The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-12-02
"We don't want fire. It's your money
We want. And we intend to have it,

At this demand Mr.. Maddox raised his
! tongs rs if 10 strike the would-be rob.
Der. He gave back towards the door
Mrs. Maddox jumped out of bed, ran
through the door into the "shed room, u
and out at the front door of that room,
while Mr.. Maddox and his assailants
were in threatening attitude. As soon as
Mr.. Maddox had followed his assailant to
the door, he WAS shot and instantly killed,
falling out of the door, clearing the step,
whichis a big rock, his head making an
indentation in the sand as it struck the
ground. About this time the little son
appeared on the scene. AS he ran out of
the house he saw "Uncle Billy"
lying on the ground in front of the door,
and Jumped over him. He did not then
know whether be was dead or was
playing 'possum, as he frequently had
fallen down of late. After running to
The front gate in his fright he though the
wonId return and see if the old man was
really dead.
Acting on this impulse he went back
and turned him over, and become con-
vinced that life was extinct. This de-
ponent did not understand what brought
out this expression but it is said that one
of the gang said something like this: "If
you don't behave yourself, we'll shoot
you, too" One of their number replied,
"Oh, no, he's little boy. We mustn't
hurt him." Meanwhile Mrs. Maddox
was running towards the houses of Mr..
Vermillion and Sarah Maddox crying
murder" "robbers," /" "they are killing
Cousin Billy" Sarah Maddox being ca
silly walked was first to the call, and came
running with all the speed possible, meet.
ing Mrs. Maddox halfway. Mr.. Vermill-
ion not knowing the nature ofthe difficulty
thought it better to be q little deliberate
in his movements. After putting on his
shoes, arranging his toilet, he had a
colored man to accompany him to the
house of the deceased where he arrived,
be thinks not longer than twenty minutes
after the murder. One of the party is
said to have been posted in the chimney
corner guarding the ''spring door," and
the path leading from it for the purpose
of shooting Mrs. Maddox should she at
tempt to make her escape, but it
is thought she was not shot from
the fact that she ran out of the shed
room door, in an unexpected direction.
PILLAGING THE PREMISES.
Immediately after Mr.. Maddox was
shot the murderers entered the house, ran
sacked q set of bureau drawers, in the
shed room and carried of little trunk.
This trunk was the same which Mr.. Mad.
dox rescued from the flames when his
dwelling was burning two years ago.
He then carried it into the garden and
told his wife to sit on it, and remember
ing Mr.. Maddox's words at the fire, some
are of the opinion that they thought it
we'll filled with coin. After they carried
it to the plum thicket on the side of the
cotton field they opened it and found
that it contained two dolls, few rags,
and number of ofunderclothing for little
children. The murderers got no money,
and as far as can be ascertained they
carried away nothing at all. They took
the trunk from beside chair on which
was piled some quilts and clothing. At
night the pocket book was put between
the folds, where it remained undisturbed.
There is no truth in the report that the
murderers carried off MI. Maddox's Gland
papers," They were kept in the pine
chest to which reference was made as
having lock but no hinges to its lid.
Just here we would correct another re-
port. The murderers offered no further
insult or injury to anybody in that Sec
tion.
ON OUR ARRIVAL AT THE HOUSE
we made enquiry for Mrs. Maddox, but
was informed that she was at the resi-
dence of Mrs. Taylor, mile and half
distant up the road, where she has lived
ever since the murder. Remaining on
the place for while We saw several per-
sons who knew more or less of the sad
affair, and the pumping process was com.
menced at once. We may be pardoned
if we refer to one of the colored women
who seemed perfectly willing to talk
about the affair, and seemed sorry that
she could not tell more of it. We be.
lieve she expressed herself truthfully and
without bias. In speaking of Mr.. Mad
dox, she apparently did not mean any
disrespect by speaking of him as "Mad'
dox," without the usual prefix, and when
speaking of the ladies who were present,
or saw, or heard anything ofthe difficult
ty, she merely said "Susan," "Jane,"
Ann Maria" as the case might be, with
out pre6xing Mrs" or "Miss" as is Gus.
tomary among polite people in the most
refined society of some sections of the
country.
AN IMPROBABLE STORY.
1t is currently reported that two ne.
groes now at large in that section OF the
country attempted to steal mule from
the stable of Levi Shaw, tenant of MIR.
William Latimer. The story goes that
colored man, about the complexion of
q ginger cake, together with a negro as
black as anybody, went Monday morning
about nine or ten o'clock to Levi Wat
sons stable, when his wife discovered
them and wanted TO know their business.
They wanted mule and proposed to
take it by force. The mule kicked. the
woman decoyed them to the house: Then
she slipped away from them, bridled the
Baaam, rode off in hurry, &C., &c.
Althoug Oh this story seems to be exceed
ingly thin, there are quite a number of
persons who believe it. We we're told
that about one hundred men were in
search of them. The community is in
a state as to be ready to believe nearly
anything they may hear.
THE OPINION ENTERTAINED BY SOME
is, that the people of that section are en-
tirely off the track as to the real perpe-
tors of the crime, and it may be that
reports are put in circulation to divert
attention from the culprits. There are
circumstances which has led at least few
persons to have an opinion totally
different from the generally accepted
theory. Two years ago MIR. Maddox's
dwelling was burnt; three weeks before
his death, new pasture gate which sep
arated his stock was cut to pieces and
totally DESTROYED last Wednesday night