The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-07-08
4 llB Cy c., B0WEN.
IaIs Life and .Chnracfer--A Record that No
. Ono Will Envy.
from caiarlesfon Meas aud Courier.

OF the early life Of O. O. Bowen little
is known. BY his own account he was
born in Providence, Rhode Island, and
came South when quite young. Hewent
first to Augusta, Ga, and from that point
wandered from place to placo in Georgia
ana Florida as mechanic in search OF
work. When work failed he gambled.
and he admitted that he had played faro
ION both sides of the table, In Feb
ruary, 1860, he went to Lee County,
Georgia, whore, it appears, be remained
up to the spring Of 1862, during which
timc he was engaged in farming. In
1862 he entered the Confederate service
ut Savannah, Ga, in company called
The Partisan Rangers" and in the early
part of May, 1862, went iEto camp with
the command, upon the organization of
which ne was elected third lieutenant.
The company after remaining at Savan-
nah some time mustered ninety-five men.
and was attached to the battalion COM
manded by Col. VIM. Parker White, the
omcer whose assassination Bowen was
afterwards charged with instigating,
The command came to Charleston In
January, 1853, Bowen being at that time
the only commissioned officer of the
company, the others having resigned.
Col. White requested him to consent to
the appointment of new officers, which
Bowen declined. The command left
Charleston in April, 1868, and went into
camp at Wa0camaw Neck. Bowen OBJ.
tanned leave of absence and went to
Savannah and did not return until Sep,
tember, after his leave of absence had
expired. At this time he was captain of
his company, which was Company d,
Twenty.irst Georgia Battalion of Cav
airy He was court-martialed. on three
charges, as follows: 1st. Conduct unbe-
coming an officer and gentleman, the
specification being that he had altered
his leave of absence and changed the
dates for the purpose Of obtaining his
pay in Savannah I'd. Breaking his ar
rest; ard Sd: Conduct prejGdicial to
good order and military discipline. He
was convicted of all the charges ar1
specifications and dismissed from. the
service: Shortly after this occurrence,
Col. White was assassinated near the
camp in Georgetown County. Accord.
ing TO Bowen's statement, after his dis
missai from the service he went to Co.
lumbia on the Sd of March, 1864, and
remained there five or six days. Then
he went to Augusta, where he remained
4 few days, after which he came to
Charleston, where he was arrested on the
charge Of having murdered Col. White.
He was incarcerated in the Orphanhouse
ard subsequently in the Jail, where he
Remained until the evacuation of tho
city. Concerning the assassination of
Col. White it was shown that Eli G..
Grimes, o man who used to work for
Bowen'in Lee County, Georgia, and who
had subsequently Joined Bowen'g com
pany, bad committed the deed. Grimes
testified that he had ahot Col. White by
Capt. Bowen's orders" The witness
described infinitely the crime in all its
details. He said Bowen came to him
about 800 yards from the camp at Wac.
camaw; carried him into thick wood to
q place where he (Bowen) had cut out an
opening with q knife, and told him to
place himself there in the clearing and
shoot Col. White when, he passed along
the road on picket duty TIE witness
said that he had sseereted himself there
ana thas Col. White had passed frequent.
~, butt he did not attempt to shoot
him. that Sowen kept abusing him and
urgiig him to kill White, and that he
had carried him to other places to do the
scme deed. On one occasion, Grimes
sai', ;.hen Bowen had placed him near q
bans to shoot Col. White, he { (Grimes]
had taken the lock off his gun and had
broken the handspring, and Bowen had
cursed him for his seeming carelessness,
and remarked that it was did strange
that the main.spring had broken lust ct
that time. A few days before the shoot
ing Bowen had told him that he tBoWenli
.waai going 10 Charleston, and would be
back in q few days; that when he got
back he would be in command of the
company, and that if he (Grimea) did
not kill Cola White before he (Rowen)i
came back, he would never see home.
Bowen then gave him q gun which he,
Bowen, loaded himself. Grimes stated
that on the night of che murder he went
to Col. Whites quat:ers. fired through
the Misunderstanding, and throwing the
gun in the ditch ran off back to his camp.
He was subsequently arrested and con-
fessed the shooting to !;ol. White before
that officer died, gnd gavo the evidence
which led TO the arrest of Bowen on the
charge of having inatigated the murder.
Both Bowta and Grimes were under
arrest for n.irder when tho Federal forces
occupied Charleston.
The above facts were vaguely known
during the ten years Immediately follow
ing she war, and were frequently referred
tn hys this journal. Embnldaned bvj his
official station and political influence, MS
well % by his long immunity from arrest,
in y pril, 1875, Sheriff Bowen instituted
o criminal prosecution for libel against
The proprietora of the Ncaps and C6ssrier
for tho publication of articles charging
hiraS With fhe crime OF murder. The
tfial war nrobably, the most dramatic
and exciting thaE has over taken Mace in
a ChRrleston court. Grimes, the only
witness who could stihAtantiate and JUS
tify Che obnoxiops publications, had not
been heard OF foryears aud ncbody knew
his whereabouts, and Bowen and his
counsel, Messrs. Corbin and Buttz, were
@ .is ss iysvIsT sss{,I % tsi5
Ncsps and Co1rier would be convicted.
At the critical moment, however, and 20
,tion, Grimes himself appeared in court
and took the stand, repeating with great
exacthess of detail his testimony OF ten
years before, and pointing out Bowen, In
che hushed and crowded court room, as
the man who had compelled him by
abuse ard threats to fire the shot that
killed Col. White. The defense was
tnasingea with great SIX by the counsel
for the NesUs and Gbusfer, consisting Of
Mr. II. a. hf. Smith, Major w, II. BfgW-
ley and Messrl Porter & Conner. The
led tesagTee, one of their number
.I5in5 q ii5HonulRn of Bowen; but the
vote stoua Ii 20 / la iavog of acuuittaI. !.
and the rssultwa claimed and conceded
as triumphant s;ndicati0n of the 7pe,cs
and Courier.
sHfs Fai1TIoAI gARRRR.