The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-08-06
Coroner's Inquest.

| man, who found dead near Wassamasaw
Swamp and who was supposed to have been mur-
| dered.
Tho testimony in this case was first taken be-
| fore Capt. T. W. LIEDTKE, Assistant Commissioner
Freedmen's Bureau of that District. The evil
| dence advanced before him showed that Plenty
Gillnns, freedman, had spoken to 1Ir. REUBEN
WALLING rather GROSSLY in regard to dog belong
| ing to Mr.. W., and which he (the deceased) had
threatened to kill. 1t appeared further, by tho
testimony of Jeffrey Jefferson, Julius Singleton and
Tonoy Gillans, colored that the accused, Mr.. WAL
LING, had threatened to shoot the deceaeed on ac-
| count Of words that he had spoken in connection
| with tho dog. There wore several suspicious cir
| cumstances i'll this that induced Captain
| LIEDTKE to arrest Mr.. REUBEN WALLINa and
| the three colorcd witnesses above mentioned and
| forward them to Charleston. He also sent
double-barrelled gun belonging to Mr. w. and the
| hat Of the murdered man, which was found near
the body pierced with bullets. Captain L. also
suggested that a jury be impannelled from some
| other section, and an inquest be held oyor tho
| body.
In accordapce with this suggestion, Coroner
WHITING was ordered by Major Roy, 9Th U. s. l.,
10 impannel o jury and hold an inquest over the
body at the place OF the murder. Coroner WHIT
ING promptly obeyed the summons, and proceeded
10 SG JOnn WHele VI ulSlntere6ted persons
were impannelled, and tho following testimony
elected.
There we're some seventeen or eighteen Witness
es examined, both white and colored The inves-
alton commenced at the Barrows, was continued
to White Hall, and concluded at Monck's Corner.
LYDIA @. WALLING deposed: That freedman
named Plenty Gillans came to her house on Monday
morning before sunrise e-the Monday previous to
his death. The deceased commenced abusing dopo.
mel t'a daughters, when she came to the window
and asked Plenty what was the matter. Plenty
replied that ho would kill the dog il they would
must leave the fence, or shc would take gun to
him. Deceased repliei. that he would like to see
the white woman who would take = gun to him.
Deco tsed continued at the gate cursng deponent's
daughters, and using very obscene Language. De-
ponent had not seen him since, aud did not know
of his death until the Monday following.
ISABELLA l.. WALLINa testified that about sun
rise, on the Monday above stated, Plenty Glans
| and another freedman came to their gate, and
being vexed because the dog, barked at them,
Plenty commenced cursing and sbusng thom in a
| violent manner. Her mother rebuked Plenty and
ordered him off. Nothing WAS known of de-
ceased's death until somo freedmen came to the
house and asked if she had heard of any ono
being killed about there, or heard any report Of
gun.
testified to tho same eat Pss ass Son1 ss
abused them, and was ordered of by her mother
Her father and brother were not at hume. Her
father had left on the Saturday previous to the
| abuse, returned on the Wednesday after, loft The
next day, and waa home on Saturday following.
abuse received. Her brother was not at home
during the whole time.
JEFFnEr JEFFERSON (colored) )Ideposed: That he
on the Monday in question. They had como to
bsrked At them Ponty d called to oifa Ms. " to
| ordered Plenty to hush and 60 off, or she would
| shoot him. Plenty replied that neither sho nor
any other white woman could do 1t. Plenty
| and hrnf nff ar,l
in to seek employment, but concluded afterward
not to accept it on account Of the difficulty Just
mentioned Has not seen Plenty since, uuhl he
saw the dead body. Plenty came home every
Saturday night, but on the Saturday after he
never came. He had no idea who shot him.
JULIUS SINGLETON (coloredl deposed That on
pot, and heard Mr.. w. say, in deponent's pres
ence, that he would shoot Plenty; Plenty and him
self then left the depot and walked together to
| the CROSS roa g.; deponent went towards Pino-
polls and Plenty to Mr.. Patricks house; depo-
nent told Plenty to take care OF himself, he had
heard the threat used; Plenty answered that he
when deponent returned from Pinopos, and
abont one hundred yards from Mr. Wang's, he
he heard report Of q gun; he ran up and saw Mr..
W. walking of with q gun in his hand; about two
hundred yards from the house he saw Plenty's
body; he then went home and got cart for the
body, and found that he had been shot in the
back of the head; deceased had his luggage with
him when he found him; deponent notified Toney
Gillian, deceased's father, who won't there and
looh Iuc ulouey Oh ueCoRSeQ6 person away; 1t was
t3 O'clock; when he passed the house Mr. WIS
horse was unsaddled in the yard, and his family
sitting in tho piazza; ho thinks they must have
hoard the report.
j. q. MAo1LL and JNo. O. DEMpEy deposed that
| they knew nothing Of the killing Of Plenty
ROBERT r. LINDSAY deposed: That on the Satur-
| day mentioned-the 21st OF July-saw Mr. Walling
ut the depot at 10 A. NJ, and left him there; he
| subsequently saw him in the afternoon at Mr..
Ebaughs house, which is about three miles from
| the depot; Walling was on horseback, and had no
gun pistol Visible, and did not appear to bo in
liquor; Plenty was at Mr.. Ebanghs the Same day,
at 8 p NJ, and was paid 1926 for work done; no
| colored person was present when he Was paid; on
the following Thursday, the 26th July, he was at
| the canal, hauling seine, when the murder OF
Plenty was mentioned, and Jack SPAN said WALL
ing did not do it, his own impudenoe caused 1t,
| and mentioned fuses he had with several persons
| JAMES CARSON deposed that Wallipg had told
| him on Saturday that he was going to Charles
| ton; Plenty passed while they were talking;
Walling said nothing to him, and he could not see
| that they had ever had anything between them;
Plenty went to Mr.. Ebaughs and got some
money, and he knew nothing OF Plentys murder
| VIM. KILLINGS (colored) deposed That Plenty
| came to Mr. EDaughs On the Saturday mentioned
| on wagon with deponenf; on their way they
passed between them, and Mr.: W. had no gun
| with him at the time; knew nothing Of any dis
turbance or of the murder.
ROBERT II. WALLING, Jr, deposed That on the
Saturday referred to he was at Old Monoks Corner,