The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-03-11
Shocking Death Of a Virginia Lawyer.
BRENTsvILLE, Feb. rs, 1875

DRENISVlLLE, Gu. ~, 1910.
Mr.. James e. Williams, lawyer. aged about
thirty-fve years, was found dead about half
mile from this place yesterday morning about
eight o'clock. He resided about one and half
miles from the village and had, as was his
usual custom, come into town to get his daily
mail, and, meeting with number of friends,
had spent the day at the hotels drinking, and
| left about dark in al intoxicated condition to
walk to his home, having at the time been ur-
gently solicited by Mr. Davis, clerk of the court,
to remain at his house all night. He was seen
on the road a few rods outside of the village
limits by some coored people, and at the time
was holding to the roadside fence, seemingly in
bewildered condition, which was the last time
he was seen until found dead in an almost nude
state A family by the name of Sexsmith, who
live about half mile from the place, heard
some one hallooing about ten o'clock at night,
the voice Indicating that the person was calling
some one. The noise was kept up at short in
tervals until after midnight, when it ceased,
but, strange to relate, though there were two
men in the house, no attempt was made to dis
cover the cause of the calling, which was cer-
tainly that of extreme distress. The body was
first discovered by one of the men of the house,
who was chopping wood at the woodpile, and
was lying in the road leading from the field
gate to the house, and about twenty five yards
from the yard. When discovered it was lying
on its back with both arms elevated in the air
and fists clnched and the face depicting in
tense suffering at the time of death. The lower
limbs were entirely nude, the garments being
stripped down over the shoes and covered with
clay. The marks on the ground in the mud
showed that the unfortunate man had, as it
were, dragged himself distance of about 400
yards in an attempt to get to the house, and the
cries heard were evidently his, crying for assis-
lance. The deceased was a man of fine talents,
but latterly had been addicted to too free use
of intoxicating liquors. He was captain in
the Confederate army and was captured during
the war and confined at Point Lookout, and
while there becoming much impaired in health,
took the oath of allegiance to the federal gov
ernment and was released from prison. Not
daring to come home he went to Washington
and there received the appointment of Assist
ant Register of Wills for the District of Colum-
ba, under Colonel Webster, which position he
filled until Grants second election. He then
commenced the practice of law in Washington,
which he continued until year ago, when he
removed with his family to his native place for
the purpose of identifying himself with the
people and continuing to practice his profession.
The first case Of any. prominence in which he
was engaged after his return here was in the
defence Of Fouks, the murderer of the Herndon
family, whom he ably defended, and was en-
gagged up to the time of the murderer's confess
sion making arrangements to carry the case to
the Court of Appeals. The awful circum-
stances of his death have terribly shocked his
friends He leaves widow and several small
children. The deceased was very respectfully
connected here, and was a brother-in-law to
Aylette Nichol, Judge of the County Court of
Prince William, and his father for many years
was clerk of the same Court, and was held in
high esteem. An inquest was held, and the
verdict of the Jury was that the deceased came
to his death through intemperance and ex-
posure.