Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-07-13
A FATAL AFFRAY AT CAMDEN.

and Courier give the following account of a
! personal rencounter and it's fatal termination,
| in Camden on the 4th instant:
Major L. w. r. Blair, the Greenback candi.
date for Governor in 1880, was shot and in
stantly killed in Camden, July 4th, about II
O'Clock, in a personal encounter with Capt. J.
l.. Halle The circumstances connected with
the affair are as follows
For some time past there had not existed
very good feeling between Blair and Halle,
and meeting each other Oh the street to-day,
Capt. Halle was accosted by Major Blair, who
asked him (Haile) if it was true that he had
been making certain statements concerning
him, (Blair.) Capt. Halle promptly replied
that he had Whereupon Major Blair called
Halle a damned liar" Halle then asked
fused to do. Halle then left Blair, and walk
ed few steps and entered the county treasu-
rer's office followed by Blair. Upon entering
he closed the door, and in a minute or two re-
turned with rifle and pistol. Blair was then
sanding in a few feet Of the door, and was
again requested by Halle to retract his offen-
sive language. Blair still refused to do so,
and putting his right hand in his bosom adj
vanced towards Halle. Halle then fired at
Blair three times, the balls taking effect in the
right lung and through the heart. Blair fell
dead The cause of the encounter was purely
personal.
Immediately after the shooting Capt. Halle
re-entered the tax office and sent for Sheriff
Dolby, in order to surrender himself. A large
crowd of negroes assembled in front of the
building, and at one time it was thought that
AL effort would probably be made to mob Capt.
moned guard and conveyed the prisoner to
the county JAIL
The body of Major Blair was removed to the
town hall where an inquest was held and the
following verdict rendered 'That the de-
ceased came to his death by wounds inflicted
by gun in the hands of James l.. Ifaile.''
The body of Major Blair lay in the town hall
until about o'clock when it was conveyed to
his late residence about three miles from Cam
den. The funeral services took place in Cam
den on the following day.
After Capt. Halle had been regularly COM
mitted to Jail upon warrant issued by the
coroner, his counsel, Major w. Z. Leitner and
Mr. w. NJ. Shannon, made application before
Judge kershaw for a writ of haheas corpus
The application was heard at 6 O'Clock on the
day OF the shooting. Judge Kershaw admit
ted the prisoner to bail in the sum of five
thousand dollars for his appearance at the
September term of the Court, the bond to he
der leave was granted to the solicitor of the
Fifth circuit to apply at any time for recon-
mitment of the prisoner upon giving four
days notice. This proviso was made from
the fact that the solicitor had been Informed
by wire of the intended application for bail
and no answer had been received from him.
The Courthouse was well filled during the
hearing of the case, and Immediately upon the
order being made Capt. Halle gave the required
bond and was released from custody.
Capt. Halle is a prominent and popular citi-
zen and native of this county, and resides
within Il few miles of where Major Blair lived
a correspondent of the Greenvlle Ne~s
gives the following version of the origin of the
difficulty
1t seems that on Saturday, the 1st instant
Col. Blair went to meeting Of the Beulah
Democratic Club, (of which he was once a
member and from which he withdrew in 1880, J
armed with Winchester rifle.
In order to avoid any argument or unpleas-
antness, Mr.. Halle, who was called to the
chair, caused the persons who desired to enroll
themselves as members of the club to come
apart from the general crowd, among which
Col. Blair was one, us all parties agree, for the
purpose of preserving the unanimity OF the
meeting ; and did by that means succeed in
organizing the club peacefully and quietly.
have been informed to-day that COL Blair
knowing that Mr.. Halle, who lives some miles
south of this town, was in Camden, was seen
by gentleman on the road by which Mr..
Halle must return to his home late on Sunday
evening" and that he then expressed himself as
feeling aggreved at the treatment he had re-
ceived the day before ut Beulah.
A meeting of the so-called "People's Rights"
party was advertised to take place to-day at