Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-04-07
CIRCUIT COURT.

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CIRCUIT COURT.
Our report last week closed with the pro-
ceedincs of Tuesday. On Wednesday, the fol-
lowing cases were disposed of:
State VS.. Hardy Springs, colored; ; burglary.
Prosecutor. w. A. Garrison. Verdict, guilty:
State vs. Andy Nicely, colored larceny from
field. Prosecutor, ]. NJ. Thomasson. Ver-
dict, guilty.
State vs. Greene Lindsay, Abe Adams, and
Ike Kee. all colored house-breaking and lar-
cenv. Prosecutor Jacob T. Jackson. Greene
Lindsay pleaded guilty Of petit larceny. YER
dict as to Abe and Ike, not guilty.
On the same day the Grand Jury made their
renort and were discharged. The following Is
the report:
To his Honor, T. B. FRASER, Presiding
.I,uzoe: The Grand Jury of York county suo-
mit the following: IL is our privilege to report
that notwithstanding the many demora!lzlng
circumstances by which the people OF 9ork
county. in common with the people OF tne
whole State of South Carolina, have for many
wears been surrounded, law abiding splrlt Is
manifest in every section of the county, and
all classes of citizms, as rule, respect ana
obev the law. Obedience to the law prevalls IN
every community and among the majority OF
all classes. while disorderly conduct ana law
less actions constitute the exceptions to the
manner of life led by the citizens. >.
The county officers are in every instance
capable of discharging the duties devoiVlng
upon them, and so far as we know, OF aasS
heard. are faithfully discharging their onlclad
duties We officially examined the offices OF
the County Treasurer, of the County Auditor,
of the County Commissioners, the Clerk OF the
Court of the County Sheriff, and the Judge OF
Probate and the County School Commissioner,
and find the books of these several officers
neatly and correctly kept. We also visited
the county poor house and the county jan, ana
report the former properly kept, anu the latter
safe. In the county poor house tnefe are
twenty-five paupers, one ha!t OF "nom @ arc
white, and the other half colored. Inc ma
ioritv are females, there being only three males.
The supplies now on hand, belonging to the
moor house. consist of about 200 bushels OF
corn. and 1000 bundles of fodder. The STOCK
belonging to the poor house conslsts OF oile
milch cow and three mules.
Trial Justices T. G. Culp, Fort Mill H. i.
Gillespie, Clay Hill W. D: Camp, BACKS
Station and S. L. Davidson, BullocKs Creek,
presented their books, which were examined
and found correct.
We make the following recommendations
- /. That two mich cows, for the use OF the
paupers in the poor house, be purchased as
soon as is practicable. "a
3. That the injury sustained by the walls OF
| the connty iail and cook house connected there
with by the severe winter, be repaired;
3. We earnestly recommend that the Gener-
al Assembly of South Carolina enact law
prohibiting the manufacturing or sale, wltnn
the State, of intoxicating liquors we MAKE
this recommendation for the following reasons:
First--The demoralizing tendency which
the traffic in intoxicating liquors has upon all
classes of citizens, and especially the young,
Second-The enormous public and private
expense which the manufacturing ana seHlng
ofintoxicating liquors inhicts upon the county.
Third-Because all, or nearly all the CRIME
of every kind and character, known to the law
of the county, may b. traced dlrectiy 70 III
toxicating liquors as its prime lncentlVe.
HENRY MASSEY, Foreman
On Thursday morning, the case OF state VS..
James duffy and Hampton Owens, charged
with the murder of Austin Harris, was taken
up, and occupied the remainder of the week.
A full report of this trial is given in this issue.
On Monday morning of this week, the first
case called was the State vs.. June Massey,
charged with the murder of Allen Hall, both
colored, on the platform of the depot in Rock
Hill, on the 21st of last November. The jury
was formed from the regular panel, and con-
sisted of the following persons j. Il. Gard
ner, foreman, S. L. Miller, J. S. Hemphill, r.
J. Hagins, Alexander Mckinney, colored,
R. H. Cornwell, Julius A. Hope, j. T. Big
ham, J. A. Pursely, E. j. Feemster, }. X.
Barron, Washington Childers.
Messrs. Wilson s. Wilson and j. P. Gage
appeared for the defence, and the State was
represented by Mr. Solicitor CASTOR.
The Solicitor opened the case by stating that
the State would show that on the 2lsG OF last
November, the deceased was wounded by be-
ing struck on the throat by an iron pin in the
hands Of the prisoner, from the effects OF
which he died the next day.
A number of witnesses testified for the State
and also in behalf of the prisoner. The testl-
mony was to the effect that the negro hands
employed about the depot were in the habit
of scuffling with one another, playing some
times in very rough manner; used abusive
words toward each other and had every appear
ance of being angry, when really they were not.
On the day in question, June Massey and Allen
Hall had been scuffling in this manner, and
in the scuffle, June struck Allen on the throat
with the piece of sash weight-an iron bolt
about inches long, and u inches in diane
ter-which he alleged to have had in his hand
for the purpose of mailing board on his truck,
the purpose for which the iron was used about
the depot The evidence showed that after
the fatal blow was struck, June manifested
deep regret, claiming that it was accidental,
and done unintentionally by him. He ran for
a physician, and manifested every disposition
to do all he could for the suffering man, whose
wound from the blow was the breaking Of his
windpipe, which DR.. Fewell, the physician
summoned, pronounced fatal. 1t was also
shown by the defence that Allen made the re-
mark, after receiving the wound that he and
June were playing, and he thought June had
struck him in play. AS to the anger of the
prisoner at the moment he struck the blow, con-
Trajectory testimony was introduced. While
his language and manner were apparently
violent at the time, it was maintained by tes-
timony for the defence that such conduct was
not unusual among the hands at the depot
when scufling in play though at the same
time it was admitted that June on this occa-