Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-01-04
s. ca ,
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1883.
A FAMILY FEUD IN SUMTER.

x A FAMILY FEUD IN SUMTER.
I On Friday last a family feud in Sumter
eliminated in a general fight in the Office
of George E. Haynesworth, the trial jus.
tice in that town, by which he, an inno-
cent victim, lost his life, and five others,
participants in the fight, were severely
wounded. For some time there has been
bad blood between John R. Keels and
P. G.. Bowman growing out of legal pro-
ceedings. On the 4th of December Keels
and Bowman came to a personal collision
at B~ishopville, and Bowman was shot in
the hip. On Friday the difficulty was re-
newed in Trial Justice Haynesworth's
Office where the parties were preparing
bonds to keep the peace. While in the
trial Justices Office, the ARRAY occurred in
which knives and fire arms were freely
used, and which resulted in the wounding
of John r. Keels, his father D. E. Keels,
P. G. Bowman, K. Pennington and Walter
J. Hardy, and, as above stated, in the
death of George E. H~aynesworth, the
magistrate. It was the most terrible affair
of the kind ever known in Sumter, and
disgra ceful in the fact that all the partic-
ipants are men of prominence in the COM
munity, being lawyers, merchants or ex-
tensive planters.
The history of the difficulty is given as
follows by a reporter for the Nears and
Courier, who was sent to the scene of the
conflict:
The history of the affair, briefly stated,
~ n q rI1orr0
with John r. Keels, at Bishopville. John
r. Keels lives in Sumter, where lives also
P. J. Bowman, a cousin of P. G. Bowman,
Jr., of Bishopville. Bad blood has been
brewing between the Sumter Bowman,
the Sumter Keels, and the father of the
latter, D. E. Keels, who lives at Lynch
burg, neal Sumter. Several days ago the
two Keelses, it is said, were grossly in
suited on the streets of Sumter by John
Bowman, of Sumter, and since that time
the impression prevailed that there would
be q hostile, perhaps fatal encounter be-
tween the Bowman and Keels families.
It came on Friday afternoon at about 2
O'Clock in the Office of Justice Haynes
worth, who alone was killed, and, as is
generally believed, accidentally.
Mr.. D. E. Keels and a friend named K.
Pennington arrived in Sumter on Friday
morning with two shotguns. T: IT,. Bow,
man, of Sumter, was ready for them, and
he armed himself with a double-barrelled
shotgun and stood neal the Music Hall:
Bowman in fact said that he had heard
they were coming and went out to meet
them. Of these occurrences the CHER OF
police and the privates of the force were
fully cognizant. Owing to some change OF
intention which has not yet come out, the
elder Keels and Pennington put up their
guns at q livery stable and did not send
for them at any time during the day. All
this was about IL o'clock in the morning.
At about 2 o'clock, however, P. G.. Bow
man was arrested and asked to give a
peace bond, and so were the two keelses.
Unfortunately they all met at Haynes
worth's Office. A Mr.. Walter Hardy, OF
Sumter, was there, too, as a friend of Mr..
P, G.. Bowman, and Mr.. X. Pennington
was there with his friends, the Keelses.
It is certain that Hardy had a pistol in
Court, that Pennington had a pistol and q
knife, and that Bowman had a pistol. 1t
is still q question whether the Keelses
were armed when they went to get their
peace bond.
The process of making out the bonds had
not gone far when there was a fire opened
from four directions in the Office and in a
moment or two later Justice Haynesworth
was lying on the floor MORALLY wounded.
Bowman had his head crushed in by an
officers club and was wounded in the right
hand, the elder Keels was shot in three
places, Pennington, who has left Sumter, is
said to have been shot through the heshy
part of the back, and Hardy was cut in two
or three places on the head by Pennington.
II is not expected that any Of the par
Elephants in the ''battle," as it was called
in Sumter, Wilde. Bowman, John Keels
and Hardy are under bonds of 81 900 each
to appear at the Court of General Sessions,
and the elder Keels and Pennington will
also probably give similar bonds.
An inquest, in which Acknowledgement
Earle represents the State, is in progress,
the object being, if possible, to ascertain
who fired the shot causing the death of the
trial justice.
On Monday a mass meeting of the citi-
zens was held in Sumter and resolutions
adopted stongly ~deuouncing lawlessness,
condemning the practice of carrying pis-
tolls and urging an enforcement Of the law.
The c~oroner's inquest was resumed yester-
day.