The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-01-29
THE KILLING OF ANTHoM NELSON.
-E.e Town E-sccts%c* s:.a = E.itil" Eiash
of Whisky --- sSn;l SresieS a: ti:c
Home CT flsc lsrcCaScSi.

| of whisky -.- ssna scenes ~ ta:e
Home OF fhc DrceaScsi.
| Anihom Nelson, who lived Il little more
than four miles lru,n The village, on ti:r Nose,
ley Ferry road, was shot ana Eltitli ttst
| Wednesday afternoon and fell II corr 50 wli'il!l
hi, OWE door, and his wife lc.i Suiiei lnS :rol'i
a gun shot wound in the lead.
The fact uf Tie killing OF tic hu>lInd ana
th" wonnd:ng OF the vii" was >,'t'Il h"'>.W
ahroatl. ;ind ;,IlauSt before IL Was Hh""n INA,
| he had lett town. the news of his death WAS
being told on oar S.rrrtS.
Mr.. Nelson haI lett the village only II few
hours before and hose Who saw iiln al noon
| were limos; unwilling to credit the report.
| iiut the evidence WIS SslIt !n@, ana some "I
our people went that night 10 the Scehe "i
| blood and death. $500 |
| notified, and that q jury had already been
| summoned. NGicr viewing The dead boGy'
ana hearing no evidence. they returned 1t NcI-
| lict To the effect that Nelson came 10 MS
| Ir:.,b from cunshut wounds Inflicted by per-
SOuS unknown to them.
| en- Thurs,iny morning the editor OF the
Press uHd Bunn"r hired one OF I'm y sons on!
iorSes and bu..irS. and Sooa dr"Tt 10 tlG
i;uiue OF the deceased whose Douy WAS sun
waiting the coming Of his brothers before De-
ing buried. ,,,,o, -,
unusually sad scene was presented. The h"au
IF The family was d,Id. rhe wife lay serious
iy injured by q gun shot wound. SHipp2l;l,S'
ing livnds and sliilitu! doctors were minister
[ . =
voung 10 realize the situation. p'ayrd about
ihe house and yard in innocent Slce, all un-
conscious of their great loss.
sir. Nelson and ills family iiau onlE EiIciy
moved 10 this house, bat everything indicated
,hul the occupants were industrious ana sell
respecting people. The farming !,ius lau al
.catly received attention, looking To the grow,
n~ Of Il crun. IhC garden had been enclosed
1y BRIGHT new p:lliugs. The lot fence hili
been built anew. Guano lay IN sacks uho;r
ihe h0u>c, and IL new plough stock WAS mere.
Vt the recently replenlshed w"ou p'le "S
Au this the recent work of those hands
,ghich now lay in the embrace OF 0cath.
fhrse surroundings and the chlldrcii'S Toys,
that Law scattered III the yard together with
heir own pretty faces, and tnc'f Hl!c"iit!:inn-
neat appearance, made up scene Wnicn
Has enough To have touched even 4 hcait Vi
stone. ., ., ,
The coroncr's jury, whose duty il was 10 en-.
luirc into the cau.c of this death, say t!'ili
;nrv do not know who did The shooting, ana
i is not for Us to say VINO az az H. ana VIC
would not attCmpL to say VINO ula IL.
i;ut the air is full OF rumorS us 10 now An
thOrn Nelson came to his death, ana we pre-
,umc ii may not be amSS TO mention S"ii': 90 Oh
hem, without III any way Fouehiii9 ioi 'Iio
correctness of any OF them. m r.,
Mr.. Nelson came tc town THURSDAY. BUY
+. the ut cdcd articles, lie loaded them on MS
WAGON. Before going out OF town. ne con
rludrd TO buy Il pint oi whisky. Taking The
,hiSky in his pocket. ne went nome: Oh the
way, he drank Il portion OF 1t. Grlt'EE nome
It was discovered that he had lost nc pnA ,1
Nnch contained something for ms WIG. ne
yas i'm liquor, and being in liquor he was lis
uaIly uisi,grcrable to his wife ana always Dan.
crTOus to those WHO may nave crossed hlin'
lie was killed by heavy ioau o. Sliot 'ioi ihn
.un III the hands of persons unkno%l 10 tne
;ury. The wife has serious Wounu III uie
forehead. Nothing is known certainly aS 10
r.lo did the shooting, but IL II suriillSed tiIl
Selson, craZed by drink, may have scared ms
vile so that in sheer tear, she may nave iilS'
.not him and then attempted her own ne.
But the jury did not believe lhat she uid inc
Hut Whatever rlay be the details Of this
tragedy, which has sent a thrill OF sorrow u
30 many hearts, We presume that no one
,luubts that that htllc flask OF WHISKY nr'uShi
bout the fatal result. Mr.. Nelson was ~ k!hd
md ai!cctiona; husband. She was 0cro!ru
md loving wife. They had been married
som, six years, and, except when MI. Nelson
r:,S in whisky, they Ncre as happy aS the lN-
..ra.c lot OF rnGrtaIs in this world. lie pro
yitCd well lor lis family. and the wife dld hcr
Dart nobiy. They had two as nice !ittic ooyS
I. could be found anywhere, anu the neat APP
ocarlucu of their home reminded one OF lae
,tOry-Icllcr'S tales OF lorc i'll & cottage
That little flask of whisky has deprived 40.
Dcvillc county of II citizen, ana has hladc Il
GOOD woman q widow, and Two Ilttle uoSS arc
:;lthcrcSs. ..,
Eut what matters that to the tnwnSpcoplc,
who received the money for licensing the S;llc
# the whisky which did the mischicf. Ihcy
rave t%o thousand dollars in cash, but that
poor man is in his grave. THAT distressed
vdinw is mourning. Those helpless children
,rn dcnrndrnt on others than their Natural
Yro,ccior and guartiiun--;lud al that the town
council of AbGcvi!le might have license Ices
TO lessen our street taxes.
As everybody in Abbcvillc knows, the pro-
hibitnry law went into effect on tic lirst Jay
If January, 1Sso. For SIX months nni
nure than about onc.ci.h nth of the whisky
wns sold that mad been sold under The license
system. Drunkenness was almost unknown
anon" our people. iiut in the Fal ol the
year whisky was, TO some extent, Snld on the
sly Later on the sales increased. IL was
,lirn determined to ask the LCgiS'aturc TO re-
neul the proh!biIory law. The food gates
seemed open. Whisky was sold without
seeming restraint, and license was granted on
January, 1890 Drunkenness has Increased
irarfuly. . ,
In December one man, under the Influence
IF LIQUOR was SO badly burned that lie died.
lie lett a family OF dependent children.
In January we record one ra:!i So seriously
iriured from, gunshot wound ,":,t lie will be
il he'd for months, and may nr'rr r,.iircly re-
cover The killing Of HIr. - :'ah laSl
Wcdnc cSday is the latest RESULT.
Doesn't IL n0W lock like cur st:eI'S were DC
:,g worked iy b;,'ud i;IOa"y:
But no matter wiiti IL looks Ike. SO long
:is the tuwn~lrOplc GCt Tie nl"n' !nr licenses.
weak people, who ctnnol resist Inc tt:'irta'
tion t. drink, may look out for themselves.
Anihom Nelson married Miss - Gillian
of this cnunty six yeas 40. she is h" sister
of the AIpSsrS Gillian Brothers, who :9c ac-
tive, energetic working people. IheI run ma
chincry and earn Il competency, and the sis
terS are cOmely and wGrity women. Their
large circle of relatives and friends arc IL
great sorrow for the distressing event that has
6elui!cn The deceased and his family
-------.sc- o-~--------------