The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-02-10
The Acquittal of Dnrord.

The telegraph has already announced
Buford after standing trial for second
time for the murder o: Judge Elliott. of
the Court Of Appeals, the highest court
in Kentucky.
This case has attracted universal attcn-
ton. 1t was oil the morning of the 9th
Of March, 1879, that Buford attacked his
victim and shot him down in cold blood.
while charge remained in his gun for
an associate Judge OH the Supreme bench
OF the State. The trouble was about u
tract of land in Henry County, adjoining
Franklin County, in which the capital is
situated. 1t seems that Miss Mary Du-
ford had purchased, through means largo
ly furnished by her brother, this tract of
land, and had made partial payment of
1000, leaving the same amount to be
paid, and that in the meantime it was
discovered that the title was defective.
There was long litigation, and the
result was that all the money put in the
land was lost. During the pendency of
the suit Miss Mary died, and her brother
persisted in saying that the troub
about the land killed her. Buford quar-
flied rs administrator, and thus became
in law what he had always been in fact,
the defendant in the action.
After the sale the sheriff of Henry
County undertook to oust Buford from
the farm, but was met at the door with a
double barrel shotgun and a promise on
the part of Buford that he would GER
tainly kill the first man who crossed his
threshold. Negotiations were entered
into, and it was formally agreed that
Buford might remain in possession until
tho cause was decided in the Court of
Appeals, to which it had been taken, and
he on his part agreed to yield peaceable
possession if that decision should also be
adverse. After thorough argument and
consideration, the Court Of Appeals,
sitting Mt Frankfort, the State capital,
early in 1878 affirmed the judgment Of the
lower court. The opinion was delivered by
Judge Elliot. Buford's counsel not yet
satisfied, obtained from the court rehear-
ing, rare occurrence, and the case was
again argued, and few days before the
murder had again been affirmed, .hc opin-
ion this time being delivered by Judge NJ.
III. Cofer, one of Judge Elliott's colleagues,
and being substantially the same as the
former opinion. Tom Buford was in
Frankfort Mt the time, and Oil the morn
ing of the 9th of March called on Judge
Golfer at his house, TO SEQ whether the
case was finally ended, and learned that
it was. The Court of Appeals usually
sits from l / to / o'clock, and it was only
n few minutes after the latter hour that
Judge Elliot and Judge pryor, another
of his colleagues, were in the habit of
reaching the Capital Hotel, whero they
boarded, and almost invariably coming
from tho courtroom together. On this
day it happened that court adjourned
few minutes before l, aud that Judge
Pryor came on alone. He met Buford
on the hotel steps, who stopped him and
talked for q minute or two about his case,
when the Judge passed on with q friend
who had come up, and Buford then went
into his room, got is shotgun and game
bag, and came out to the steps again
about tho time that Judge Elliot came
along, accompanied by Judge Hines, the
fourth member OF the court.
AS Judge Elliott stepped up Buford
saluted him with the remark that he was
going snipe-hunting, and invited the
Judge to accompany him, and upon his
declining. said "Well, won't you take a
drink, then 2" and before The Judge
could reply he had cmptied one barrel of
the gun, containing q load of buckshot,
into the Judges body, causing instant
death. He then surrendered himself,
remarking that the load in the other bar.
rel was intended for Pryor, and also
handed the policeman who took charge
of him an envelope, which contained
paper dated that morning in the nature
of a will, beginning: "Whateyer may
happen mo desire ,hat mysnicce, Annie
.. Wallace, shall have all my property"
Hissupposed by many thatit was Buford's
intention to kill botE Elliott and Pryor,
and was only prevented by their acciden.
tai separation and Pryor's arrival a
little earlier than he expected, and that
he then expected to be at once hanged by
tho popnlace, which accounts for the
peculiar manner of commencing his will.
OF course the entire State stood aghast ut
this tragedy. A mouth later an indict-
ment was found against Buford. A
change of venue 60 Owen County was
granted, and the trial, which came off
in July, resulted in verdict of murder
IN the first degree. Buford was given u