The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1899-03-01
KILLED!
HRS, J. II. STUART Is SHOT By i
STATE CONSTABLE,
Columbia State 26ih February.

plhiA
Columbia State Goth February.
Last night in Columbia, the capital
city of the State, a man and his wife
were shot down in their home By dis
pensary constables. The sad affair
occurred just across the street from
the governors mansion.
The people OF Columbia were much
excited last night to learn that Nh.
John Stuart had been shot in his
" home by dispensary constables.
Mr.. Stuart has for a number of years
been employed as a salesman IN
Mimnaugh's clothing store, and he
has a number of friends in the city
and in Lexington, his native county.
Tae report that be had been shot nat
urally created strong feeling against
those who did the shooting, and this
feeling was made a hundredfold
more bitter because of the fact that
his wife, too, had been shot in the
door of their home. The cause OF
the whole affair seems to be that Mr..
Stuart was accused of running a
blind tiger. This is quite a revela.
ton to those who have known him
well. His employer, Mr.. J. L MINI
naugh, Nj. McSorley, head salesman
in the dry goods store, and Mr.. Ben
nett, head salesman in the clothing
store, all speak in highest terms Of
Mr.. Stuart. They were shocked to
hear of ever a suspicion against him,
and, as we're all the employees in the
store, were grieved to hear Of the SD
and unfortunate affair.
MI. Stuart's wounds are not neces-
sarily dangerous. The ball, a A
calibre, entered his mouth, knocking
out three teeth on the upper left jaw,
passing through his tongue and out
of the back of his neck.
Mrs. Stuart is hurt more seriously.
Indeed her condition is extremely
critical. The ball, also a Al calibre,
entered just below and to the right
of the left nipple, going through the
body and lodging to the left of the
spinal column, whereit was extracted
by Dr.. L B. Owens, who vas the
first physician summoned. 1t was
apparent from the very first that her
condition was very dangerous. At
II o'clock she was removed to the
hospital, where she was attended by
Drs. Taylor, Ovens and Dubose. Her
recovery is regarded as almost hope
less, as an exceedingly difficult and
dangerous operation was performed.
The home which has been so sud-
denly visited by this sadness is stu
ated on Laurel street, just beyond
Shields foundry, and across the
street from the governors mansion.
The family consisted of the father
and mother, now PROSTATE from the
unexpected bullets, and three little
children, the oldest Of them a girl of
twelve.
Constable Crawford, originally
from Laurens, is accused Of the
crime. He has been on the force, as
he expresses it, ever since Ben Till
nan was governor. When asked if
be had been charged with such a
crime before, he stated that he had
never been directly implicated, but
he had been with raiding squads
which had killed people.
He vas equipped with a search
warrant, obtained from Magistrate
GARRISON, authorizing him to rum
mage MIR. Stuart's house In search of
liquor kept in violation of the dis
pensary law. In executing this war
rant, he shot both Mr.. and Mrs.
Stuart, and he himself received a
bullet in the left arm.
From all appearances, and from
those in a position to know, the con-
stable was drinking, and this may
have added insolence to his official
oficiousness.
The narrowing crime occurred
yesterday afternoon at I O'Clock. Mr..
Stuart was unable to make q state
ment, as he was shot in the mouth.
Mrs. Stuart was from the first recog-
nized to be in a very dangerous COD,
dition, and the physician refused to
let anyone see or talk to her. She
was so weak that she could tell no
coherent story of the horrible affair.
The only eye witnesses were Israel,
deformed negro, who cares for Mr..
Stuart's horses, and Mr.. Stuart's old
est child, a girl of II years. Putting
it all together, it appears that Cor
stables Coleman, Dorm and Craw-
ford went to the house about 6:30
o'clock to search the premises for