The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-12-12
RUN DOWN AT LAST.
One of the Copes a1urdercrs Captured and
Jailed.

Jailed.
D. c. Murphy, native of the Fork,
was arrested at Sheldon, not far from
Port Royal, on last Wednesday,
charged with being one of the assassins
of the late Treasurer Copes.
D. G. Weeks, B. L. Lambert, A
Fisher aud T. D. Mitchell performed
the detective work which has resulted
in the capture of Murphy. That he
is guilty is clear beyond question to
their minds. The story as related by
the detectives is as follows: About
two weeks after the murder they had
secured evidence that pointed to Muir
ply as one of the guilty parties and
they had good reason to believe that
he was in Paltaka, Fla. Lambert
went to that town and after investiga-
ton traced him back to South Caro-
lima.
1t appears that Murphy was con-
stantly on the move. Lambert fol-
lowed his trail into Barnwell County,
thence to Georgia, into Screven Coun-
ty, back into Florida again, and then
to South Carolina a second time. At
no time. however, could Lambert To-
cate his man less than three weeks
and that was on his second visit to
Palatka, which was on the 30th of
November The detectives then learn
Ell that Murphy had left there about
three weeks before Returning to
this State Lambert continued his
search and at last located his man at a
little station named Sheldon on the
Port Royal and Augusta Railroad,
about fourteen miles from Beaufort.
Accompanied by Fisher and Mitchell,
Lambert left Denmark on last Tues
day, went to Port Royal, where Tria
Justice Rogers countersigned his war
rant Weeks got off at Sheldon
where hes kept a lookout for Murphy.
Before the return of his colleagues
Weeks saw his man enter little
store kept by the negro postmaster of
the place and arrested him Upon the
return of the other detectives Murphy
asked that they 60 with him to where
he was living. The place was about
a mile and half from the station.
They found there a little cabin in
which he had been living for the past
two weeks and in which there was a
pretense of a grocery business, but
which was really blind tiger for the
illicit sale of whiskey; in other words
Murphy, or as he was known there.
j. T. Shoemaker, was keeping blind
tiger. About SIS worth of groceries
were in the front part of the cabin and
the Tiger" in the rear. An old negro
woman. blind in one eye, was in
charge Of the place.
Murphy was brought by his captors
to Denmark on Wednesday night
where he remained in the guard house
until Thursday morning He was
then brought to Orangeburg and turn
ed over to Sheriff Dukes. The Sheriff
thought that his prisoner was not safe
in Orangeburg County, and as pre-
cautionary measure deemed it best
that he be carried to Columbia. The
Governor was telegraphed to inform
ing him that the prisoner would be
sent to Columbia for safe keeping, and
W. Hampton Dukes, Deputy Sheriff,
accompanied by the four detectives,
carried the prisoner to Columbia Thurs
day night Sheriff Cathcart having
been notified met the train, and the
prisoner, who was handcutfed, was
conducted to the Jail and locked up
by Jailer Coleman.
Murphy is an ill-looking fellow,
having the appearance of pickpocket
or foot pad He is lean and slender, |
about six feet high when erect, but
has a slouching gait and STOPPING car
riage. His face is mean and hard
looking, a thin, straggly black nous
tache hangs over a mouth that stands |
open nearly all the time and gives |
him hunted, run down look 4
chin beard an inch long, also thin
and straggly, does not add to his per-
sonal appearance. He is about %
years old. His reputation before the
commission of his crime was most I'M
SAY DRY. He had been in trouble be-
fore on account of his rascality in
Orangeburg and had mad, himself
scarce in those parts for some time.
He was born and raised about two
miles from where the murder was
committed. He had not been seen in
the neighborhood for over year be-
fore the crime and his whereabouts
were unknown. 1t has transpired that
he had returned about a week before
the murder, but did not make his ap-
pearance to those who were familiar
with him. He had kept away from
his acquaintance, but that he had
accomplices is certain and they knew
Of Treasurer Copes's collection and
made up the plot to murder him be-
forehand.