The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-03-31


them In any manner instrumental in he
l husbands having left her.
. Two weeks later, while eating break
fast one morning, there came a knoc
5 at the front,door. Mr.. Pendleton aros
{ from the table to answer the summon
and on opening the door was confronte,
3 by a deputy sheriff, who stepped for
ward and slipped pair of handouts OF
, his wrists. Pendleton was. of course
| surprised, and asked the officer what |
meant.
} "You are charged with the murde
/ OF Guy Hinton" Captain Bennett re
piled. His body has been found in
skirt of woods on Bastrop Bayou
} There Is much damaging testimony
against you. L would advise you not ti
talk until you consult a lawyer"
Pendleton was dumbfounded, not 81
much at the charge against him, fol
he thought he could easily clear him
sell, as he was at the news of Hinton't
death. The unfortunate man, how
ever, had no conception of the array o
clrcumstantial evidence he was com
PEELED to face.
On preliminary examination 1T was
shown that the body of man had been
found In the woods skirting Bastrop
Bayou with q bullet through his head
and that the body, although somewhat
decomposed, had been identified as
Hinton's; that Pendleton and Hinton
had left Liverpool together one morn
Ing some two weeks before; that Hin
ton when he left home he wore his gold
watch; that couple of boys out hunt
ing that afternoon had seen Pendleton
and Hinton standing under tree talk
ing; that after the boys had passed out
OF sight they had heard gun or pistol
fired in the direction they had seen the
| two men; that Pendleton had returned
to Liverpool that evening wearing
Hinton's gold watch; that Hinton had
never since been seen alive, and that
the body had been found under the
very tree where he and Pendleton were
seen by the boys.
The law in Texas seals the defend
ants lips. He cannot testify in his own
behalf; and having no way to disprove
the case the State had made against
him Pendleton was committed to Jail
without bail.
On final trial he was convicted and
sente need to the penitentiary for life.
Mrs. Pendleton was present at the
trial, and, strange to say, after hear
ing the testimony, believed her hus-
band guilty, but says now she cannot
see how she ever could have believed
it, since she knew him to be brave and
honest.
About two years after that Mrs. Pen
dleton secured q divorce, and was mar
ried to Mr. Devit. Shor tly after mar
riage to Dewitt she sold all the property
formerly owned by Pendleton, which
had been awarded to her by the divorce
court, and removed with her husband
to Atlanta. Ga.
Pendleton had been In the peniten-
tiary about two and half years when
letter bearing his address and South
American postmark arrived at the Liv-
erpool postoffce. 1t was forwarded to
the penitentiary authorities at Hunts
vile, and on being opened was found
to be from Guy Hinton, the man for
killing whom Pendleton was serving
out life sentence. Pendleton imme-
diately wrote Hinton of tho strait he
was In. Hinton on receiving this let
ter took passage for Galveston, and in
due time arrived in Brazoria County.
or course the Governor pardoned
Pendleton as soon as the facts were
presented to him. On his release Pen
dleton returned to Liverpool. His con-
fnement had told harshly upon him,
marriage, and removal to Georgia
threw him into a violent brain fever.
On his recovery he left his former
home, the scene of his Joy and great
misfortune. and sought the home Of his
former wife, now the wife of another,
with the purpose of having his boy at
any cost.
The news of Hinton's return and
Pendleton's consequent pardon had
preceded him to Georgia. 1t was too
much for Mrs. Pendleton, or rather
Mrs. Devit. She felt herself biga-
mist. She Immediately left Devit, and
week before Pendleton arrived at
Atlanta she became a raving maniac
and had to be sent to the asylum. Pen
dleton secured his boy and worked his
way TO California. Being q man of fer
tile resources, he soon got another
start in the world, and is now pros
porous fruit grower.
Mr. Pendleton's son, George, was too
young when the events above record
occurred to remember much about his
mother, and his father carefully kept
the facts OF this awful drama in real
life from him until he arrived at his
majority. On tho boys reaching the
age of twenty-one years the father
told him Of the sad romance Of their
lives.
George was anxious to learn what
had become OF his mother, and, obtain
ing his fathers permission to do so,
visited Georgia. On inquiry at the
asylum, he learned that she had been
discharged years before as cured and
that she had gone to live with broth
er then residing at some place in North
Carolina. In North Carolina he learned
that the brother with whom Mrs. Dewitt
was living had removed to this win
ston) county, Alabama. Tho young man
arrived here about two months ago,
and sought out his parent. The meet
ing Of the mother and son, so long part
ed, was most affecting scene.
George subsequently wrote his father
Of his mothers course after learning of
his innocence. That letter rekindled
| all the old love in George Pendlton's
| heart, and he crossed the continent as
fast as steam could bring him and yes
terday remarked the companion of his
early manhood. Mrs. Pendleton is yet
q beautiful woman on the sunny side OF
forty. MI. Pendleton Is in the prime
OF life.
The above facts were related to the
writer on the evening of this happy
second marriage. Mr.. Pendleton also
told the writer that the body identified
as Hinton's was that of peddler
named McDabe, whom negro who
was hanged at Houston, Texas, some
years ago confessed to have murdered
and robbed.
A FEW CoNUNDRUMS..-Wha is
that which increases, the more you
tal l. IL