The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1899-12-13
TWO OF THREE DEAD.
Result of a Fight Between
Officers and Howard.

A\Sooio VI q lSllI DClWCCAl
Officers and Howard.
One OF tho Deadliest Fights on Record.
Marked Courage and Nerve of the
Three Princlpals-A Tragedy Attended
by Extremely Sad circumstances.
Tho Grecnvillc Mountainccr.
John b. Cornwell and George How.
ara are dead as @ result Of the fight near
the city Tuesday, Dec. 9Th. George l..
The details of the fearful encounter
v been slow in coming out, and as
TWO OF the principals arc cternally silent
so 1ar as the courts of this world are
concerned, the whole Of tho bloody tale
will probably never be known.
This is one of the dcadlicst encounters
or the kind ever known in this section.
where lights about whiskcy have been
frequent and often fatal. Probably
there mas never been a tragedy in this
county attended by saddcr circum-
stances. 1t is not likely hat more
bravery or nerve has eve been shown
by all three of the men engaged in n
hand to hand fight when death surely
eemed the portion Of all. But il seems
there were three others concerned in the
ARRAY who acted as assassins and cow
ARDS. The first man shot was hit in the
Dack by a load fired from ambush, and
inc man who seems to have been the
custodian of the liquor, the cause of all
thls trouble fled with great promptncss
speed and his unfortunate compan-
ION died with the secret of the traitors
ldenllty. In many respects it was a re-
hight, and it has caused not
only poignant sorrow in several homes,
DuJ has been 81 Danrinn pnbl;o ,r,;of
The statement of Constable Cooley
contains practically all the facts in the
case so far developed. The meagre
statements Of Howard confirm Cooley's
testimony and coIrects the impression
That Cooley ran, as Cornwell thought he
did. 1t is also clear that Cornweil was
mistaken in his impression that he killed
Howard.
Cooley's statement to Coroner Will
banks is as follows:
About 230 o'clock Tuesday after
noon got Information that there were
Two men in the woods Just this side of
the overhead bridge. 1 got a horse and
buggy from Sitton s. Kelley's stables
and came by LaFar's for Cornwell. We
went on out the Paris Mountain road,
and as we got to the fork of that little
road that TANKS the piece Of woods
whe"e the shooting occurred on the
north, l left the buggy, ~circling into the
woods at the right Of the main road and
crossed the main road just this side of
the bridge. Cornwell went up the side
road about 20 yards and got out and
came through the woods to meet me.
Nearly In the centre of this little piece
or woods about 90 yards from the same
bridge and that distance from the main
road, Cornwcll and l both saw two men
about he same time. They were sitting
up to q fire made in a tree and were
facing me, though they appeared to take
no notice of me. We walked right nm
on them before they saw us. About 10
or 10 steps from them on nv side I
found two kegs of lie 0or, and informing
Cornwell of this fact [ told him to arrest
the men. They said, All right con.
sented to the arrest, and l mover thought
there would be the least trouble. OCe
George Howard. The other man I did
not know. Howard, / could see. had
heen drinking. II the other fellow had
been drinking l could not detect 1t.
"When they consented to arrest,
looked down on the ground and saw a
carbine Iifle, evidently belonging to
them, and while Corn we'll went through
their pockets to search them for wean.
ons, l stopped down and picked up the
gun. told Cornwell to take charge of
the men and that L would get the liquor
together and load it. While l was tug.
sing away with a heavy keg on the OBJ.
posite side Of the buggy from them, and
with my back to tho men, and while Corn.
well was going through them for weap.
0ns, Cornwell said Look out, Cooley.
this man has a gun in his pocket.
81 turned Il was on the opposite side
of the buggy from the others including
Cornwel), and looked an1. saw Howard
jerk his pistol from t.s right hand over.
coat pocket. / 80 y the pistol and lust
as he got 1t on, Cornwell grabbed his
hand. The u ird man, was standing
near the fire, 20 or IL feet from me and
B or 4 feet fro n Cornwell. Howard was
then IL feet FRI m me and to tn cleft. Corn.
well was sligl fly to the right of Howard
and about the same distance from me as
Howard. Coz nwell and Howard were
facing a 9th ar tussling over Howard's
pistol. Cornwe.' turned the pistol loose
n stepped back about two PAGES and
Just as he did so "a, ward fred twice in
rapid succession at Nornwoll. AT the
frst.shot Cornwell thr, W his right hand
to his stomach and cried "Mr. Coolev.
he has shot me and he has killed mo
too.'
~ had carried tho carbins rifle l had
seized from Howard and tn, stranger
around with me on the opposite side of
the buggy from them. AS [Jornwell
cried out reached for the guS. in evi.
dence-the carbine-which VIA, lying
i've or six feet from the buggy. Twas
ct the buggy loading the w yEey. Ihad
Q heavy keg trying to ~ Into the
.N-IMlAA AM.AH.ILHIIL