The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-03-13
The Oliver Murder.
The Coroner Makes a Search
ing Investigation.

ltutu Il tVW pOQt6 oNN
ton had reached the city yes erday
mornius of the foul murder Of Mr.. Con-
way B. Oliver, The State was in the
bands of the people of the city giving
all the details Of the terrible crime.
There vas bat one error of fact in the
details of the crime and that was 10 the
suppositiou that the man had been kill
ed with a pistol. In this, however,
all who saw the remains agreed. aud
nothing was known to the contrary
until the shirt was stripped frcm the
body by the physicians yesterday morn
Jag. aud it vas found that the whole
right breast va, perforated with buck
shot and slugs fired from a shotgun.
The foul murder was much talked of
all day long yesterday. aud among
railroad men one could notice that they
were much ipcensed at the brutal
ceime. The bell at the shops was toll
ed during the morning and the shops
we're shut down at 8 o'clock in he
afternoon to allow all the meu to attend
the funeral. Throughout the city the
murder was discussed by all classes o.
men. The whole city was chamorous
for the murderer to be f%erreted out and
brought to justice.
The remains lay. as described al
ready ons IN the woods until about 8
O'Clock, the murdered mans faithful
bull dog retaining his position as
guard BY their side, when they were
placed in a wagon and taken to the
residence of tie murdered mans
brother-in-law. Mr.. Lewis. beyond the
Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta road
There the remAtns were made ready for
burial. In a room near by was the
murdered mans wife, who, it seems
from the evidence, was the cause of the
murder Of her husband. She was in
rather an incoherent condition during
the day. She tells several conflicting
stories about the part she played IN
bringing her husband out on the jour-
ney which be never ended. 10 one
breath she would say that she bad
urged him to come and in the next she
would say that she had told him not to
come. She stated that he said be
would come aud bring some fish.
DR.. Talley made the post mortem ex.
animation. He found that the load of
buckshos aud slugs bad entered the
right breast. severing the iutercossal
artery aud filing the chest cavity with
bIood- The seventh aud eighth ribs
were broken. Dr.. Talley extracted
e;.b: IS the bullets.
The Coroner summoned ar unusually
Intelligent jury aud the body vas
viewed. an adjournmen: Of the inquest
thea. being taken till 4 pm. at the
court house; At 4:30 p. N. the funeral
services were held at the house and
the remaios were inferred In Elmwood.
The murdered mans dog never left
the vicinity OF the body.
The coroner has undertaken a most
searching examination. Soon after the
annouuceueus Of the murder was
made yesterday morning many who
had more or less information began to
talk and pretty soon a st.ong chain
of circumstapsial evidence pointed to
a certain man. Wheu the %corouer's
inquest was about to begin Mr.. George
W. Wariog. q Of the jurors. moved
that the Investigation oe conducted in
~iecret; that all persons not directly
Interested as witnesses, including "
papec men. be excluded from the
court room. The coroner put it to a
vote, and for the first time 10 this Sec
ton an inquest vas conducted 10 this
wise.
Suspiciou had pointed all day to I.
C. Aughsry. until recently a member
Of the city mail carrier force, as the
guilty man. His movements were
carefully watched during the day.
About > O'Clock the coroner issued a
warrant Cor his ares. AID constables
we're sent cut ey the sheriff to find
him. They found that he bad started
out of town early 10 the afternoon on
a wagon, but had changed his MUD
and returned. About 6 O'Clock he was
located by Officer Boland of ne police
force iu Rabun's shoe shop on Pickeos
street. Oh. yea, the asylum, arrested
and brought on down to the sheriff.
Aughtry. it seems, was discharged
from the mail carrier force for sb-
stracting letters addressed to the muir
dered mans wife, and the evidence
shows that he was pretty Intimate
with her. All the details told by re-
liable witnesses it is not necessary to
give here. It is stated that a man has
been found whc saw Aughtry with q
gun 90 Sumter street about dark
going towards Gervais; another who
saw him out at the coal shute Of the