The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-10-01
MURDER FOR MURDER.
Terrible Tragedy in Edgeiicld County.

About 8 o'clock at night, Whilst the
streets of the town were almost deserted,
the citizens having retired from business
and gone to their houses, crowd of
masked men from the country, some
thirty five in number, surrounded Gary
& Evans's Office, where Culbreath was
at the time, and a number of them en-.
tered the Office, covering both Mr.. Gary
and Mr.. Evans with pistols, whilst two
others went on into the back room and
shot at Culbreath. He then cried out
that he was shot to death and begged
them not to shoot any more. They
thereupon took Culbreatb, dragged him
out of the office and carried him about
mile from town, Culbreath begging
most piteously for mercy. Here, prob.
ably thinking that Culbrcath was near
deaths door, they again shot him some
three or four more times, and then left
him for dead on the roadside.
Some of the citizens hearing the firing
went out in that direction, but met Cul.
breath making his way back to the vii
lage. They assisted him in vehicle
and brought him to Jail, where he re-
ceived prompt medical attention. He
fingered through the night in great agony
and died at 5 o'clock this morning.
Culbreath was the husband of Mrs.
Fannie Culbreath, at whose house Ham.
| mond was killed. From all accounts, in
consequence Of Culbreath's long contin-
ued and most shameful treatment of his
wife they separated over year ago and
| since then his reported ceaseless espion.
age over his wife and endless annoyances
to her, as we'll as the vile but unsustained
ISLANDERS against her with which he is
credited, and Culbreath's open threats to
take the lite of Hammond were source
of great trouble to Mrs. Culbreath and
her relatives and friends, and then came
theedorrid assassination of young Ham.
mond under the cover of darkness.
Whilst there was no positive proof
against Culbreath yet the people in the
neighhorhood were almost solid in the
belief that Culbreath was the guilty
party or was alone instrumental in hav-
ing Hammond killed. All these things
combined, and the fear that in the end
the law would be evaded and the guilty
go unpunished, induced these people to-
take the matter in their hands with the
above result. -
The whole proceeding was so quickly
and unexpectedly inaugurated, and 30
quickly we're the participators out and
gone, that a vast majority of the people
Of the town knew nothing of the affair
until this morning. There is universal
excitement in the village and many
prominent citizens openly denounce this
the first lynch law act in their midst.
We hope it will be the last.
The jury of inquest has been in session
for several hours and will probably not
adjourn to day. 1t has been given in
evidence before the jury that Culbreath
stated after he was shot that he knew
the two men who shot hip in the Office
and gave their names. Cdlbreath main
tained until the last that he was limo.
cent Of the murder of Hammond.
O. T. Culbreath was gallant Confed-
crate soldier and for many years was
esteemed an honorable gentleman and a
worthy citizen.
An indignation meeting will be held
to. morrow by the citizens of Edge6eld.-
Considerable excitement prevails. The
lynching of Culbreath was .an outrage of
the deepest die ever perpetrated in the
State.-Dipatch to News and Courier.
From the augusta Chronicle, September %.
The circumstances surrounding the
terrible tragedy are peculiar, and the
parties are all connected by marriage or
other relations, making it one of those
unfortunate family affairs which are 80
disastrous in their consequences and so
deeply to be deplored. From gentle
man acquainted with all the parties and
the circumstances of both chapters in
the bloody tragedy we get the following
facts which have bearing upon the mat
ter: The parties are all respectable,
ell.connected people and stand high in
the County. Mrs. .Culbreath is the
daughter Of thea.alateF Capt, William
Prescott, one of the.most respected names
in South Carolina. DR.. William Pres.
colt, brother Of Mrs. Culbreatb, mar.
ried a sister of Mr.. Culbreath. The
brother of young Hammond, who was
assassinated, was engaged to be married
to daughter of Culbreath. Culbreath
was man past forty years of age, and
had grown children. Owing to his cruel
treatment of his wife, she was forced to
separate from him about two years ago.
It is said that on the separation she gave
him 5000, expecting him to 60 away to
some other place and leave her alone
Instead of thi however, he settled
within mile o. Ter, and has since then
kept jealous vigilance over her, making
threats against any one who went to see
her, and constantly importuning her to
let him come back. He is said to have
threatened young Hammond's life more
than ouce, and his own daughter testified
at the coroners inquest over Hammond's
body that she had heard her father vow
he would kill him. Young Hammond
was about twenty one years of age, q
near neighbor of Mrs. Culbreath, and
had been employed as sort of overseer
on the Culbreath place. His mother
testified at the inquest that her son had
told her few days before that Culbreath
had threatened his life, and he told her
SO she "might know in case he was killed
who was his murderer"
Said our informant, in view of these
facts, there is little doubt on the minds
of the people of the neighborhood that
Culbreath is responsible for young Ham.
mond's death. There is fence running
along by the Culbreath house and there
is door at either end of the house.
There was beaten path along the out
side of this fence running the length of
the house, showing that Hammond's
murderer had been waiting the opportu.
nifty to kill him for some time, and had
paced backward and forward, from door
to door, in the attempt to see in the house
or secure nm opportunity to shoot. When
Hammond came into the yard with the
child the desired opportunity was afford
ed, and he was shot down like dog.
Said our informant: While 1 was not
in Edge6eld at the time of tho killing of
Culbreath, I know the feeling which
existed towards him, and the reasons
which led to his being dealt with by the
mob, viz the frmest conviction of his
guilt, the inability to prove it, and the
knowledge that his arraignment and trial
would be q mere farce, resulting in his
noo,;tto1 II 10 uot cortafp that fiul.