The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1866-12-27
TIPToN, IOWA. DECEMBER q, 1866.

TIPT
The South Caroline Murders.
WASHINGTON. Dc. lsoA
The recent reisass of the parties who
wanto0ly murdered three Union soldiers
In South Carolina, about year ECU, y
creating good deal Of commentin ON
cial circles here, especially = one Of the
counsel for the defence was Mr.. 6scssta-
~ Hs0wniag, then lawyer and claim
agent The records and papers In the
cass wsEe ell procured before the Court
In late TRIAL before Judge Hall, and the
Acts ars thus laid open to the public
The names Of the parties are Joseph
Crawford Keys, Robert Keys, his son,
Elisha Byren, and + q Stowen. The
crime Of which they were convicted was
murder, committed on the night ~ cr~-
uAys Uce0ber o, 1sIS. The viCtluDo were
Cssposl w c Corbett, Emory Smith
and w c Browning, all Of the First
Maine Veteran Volunteer, who were
killed while on guard over cotton. The
arrest was by the military authorities,
and the trial took place before Militia
ry Commission. Tho facts proved con-
clusively were these: Some days before
October 6, 1855, the officers Of the Treas
ury department had taken possession Of
fifteen bales ofcotton, lying At Browns
Ferry on the Savannah River, and had
put it in the custody of w P Brown,
owner Of the Ferry, who lived few
rods distant. The cotton was claimed
by Crawford Keys as his property, and
this Keys had engaged Showers, one Of
the men set free by Judge Hall, to carry
1t by boat to Savannah. On Friday, the
9th inst, Showers informed Brown that
the cotton was about to be taken away
secretly, but that he himself was not to
do 1t, and advised Brown to get himself
relieved Of its custody by the military
authorities, and Of oil responsibility In
the matter. Brown, therefore, gave
notice to the military of the intended
removal, and the guard of three men
whose names are given above were
sent to the ferry the same evening. The
trip to Savannah was at once put off,
Showers giving as a reason that his
steersman was sick. On the succeeding
night, about IL o'clock, five
men, four of whom were recognized by
Brown and his assistant, . man named
Howell, to be those named above, and
Peter Keys, second son Of the elder
prisoner, passed the ferry gate in the di-
rection of the river. They were seen to
go to the ferry, where AT once an alter
cation began between them and the
guard. A voice was heard and identi-
ned as Showers ordering tho guard to lay
down their arms. On the soldiers reply
Ing that they were acting under orders
which they must obey, the answer was
made, Cd d--n you, we have come to
throw you into the river" Shots were
then fired, aud not long after the same
party Of five men returned past the ferry
house, three Of them riding the soldiers
horses. As they passed Howcll's house,
Peter Keys ordered Howell to go back
10 bed. Both Brown and Howell were
Did residents Of the district, and per-
fectly familiar with the voices and faces
Of their ncighbors. At the trial Howell
sworc that he recognized Crawford Keys,
his two cons, Robert and Peter, Elisha
Byron and F G Showers. Brown swore
that the moon was two hours up, and
that he recognized Crawford Keycs and
+ G Showers. The next morning the
bodies of the three victims were found
in the river, rod or two from the shore
BY detail Of soldiers. Each had been
shot through the head; two with wounds
which must have caused immediate
3eath; the third having evidently
been drowned after receiving his wound.
The hair Of each was scorched, showing
the pistols had been discharged close to
heir heads. The defence made no at
Tempt to deny tho guilt Of Peter Keys,
who was never arrested, aud whose
at the time of the trial
we're unknown. He was shown, how
aver, to have been at his fathers house
,everal times since the murder. In be-
half of the other four, the defence was
IN alibi, which the court rejected as an
utter failure. The morning after the
murder Showers was proved to have told
his negro servants that the soldiers had
been killed, that they would probably
III be arrested and that II questioned
about him they must say that they had
seen him at home 1t eleven o'clock the
night before, and had got some brandy
from him. This was proved to be false,
snd further, he made no attempt to show
how he could have legitimately obtained
The Information. On the Tuesday fol-
owing the murder he went by boat to
paying no attention to the
all Of guard standing on the bank,
who shouted to him that he was wanted. n
There has never existed the slightest
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