Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-11-09
CONDEMNED TO DEATH.

Goore, is to spend the remainder OF
her days at hard labor in the state
penitentiary. This is the punish nent
that the court of general sessions for
York county has designated for the
fiendish murderers of old Ben Goore
on the night of the 18th of June last.
The case of the prosecution was
fully set forth in the last issue OF THE
ENQUIRER, and the defense was in
progress while the paper was in press.
Notwithstanding the conviction and
condemnation of the defendants, the
balance of the story is of sufficient in
terest to warrant its being repeated in
pretty full detail.
One of the witnesses put up by the
defense was Nellie Bratton, alias Nellie
Wagner, an old Negress of the vicin-
ity of Sharon, who is known by the
Negroes of the surrounding country as
"conjur" or "voodoo" doctor. 1t is
said that majority of the Negroes of
the neighborhood have implicit faith
in her powers, and that Negroes come
as far as so or 100 miles to consult her
as to "copjuration" charms, etc.
The old woman testified that she
was the widow of Grandson Wagner,
who was a estate DOCTOR" He used
"yerbs" as medicine, and she learned
how to doctor people from him. His
principal medicines were silk weed,
Simpsons snake root, and another
"yerb," the name of which she "disre'
membered." Then also there was some-
thing that was put up in bottle; but
she did not know what it was, as it
was already put up. She had seen her
husband have ''little pieces" that he
used to work spells with; she did not
know how to use them. She said that
Amzl Dunovant came to her house to
see her about his baby. The baby was
sick, and she gave him some medicine
for it. Amzi wanted her to 60 home
with him and see the baby; but she
did not go, as she did not think she
could do any good. .',
"How do you know what is the mat
ter with people without seeing them 9'
asked Major Hart.
II don't tell them," replied the voo-
doc.
"But you gave Amzi some medicine.
How did you know what to give him p
The old voodoo mumbled in reply
something that was unintelligible, and
failed to answer the question.
Major Hart banded the voodoo diff
ferent packages of herbs and shells ;
but she failed to identify anything e1-
cept flask full of some kind of liquid
which she said was her medicine.
She denied that she had consulted
her "tricks" on the occasion of Amzl's
visit, or had showed Amzi old Ben
Goore's picture as the result of the
rubbing together Of plates of copper
and brass. She claimed not to practice
the black art in any such style.
AMI Dunovant told his story at
length. He said he had known Ben
Goore since he-Amzi-was little
boy; but had never known him as a
coniurer. His-Amzi's-child took
sick, and some of Ben's children had
told him that old Ben had tricked it.
He went to see old Nellie Bratton
about it. She rubbed her plates of
brass and copper together and showed
them to him. He saw in them the un-
mistakable likeness of old Ben Goore,
and she told him that he was the man
who had tricked his child. The spell
was intended for him but Old Ben
had failed to get it in him and it went
into the child. He had tried to get
her to 20 home with him but she
would not 60. Then he went on to
tell how the child died, and sometime
afterward Frank Castles came over to
his house to talk about renting some
land. They got to talking about Un-
Gle Ben, and finally decided to 60 down
and search his house and take his
roots away from him. They tied him,
as already described but choked him
too much, and when they thought he
was dead, they were so afraid they did
not know of anything to be done ex'
cept to take the body and throw II
into the old well, which they did.
He claimed that Angles had gotten
the old mans gun and wanted to kill
him at the start; but was prevented
by witness from doing anything of the
kind.
The story of Frank Castles was Vir-
tually the same as that of Amzi. He
had had cow to go dry, and had been
led to believe that it was on account OF
the conjuration of Uncle Ben. He did
not want to kill Uncle Ben. He had
no idea of such a thing; but only
wanted TO take his roots away from
him so as to prevent him from doing
further devilment.