The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-12-26
-.,vn dubbed to Death,

AE---
Another murder has taken place nea
Cross Roads, in this county, Mt
little farmhouse known as IndiroSprinus
There lived Mr.. George Franklin and hi
SITTER Miss DruSilla, both unmarried an,
both we'll up in years. No servants livet
IN tho house or ward. Thor neareS
nelghbors were some negroes who liveC
In cabins about two hundred wards from
the house. y young boy, the son of one
or those negroes, was daily in the habit O
going to the house to wait OH the old cou.
pie.
On Friday morning the servant boz
went as usual to carry fresh water, and
on coming near the house observed the
door open, and he stated in his evidence
before Trial Justice Tarrant that when he
approached the door he saw Mr.. Franklin
DEAD ON THE FLOOR:
and without going into the house he re-
turned to the house Of his parents across
the road, and distant about two hundred
yards, and reported the fact. At this
cabin several negroes were that morning.
engaged in hog killing His father without
going over to Mr.. Franklin's house, inn
mediately sent messengers for some of
the white %ueighbors, and DR.. Fl. G..
Waddell and quite a number Of citizens
soon hurried to the spot, and they were
shocked at the spectacle they bcheld.
They found Mr.. Franklin on the floor,
Killed by q blow on the back of the
head which had crushed the skull. In
the adjoining room his sister, Miss Dru-
silia franklin, was found dead, with her
feet upon the floor and her body resting
upon the bed. Her head had been crush
cd by a blow from q stick in much the
same as her brother had been
killed.
MURDERED AT SUPPER.
It seems that the murder was commit
ted while they were at supper, as the sup
per was on the table and the coffee only
partly drunk. Mr.. Franklin evidently
was killed by the first blow, as he had
fallen back upon the floor from his chair
ut the table. From the blood left upon
the floor, it would appear that his sister
WIS struck also at the table, and that she
afterwards recovered sufficiently to yet
into the adjoining room where the final
and fatal blow was given. The wounds
blcd profuscly. Blood covered tho floor
and saturated the bed.
THE INSTRUMENT OF "a
was a g'een perSimmon club about two
inches in diameter and two feet long.
which had been cut in a wood hear the
house, with u pocket knife. The stick
was bloody and gray hairs were found
upon it. At the place in the wood where
1t was plain that the deadly club had been
cut, another old cudgcl was found lying ,
u stump.
FOOT PRINTS.
In the field at the back Of the house, :
distinct sets of foot prints were OBJ
Is Of persons making for the
woods. One of these tracks was pecu- I
liarly marked. and it is thought it Will at
ford material aid in detecting the MUIR ;
:
THE OBJECT Ia
was plunder and robbery. Tho murder c
ers had broken open a trunk with a C
and afterwards ransackcd it, scat
.ering the papers or the floor. The bu- y
rcau drawers had been pulled open and b
CIT in that condition. 1t is not known c.
now much money these old people had, b
but it is certain that the murderers did !,
rot get all OF it. In the very trunk +
they r~ansacked u roll of more than D
i've hundred dollars in sreenbacks was
Ound next morning.
MONEY QUILTED INT A SKIRT. u
\ skirt OF coarse cloth belonging to !
Miss Franklin was found upon the floor &
Sitli gold and silver coins to the amount a,
II several hundred dollars quilted into it. Il
THE INQUEST. u
Trial Justices Rogers and Tarrant were l.:
ent for, and 4 Court of Inquest was Or hi
.anizrd which is still in session. Suspicion tt
las pointed to four negroes. jeff Davis, y.
Ohm Davis, Dock Higgins, and a recent "
immigrant from Alabama, who are still Ia
II the custody Of the Court. The evil Ii
ence so far tends to criminatc these ty
lcn. OF course u deed of such enormity
'as wrought the highest indignation.
hundreds Of persons have visited the
daily since the occurrence. The
ictims were buried in the graveyard at
Church III Saturday. 4
HOAliD OF MONEY.
On examining the house after the muir
+. money to the large amount OF one
,r.usand and thirty dollars was found Sc
I'D in various and peculiar places. In oc
Lion to that found As described above, tic
iii. 4 dozen match- boxes were found W,
to s,yith gold and silver pieces. Strange M
ronr;a roll of nearly fifty dollars cur in
mans Is found in n Of Oft TBS Bas @etsdanGsadd b.
cFide'iE been hurriedly searched. n,
GEORGE FRANKLIN
was aholkixtv-nine years Of age, and f.
his sister IS liftv-tive. The old gentle 81
man ii'1d att,ack of paralysis two years r,
ago, out he1ad partially recovered, and al
could walk ,out. He was a quiet, inof- tt
1ensive man and had lived about forty W
years on tn9ndigo Springs farm. In e
early lie ne vas engaged in mercantile n
business III Fugusta. Afterwards he OF
taught - scho, i'm the neighborhood "
where no lived, ut Of late years he had o
devoted all his tile to Turning. He was Tn'
respectfully conntted in the counties of IS
Laurens and Abbelle. He and his sis u
ter lived aquiet .cludcd life, seldom d
leaving home, excel to attend church.
The dwelling is n lg-housc, six miles g
distant from Greenwdd eight from Nine ii
~ DIX, AMI o Two niles from Slmm's is
Cross Roads, anu stoi.y Point respect h
lively.