The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-05-07
MORE BLOOD At ABBBVLLLB.
THE DEADLY WORK OF KNIFE AND PISTOL
Donald Douglass IL Dead. and Frank
LeMnSwell IL in PrecariouS con-
tlition...What Happened Last Sat
urday Night.

Since the last issue OF this paper, the streets
of Abbeville have been the scene of another
bloody deed, and our slae Walks nave uect
made red with the lite-blood OF Il youth, !
stripping, the prop and stay OF his widowed
With terrible knife wound in his body. Il
young man Of mature years, Il strange
among us, with handsome lace ana nooiI
bearing, now lies hoVerlnS oet"eeh ille s''i"
death. -. :,
Donald Foster Douglass received a pI, piSt"i
shot wound in his forehead on Snturuaa
night. The ball penetrated the nralm' al, any !,
passed to the back Of the head. He fell WIN
u mortal wound at twenty minutes past tlrs
en- o'clock, and struggled on for one priei
hour, when all was over win i,t r,sha a., tho same
instant Frank Letling"ell received ueeI
knife wound in the body, fourteen Inches IN
length, from which his bowels protruded as
he fell upon the street. ,
Abe Dubie was shot IN the face, the ball
passing out however, without infltctinga Il III
"a The place where this scene of blood occur
red was at the intersection of the street leatl.
Ing from the Jail to Main street. IN 'front.' OF
the home of Mr.. j. NJ. Ganbrell-the 'orihel
residence of Rev. Robert y. Fair. ,,..
lin To that time the streets were unusually
Quiet tor Saturday night. Everything seem
ed peaceful and sober, anc no prenoil'lWUiii Wi,t %
the impending trouble had been given. WIN
out a word OF warning four pistol shots rang
out. in the night air, clear and terrible. Inc
conimotion that followed gave assurance tha'
hurt had been done The words: '5e quick:
Run tor the Doctor" were uttered IN paininl
accents, and quickly as possible one Of the
party ran for Doctor Harrison, and as ne
neared his office cried out: "Be quick, DOG
tor; bring everything with you; TWO , men ana ND
under such circumstances, set To moving I'LL
such of our fellow citizens as heard them.
In little while the Doctor. anu others were
lay unconscious on the side walk, with Pis'
toi ball In his brain, and bleeding proinSely.
He was carried to the piazza OF Mr.. Cam,
brells house, when the experienced eyes ol
that they could do nothing Tor him.
Drs. Harrison and Neutftr then went to the
man whose bowels We're protruding from Tue
most ghaslly wound that any OF tnose pres. pres
ent had ever seen. He was placed on IL litter
aud carefully carried TO the restaurant Kept
by Thomas Burgess. The Doctors cared l9i
him with all the skill and tenderness at thell
command, and the chances are that he may
recover. ,
While Frank Leffingwell was being taken
to the boarding house message was sent 10
Mrs. Douglass, TO the effect that ''her son was
badly wounded, and she ought to come al
once" When she reached his PROSTATE form
the end was near.
1t is not for US to speak Of mothers grief
under such circumstances, nor SnouIu we
speak OF the thrilling effect OF her voice anu
her words, when she beseeched her dying boy
whose ears were even now deal 10 earlnIy
sounds, to TASK God to forgive ms s,hs' u
Her an Xiety to contribute to his comfort
could have been suggested only oy mother
love. She first of all crared Il Doctors pres
ence. Then she wanted various littie thinSr
done for him. His shoes she wanted removed
with care, and gently, so as not to give MN
pain. She wanted cover Tor hilI Har
wanted other little attentions for himIn!l nm ~
this within the extremely short time that he
lived after she came.
At $50 o'clock on Sunday morning Trial
Justice Wardlaw organized inc Jury "l LII III
quest, when each member OF the jury was
asked to view the body. When this was done,
the jury were adjourned until nine O'CLOCK
Sunday morning.
the tragedy took place, many OF our clllHchS
knew nothing OF the occurrence until Snnuit!
morning., when crowds OF whites and blacKs
could be seen on the Public Square at an ear
ly hour. manifesting Interest to Know inc
facts They continued 10 stand and talk.
When the jury of inquest weGt up stairs 10
the Court Room, at ten o'clock, great muiti,
tude assembled, to hear the testimony lhal
Was 10 be given. II seemed Us II everybody
Was there-Sant and sinner-each ana all ieil
an interest In the matter, and IL may be tnat
the unfortunate death of the youth has n' no'
been without benefit and without II whole-
some warning to others.
We publish the testimony, as delivered 10
the jury, which will be read by many "i our
people with painful interest, Ihls trnsGiay,
and the facts which led up to 1t, can not ial 10
impress moral lesson that VIII nave more
force than could any sermon which we mi: III
preach from the sad event We have o:leh
spoken Of the evils of intempcrance, auu we
have before this time recorded some oi The
terrible occurrences that may have been AT
tributed 10 whiskey. We believe il Is admit
ted that some OF the parties TO this sad affair
were in liquor. and 1t is said that some OF
them were perfectly sober. 1t IS not known
if the fifteen-year old boy had taken any II.
Quor at all. and IL seems that he took no Parl
in provoking the tragedy. lie was merely
the subject OF an accident. AS far as we nave
heard, there Is no difference OF opinion on
this point. He was LlameleSs. except IN the
fact that he was on the streets at time oi
night when good boys should be at home
Reader, IL your son Is safely removed from
temptation and danger. you have reason fof
selfcongratulatiOn. AS far as we kno", Don.
aid Douglass was not a bad boy. He was iui
of life, and enjoyed the company OF friends
and associates. He worked in the QuariitS.
with other wurkmen. on the new railroad,
and, when lie met his death, was on the way
from the public square TO the camps.
The amount of drunkenness Is alarming,
and the frequent firing OF pistols on oni
upon our streets at night. No man has per-
feet immunity from the dangers OF stray
ball. Even last Saturday night stray balls
came very near 10 persons not In any way
concerned In the deadly occurrence. Bui
what matters that? The town OF AboeVll!e
has licensed the drunkenness and we have
s. 0O0 To spend upon identifying the very
streets and side walks that may at any IN
siant drink the li[e-biood OF any unfortunate
fellow-citZen.