Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-08-28
A MYSTERIOUS TRAGEDY.

A MfSTEhlUUS IhAUEDl.
A brief statement of the shooting OF
Mr.. Samuel Leroy Davis, at Rock Hill,
last Thursday morning, appeared in a
portion of Fridays issue of THE EN-
oUIRER. We did not hear of the trag-
edy until after the paper had gone to
press, and were only able to print a
bare statemen of the fact that Mr..
Davis had been shot. The unfortu-
nate man died on Thursday afternoon,
and the Rock Hill Herald, of Saturday,
contains the testimony that was given
at the coroner's inquest.
Mr.. Davis was a citizen of Bethel
township and had been married about
week before to his cousin, Miss Mamie
Evans, of Rock Hill. The bride was
very unwell at the time of the marriage,
and up to the time of the shooting,
was still too unwell to attempt the
journey to her husbands home near
Zeno, in Bethel township. The testi-
mony is to the effect that MIR. Davis
was in good spirits on Thursday morn
ing. He ate a hearty breakfast, and
during the meal talked Interestingly
with Mr.. Marvin Evans, his brother
in law, on the comparative merits of
steam and electricity. The shooting
occurred within a quarter Of an hour
afterward in the bedroom of Mr..
Davis's wife. The testimony of Mrs.
Davis was as follows:
81 am the wife of the deceased. This
morning my husband got up as usual,
dressed and went to the breakfast table
with the other members Of my mothers
family. was not well and did not go to
the table. Immediately after breakfast,
my husband came into my room. There
was a pistol lying on the bureau belong
ing to my brother, Willie Evans. 1t had
been there for sometime. Mr.. Davis
picked up the pistol and came to the bed
where I was lying and sat down on a
chair and commenced to examine, or fool
with it, his right side being toward the
bed. He was apparently engaged in max
that kind. While he was doing this, l
started to get up. My wrapper was lying
near the bed. Just as l turned towards
it and started to pick it up, the pistol fired
and Mr.. Davis fell over across the bed. l
was not looking at Mr.. Davis at the mo-
ment when the pistol went off. suppose
the pistol was usually left on the top or
about the bureau in this room. There
was no one in the room when the pistol
was fired but my husband and myself.
My mother had just gone out of the room;
When Mr.. Davis fell over on the bed, L
screamed and mother rushed into the
room. This is all know about it."
The testimony of Mrs. Evans, moth
er of Mrs. Davis, was practically the
same as that of her daughter. The
testimony Of Mr.. IT. A. Lee, grand
father of Mrs. Davis, goes more into
details. 1t is as follows:
'I was at the home Of my daughter,
Mrs f. G.. Evans, at the time the pistol
was fired. He married my grand-daugh-
ter short while before but she had been
too unwell since the marriage to 90 to his
home. Mr.. Davis had been to his home a
time or two since his marriage. He re-
turned to Rock Hill, Tuesday, and was
stopping with Mrs. Evans, and intended
to take his wife to his home just as soon as
she WAS well enough. This morning Mr..
Davis, while at the breakfast table, sat
near me and talked about matters as usual.
I remember that he and my grand son,
Marvin Evans, were talking about the use
of steam and electricity. Mr.. Davis ap-
peared to be in usual health and spirits.
Mrs. Davis was not feeling we'll and did
not get up and come to break fast. think
her mother carried breakfast to her after
we had eaten. After break fast l went
into my room and built fire for my
wife, who was also in the house. While
we were sitting by the fire, l heard Il
pistol shot; but / could not make out in
which direction. 1t sounded like it was
under the house; but hearing Mrs. Davis
scream 1 went toward the room as quickly
as possible and met her coming out. |
saw her husband sitting in a chair with
his head across the bed. | went to him
and spoke to him, but he made no answer;
I raised his head up and found that blood
was gurgling out of the right side OF his
head or temple. ! looked down and saw
pistol lying on the floor at his feet. l
picked it up and went out, and mt once
sent for doctor. Mr.. Davis never spoke
after entered the room. When raised
his head up he seemed to he unconscious
and was groaning considerably. lie was
speedily given medical attention but was
never conscious again. He fingered until
about O'Clock in the afternoon, when he
died. The shooting occurred between
and o'clock. l think the shooting must
have been accidental, as ! know OF no
reason why he should have killed himself.
have known something of MIR. Davis
nearly all his life; but have seen very
little of him since grown, until recently.
Ny wife and his mother are cousins. DO
not know of or think there was any un-
pleasantness existing at the time of Mr..
Davis's death between himself and wife
but everything seemed to he as pleasant
as possible between them. know he
seemed to be somewhat worried about not
being able to take his wife home after
they were married, on account of not
being well enough to travel, and his
having to go home and back again time
or two to look after his business, etc. but