The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-11-03


singular behavior Of Sarah Carpenter,
he thought thatof sufficient importance
20 have her name added to the list of
wisnesses. Burrows told nothing OF the
smfo11nafion impaired by Josiah Skene.
Mr.. Barnes then sought the district
attorney and was closeted with him for
an hour, during which they arranged
fheis plans for conducting the examina-
tioH.
The inquest was TO be held in large
room m the ground floor. It was well
adapted ffor Che purpose because Of the
fact that the sqrire had allowed it to be
used as asschoolroom a while the select
men were having the regular school
! house enlarged and remodeled Thus
there waa 8 raised platform at one end,
upon which the squire and the witness
es could sit, while the rows Of benches
readily afforded seats for the jurymen
and the spectators.
s News cf any importance travels rap
idly IN d small town like Lee, and be-
lore the time set for the inquest quite a
motley crowd OF people had congregated
about the squire IS grounds There were
men and women, farmers, Workmen and
idle9s all more or less interested IN the
pSoeeedings which were about to com-
meme and each had some theory, all
his own, as e, the identity OF the guilty
one One manrememberedafa farm hand
who had been discharged by Lewis and
who had left The town, breathing yenge
ance Another had met suspicious
looking tramp prowling about Riverside
en the very day OF the crime. Being-re-
minded By d ,aeighbor that he had spent
ar of Saturday and Sunday over an
Dover, he was forced to admit thas it
might have been on Friday when he;
had met the tramp; but, nothing dis
concerted, ho continued to urge his
opinion that that individual would yet
be proved to have a guilty connection
with the affair. This proposition was
rmcn1ed By another, forthe simple fact
that nothing had been stolen would
;-fend to- exonerate a tramp, who could
not possibly have any other motive but
fheft and then he drew attention to the
suspicieusly close arrival Of the man
who claimed to be the son and who
would now come in for:a share in the
property. But get another had only that
morning heard that the entire property
would go TO the daughter. and 90 settled
that theory.
$1,1<,
onsly announced that the whole truth of
the matter had been revealed to her In
a vision, but just what it was she de.
clmed to state till the proper time
comes. !" So they argued apd talked over
the situation, till at length Mr.. Upper,
the district attorney, appeared, walking
with Mr.. Barnes All then knew that
the investigation would at once begin
and.fcrthwith pushed their way into the
room which was to be the scene Of the
inquiry.
The proceedings began promptly. The
squire entered, followed by Mr. Upper
and the Two detectives, and took seat
In a leather covered chair, which had
been brought from his library and placed
upon the stand, similar one awaiting
the witnesses. Mr. Tupper and Mr.
Barnes took chairs at a small wooden
table In front Of the squire, and Bur-
rows went to seat among the crowd.
The jurymen were called, and, as they
responded to their names, were directed
to places on benches placed laterally
beside the stand at the end nearest r
the witness chair. It is worthy Of re-
mark that, though this was in a small,
isolated country town, the composition
Of this jury was far above the average
to DC net with in large cities. Here all
were men of families and Identified
with the interests of the community i'll
which they lived. Each, as he sat, was
the embodiment of earnestness and sin
cerity. Rough garbed though they were,
they possessed shrewd minds and good
common sense and therefore would
make admirable jurors.
: The preliminaries over, the examina-
ton was begun. Mr.. Barnes was asked
to take the stand, and he testified to the
discovery OF the crime, and the position
and condition of the corpse as first seen
by himself, when he accompanied the
squire to the house on Monday morning,
and to other facts which have been al
ready told.
The next witness was DR.. Snow. The
squire interrogated him.
cdr. Snow" he asked, ~shave you
prepared a report of the autopsy made
by you yesterday upon the BODY of the
deceased?''
II made thorough examination and
have notes of all that I discovered
which could, in my opinion. be of the
least assistance. =