The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-07-13
THE FATAL AFERaY AT CAMDEN.
The Particulars of the killing OF Col.
blair by Mr.. Haile-Pure1y Personal
Matter.
Dispatch to The Ncws and Courier.

] 1il'uttH 10 HC NcUS ana CJUftfT.
CAMDEN, S. c., July 4.
Major l.. w. II. Blair the Greenbacl
candidate for Governor in 1880. was sho
and instantly killed in Camden to. day
about / o'clock, in personal cncounte
with Capt. j. l.. Halle. The circum
stances connected with the affair are n,
follows:
For some time past there had not ex
listed very good feeling between Blair and
Halle, and meeting each .;her on the
street to-day, Capt. Halle was accosted
by Major Blair, who asked him (Haile)
II 1T was true that he had been max.
ing certain statements concerning him
lBlair). Capt. Halle promptly replied
that he had. Whereupon Major blair
called Halle "a damned liar"
Halle then asked Blair to retract his
LANGUAGE, which Blair refused to do.
Halle then left Blair, and walked few
steps and entered tho CoInty Treasurer's
Office followed by Blair. Upon entering
he closed tho door, and in minute or
Two. returned with rifle and pistol.
Blair was then standing within few feet
OF the door, and was again requested by
Halle to retract his offensive language.
Diair still refused to do SO, and putting
his right hand in his bosom advanced to.
wards Halo. Halo then fred ut Blair
three times, the balls taking effec. in the
right lung and through the heart. Blair
fell dead. The cause of The encounter
was purely personal.
Immediately after the shooting Capt.
Eaiie re.entered the tax Office aud sent
for Sheriff Dolby, in order to surrender
himself. A largo crowd of negroes as.
sembled in front of the building, and NJ
one time it was thought that an effort
would probably bo made to mob Cant.
Halle. Upon Sheriff Doby's arrival he
summoned guard and conveyed the
prisoner to the county Jail, where ha is
now confined.
The body of Mstor Biait was removed
10 the Town Hall, where an Inquest was
held and the following verdict rendered
Ihn. thn deceased came to his death by
wounds inflicted by gun in the hands
Of James l.. Halle"
The body of Major Blair lay in the
Town Hall until about o'clock this
afternoon, when it was conveyed to his
late rcsidence, about three miles from
Camden. The funeral services will take
place in Camden tomorrow.
After Capt. Halle had been regularly
committed to Jail upon warrant issued
by the Coroner, his counsel, Major w.
II. Leitner and Mr. w. M. Shannon,
made application before Judge Kershaw
Tor writ of hd5eds corpus. The appli-
cation will be heard at 6 o'clock this
evening.
Capt. Halle is prominent and popu.
lar citizen and native Of this county.
and resides within few miles of where
Major Blair lived.
TIE PRISONER RELEASED ON BAIL.
CAMDEN, July 4.-Since sending the
above the application for bail upon n
writ of hdbcas corpus had been granted.
Judge kershaw admitted the prisoner to
bail in the sum Of five thousand dollars
for his appearance at the September term
of The Court, the bond to be secured by
three or more surcties. In the order
leave was granted to the Solicitor of the
Fifth Circuit TO apply at any time for a
rccommitment of the prisoner upon Civ.
ing four days notice. This proviso was
made from the fact that tho Solicitor had
been informed by wire of the intended
application for bail and no answer had
been received from him. The Court
House was we'll 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.
Maj. w. r. Blair was the son of Gen.
Jas. Blair, who was member of Con.
gress from this State from 1921 to 1922,
and from 1929 to 1884. On April /,
1884, Gen. Blair died in Washington by
his own hand. Maj. Blair had resided
for many years upon the estate left him
by his father some miles below Camden,
in Kershaw county. He was we'll edu-
Gated, and devoted naturally strong in
tellect to scientific researches. He was
for many years the editor Of the Camden
Journal, and wns regarded as writer of
considerable ability. During the war he
was an officer in Nelson's battalion, Ha-
goods brigade. After serving creditably
for two years, he was forced by i'll health
to retire. He was commanding in ap
pearance, being over six feet in height,
and yery erect in his carriage.
After the war Maj. Blair devoted him
self to planting in Kershaw county, aud
lived rather in seclusion until 1878, when
he took prominent part in the endeavor
then made to form Greenback party in
this State. Two years later he was the
candidate Of that party for Governor,
and ran against Gen. Hagood, the Dem.
ocratic candidate Blair received 4,277
votes.
Maj Blair was recklessIy brave, and
disposed to be aggressive in act and
word. The letters he wrote during his
canvass for Governor and during the
present year were bitterly abusive, and it
is matter of surprise that q collision
between Blair and some one of those
whom he assailed had not taken place
before.
CERTAINLY He WoULD.-The other
evening as a muscular citizen was passing
house on Montcalm street lady, who
stood at the gate, called out to him:
"Sir appeal to you for protection p'
whats the trouble ?" he asked, az be
stopped short.
There's man in the house, and e
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