The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-03-22
A True Statement OF the Shooting ARRAY
at Piercetown.

A True Statement OF the Shooting ARRAY
at Piercetown.
{ EDITORS INTELLIaENCER: notice in
your last issue an account of the shooting
affray which occurred on my place the 9th
inst, and I must say thae your infor-
mant whoever he was, is mistaken as to
how the difficulty occurred and how it
ended. had promised some parties at
Williamson, if they would come to
-Piercetown, that I would go bird hunting
with them, which they did on the evening
of the 9Th. I was compelled to be at
Williamson on the 9th. told Mr.. Kel-
ly, who is my foreman, that be could hunt
with the parties, and that would get
back from Williamson by or o'clock,
if could. Mr.. Kelly, that morning be.
fore he started hunting, ordered the hands
to go to plowing, and to keep the .ploWs
moving, and to never mind stopping to
pile the logs, as he would pile them him
self. On my way from Williamson
met the hunting parties at Capt. A. M.
Guyton's. l told Mr.. Kelly to take my
horse and buggy home, and to get my
pistol at the store and clean it up, as it
would not revolve, and I would hunt the
balance of the evening. Mr.. Kelly went
home, as told him, and found the horses
standing in the stables and the hands in
the field piling logs. Mr. Kelly went to
the field and told the hands to come on to
the house and go to plowing. Austin said
To Mr.. Kelly, after they had got to the
house, to tell Mr.. Williams if he was not
going to let him have pair of boots,
which he had asked for on Saturday, to
send him the money and he would get
them somewhere else. Mr.. Kelly then
went downto the store to carry some let
ters that gave him and to get my pistol.
Kelly took the pistol and went home, and,
after cleaning it up, sent his little son
back to the store to get five cartridges.
Kelly then loaded the pistol and shot one
load off in the yard. Kelly then went to
the field where the hands were pioWing
and was piling up some logs when Austin
came along, stopped and commenced talk
ing to Kelly. They had some words.
Three of the boys who saw it say that
Austin struck Kelly in the breast first;
one says he does not know who struck
first; Austin's son says Kelly struck hrst.
Four of them say that Austin took
rock from the ground and struck Kelly
on the head; some of them say that
Austin got the rock out of his pocket, and
the others say he picked it from the
ground. Kelly was struck on the left
side Of the head, which turned him
around, some say, as often as two or three
times. Kelly fired as he turned with the
pistol against Austin. The ball struck
Austin in the left side, about II inches
below the heart. DR.. Smith thought he
was shot through the right lung or liver,
or else the ball passed around the ribs to
the back. Austin went about twenty-five
Yards and laid down. Kelly then went
to him and saw that his clothing was on
FIRE, and put it out. he helped Austin up
and told him that he would assist him in
getting to the. house. When they. had
gone about fifty yards Kelly took sick and
Law down. Austin went on to The house
and lay down by the fire. When | got
there found Austin in Mr.. Kelly's house
by the fire. Kelly was still down In the
woods and had not got up. We got him
up and assisted him to the house.
This is as true statement as can give
of the whole affair, as had to take it from
the parties who saw it. Austin Is doing
we'll and I think he will recover, as he is
up walking about in the house.
N. BERRY WILLIAMS.