Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-05-02
FOUL MU RID Err
An Edgefield Man Murdered by
Negroes in Louisiana

Negroes In IOulSldud
The following account OF the
murder of Mr.. H. B. Boyce, late OF
this county, we clip from the
Vicksburg, La, Commercial Herald
sent us by Mr.. John NJ. Mays,
with whom Mr.. Boyce lived a
number of years before his de-
parture to Louisiana: "Mr. F. S.
Hewes, Jr., of Barnes, La, arrived
her. yesterday afternoon with the
first news of the dastardly and
treacherous murder of Mr.. H. b.
Boyce, manager of Col. W. B. Muir
doch's Banner and California
plantations, in Madicon parish, by
party of negroes who are now
fugitives and being sought in every
direction by posse of 100 armed
men. Details of the crime and the
occurrences preceding it are nara
ted as follows:
Mr.. Chas. Mcfarland, manager
of Mr.. r. F. Wards plantation,
had a difficulty with a negro
tenant named Joshua Hopkins,
last Friday, and started out that
evening, accompanied by Mr..
Boyce and Messrs. Bishop, Richard
Barnes, Asa Broadwater, and T. F.
Ward, all gentlemen Of the neigh
borhood, to find and arrest the
negro. They first went to his house
and then to his fathers, and not
finding him at either, started to
Shirley plantation in search OF
him. AS the party passed the
house of Pomp. Claxton colored,
the Iatter's dog ran at Mr.. Boyce,
who drew his pistol to shoot the
animal, but was urged not to do so
and fetrained accordingly. His
action, however, seemed 10 enrage
the negroes on the plantation to
an unusual degree, though this was
not known at the time.
The party went on towards
Shirley about two miles, when MIR.
Ward turned back and retraced
his way to Crescent plantation,
where Claxton lived. The others
went On to Shirley plantation and
thence to Tallulah.
Upon reaching Crescent, about
10 o'clock at night, Mr.. Ward found
five or six armed negroes in the
road, among whom he recognized
Pomp. and Shell Clsxton, Tom
Griffin and Scott Harvey. He
asked them what they were doing
and they replied that they did not
mean to be imposed on, and that
if Messrs. Boyce and Bishop re-
turned-tebulfdoze them they would
kill them. He talked to them and
by his remonstrances succeeded,
apparently, in dissuading them
from the course they were bent on
adopting; in fact SO thoroughly
was he satiafed of this that he pas
sed on and considered the matter
disposed of. The negroes, however,
had other thoughts in their minds,
as the sequel proved. Several
hours latter Mr.. Boyce and COM
panious set out on their return
from Tullulah, Messrs. Boyce
and Mcfarland were half mile
in advance Of the others, and were
halted on Crescent plantation by
the negroes, who fred on them.
Mr.. Boyce fell from his saddle, in
killed, it is supposed, four
teen buckshot having entered his
body, some of which passed
through from back to breast. Mr..
Ward. who was slightly wounded
in the face by the discharge, es-
capped to the woods.
The murderous shots were heard
by Messrs. Barnes, Bishop and
Broadwater, but did not excite
their attention, as shots we're fre-
1uently heard at night. They
failed to see Mr.. Boyce's body be-
cause it was lying twenty to thirty
steps from the road and proceeded
to their homes in utter ignorance
Of the tragedy that had been
enacted.
1t was not until nearly daylight