The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-01-09
CRIME IN YORK COUNTY.

CRIME IN YORK COUNTY.
The Confession OF Cowartlly Muir
dercr aud the Record OF a Youth
Ruined by Dime Novels.
Atlanta onsti ution.
YoRKvILLE, S. c., Jan. 2.-The Con
stitution's correspondent to-day visited
q negro prisoner to whom JEFF Craw
| ford, who killed Mr.. d. p. Blackburn
recently, has been talking. Watson is
in jail on the charge of stealing quar-.
ter of beef from another negro, and, OF
| course, denies the charge. He is well
| acquainted with Crawford and the
sheriff has made them cell-mates. II
seems that Crawford, who is wary OF
outsiders, has grown confidential with
Watson. In answer to questions, Wat
son told the Constitutions correspon-
dent the following story:
Last night Crawford says to me,
Monroe, If you won't tell, I'll tell you
something | says, won't tell, and
Blackburn. Sam Fouzler done it. Me
and Sam followed Mr.. Blackburn into
the woods and Sam shot him. Mr..
Blackburn started to run and caught
him and held him until Salu shot him
again. Mr.. Blackburn still wasn't
killed, and then Sam cut his throat
with my razor and got stick and beat
him on the head with it. We got $73
out of his pocket. We took $14 sapiece
and Sam kept the other $45. He has
got it now When we got through
with Mr.. Blackburn our clothes were
bloody, and we went toward Rock Hill.
corner of the old saw-mill on the Char
lotte, Columbia and Augusta railroad,
three miles below Rock Hill. When |
got back home | hid my razor on the
sill of my house. [ told the woman
what | went to see in Rock Hill, to tell
them that came to her house between
and o'clock"
After hearing Watson's story, had
talk with Crawford, but he was not
disposed to know anything. Upon ask
ing if he knew Of saw mill three
miles below Rock Hill, he looked con
fused and said there was no saw mill
there. He was asked what he did with
his razor. HI replied, 81 left it at
home on the cAair."
Parties have gone to the saw mill to
look for the clothes and will also search
under Crawford's house for the razor
They have not yet made their report.
The people of tho neighbOrhood in
which the murder was committed are
still very much excited over the hor-
rible affair. Although as yet there
has been no effort to get up Il lynching
party, the probabilities that the negro
will 1.-Two to be tried are not very great.
Augusta Chronicle.
YORKVILLE, S. c., January 2.-ThC
Chronicle correspondent to-day visited
the county jail to interview Chas. j.
III It'll
a negro named Callie Douglass. in Rock
Hill last Wednesday night.
Miller is about 20 years of age and
has face that would be strikingly
handsome, were it not for the frowning
and recklcssncss, which are beginning
to stamp on his features the character
of a veritablc Jesse James. When ask
ed about the killing he talked freely,
and referred to it as though it were q
matter Of small concern.
Il had been quarreling with this
follow Douglass he said, land turned
oil to leave him, telling him that he
must not follow mo. | walked perhaps
IL hundred yards, and hearing some
Douglass. Just as turned he stopped
and picked up a rock. | asked him il
he was picking up that rock to hit me
He said-you, yes. | had my pistol in
my pocket and pulled it out and fired
three times. don't think I hit him
but once, though. He walked back a
few steps and fell and / turned in az
alley and ran away. | did not run foi
fear Of being arrested, but there were
several other negroes there, and
could not wait to kill any more o.
Of them. | walked out of town about
three miles and laid down and went tt
sleep. Aftor while [ got cold an(
woke up. and then [ went back to Rucl
myself up. 1t was purely a case of self
defense. and | think | was fully justi
fed in killing the fellow"
Testimony developed ut the jury o
inquest pretty nearly colroborates Mil
ler's story. 1t seems that Miller wa
visiting Douglass sister at a house o
i'll repute, and Douglass went to th,
house to get his sister away. The
quarrel ana killing grew out of thi
circumstance.
Miller is an orphan. His fathe
died about ten years ago and left hin
in charge of his mother, who after
wards married a drunken fellow, ant
tho boy from then until now has seel
hard times.
BY the reading of dime novels an,
other such literature young Miller de
vclopcd strong propensities toward out
lawry. Some time ago he opened
barrOom at his home in the country
and sold large quantities of liquor il
defiance Of the law.
He has dono time in the county jail
After serving his term he secured
position as guard over the convicts Il
thd Rock Hill stockadc, and has eve
since been adding to his reputation a
Il rather desperate character
--szza> o.. E.