The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-11-27
A Girl Found Dead.
MURDERED AND LEFT EXPOS
ED IN AN OPEN FIELD
FOR WEEKS.
4 Prey to Buzzards---rhe Body
Decomposed and Then Dried
Into a Mummy by the
Suns Heat.
Daiiy Item. Nov. 25.

came to light on Saturday afternoon, and
since that tine Coroner Commander has been
a. work unearthiug the mystery. AS yet he
has not learned all the particulars, but
enough has been ferretted out TO satisfy him
that bloody crime was committed, and the
evidence points so stroagly to Brac9 Dargan
as the gully party that he was arrested yes
,erday and placed in Jail for safe keeping un-
I'll the whole matter could be thoroughly ln-
vestigated.
Saturday afternoon darlington Glover.
colored, who was at work repairing an old
house near the Stateburg road just beyond
the poin. where the Providence road diverges
from it, in crossing an old field between the
house and road discovered the dead body OF
girl lying in the open field neer a clump OF
dog fenuel The oody had heen exposed to
the elements for go many days that
tue flesh bad became shrunxen and
blistered by the sun until it had more
; the appearance Of al Egrp:isn mem~y than
any,k:-g else. TIE bazz.rds had torn
portion OF the clothing from the body and
eaten the stomach and hesh portions OF me
thighs. 1t was evident that the person bad
been dead for several weeks and that, lying
as it did, exposed to the sua and rain for
such length of time, had passed through the
first stage OF decomposition. and uuder the
intense heat of the sun bad begun to dry up
erd mummify.
The body was horrible object to con-
template, and the discovery Of II, so une1-
pectedly aud 10 such an exposed place,
scarcely huodred yards from frequently
travelled public road, was more than sutti-
cient to unuerve and teyrify the person
making the grewsome find.
Glover made haste to report the matter and
as soon as possible the coroner and sheriff
were notified.
Coroner Commander went to tie place,
which is in sight of Mr.. Calvin ". Chand-
ler's bouse, Yesterday morning and had an
examination made by Dr.. j. A. Mood, who
pronounced the body TO be that Of girl,
nos fully grown, after & careful examination.
Further investigation established the fact
that the body, was that Of Bertha Caldwell,
negro girl about IL or l3 years OLD, who has
been living With Bracey Dargan and his wife
for some mouths. She was the daughter of
Eroch Caldwell, a tenant on the place Of Ar.
R. c.. Blauding, in Concord township.
Caldwelrs wife has been insane for sometime,
and he gave the girl Bertha to Bracey Dar-
gan, who is a we'll to-do.negro, living on his
own farm, rear the old Burkett place five
and half miles from this city, on the State
burg road.
Bracy Dargan was arrested By Coroner
Commander, out be positively stated that be
did not recognize the dead body as that OF
Bertha Caldwell, and described the clothing
than she wore wbes she ran away frem him
several weeks ago as wholly different from
those found on the body Of the dead girl.
Coroner Commander, however, went to
Bracy Dargan's wife and induced her to de-
scribe the clothing worn b. Bertha when she
was last seen, and this description tailed ex-
actiy with the clothing fouud on the dead
body.
1t was developed during the Investigation
that although the girl had been missing
from Dargan's PLACE for several weeks be
had said nothing about ii, and as far as was
known, had made 90 search for her. II Is
said that be told one person that he had
whipped the girl and she had left him, but
nothing was said by Dargan TO indicate that
she disappeared without his knowledge and
consent.
When Dsrgac was asked about the parent
age cf The girl he told the coroner that she
was he daughter Of q Enan uamed Caldwell
who lived 'sup the country" bu; whose first
uarse he did not know He also said when
asked Why he had not reported the girls dis
appe rance, that he did tell Lucy McCutchen
and Bertha Smith Of Mayesvile that the girl
had disappeared when ne was in Mayesville
on Tuesday last week ago. Coroner Com
mander weot to Mayesvile this morning and
,ouad the two women mentioned by Dargan
and questioned them concerning the mother.
Lucy McCutcheu said that she knew Bracey
Dargap, bu, that she had no conversation
with him when he was in Mayesvilie week
before last.
Bertha Smith said that she also knew
Bracey Dargau, but she was away from home
when he was at her house in Mayesville
week before last and did no, see him nor talk
With hi Ii. Neither had she beard anything
Of the disappearance of Bertha Caldwell.
The investigation is still in progress at Mr.
Calvin W. Chandler'e store, where more than
y hundred negroes were collected this morn
ing when the writer went cut 10 obtain the
facts concerning the horrible affair. There
were number of witnesses to be examined,
and as there was considerable amount OF
contradictory evidence it is deemed best not
TO 90 into the details Of the tragedy nntil the
entire case has been developed. From what
could be learned, ,ho wever, the evidence points
strongly to the conclusion that Bracey
Dargan is either guilty of the murder
of Bertha Caldwell, or knows much
more about her death than be has
We, told. His whole manner aud the
evasive and contradictory statements made,
all lead to presumption of his guilt: but
ua,il all of the threads Of evidence that sur
rouad him net-like, have been gathered up
and drawn in, with him iu the meshes, it is not
safe TO definitely conclude that be deliberate
IL murdered the girl committed TO bis care
and protection by her father.
The investigation will probably not be con-
eluded to-day and verdict can hardly be
reached by the jury OF inquest uulil to'mor-
row.
Daily Item, Nov. 26.
The inquest over the body of Bertha Cald-
we'll, which was mentioned ir yesterday 8
paper, was continued throughout the after
noon, but could not be concluded, as the at
,epderce of all the witnesses could not be
secured. The Inquest was adjourned until
Mopday morning, when it is expected that
considerable new information bearing upon
the death of the girl will be forthcoming.