The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-02-18
WORK OF A BLACK BRUTE.
A coLoRED WOMAN ALMOST MUIR
DERED IN THE STREET.


"A Mysterious outrage-The Statement
of the Victim.
The community living in the immed!-
ate nelghborhood of st. Marks Chuch
OF Charleston, was startled Thursday
morning by the discovery that q most
brutal outrage had been committed near
the church, and that the perpetrator or
the deed had hidden his victim under
that building. From the News and
Courier we gather the following partlcu-
lars of the outrage: .'
.:The victim, Nancy Rivers. is a
t1ark-colered, almost black compieElon-
ed woman. about sc years old, who mas
the reputation .ot being quiet. STEADY
and respectable person. and is we'll
thought Of by her immediate nelghbors.
She and her family, CONSISTING of two.
mulatto girls, one about II and the other
about 9 years OF age, live in Mason's
court in a part.e the house occupied by
a colored woman named Mrs. Mason.
Nancy Rivers was married about live
years ago, but after short time she was
abandoned by her husband, who up TO "a
very recent period has been living from
place to place in Charleston, but is sup
posed to have recently left the city.
Nance Rivers for the past month or so
has been in the habit Of leaving her house
at 10 O'Clock at night and not returning
until s O'Clock on the following night.
This was explained TO aRcporter yestcr-
day morning by Carrie Bonnethcau, one
of the daughters Of Nancy Rivers. She
said that her mothers occupation was
= that Of a nurse and that she was ut the
time of the occurrence in the employ
ment of the Rev. Mr.. Porter. Usually
she cot home at s O'Clock from work and
spent the evening at home with the chill
dren. leaving the house at 10 O'Clock.
From the house she went directly to the
residence of Mr.. Mcintosh, on Warren
street, On the premises lives Louisa
Hazel, colored woman. Nancy Rivers:
: it is understood, went over every night
to sleep with Louisa Hazel. the, latter OF
whom had asked for this Kindness as a
protection to-. herself. From Louisa
Hazel's Nancy usually went directly to
the Rev. Mr. Porter's house, ,attended
to her duties, andreturning to her own
house in Mason's court, repeated the
same round Of visiting and working each
day. !. ...:r:
Carrie Bonnethcau, who is a very IN
telllgent mulatto 'gsrl, says that Nancy
Rivers came home ats O'Clock on We'd
nesday night, and having remained there :! e,
until 10 O'Clock she left the house az
--ff1aE moor Is -usts;tf to GO oyer to her
friends. LOUISA Hazel. Under the cir
cumstanccs her mothers absence during
the night produced no uneasiness: and
she knew nothing further antil the news
was brought to her that her mother had
been foully dealt with near st. Marks
Church. ~.
Just outside of the south railing OF st.
Marks Church, and about twenty PAGES
from the corner of Thomas and Warren
streets, a pool Of blood informed the
passers- by that some desperate deed had
been committed at that spot. Why
some information of the circumstances
was not given before 7 O'Clock is some
what curious. as the spot must have
been passed and repasscd by early Pc
destrians long before that time. The
blood lay near and under the railing,
and one passing along the side OF the
street on which the church is situated
could not have failed to discover it.
Who first passed is not known, but it
was discovered about half-past 7 O'Clock
by Rosa Mitchell, who told the Reporter
quite long and glib story of what she
knew about the case. She lives IN
two story house just across the street
from the church.. Her sleeping room is
upstairs, having one window opening
into the yard and one opening on the
street. She explained to the Reporter
that she is very tlmid person and alwvys
GETS up at the first crack" and cspe-
cially since the yard-dog died. She has
a horror of tramps, and considers that
she lives in very dangerous neighbor-
hood. She says she is both timld and
nervous. and consequently does not
sleep very soundly. She only knew
Nancy Rivars by name, but had heard
nothing Ihsparaging as to her social
character. She, like Carrie Bohnetheau,
was exact to the minute as TO her state
mcnts of the circumstances which she
described. Carrie said that her mother
left home exactly at 10 O'Clock. and
Rosa Mitchell said that her first know
LEDGE of the affair was obtained exactly
at halt-past 10 O'Clock. At that time
she said she was still sitting up in her
room overlooking the street. Her win
dows were closed in, except the one
looking out into the yard. Just then she
heard two faint screams, but as i was 4
noisy ncig ighborhood she only paid pass
ING attention to the circumstances.
Something, however, told her to go to
the window. and she went. She pushed
open the blinds and lookedout. 1t was
exactly hali-past 10; the moon had gone
down and the Gas lamps had been light-
cd. She could sec clearly across the
street. Ihc first thing she noticed WAS
man walking along the railing on War
In npftsI T. t,,r