The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-29
SHOT DEAD IN The STREETS
South CaTOlinianS Butcher Each
Other at BlaCkViIle.


Blackville S. c., Aug 2s.-This after
noon at 2:30 o'clock the bloodiest tragedy
| ever enacted in this quiet village oc-
| CURED on the main street of the town,
directly opposite the passenger station
| Solomon Brown, the 22-year-old son of
! Simon Brown, and John Gribben, of the
state dispensary coustabulary force, lie
! cold in death.
This double murder is the result of a
feud OF long standing. At the time when
| Iillman was first nominated for governor,
Gribben, then the town marshal was es-
| pecially active in his cause, thereby in
| curing the enmity of the conservative
| citizens of the town, who, in the ensuing
municipal election, supported and elected
| a council, the members of which pledged
! themselves in advance not TO appoint Crib
! ben town marshal. The members Of the
/ influential Brown family were earnest
! supporters Of the conservative faction
| and did much to bring about the defeat of
the man who favored Gribben's continu-
ance as town marshal. After his defeat,
and short time prior to the passage of
| the dispensary act Gribben posted a let
! ter rejecting upon Hebrews, which fur
! ther widened the breach. After his
| appointment as a member of the state
! Constabulary upon three occasions he
| opened packages consigned to various
members of the Brown family, which act
naturally engendered bitter feelings.
| To-day about o'clock p. N. he entered
the freight shed and opened a case of
| clothing from Baltimore consigned to
Solomon Brown, ostensibly to search for
| liquor brought into the state in violation
| of the dispensary act. Shortly after
| O'Clock Simon rown, the father, meet
! ing Gribben in the street. re-
! preached him for opening this par
ticular package, accusing him of
| persecution. The argument waxed
! warm, and Simon Brown was joined by
| his three sons, Solomon, lsadore and
| Herman. Gribben offered to fight any
one of them, and Isadore Brown, a youth
about 20 years of age, promptly accepted
the challenge, asking him to remove his
coat and official badge, Gribben at once
struck in the direction of Isadore Brown,
who parried the blow, knocking Gribben
against the wall Of George A. Stills
store.
At this juncture pistols were drawn by
Solomon Brown, Herman Brown and
/ Gribben, and six or seven shots were fired
/ in rapid succession. Gribben was shot
| through the left shoulder and near the
heart, the ball entering the left lung, and
he staggered into Mir. Stills store, firing
/ at Solomon Brown, who fell half way to
/ the ground at the first shot, which was
! quickly followed by two or three others
! One of them took effect in the head, pen
etrating the brain, another in the right
side, and third entered at the back, per-
forating the heart, causing almost instant
/ death.
Young Browns remains were carried
to his home by friends, who quickly
reached the scene Of the awful tragedy
/ Gribben, aftor being shot, walked through
Mr.. Still S store to the back yard, where
| he fell and died within ten minutes.
| Solomon Brown was the third son of
| Simon Brown and had recently em barkcd
in the furnishing goods business on his
/ own account. He was engaged to be
married to a young lady in Savannah
| Ca, and a beautiful home, to which he
expected to conduct his young bride, is
! now under construction. He was an
especially shrewd business man, popular
and courteous, and his untimely end is
deeply deplored by all who knew him.
John GriDben. the,dispensary constable
was a native of Ireland, about 40 years of
age. and came to Blackville as town mar
shal in 1887 and was regarded as a COM
| peteut officer but rather lacking in judg-
ment This position he retained under
several administrations losing il when
! he espoused the Tillman cause.
Before coming to Blackville he had
/ been successivelY a private in the
British army, in the United States ma
rne corps, from which he deserted, and
afterward in the Fifth United States Ar
tillery from which he was discharged
! He was an especially active member of
/ the constabulary force, and though es-
/ ueemed by the supporters of the dispen-
! sary act, his course had made him very
| obnoxious to those not in sympathy there
! with. He leaves a widow and four chill
! dren.
About O'Clock p. m, Coroner II. p.
/ DiChes, who it is asserted fired the shot
his store, impaneled jury to view the re-
mains of the dead constable. and pro-
ceeded 10 a grove near by TO hold the in
quest After examining Messrs. II. ID.
! Johnson, j. G. Strobel, and partially ex-
amining George A. Still, as witnesses to
more or less of the unfortunate aifray, a
communication from Solicitor G. Duncan
Bellinger was placed in his hands sug-
gesting that in view of the fact
that it was openly charged he
| had fired at least one shot
during the melee, it would be better that
he should not preside at the inquest. In
this opinion, however, the jury did rot
! concur, and insisted upon concluding its
duties.
The examination of Mr.. Still was re-
sumed, when bailif from the sherhs
Office notified the coroner that the sheriff
was on his way TO the inquest, which he
desired should be held by Trial Justice
! Hammet. Notwithstanding this Official
message. however, the jury persisted in
the performance Of its duties. Coroner
Diches, who had interrogated the wit
nesses as To whether or not they had
seen him fire a shot at Solomon Brown,
| and also if it was possible for Gribben TO
have shot young Brown in the back IN
the position they occupied respectively,
to which he received negative replies in
both cases, was not at all 10th to conduct
the inquest 10 an end, and evinced no
desire 20 exercise his prerogative 10 ad-
iOurn the proceedings
The examination Of Mr.. Still was again
resumed, when Sheriff Lancaster, accom-
panied by Trial Justice Hammet ap-
peared on the scene, and, summoninR the
coroner, drew an official document from
his pocket and placed him under arrest,
charged with the murder Of Solomon
Brown This gpuantipna1 dououQmant