Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-07-02

corpse-lke just as the defendant, KoDeri ~, uo
don, lay seemingly dead, beside the ueau ut;oSn oS
of Andrew CuretOn. And then When ann .ta
returns, and the mind resumes its normal sta.e,
the man has no recollection of anything thae has
occurred. 1t is terrible disease. The ancleIlts
regarded it as special lnrlc!loh VI '.o SU ,n.
The prisoner is a subject for pity-not Tor pun
ishment The law Furnishes murder anu h'a"-
slaughter but not mania.
The court instructed the jury as to the Ia"
bearing upon this peculiar case, ana Veruic'
was returned of not guilty.
The tand last casetried, taken up on Ihurs-
day afternoon, was that OF the State VS.. "eorse
Beckham, colored, for murder. This was ano1n-
err case growing out Of the Mt. Zion camp meet
ing riot. In that affray, William Crawford, col
ored, received pistol shot wound from when ne
died on the following Tuesday, and it was chars-
ed that the said wound was inflicted by George
Beckham. Messrs. Hart e. Hart appeared 1or
the defence; Mr.. Solicitor Mcdonald for the
State. The following jury was empaneled:
VIM. Whyte foreman; T. A. Gwyn, }. b. Lynn,
J. NJ Barnett, L. L. Packard John F. Oates, >.
K Carothers, S. S. Faris, J. NJ Sherer, Allen
Patten, Perry Anderson, J. P. Epps.
| Tho State introduced DR.. Crawford, who testl-
fled as to the nature of the wound inflicted upon
| the deceased and that the said wound was the
| cause of his DEATH
| Hunter Williamson, colored, testified that the
deceased was shot by George Beckham that
| Beckham first provoked quarrel with witness
and Crawford. During the quarrel the prisoner
snapped his pistol three times at Charner Deas,
and then pointing his pistol at Crawford fired,
saying, 1--WE got you.'
| Nelus Hinton, colored, testified: Beckham
fired first at Charner Deas, which witness saw,
but did not see the shot fired at deceased
| Charner Deas, colored, testified I saw VIM.
Crawford when he received his death wound.
He was shot by George Beckham, whom he
identified in the prisoners dock. The quarrel
began between Crawford and George Beckham.
Beckham struck at witness. He snapped his
pistol at witness three times, and the fourth
time he pulled the trigger the weapon discharg-
ed, but missed witness. At the time he fired,
| VIM. Crawford was twenty steps from the pris-
oner, to his right. Heard three shots.
Alec Garvin, colored, testified George Beck
ham shot William Crawford. Beckham and
William Crawford were in dispute when got
up to them. I saw the pistol in Beckham's
hand.
Mr.. Adams testified that the deceased re-
ceived his death wound on the 7th Of June and
died on the evening Of the 9th.
| The State rested.
For the defence, Joe Walker, colored, was in
troduced as the first witness. He described a
| SCeue VI TOckS StChS luS, diio d oIh'S
Of general confusion but could not tell who all
were engaged in throwing the rocks and bran
dishing the sticks. He saw George Beckham
lodging the rocks, and though he did not see
who fired pistols he heard the reports Of twelve
| or thirteen shots. George Beckham received
pistol shot wound Andy Neely was struck be-
fore the shooting. George Beckham was struck
several times before he fired. He was surround
| ed and could not make his escape with safety in
either direction.
Bob Stewart, colored, testified: 1 saw George
Beckham surrounded by q crowd who were
throwing rocks at him. 1 saw him draw his
pistol and snap it. There were fifteen or twenty
men around him, all throwing rocks. 1t SEEM
ed to him that there might have been some
whisky in the crowd. The rocks were thrown
before any pistols were fired. At one time the
pistol firing quite brisk. I saw Crawford
throwing rocks, and saw rocks strike George
3eckham before he fired.
Feemster Bratton, colored, testified: saw
George Beckham struck on the head with stick.
George was brandishing his pistol while he was
surrounded by the crowd who were throwing at
him. I saw rocks strike George.
VIM. Anderson, colored, testified: I saw per-
sons beating George, throwingrocks and chunks.
There was large crowd around George, shout
ing "kill him !" l saw Crawford stoop to pick
| up a rock about the time he shot. Several
were shooting at the time.
George Worthy, colored, testified: 1 heard
George Beckham speaking to the crowd to keep
off of him. They were throwing rocks at him
and beating him with sticks. I heard him fire
before he left the crowd. I saw Beckham struck
with stick before the pistol was fired.
DR.. White testified as to the wounds of George
Beckham-a pistol shot in thigh, bruises all over
his body, head and breast, lip cut, and that he
was also expectorating blood from wounds on
| the breast.
Emma Garrison, colored, testified that she saw
the difficulty and heard pistols fired, but did not
know who fired them.
Hamp. Witherspoon; colored, testified saw
the fighting. Several persons were engaged, all
attacking George Beckham, and beating him
with sticks and rocks. I saw him knocked
down with rock, after which he fired his pistol.
1 did not know Crawford. Three pistols were
fired at the beginning of the fghting-all fired
about the same time, and two of them almost 81
multaneously. George was struck before he
fired. Before the shooting, heard cries, "Kill
him kill him !"
Margaret Caldwell, colored, testified: Rocks
were thrown at George from every side before
the shooting commenced heard persons hol-
loeing, "Kill the id Yorkville ~
|
purport and went Ito say that fearing for his
own safety when the crowd threatened him be-
/ cause he Yorkville darkey, he assured
them that he was from Rock Hill.
George Beckham, the prisoner, was put upon
the witness-stand. He testified to the blows he
| received, and said he ran and endeavored to es-
cape from the crowd. Owing to the wounds he
had received and his excited condition at the time,
he had recollection of firing his pistol, but if
he did fire, it was while he was running from his
pursuers. He did not know William Crawford,
the deceased. He received the wound on his
head before any firing commenced, and after re-
ceiving that wound he could not see well. He
said he had no quarrel with William Crawford.
In reply the State put William Davis, colored,
on the stand. He said that when George Beck
ham drew his pistol he ran between George and
VIM. Crawford. When he first went up, Craw
ford was not speaking to George. There were
no rocks thrown until after George shot Craw
ford Georges first shot was aimed at Craw
ford and after firing the first shot he ran and
fired back on the crowd three times. After
George had shot Crawford then Crawford's
friends commenced throwing rocks. ~
With this testimony the State closed, and
Court adjourned until Friday morning:
On Friday morning the case was argued by
Major j. F. Hart for defence and Mr. Solicitor
Mcdonald for the State.
After being fully and clearly instructed by
the Court as to the law bearing upon the case,
the Jury, at o'clock, returned a verdict of gull
ty of manslaughter.
Motion for a new trial was argued at P. NJ,
by Major Hart for the defence, w. B. McCaw
Esq, representing the Solicitor.