The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-02-17

MIR. ROSS was set upon Dy pOfLlon o
the robber band yet at large, violently
beaten and almost murdered. HI
barely escaped to the woods with hi!
life. That night the house and tn
outbuildings we're burned to tn
ground, doubtless the work OF the rob
bers.
About this same time the Five-mil'
House was raided by the sheriff or hi
deputy, and some arrests made OF par
ties suspected of being members of the
band of robbers and murderers. A
no evidence could be collected agains
the proprietor of the House, as being
an accessory, he was allowed to g
free, on this promise to destroy tn
house, which was done.
The Fishers and those arrested will
them were carried to Charleston, ant
lodged in Jail. There they were visited
by young Peoples, who identified
Fisher and his wife to the satisfaction
of all, save, of course, the criminal!
themselves. Indeed, the woman esi
pecially was considerably upset o.
this occasion.
THE FISHERS BROUGHT TO BAY.
The Fishers and others were brought
to trial on March %, 1919, before
Judge Bay. Two were admitted or
bail, Hayward and Roberts. Th'
Fishers, with the remaining ones
were sent back to Jail. The evidenc'
against them, particularly against thf
Fishers, was very damaging. A few
days later Roberts was re-arrested on
new charge, and once more imprlson
ed. He worked his way out of the jai
and endeavored to escape on horse
back, but broke the neck of his horse
while attempting to make the anlma
leap across an excavation IN the street
and was thus recaptured.
Shortly after the, Fishers were SEM
back to Jail, intense excitement was
aroused by tho discovery in the vicini
ty of the Six-mile House eff suspici
GUS looking grave. Search had beer
going on from time to time in the
neighborhood for something of the
kind, but unsuccessfully until thi:
grave was stumbled upon by mere
accident it seemed. The sheriff was
notified. He sent Mr.. Henry Stevens
the coroner, to investigate. Mr.. Stew
ems opened the grave and found two
bodies side By side. Physicians pro
nounced them! the bodies of a man ano
woman. One body was in box made
of rough slabs, the other was uncofinec
and covered with brush. The same
physician stated that they hao
been dead about two years. There
was no clue whatever to their identity
They were doubtless private travellers,
from long distance probably, who
had met the tragic fate of other unfor
tunR.es in that House of Horrer. In
dignation against the Fishers now ran
high, and violence would doubles
have been attempted but for the eau
ton of older and cooler heads.
CELLAR FULL OF HUMAN BONES.
At tie June term of the Court Fish
er and his wife were found guilty, but
petitioned for a new trial. While the
petition was pending, horrible discov
cries were made at the Six-mile House
After the house was burned, the ruins
were not disturbed, doubtless owing
to the feeling that there was nothing
there for which to disturb them. But
one day, some months afterward, an
individual with turn of mind rather
more investigating than that of the
others, while poking about among the
charred pieces of beams and the mlnla
ture hillocks of ashes, almost lost bis
life by coming within fraction OF
falling down into that gaping mouth
of an excavation. He raised the alarm,
a crowd gathered, the charred beam:
were cleared away, and the entire op
ening OF a cellar exposed I'd view
They brought a ladder, one OF the
number made the descent, and discov
ered-bones, plenty of them, and hu
man bones at that! This was surely
enough to ruin the Fishers, but they
denied all knowledge of it, declaring
vehemently that if the bones were
there, they had been there before they
took the house. But there were
those who connected this CHASTITY fno
with the story young Peoples had
told. The cellar was about where the
dining room had stood. How con
venient to have it beneath the table,
with trap door hiding it from view
Behold the preparation and then the
deed: A solitary traveller sitting al
table. yaluables on his person, slnd
doubtless more valuables in the bag
gage in his room. He eats his break
fast, drinks without suspicion the
tempting cup of coffee offered him.
doubtless chatting gayly with his hos
tess as he does so. Then sick, next 9
drowsy feeling seizes him. his head
whirls, sinks upon his breast; he
clutches spasmodicslly once or twice
at the air. gives gasp or two. and is
gonel Pockets are quickly riaed, the
spring is touched, the trap is sprung,
and with sickening thud there falls
into the horrible depths the body OF
one never heard of more. There is
one wife somewhere in the world who
will never see her husbands face again
little children who are fatherless; or
perhaps an aged mother, gentle, low,
ing sister, waiting for the son and
brother who never comes.
THE FISHERS BREAK JAIL.
On Monday, September 13. pending
the hearing of the petition for new
trial, John Fisher and Joseph Roberts
escaped from the Jail. This they did
by forcing hole through the wall
under one of the windows, descending
therefrom by means of rope made
from strips of their blankets Mrs.
Fisher also intended to escape, but de-
cided to be the last one to make the