The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-06-28
Anderson's Sensation.

AnderSon's Sensation.
For several days past our usually quiet
little city has been stirred from center to
circumference with excitement, and espe-
cially so since last Saturday afternoon,
when Mrs. NJ. E. Reese was arrested un-
der two charges of arson.
AS is we'll known, since Christmas our
city has had several fires, which, it is be-
lieved, we're the work Of an incendiary.
Mrs. Reese was suspicioned as being the
guilty party, but few weeks ago COM
mittee of our citizens investigated the
charges against her and published card
stating, in substance, that these suspicious
were ill-founded.
The fires had occurred, and the senti-
ment of our people was in favor of ferret :
ing out the matter and finding out who
was guilty of the crime. Everybody was
of the opinion that the City Council should
engage detective to investigate the burn
ings. The Council secured a detective,
but his presence in Anderson was not
known until few days ago. He had
been here two or three weeks, and when
he thought he had secured sufficient evil
dence to make out q case, he made himself
known as G. W. Shackelford, of shackel-
ford's Detective Agency, Macon, Ga. Mr..
Shackelford made his report to the City
Council last Saturday, and upon that re-
port Mrs. Reese was arrested.
The warrants were issued by Justice
Quattlebaum. The preliminary hearing
began Saturday afternoon about o'clock.
The prosecution is represented by Brown
& Tribble, and the defense by Murray,
Breazeale &Murray. The investigation
is conducted on both sides with a great
deal of interest. There are about thirty
witnesses to be examined in each case.
Only a few have been examined so far,
and all The evidence thus far brought out
is purely circumstantial, and too volumi.
nous for US to undertake to give There.
The first case taken up was the arson
case for burning Mr.. Seel's stables. The
preliminary hearing was adjourned from
Saturday evening to Monday morning,
and then continued all day Monday, and
in the afternoon adjourned over to Tues
day morning, without having more than
taken half the evidence,
On Tuesday morning about sunrise Mrs.
Reese was missed from her home aad
search was at once instituted for her. It
was soon discovered that she had gone in
the direction of Rocky River. Various
opinions were expressed as to her inten-
ton. The search was kept up until near
o'clock, when she was found in the
branch running from the depot toward
the river, near the river, lying on her face,
almost dead from strangulation. She was
taken out, cared for and soon resuscitated.
1t would have taken only few minutes
longer to have ended her career in this
world. There was nothing more done in
the case Tuesday or Wednesday.
Mrs. Reese is also charged with arson in
setting fire to Mrs. Bewley's house. That
case has not been reached yet in the. pre-.
liminary hearing. She has also been ar
rested on the chargeof forgery, i'll which
it is alleged that she forged an order to
Mr.. Chapman's store with Mrs. Trow-
bridges name to it. This has not yet been
Investigated.
There is great excitement over the mat
ter. Many think Mrs. Reese is q lunatic,
while some seem to think different.
Gustav Frank, another detective who
has been in the city for some time, was ar
rested Monday morning on charge OF
attempting to induce q witness to swear
falsely by offering him rewards. The pre-
liminary wasN set for Tuesday, and his
bond fixed at $500. He, after some effort,
failed to find bondsmen in Anderson,
whereupon he telegraphed to Charleston,
and in few minutes he had the cash to
deposit for bail, and was released from
custody.
The preliminary was heard before JUS
tice Wardlaw on Tuesday. Wesley Van
diver, colored, is the person whom
Frank is alleged to have attempted to
suborn. Vandiver testified that the de-
fendant came to see him, and after find
ing out what he knew in reference to Mrs.
Reese sending an order to Chapman's
store for some goods by Tom Norris, col
ored, told him if he and Tom would not
swear that Mrs. Reese gave Tom the
note, he would see that they wore both
taken care Of Other witnesses were also
introduced. The hearing was not con-
cluded until Wednesday morning, when
Justice Wardlaw announced that he
would reserve his decision for awhile.
Just as we were going to press Justice
Wardlaw informed US that he had dis
missed the case on the ground that there
was no suit or case pending when the at
tempt was made.