The news and herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1876-1881, 1881-05-11
THE aLEEHD.fLE TNd0EDY.

| "A uii anu CacSlUi report OIL the NtuTdGr
'%of Captain iSiliie rriestoH by His Son
! William Henry. e 70
! }(Correspondence OF the News and Courier.l
!, BARNWELL, May 2.--Thc telegraph
ic report Of the Priester tragedy in
your issue of tho 3Oth ult. was not al
together correct. | shall, therefore,
give you brief review Of the whole
case. LII the. irst place, it seems; that
tho report, no doubt inadvertently,
puts some ofthe burden Of this sad and
hcartrcnding misfortune TO tic credit
or the wife Of the hcartless pcrpetrator.
Mrs. Pricstcr is Il most cstimaDle wo-
mum. and has won the hearts of those
whom she has been among SO short Il
time by her; Christian virtues, So far
us the report refers to her husband not
being able TO live amicably with his
wife, it could not have been intended
to convey the idea that any Of the
fault could be attributed to her. But
the converse. she has been the most
long-suftcring with the burden that
she has had cast upon her by an un-
worthy husband. She had resolved
two or three times TO leave Young
Pricstcr and return to the house Of
her father, but Capt. Billie Priestcr
prevailed upon her not TO leave his
4 "''b 90 ~ " 'ultl Nv tlottol Lc ulS Illll.
She remained 0nly in the hope that
she might, by enduring everything.
work some Improvement in the Young
man. His reckless ingrutitudc reached
its highest point, and she resolved to
stand il no further, and Oh Thursday
morning, at the breakfast table, she
requested Tic Captain to remain mo-
!. mcnt as she desired to sec him. Young
William. Henry Pricstor, the husband,
was at the head of the table opposite
his father, and Oh hearing the above
remark said, 81 propose to hear that
conversation" Captain pricslcr re-
phcd, 'CertainlH: my son, ] have no
obicction.' Young Pricsler went up
stairs to his room and came down to
where the Captain and Mrs. Prics!er
were standing, and when within five
or ten feet said, "Fathcr, Pm goin" to
Kill YOU" "Oh no, my som" said
Captain Billie. "What for?" He got
no reply further than ball which the
Captain said is the one he thought
passed through his stomach. entering
two inches to the left Of the navel and
coming out about the same distance
! from the spinal column. The Captain
saia he closed in on his son after the
first shot and cnuWht the pistol, but
found that the shock from the first
ball was such that he could not con-
troll the unnatural arm of his son. The
next ball he thought was the one that
entered the left side and penetrated
into the region Of the spleen. Cribs
ball went through the splccn.) y
third ball lodged in the left wrist, and
Il fourth in the left thigh, and the fifth
struck buck-horn handle knife in his
pants pocket, tearing it up and
lodging it in the iron sides. Cap
tain Pricstcr said that he Was shot
SO rapidly that he could not save him
self, and the only thing he did was to
hold OH 70 the pistol and change the
range until it had been exhausted by
the cruel hand, and then he thought he
struck his son with his stick. Peter,
a twin brother, who haC lett the table
for the store, hearing HE shooting and
the screains of Mrs. Pricstcr, reached
the house too late to render his father
any assistance ilIthc struggle. Cuptrin
L. went to his store, some two hun
ired yards :oil, and addressed: himself,
got in bed and sent for DR.. II. W.
kcarse: :Dr.;kcarse, arriving as soon
as possible. mai,c an examination and
reported to Captain p. that Ire would
:! bp' frank with him and state his pre-
j carioMs cQpdilon. He told .him that
Z he had But It short while to- live; and
that he had butter arrange his worldly
affairs and prepare to meet his God.
Captain H. did moi seem the least
alarmed. but thanked the doctor for
his candor, and stated that his own
opinion was that he could not live.
Dir. kearsc remained; with him until
late Friday evening. after all signs Of
life lad almost ebbcd Off, and Captain
VIM. pricster died at l | o'clock at
night, lamcnlcd by every heart that
cstccnis a man who has heart.
: 1t Is ont of the question for nc to
: undertake to put down in words on
paper the gloom and sorrow of the
ricinaGc. No words can convey them
and few hearts ever felt such sadness.
Captain Pri"Stcr made his will, lcuv-
my all his effects to his son Peter, and
appointed his faithful friend and kins-
man, DR.. II. W. Kcarsc, his executor
lie WAS cool and composed, conscious
up TO the dizzy edges that border this
: life, aud he met his death with q
serenity that deserved other surround.
, lnG*, and q tortitude that demanded Il
nohlcr fate.
He requested that Vim. TT. should
not be allowed 10 attcud his funeral
security Of his ttllowmcn. j. IL. 4
\ DESERVED COMrLIMENT.--.A wri.
Ter in the Anderson MieNIgenccr, re-
! lcrrinG to the recent article from tht
Hon. VIM. Porchcr Miles on the State
. Univ crSity, says: "Thc report 0,
; President Miles is highly interesting
and should be widely circulated /
= find one grave omission in it, how.
/ ever. MIR. Miles has spoken in. li9l
t and wcll:deservcd terms of praise ol
= most Of the Professors, but he has for.
f gotten 90 mention one whose youth OF
e brilliant promise has ripcncd into Il
. vigorous and noble manhood; ono
who, when scarcely q man, stepped
adorned with the highest donors oI
J. his class; into the Professors clair
u lllc cn-laborrr and worthy peer Of mcl
Z like Bfantlcy, Finley, Gibbrs ani
llawkcsw orth-at u time when the
- welfare Of the College Of Charleston
was the care Of men like King, Ravc
- | mel, DeuS, Hciiuru IInvnr prro,