The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1880-11-10
,oroner's Inquest Over Warren Williams.

Testimony taken at COroners Inquest
at Cromer's Store in regard to death ot
Warren Williams:
r. c. Carlisle sworn-savs: Am prac.
ticing physician, graduate Of New York
College; was in Mrs. Cromer's house on
Tuesday, day of election; heard ncise
went TO window; saw nine or tell men
coming down road By Cromer's Clubhouse ;
| got my hat and came down to road; the
men had passed Will Jackson's house; one
or two were in road opposite store; l ran
to VIII Jackson's house; saw man there
with pistol in hand on horseback ; saw M
M Bufurd holding bride reins of two
horses, calling on those men to stop row !;
saw other men doing same as Buford; men
stopped, and W. thought We had stopped
the fuss cne man wheeled or his horse
and rode towards well, and others followed
as if row vas stopped; went towards Mrs.
mounted, and / begged him 70 stop this
matter: | begged him to ge; boys TO stop
fuss; he raised pistol ard said I would see
what | would get. Saw four men at ~ell
where there was contuSion-nOt so very
great; saw one rock, size Of double fist, fall
over into road within twenty feet of the
four men alluded to; saw rock fall in ten
feet of same party-both rocks coming
South from Cromer's we'll just after wards
heard three or four pistol shots; don't
know who did the shooting; ali was over
in one or two minutes l was ordered BY
Buford into line to stop fuss and resist
these men; did fall into line. These par
ties vert up Ghe road there was firing from
these parties and from, parties on the South.
Every body here regrets the difficulty. Heard
many white jnen say, "Shoot the rowdieS".
Outcry in ter minutes, "somebody killed" !;
I asked who; nobody knew; afterwards
heard it was Warren Williams; weat to the
body, and lett; went 10 the well, and COL
ored man named Lewis Holman saiG he shot
first and he began and repeated twice. Ssid
J. R. Swindler, Dr., shoot them or stop them.
Swindler and several men Of this precinct
had guns and pistols in line TO stop row.
Never saw more quiet election up to time
of disturbance. knew the secrets. of the
campaign, and no man knew Of The coming
Of the rowdies nor the men who INDUCED
in the row thought it Was party on trcl-
ic. instructions were to keep TIE peace,
which was done until the. disturbance
many white men ran risk OF their lives in
trying to stop it; two men had their hands
badly hurt trying to stop it; one white
man said that he got lick on his head from
one of those rocks. Votes had pretty we'll
been cast at time of row. Great confusion
prevailed. The last shooting from these
parties was from gin-house. 1t wss impos-
sble 10 have shot deceased from either
we'll or gin-house. Ali arms here were for
protection; had been informed there
would be attempt to take box. Asked two
colored men 10 keeping peace; they prom
iSed to do it. 1t was proposed by Repub-
licans that he and another would put card
in papers approving conduct Of whites at
this COX. Fifty or seventy-fve in road
when party came up, and refused to give
road. all was pleasant up to difficulty.
r. @. CARLISLE.
Samuel Atchison, sworn-sars: Was
here on election day. All was quiet till
some unknown parties came dashins up in
noisy way. all of US, as general thing, at
once tried to stop them-and thought
had stopped them, when they dashed up
towards the we'll, where was 6 crowd Of
colored people; then shooting began. l
grabbed one of their pistols ard tried to
take it away, and hurt my hand so l let it
90; he threatened TO shoot me. We quiet
ed them again, and they weptto Clubhouse;
then there was firing from gin-house and
also from the back Of the gin by other par
ties than the unknown party. Was order
ed out by Capt. Butord to keep the peace
and there ended difficulty. Dent know
who shot Warren Williams; could not
nave been shot from gin-house. and there
are houses between we'll and where body
lav dead. Lewis Holman said he shot
twice from behind well; asked ne if they
did not shoot first. Guns were here to keep
peace, and heard before that box would be
taken by Republicans. l was Marshal Of
the day, and knew the intention was to
keep peace. s. l.. ATNhlSON.
Dr.. ". M. McCarley, being sworn-says:
certify, to the best Of my know ledge, that
the deceased, Warren Williams, came to his
death by q gunshot wound, entering the
mouth at the right side, breaking out tooth,
then ranging upward and backward, sever
ing several blood vessels, and lodging near
the base of the brain just above tie Spheloid
bones, and was sufficient to be fatal.
W. II: MoCARLEf, II, D.
Milton Sanders, sworn-says: Was here
on election day; saw crowd OF rel shirt men
come up with sticks and begin to beat col
ored man; next saw one of them shoot;
great deal of shooting done; don't know
whether any shooting was dore from lot
where colored men were; saw one red shirt
man in the LOT. All quiet till this party came
up. Do not know any of the party who came
up. White men here did their best 10 keep
him. know the red shirt men who came
here do not live about here. Williams had a
little stick in his hand all day. Saw a rock
thrown.-don't know who threw it.
his
MILTON S4 SANDERS.
mark.
Lewis Boyd, sworp-says: WAS at Cro-
mer's Store on Tuesday last Everything
men coming down road; one of the men hit
me twice with stick. Did not expect any
difficulty on that day. He passed, and
went into store; he went to we'll and hit
others with stick, and shooting began. Do
not know who hit me. When shooting be-
gan ran, as did many others. Saw Warren
Williams fall. Large crowd of colored men
about we'll Saw one man fall-don't know
whether it was Warren Williams. l saw
what did from window in store, Saw white
men here trying TO STOP difficulty. Butord
caugh: bride Of one, and CLUB was drawn
on him. Saw three white men that / knew
trying to stop the row. Do not know any OF
them. Am sixty years old, and it is strange
do not know any Of them:
LEWIS Is BOYD.
mark
Thomas F. Ray, sworn-says: Was here
on election day; saw crowd with sticks COM
ing; crowd from here caught their brides to
stop them, and thought had done so when
crowd rode up to we'll, aud shooting began,
and saw two rocks thrown from we'll towards
storehouse. Eight or ten Of &hese parties.
Did not look for dihicuity-was surprised.
Warren Williams was Killed. Great difficult
ty tG tell who shot him, on account of ex-
element Was ordered by Capt. Butord 10
get gun and stop difficulty, and hurt my
hand in so doing. Pretty much all white
men and some colored men engaged In re-
sisting parties. All quiet between the races
up TO time of row Do not know cause OF