The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-03-14
THE O'NEIL CASE.

! uS SuGAiOIlO OVoeISN law ~AAS ANA
lowing to say in reference to the ar
rest Of Chas. S. O'Neil, and unless
they have some special statutory law
in North Carolina, it is hard to see
how O'Neil can be held for trial:
O5serrsr readers will remember of
the arrest a year or so ago Of two
O'Neils-Will and Charles. They were
detained here charged with stealing
horses from a party in South Caro-
lima. They were sent under police
escort to Wirnsboro, and there the
mater was somehow fixed up. Moth
ing further was heard of the O'Neils
until Yesterday. Chas. O'Neil was
arrested in Winnsboro and will be
brought here 10 answer again to the
charge of stealing.
After leaving Charlotte and getting
cleared in Winnsboro. he went to De-
troit, Mich. There he got acquainted
with young man named Lee. He
bought three horses, paying the cash
down for them. Lee was also inter
ested in horses. O'Neil persuaded him
that there was much to be made in the
South on horses, and got him to
premise to come with him. He. mar
rried in Detroit and left night or so
after, leaving Lee to follow with the
horses. When they met here O'Nell
gave Lee one of the horses as payment
for his getting it down here, and not
having any ready money about him,
gave him draft for SAG on party in
Salisbury Lee went to Salisbury,
and. found that there was no such man
| in the county. When be got back he
found that O'Neil had taken all three
horses and skipped. Lee had, in the
meantime, secured position at the
Mecklenburs Iron Works. He mott
fed the police, the result Of which was
O'Neils arrest in Wiunsboro.
Will and Charles O'Neil were never
brought to Winnsboro under police
escort for stealing horses and their
case "somehow fixed up" as the
Observer states. We can't see how Lee
can reconcile the statement in the
Observer with his affidavit upon which
the warrant for O'Heirs arrest was
issued. In that affidavit Lee swears
that O'Neil stole three horses belonging
to him, and it seems from the O6servcr's
statement that O'Neil had merely
promised to pay Lee some money and
promised Lee one Of the horses in pay
ment. 1t is not clear that the horse
was ever delivered, and if not, it still
remained O'Neil's, and he couldn't
steal his own property.
Wednesdays Observer has the fol-
lowing additional information in ref
erence to this case:
Chas. O'Neil, who was arrested in
Winnsboro, S. c., by Mr.. John S.
Hall, on the charge Of horse stealing,
was brought here and put in jail. The
particulars as far az concerned the
statement of Mr. Frank Lee, were
given in Yesterdays Observer, and
we're correct except, says Mr.. Lee, in
the amount for which ONeil gave him
the check, which should have been
S125 instead of $46. The trial was set
for yesterday a ternoon before Squire
S. w. Davis, but O'Neil moved to
have it transferred to Squire Maxwell.
It was, therefore, postponed until to-
day at IL O'Clock.
O'Neil and wife were seen yester-
day afternoon. The former gave his
side of the story as follows: 81 ran a
sale and livery stable in Detroit, and
hired Frank Lee as an assistant. That
was in October. He worked for me
until I was ready to leave. l paid
him up and told him I was coming
South. He wanted to come, 20 l told
him he could come and take charge of
the horses on the way. I gave him
money to pay his and the horses way
to Richmond. We drove from there
to Danyille, and then l chartered a
car for the horses and my buggy.
Lee had charge oil them. I paid his
expenses on the car. When we got to
Charlotte. we went to Mr.. Smiley
Browns. The hor.es were put up
and Lee curried and cared for them
He had no claim to the horses whit
ever. -,
sI sent him to Salisbury to w: D.
Young, who lives several miles above
the town, to collect Sl25 for >; T.
King. was compelled to leave char
lotte, but before Lee went away he
went to the depot with me and saw
my boxes and trunks marked Wins
boro, S. c. If I was trying to run
away I would not have been likely to
show him where my goods were going
The day I went to Winnsboro | left Q
note for Lee, telling him to 60 to
Monroe, and from there to Winnsboro'