The Anaconda standard., 1899-02-01


KILLED A WITCH BY ACCIDENT
Crime for Which Two Negroes Have Been
Executed in South Carolina.
A special dispatch to the New York
Sun from Yorkville S. c., says: The
prevalence of the belief in witchcraft
among negroes hereabouts is illustrated
by the execution of Amzi DunaVant,
mulatto and Frank Castles, negro.
They were hanged here last week. Their
crime was the murder of Ben Gore, an
aged negro, whom they accused OF cast
ing spells They killed him by tying
a rope around his neck and twisting 1t
tight with stick, and they threw The
body down a well. This story of The
murder was by Angles Castles, aged Il
years, Ben Cores stepson, at the trial
I'VE were all afraid of Uncle Ben be-
cause he fixed roots for us, and Uncle
Amzi had told me two or three times
that he was going to fix him. Aunt
Ibby (his mother, Eliza Gore, Ben Cores
wife) was also afraid of Uncle Ben,
but she did not know how to do any
thing, and kept after Uncle AMI to Go
it. That night (June 1S) Aunt libby
went over to Uncle Franks, and l went
over to Uncle Amzi's, leaving Uncle Ben
at home by himself. About II o'clock
Uncle Frank came over to Uncle Amzl's
and had a long talk with him. Then
Uncle Amzi took the rope out of tha
bed and told me to come on with them
When we got close to Uncle Ben's house
they told me to go in front and get
Uncle Ben to open the door. AS soon
as Uncle Ben opened the door both
Uncle Amzi and Uncle Frank pushed i'll
behind me. They caught Uncle Ben,
put a rope around his neck, ran a stick
through it and twisted the rope until
Uncle Ben fell to the floor. Then they
told me to hold the stick While they
searched for his roots and conjure Dol
tie. They found the conjure bottle in
his trunk and the roots in the pockets
of his Sunday clothes. When they got
through searching and came back tc
me Uncle Ben was dead and Uncle
Amzi said: I am sorry he has been
killed, but we will arrange that al!
right" So they cast the body into the
well.
Amzi Dunavant admitted about all
that Angless Castles said. but declared
that Angles did as much to instigate
and carry out the deed as any of the
others. He said that sCme time before
the murder his child was very i'll and
the regular doctor, after the treat
ment, said it did not respond to the
medicine. Then he went to see Aunt
Nassie Bratton, voodoo doctor. Aunt
Nassie examined some coffee grounds
and told him that the child had been
tricked The trick, she said, was in
tended for him, but had missed him and
gone into the child. Then she rubbed
a horseshoe on the bottom of copper
| kettle and told him to look and he
would see the man who worked the
| trick on him. He looked and saw I'm
Gle Ben Gore ploughng in the field
by his house. The vision was as plain
fore his eyes. Aunt Nassie then tolt
him that the only hope for his chile
was to take away from Uncle Ben hi!
roots and conjure bottle, tie them in {
guano sack and hang them over thu
child's bed. He went back home. bu
did not believe what Aunt Nassie tolc
him, and made no effort to carry ou
| her instructions. Three days after
ward the child died.
About two weeks afterward Franl
| Castles COW, which at the time hat
young calf, went dry. Frank con
suited Aunt Nassie, and when he look
ed in the copper kettle he saw Uncl,
Ben sitting by the fire in his own hous'
smoking his pipe. 1t was shortly afte
this that they agreed to so to Uncle
| Bens house and take his roots ava!
from him. They had no idea of kill
! ing the old man, but only wanted tt
| get possession of his charms, after
| which they intended to make him leave
| the country. Their plans failed. An
| gless, in his eagerness, drew the rops
too tight, and to hide the crime it was
decided to put old Ben's body in the
| well and keep quiet.
Frank Castles story was about the
same in all essential particulars. Ole
| Lizzie Gore, the murdered mans wild
0W, said she knew nothing whatever
about the matter The case against
Angless Castles was not pressed be-
cause he gave evidence for the state
The two men were sentenced to be
hanged, and the woman was sent tc
prison for life.
While in prison awaiting execution
the two men Were attentive to their re-
!, ligious duties. On the gallows Frank
} Castles said:
In this room there are two angels
One of them has told me that as soor
} as the sheriff cuts the rope that holds
the plank on which | stand, and the
breath has left my body, they are go
ing to carry me to the throne of God.
Neither of the men made a confes
sion. Both insisted all along that the,
told the whole truth at the trial, am
neither considered that it was wortl
while to refer to the matter again O,
the galloWs. After they concluded thei
statements they shook hands with al
the witnesses one by one and bad
them goodbye. They displayed warn
ID feeling but no fear or agitation.