the ncNt dav,
and the prisoner was ut once arrai-ned.
fut, at the request Of his attorneys, the
trial WAS postponed until Monday.
1t the meantime, Cap,. Friersoa, the
sheriff, observed every rrecaulion for the
safe keeping of the prisoner. he was
confined in II dungeon aud chained To- TN.
floor. There are no iron cuiis for the an
kles in the jail, and accordingly il was
necessary to bind a common chain about
his ankle, and secure il with II paddock.
IL will be seen At n glance. that II Is i'm.
possible to adjust the unpiant links very
closely to the limb without injury to it
still, he was thought to lie securely boun,..
lns was deemed necessary ut inst. from
several considerations, but especially SO
afterwards, when there We're good reasans
to believe that he. Wedi'aiel uiscLie. upon
him, elf. a note to his wife, writlem in
pencil. on the margin Of newspaper, was
intercepted. In it, he implored her to
send him s,rychnine or laudanum. saving
that he wished to die; that the whole
world was against him; that the sheriff
had confined him SO closely that he could
see no one out Of his presence.
On Monday morning, when the jailor
opened the door OF the cell to give the
prisoner his breakfast, he was startled with
"a horrid spectacle. Suspended from the
iron cfatng OF the window, with a shec,
twisted INTO rope and tied about his
neck, was the unfortunate man-,lead.-
By d'nt OF hard squeezing. Of which his
feet Afterwards showed the marks, he had
forced them, from. the loop of the chain.
The rest was easily doJe. lic climbed 10
the window, as,eped the sheet to one Of
the bars; pssseda slip not over his head:
tied his feet; secured his hands behind his
back with u handkerchief; and Icaped to
to the floor. Immediately upon the dis
covery, physician was called in, but he
was beyond the reach q, remedy. Miser.
able man! 4 Jury Of inquest was erupan
neled by Coroner Net,Ies, and verdict
rendered in accordance with the circum
stances that We Iuyc detailed