The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-05-26
A LEGAL NECKTIE.
Murderer Coos tho Hempen Way
The Story Of His A ooious Crimo-Iuci-
dents of the Murder.
EpGEE1ELn. S. c.. Nav 9

hanged here to-day is one of the most
remarkable recorded in the annals of
South Carolina jurisprudence. 1t has
engaged the attention Of the courts dur
ing the past three years. But to-day the
closing act in the tragedy was played
and the curtain fell upon the corpse of
the principal actor in the murderous
drama. The history of Stevens's crime
reads more like some romantic and e1cit-
ing narrative than the record of true
events. The judges who tried, the solic-
i OF who prosecuted and the lawyers who
d, fe .ded the murderer, vouch for the
substantial accuracy of the following
sketch:
Joe Stevens and Andy Richardson,
alias Andy Mobley, were negro men, the
former about forty.eight years old, and
the latter some ten years younger
They had been, some months before che
homicide, on terms of intimacy, working
together on the same farm. A few weeks
prior to the murder they quarrelled over
a game of cards, about small amount at
stake. Words we're followed by blows,
and stubborn combat ensued, in which
Stevens was badly worsted. He hastened
to trial justice and swore out peace
warrant against his assailant. Before
Richardson was arrested, however, the
warrant was withdrawn at the solicitation
of mutual friends. A reconciliation
being affected, they returned home and
resumed their work. A few days later
Stevens vas attacked by acute pains in
his right hand and arm, which incapaci-
tated him for any kind of manual labor.
Thinking his ailment was rheumatism,
he called in the services of q physician,
who prescribed the usual remedies, but
without success. Stevens's sisters inform
ed him that there lived in the city of
Augusta a woman doctor, female
prophet" they called her, who had
wrought the most miraculous cures.
They told him if he would visit her she
would be able to cure him Immediately.
At last they prevailed upon him to ac-
company them to the city. Consequent
ly few days thereaher'found him in the
presence of "Old Nell Gylea." She was
a most unprepossessing old hag, with
high cheek bones, muddy complexion,
shaggy teeth, and q fiat, ill-shapen nose.
Her visage was most loathsome, and she
was very allegory of filth. She lived
in dark, damp cellar beneath desert
cd old house in tho suburbs of the city.
She told fortunes to negroes of all ages
and sexes, and pretended to cure their
diseases by the most mysterious methods.
She believed that all sickness was caused
and cured by "cunjury." That an enemy
could avenge himself by fixing upon his
hapless victim any kind of plague or dis
order, and the only way to remove the
evil spell was to draw blood from the
"cunjurer." The old sorceress took Ste.
vens into her cellar and lighted an old
brass lamp, which threw Pickering and
sickly light over the dreary apartment,
casting weird shadows over the. walls,
ceiling and floor, and enhancing the
sombre aspect of the dismal abode.
Stevens was alarmed, but he determined
to submit to her treatment. She placed
him upon low stool in the center of the
cellar, and then began her solemn incan-
tations. She uttered the most unearthly
sound, and distorted her body and fea.
lures in the most uncouth manner. She.
told Stevens fortune and disclosed many
secrets which he swore during his exam.
ination in court when giving an account
of his visit to the strnnge creature, were
unknown to every one except himself.
She then brought strange looking
gourd containing curious ointment, and
began to rub his arm NEST energetically
with this mixture. During this opera.
tion she chanted an inharmonious sort Of
gibberish, the burden of which was:
"If you wants to git we'll, you must draw
cunjurer's blood" These words she
kept repeating while applying the lini.
ment. Tie pain in s,tevens's arm gradu.
ally ceased, and his spirits began to rise.
She told him before closing her seance,
that be must hunt down his enemy and
draw blood from his breast, or the pain
would return. That he must go home
and shake hands with all his friends, and
when he touched the hand of his euemy
his arm he would feel a certain pain.
Stevens paid the old witch her fee and
departed for home O. supremely happy
man, determined 70 test the merit of her
proposed blood cure.
He apprised his sisters Of his visit to
the sorceress, and the remarkable things
she had told him, and the wonderful
cure she had accomplished. On the
night after his return home, May goth,
1878, he went to large church meeting
on the outskirts of Edgefeld, and found
there assembled hundreds of negroes en-
gagged in devotional services. He began
general handshaking in pursuance of
his medical advisers suggestions, but no
pain struck his arm. He shook hands
with some thirty or forty men and women,
without feeling the pangs which was
to be the detector of his enemy. At last
he came upon Andy Mobley and gave
him vigorous shake Of the hand, stimuli
taueously with which an acute pain shot
through his hand and arm. He had
spotted his enemy, and now he must have
his blood. He left Mobley, went home
and procured a sharp knife, which he
concealed in his coat sleeve. Upon re-
entering the church, he went up the
aisle and took seat upon q long bench
next in front of the pulpit. On the
other end of this bench sat his enemy,
Andy Mobley, devotedly engaged in the
seligious ceremonies. Stevens waited a
few moments, until the entire congrega-
tion were kneeliDg in prayer, when he
cautiously crept behind his unsuspecting
! victim, and hastily drawing out the
knife, made a vigorous strike at his
breast The keen edged blade penetra.
ted the breast and punctured the centre
OF ..lis heart, causing almost instantane-
Gus death. Without ugtering any intel
ligible word, he sank 10 the floor. The
widest CONSERVATION followed, amid
which the assassin fed. Some of the
men followed in hot pursuit, and finally
captured him a few miles beyond town.
He was brought back here and cast into
prison. The negroes were 80 much en-
ragged that they were with great difficulty
restrained from lynching the murderer.