The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-05-19
The Story of a Mysterious Murder.
AN INNOCENT BOY WAS HANGED
FOR THE CRIME.
Circumstances Were Much Against
Him, and He Was Condemned to
Die-He Protested His Innocence
TO the Last,

A recent murder near Washington,
ID. c., has recalled to the minds OF
| South CarOlinianS who are resident
there mysterious occurrence near
Columbia, 5. c., because of the sim
ilarity between the two tragedies, says
the Post. 1t happened in the pine
belt near Columbia, and was for years
the most talked of affair in the crimi-
nal annals OF the State. The victim
was u young girl, and the murderer,
| according to the conviction of the re-
sidents OF the locality in which the
| deed was committed, was young
| negro, but in the opinion of the neces-
| sarily more impartial thinkers of the
| city, person unknown. Mr.. G.. A.
Douglass, OF South Carolina, one of the
| attorneys for the defence, who Is now
prominent lawyer here, told the
story as he sat in his Office in the Fen
dali building.
81 am convinced to this day." said
Mr.. Douglass, that an innocent per-
son satisfied the majesty OF the law in
this case and that the perpetrator of
the crime is still living in the State.
Florence HOrnsby, the pretty, auburn
haired, well-formed daughter of
farmer living about ten miles from
Columbia, was found with her throat
cut one afternoon in November, 1890,
within 300 yards of her fathers house.
She had been sent to the spring, which
was down in hollow surrounded on
four sides by little hills. When she
had been gone about twenty minutes a
young negro boy named Wade Haynes
approached the house on the run and
in great excitement. He told Miss
Belle Hornsby, the girls sister, that
Nj les Let. &
the spring with u hole in her throat.
The two Immediately ran back to the
spot, and there in q corn row Law the
girl.
a small knife wound, just large
enough to insert one finger, was in her
neck, the instrument with which the
crime had been committed having
pierced the carotid artery. Florence
lived about five minutes after her sister
took her head in her lap, but died
without being able to give the name
of her murderer. The pail 18th which
she had just drawn water was lying
some distance up the path from the
spring towards the house. The print
OF the rim was clear in the soft earth.
There were signs of a struggle along
one corn row from the bucket and
down another. Footprints were there
OF another person beside the girl. No
weapon was found. In fact, there was
absolutely no trace of the murderer
beyond the foot marks.
Wade Haynes, who claimed to
have discovered the body, was left in
its charge for Il while, and then sent
around the neighbOrhood to rouse the
country folk. While seated near the
body, he was approached by William
Alexander, colored, who lived in the
wi h i'm, flA
farm of John Loomis, and asked for
his knife. This was given without a
word, and later it was submitted to an
examination for blood, with no re-
suit.
The next morning the suspicion of
the people round about had become
fastened on Wade Haynes, aud he was
taken into custody. Now this boy at
first told story to which he stuck
throughout all the terrible months for
him that followed. He said he had
been sent by his employer, Loomis,
with whom he b I'D lived ever since he
on the other side of the spring, to
gather fodder, after the cotton picking
hour. This was found to be true. He
said that when not far from the spring.
by which he had to pass TO reach the
cornheld, he heard cry apparently
from nCar the spring, but it was utter
ed only once, and he imagined some
one must be playing there.
" AS nearcd the place, however, he
looked To the right toward the Horsby
house, hidden from view over the hill,
and caught a glimpse, he said, OF
man running away in his direction.
but parallel, to the course he was TAX
ing. He was unable TO see whether he
was black or white.
Continuing and moving gradually
around to the right, down one slope
and up the other in the direction of
the house, he looked To the right ac-
cidentally, and down the corn row he
saw a body. Hayes said he recognized
Miss Hornsby, whom he knew well,
and saw blood on her throat. When
asked why he could not sec her before,
when on the other side Of the spring,
and at the time the man was running
away Haynes replied that clump OF
willows Intercepted the view. The
willows were really there. Haynes
said he had had basket on his head,
and when he saw the body he dropped
it Off backwards. The basket was
found where he said he had dropped
IT, and its print as it had fallen to the
ground. Haynes was an understood,
thin boy, seventeen years, and i'm the
testimony brought into the case AZ the
trial it was given as the opinion that
he would have been no match for Miss
Hornsby, who was much Of the same
size as Miss Kreglo.
Notwithstanding this story went
on Mr.. Douglass, public feeling ran
so high that 1aynCs was removed to
the penitentiary for sale Keeping.
Thereafter investigation was practi-
cally closed, 50 far as any other person
was concerned: the country folk seem
ed to have settled on it that Wade
Haynes committed the crime, and no
search was made, except by body OF
citizens Immediately after the murder.
No one could be found then, and as
Wade Haynes was the only one so far
as known on the spot at the time. o
became the cventful victim of iau
hangsman's moose.
There had been found, it was true,
the footprints spoken Of alongside Of
Miss Hornby's but, notwithstanding
that one OF Haynes shoes was run
down at the heel, it was declared by
some that tho prints found was those
OF Haynes. Others who had measured
therl asserted that they were not those
OF the negro boy. The tracks away
| from the sconc Of the murder were
| down Ia slope at right angles to the
spring, and in the direction that
Haynes said he saw the man running
away.
In the pCnitentiarv Havnns was