The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-04-11
DARLINGTON TRAGEDY.
A DESCRIPTION OF THE SCENE OF
THE RECENT BATTLE.
None OF the Testimony Before the Co,

None OF the Testimony Before the Co,o
nes's jury WIN be Gwen for Publication
Unit, che Case Is sCIosed-complexion on o.
the Jury. I.
DARLINGTON, S. c, April 4.-The
coroner's inquest into the terrible trag-
edy which has so powerfully stirred
this State, began this morning at &c
o'clock before Coroner Psrnell.
The inquest was begun in little
room at the depot Of the Cherew g. DAr-
lington Road. The room is about Il by
Is feet. The only door to it leads to
the platform on which the constables
stood when they were fighting with the
citizens. Within ten feet of it is where
Constable Pepper fell with bullet in
his heart. Fifteen feet away Is where
e lng Nornent drew his last breath,
and twenty five short steps to the
West on the railroad track, is where
Redmond fell dead.
The. only furniture in the room is
stove, together with a number Of the
usual seats seen IN railroad station,
seats divided by small iron bars. The
room has long been used as waiting
room for passengers. The ceiling at
difereLt places is cracked. Two win
do~s on the South side look out on
Northeastern part of the city and the
houses OF the people close together at.
ter it is passed. A little slot in the wall
is where the passengers put their mon
ey through to get tickets.
do not believe that description has
ever been given Of the scene OF the bas
tie. 1Gwouid not make an enchanting
picture, but in view of the absorbing
interest taken in anything connected
With the affair / will attempt TO tell OF
it. Picture TO yourself brick depot,
probably Seventy-6ve feet long. Two
tracks of the Cheraw and Darlington
Road run right in front Of 1t, the plat
form Of the depot being within six
inches of one track. Just opposite, the
distance separating it 5eisg that Of the
two tracko, Is long platform. It IS
a ont four feet of the ground. Part OF
it is covered, but is open on the sides.
Under the covered portion is stored
few sacks cf guano B. sides these are
two pair of trucks an6 pair OF scales.
a huncre6 va. ds away is the Darling
ton Phosphate Works and in the rear
are small stores and few dilapidateG
buildings.
The depot IS like that seen in most
towns Of its size One end of it, and
the largest, IS used for freigh purposes.
The Other is for the passenger business
Over one Of the large freight doors is
white sign board with the word "Dar-
npgton" painted in black letters on it.
Over the door of the room where the
inquest is IN progress is this sign board
"Wadesboro 55 miles. Darlington.
Florence 10 miles"
Nearly under this sign board is where
the colScableS were standing when the
fighting began. On the railroad track
to the West are spots Of blood, almost
covered by sand. This blood was shed
by Redmond. Pepper was killed near
the Southern end of the platform and
Mr.. Nornent fell between the two.
was told today that Redmond was
killed By the constahles under the 1m-
preston that be was G. S. Mccullough,
the president ef the phosphate works.
It is said that Mr.. Mccullough hred
the second shot in the affssy. The con
stables knew this and were cnxIous to
kill him.
Going toward the town from the de-
pot is a sandy street and it is over q
mile to the heart Of the city. It can
thus be seen how the constables had
time to get away before the infuriated
citizens could get from the city to the
depot and begin pursuit. It took sew
eral minutes before the news reached
the town and it took longer for the peo-
ple to arm themselves and start on the
hunt. The constables aVailed them
selves of this time and fed across the
opsH country to some woods half
mile to The Northwest.
In the absence of E. Keith Dar-
gan, who went to Columbia, Geo. ".
Brown appeared as the attorney to
represent the civil authorities and de-
velop the testimony for that side. Mr.
Dargan is expected to return this al
ternoon. No attorney for the State
was on hand, although it was said that
the Solicitor of this circuit had been
telegraphed for and was Supposed to be
on his way here.
After the calling of the jurors Attor.
ney Brown announced to the Coroner
that be was ready to begin the examin-
alton of witnesses. Mr. Brown SAID he
took it for granted that If witnesses
are absent the inquest would be post.
poned from day to day until they ap,
peared.
Mr. Brown in luired of Coroner Par
nell II he had issued warrants for the
constsbles and was informed that he
had. This, therefore, puts all tue con-
stables in the position Of defendants.
Up TO this time no warrants have been
sworn out for citizens.
Coroner Parnell is about so years old.
he is about FIVE feet, nine inches high
and has q partially gray moustache.
He carried in his hand this morning q
small Testament and statute book.
The Jurors drawn by nim are as fol-
lows: j. G Mccall, foreman. mer
chan; 2. E. Cooper, brickmason; &
n. Hill, clers; J. Il Andersoo, factory
operative; 2. e. away, factory op-
orativ-; I. J. By IN, c,erk; j. D. Null
drew, Druggist; Z. r. Pierce, butcher;
E w. Sutton, photographer; e. +.
Pierce, farmer and butcher; Abner
Gibson, carpenter; J. A. Smith, auc-
tioneer.
Iasked he corner if he knew the po-
liticsI COO plexinn of the jurors. He
said that three IF then are supposed to
be Tlhmapises, two Republicans, three
doub,f fol ard the o herS straighrouts
Ore of the jurors is a colored man.
Win the jury of twelve clsizans sat
a piilitary cour; Of ,uquiry, as it is
calleh, i've mllitiameu appointed by
GEL Rlcn bourg at the instance of Gov
ernor f1llman. Taesr g-uslemeD, Caps.
J. 4. Money, Bur!er GuaJds; Capt. 81 j.
j. Harvey, Gordon L:gas Dragoous;
Sergeant J. c. Cooper, Sa!ley Riffs; Ger
porJ d. Mi!-seral, HaGpt.u GUARDS,
u Z ~ r