The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-24
THE CASE OF JEFF GEE.

My attention ha, been directed to a letter III er
columns of the Ant,-Sarery Standard, troIn + IA. IA.
CTS f. ". HARPER to Colonel HINTON, dated WI
mington. n. c.: July 26th, 1867, and also con
municaion in the same paper over the sienatui
of ''Watchman." Both Of these communication
contain statements in reference to Jeh 0ee' no
under sentence of death for the murder Oh Dahio
CANDY SO utterly false and at variance WITH all III
circumstances and facts Of the case, that oeein
nv duty, acquainted as I am with the case lror
its inception TO its present POSITION W put III
public in possession of all the facts cohnec'e
with it.
This horrible murder was committed on the oli
of May, 1865, in Marion District, S. e., on TN
plantation of the late ]. s. GIBSON. AT the tim
Mr.. CANDY was murdered he was the oVerseef
the plantation, and had been Tor the Twelve pre-
ceding years. have been physician for lne Pian
tation for the last nine years. saw MIR. GAND'
some eight or ten days before he was kliled' ah'
he told me that he expected constantly TO De shot
that two of the negro men on the place hau III
formed hlm confdentaHy that there were '"o sus
picious looking white" mem and one negro
strangers, well armed, lurking about inc Piah'A
ton, inquiring where they could meet Mr.. CANDY,
and threatening to kill any one who should tel
Mr.. CANDY anything about them. seVerai geneie'
men have informed me that Mr. CANDY toiu then
the same thing, and their certificates can DC oD'
tanned if necessary. Atthe same time Mr.. CANDY
inforried ME That some persons had BEEN shootin8
and killing his hogs, and dragging them from the
open field, making trail 30 plain that you might
run on it. When he told me OF these pold anu
daring thefts, my spprehensions were more 'hali
ever aroused to his danger, and adviseo MN no'
to follow these trails hereafter, If any shouio ee
made, as L was convinced that they we're made TO
decoy him near enough to- the swamp to shoot
him. He had however, taken the same view OF
the case as myself and had kept out OF snootng
distance of the woods. This was the last CONVEX
sation ever had with him.
| In the afternoon Of the 9Th Of May q messenger
came for me to see Mr.. CANDY, stating that he nad
been shot and killed on the plantation. was
from home, and did not return nntl late at night.
Hearing. that several gentlemen had gone down,
and that Mr.. CANDY was ;certsinly desds tnd M NOT
go to the plantation until the next morning. When
reached the house hesrt-rending spectacle pre-
sented itself There lay the corpse, with wound
in the side of the neck, and another through his
head and his blood and brains dripping ON the
floor, and his four or five little orphan children
ttheir mother having died q few years Defore)
walking around their fathers lifeless body, their
little cheeks scalded with tears OF grief.
AT this time an inquest was held, but no testimo-
nv identifying the murderers could be obtained
Mack Gibson (freedman) was examined before the
inquest, and he was the only witness whose testmo-
nv had any bearing on the case. He statedthat ME-
CANDY had ridden from his house to where num-
Der Of the negroes were ploughing, and after SIT
ting on his horse among them fora short time, he
rode off in the direction Of shelter around the
head OF branch, and he supposed that he would
cross the railroad which divided the plantation,
to go to some NEGROES who were working on the
other side. Soon after he heard the report OF
gun toward the branch, and in the direction oil
the railroad. To ths he paid no attention, sup
posing it was some person shooting squirrels
but, very soon the horse MIR. CANDY had
been riding came dashing back with saddle aud
bride on to where they were ploughing.
Thinking that the horse had thrown Mr.. CANDY,
the foreman OF the plonghs ordered Mack to
mo unit him and ride him to the plsce where he
last saw MIR. CANDY. He (Mack) further stated
that as he turned the head of the branch he saw
Mr. CANDY three or four hundred yards distant
from him, running toward some fodder stacks,
and after reaching them, he fell against the fence
that enclosed them, until two men who were in
pursuit OF him came up. One OF Them Jerkod him
from the fence and shot him down. Becoming
alarmed for his own safety, Mack stated that he
galloped back to the negroes no had just left, and
told them what be had seen. He therefore saw
nothing more of the assassins ALI this Was done
in full view Of Mr.. GANDYs house, and, was in-
formed, was seer by some Of the servants in the
yard.
1t was ascertained at the inquest that Mr. GAN
DY had no arms about his person when he was
murdered all he owned were found in his house
after his body was taken to it. His body was
robbed of shoes, socks and coat a fine gold
watch small amount Of specie, and a knife that
he was known to have had about him. Here the
inquest, being unable to gatherany more infor-
nation, rendered verdict in accordance with the
facts before them,
Believing that these bad men committed this
murder to rob, and, also, that unless they
we're identified and convicted so that the ven
geance of the law might reach them, that it
would embolden others to commit like deeds for
like purposes, I determined to be vigilant and
cautiously to inquire of both white and black in
order, if possible to find some clue to the affair."
and requested Mr. ERWIN BAILEY and others to
do likewise and repor their success.
Here the matter rested, andrwas involved in
mystery until about the first Of November, 1856,
at which time Mr.. BAILEY came TO ME and inform-
ed me that he had got on track Of the assas-
sins-that he had received confidential informa-
ton to the effect that Hampton (freedman) had
actually witnessed q part of the affair. The fol-
lowing. scheme was then devised to detect the
whole thing BAILEY was to visit Hampton re-
peatedly to gain his confidence, and, when he
thought he had succeeded, to report to me; this
he did 1t wss then concluded that BAILEY should
tell Hampton that his (BAnEY's) life had been
threatened by man who had been stealing his
hogs, and to ask Hampton to recommend some
staunch man, if he knew any, who would not only
protect bis rights but shoot the thief if necessa-
ry. We believed that if Hampton knew who the
assassins were he would be almost certain to re-
| commend ono or more of them. Accordingly, in
apout tmo WEEKS, DALEY "snt " eee h~itiP'on'
told him Of the hog thief; asked his advice, and
the scheme succeeded so far as the result
| has proven JEFF Gee was recommended
| by Hampton as suitable person for the
work. and at the same time he directed Mr.
| Bailey to cal on two other freedmen, one be ing
about six miles distant and the other ten, to OBJ
tain information as to Jeff's whereabouts. Up to
this time, neither Bailey or myself or any one else
| to our knowledge, had ever suspected JEFF Gee
though it was known that he had been runaway
for number Of years; that tor large part OF the
time he had confined himself to that and the ad
joining neighborhoods, and that he was man o.
desperately bad character, as shall atterward
Prove.
Mr.. Bailey, acting upon Hampton's advice, went
Immediately to see the free oman who lived nesres
to him, and told him that he was in search of hi'
brothers horse ithat had been stolen a short time
hefnral and at the same time told him the story