The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-03-10
KILLED FOR HIS MONEY.

Details of a Crime in tseOry ia-Mil
lard 4. Hunt Killed and Robbed
The story as Told bv His Brother
| The Siayers In Jail.
| \ profound sensation was created in the
vicinity Of Bolton, Ca, by the killing Of Mil
Hard c. Hunt, a mercnar' Of that place
Hunt was wel!-known in this county, having
formerly resided at White Hall. He was &
native OF the Honea Path section.
The Greenville News has the following:
You never saw excitement run SO high In
all your life" said Lawyer G. j. Hunt at his
office yesterday when reporter called tc
question him IN reference 10 the ten days
CHASE oi his brothers murderers and robbers
|"Why, one fellow we arrested over there on
| suspicion was SO frightened that lie yomlted
| for eighteen hours aud until we released him
For week l never Slept at all-pursuing the
| chase all uuy and spending most OF the night
writing letters and sending telegrams. You
know We caught Reynolds the day alter we
got there but 1t Was nine days alter that be-
4 lore we captured Brooks, and during that
| time the whole country was up In arms as.
sisting us. The people were terribly wrought
up, and we could scarcely keep them from
llynching Brooks and Reynolds. After we got
Brooks and were carrying him to jail q fellow
| came down the road as last as his horse could
carry him, and warned that 5OU mounted men
were on the road after Us 10 lynch Brooks, but
we carried him around d cIrcuilouS route and
landed him safely behind the bars. and all
The while he was crying and praying at the
| ton Of his voice.
I'm their confession the men corroBorated
| each other ID every particular except one-as
| 10 who struck the blow that killed my BROTH
ar each accusing The oiher OF this. We then
brought them together, but still this point
was not cleared up. They would exhort each
other 10 tell the truth, and then start out TO
tell the tale OF the murder, but would always
halt and accuse each other of striking The
each
other each accused the other OF having con-
lessed TO him OF other murders"
Here The lawyer paused for breath, ana
ask ed 10 give brlel history ol tue CHASE as
he saw IL said:
"0n the afternoon of February 23d, I receiv-
ed information through Mr.. McGee the Alr
Liue depot ticket agent, til At In all prooabill
w my brother, Nj. c. Hunt, OF Belton, Ga,
had been murdered and robbed; tnat he had
disappeared mysteriously from Bolton on the
mornlug of the 18th OF February.
II Immediately telegraphed my brother,
DR.. w. T. Hunt, AT Townviile, Anderson
COUNTY, to meet me at Seneca City and Iitook
the first train for Bellon, Ga. We arrived al
Bolton on the morning OF The 2lth and sent
out for the mayor or the town, justice OF the
0eace and the policeman. They came In and
I asked them the name Of the party VINO
brought my brothers. horse and buggy BACK
and aIso who had charge of his store. then
asked the names OF his closest associates
rhev gave among others Bud Brooks.
~ immediately issued d warrant charging
Gradv REYNOLDS aud Bud Brooks with the
murder OF my brother and called Tor SIX men
TO act as deputies, Three were sent thro9en
the country, one down the railroad 10 Har-
mony Grove and two followed ON loot down
lin ihe afternoon received a telegram from
the officers stating that Reynolds had peen
caught three miles west of Harmony Grove
and within $50 yard of where my brother was
murdered He was brought to Belton that az
ternoon and was first interrogated By MIR.
FauIk Ter, a lawyer of Belton. ne was tnen
tnrned over to me for interrogation and SO
com mpleteiy surrounded him ny chain OF
circumstantial evidence, coming from his
own mouth, that located the murder within
3UO yards from where tne oouy was coneeaieu'
twenty M les from Belton. w ,
ii then told him that be and BROOKS Killed
nv brother between the Butler house and the
river and that they had thrown nlm In the
river and would get the body ana produce
II before him before the sun went down the
next day. ,, l.,
the vuard house and nailed To the floor, with
a heavy guard around him.
We left the next morning 1or harmony
Grove To search the river for the body, and as
the train rolled up to Harmony Grove tele-
rram was handed me Stating that Key nolds
had confessed all and gave minute descrlp-
tion as to where the body could be found d IN
0conee river, in water three feet deep, held
down with a rock weighing 3OO pounds. We
went i'm mediately TO The spot and found the
"He was raised from his wa:ery grave after
being there ten days and II was found that he
had received three severe blows on the BACK
of the head, one Of which broke the skull and
the body had been cut open with an axe, be-
ginning at the heart and extending down be-
low the stomach. We also found the gun In
The river and his satchel filled with blood,
dirt.and rocks.
nIauued the murder and robbery six weeks
before hand that he (Reynolds) was 10 pre-
tend to buy my brother out and BROOKS was
TO pay the money-pretendlns tnat ne had IL
on the 18th and 18th of February and Rey-
nolds stated that he would return ON Monday
and they would then go TO Harmony Grove
in brothers buggy ana sestie lor tne stoek % o.
The morning and on the way To Ha mony
Grove Reynolds stated TO my brother that
they would go by the Butler place where he
and Brooks had been getting cross ties; that
there were great many birds there and that
they could Kill some game before going 10
Harmony Grove.
when they arrived at the Butler place the
horse was taken out and Reynold, and my
brother went toward the river and found
Brooks, who was waiting for them. They
then suggested to him that they hunt while
and then 60 on TO Harmony Grove.
Very soon a bird flew up and my brother
killed it. Shortly after this Brooks said 10
INV brother: There goes bird, give me
your gun and let me Kill IT,
"He HANDED MIN Tue gun. DIOOhS SleppeQ
10 the rear as though he were going to shoot
and instead struck brother on the back OF the
head with the breach OF the gun. burrying
The hammer in his head and breaking his
skull.
TO turn and shoot, but the first blow of
Brooks was followed up by three more vicious
ticks and he was dead IN two minutes.
"They then robbed him OF all the money he
had, some $1,000 or 81 800, took three gold
watches and IOur pistols.
"Tney then cut him open and buried him
In the river.
"Op the Wednesday following Reynolds re-
turned TO Bolton with brothers. horse and
buggy, his hand umbrella, one gold watch,
two pistols his finger ring and the invoice ol
The stock of goods, telling the people brother
had sold out and gone West to the prize fight.
"He Immediately opened the store, Claim
| ing he had bought IT., put several men In sell.
| ing and disposlng OF nearly everything he
| had before we got there, week later. Rey.
nods even tried TO get possession OF brothers
| trunk and clothes. but failed.
| Reynolds claimed IN the division that he
was TO get the horse and buggy, one gold
watch, Two pistols and the stock OF goods
and that Brooks was 10 get the money.
| AFTER Reynolds wac caught and the body
! recovered, we Immediately started men In
pursuit OF Brooks. We had telegruphed to
| ali parts of the country and had completely
cut off his escape. The men In pursuit ran
him into South Carolina where we had par
Ties in waiting near Oakway TO catch him II
| he came there TO see his wife, or paramour
| the woman's house and carried TO Georgia.
| II met him at Lula, Ca, and when l faced
him he completely broke down and confessed