Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-04-20
A BLOOD.CURDuNG CRIME.
OF A GEORGIA LADY MAY BE
BURNED At THE STAKE.
Revolving Details as Told by vlotlm--The
Fiend Surrounded In a Swamp.

last night asRasslnated Alfred Cran-
ford Mt his home near here and then
assaulted the dead mans wife, and
there now Geems no chance for tho
negro to escape.
When Hose is caught he will
either be lynched and his body rid
died with bullets or ho will be burned
at the stake. There is possibility
of his being brought to this place
and executed. Mrs. Crawford, one
Of his victims and the wife of the
murdered man, desires to he present.
Hose is surrounded in a swamp
and that he will be executed there
is no possible doubt, as the leaders of
the mob arc determined men.
Gov. Gambler has offered a reward
of $3.50 for the delivery of Sam Hose
to the Sheriff of Fulton county.
STORY OF THE CRIME.
The story of the murder of Alfred
Crawford, at Palmetto, Wednesday
night, as told by L. d. Sharkey, of
Atlanta, who visited Palmetto Thurs
day, makes the deed one of the most
atrocious crimes ever committed in
Georgia. Mr.. Sharkey went to the
scene of tho crime because of his &C.
quaintance with the entire Crawford
family.
The account of the murder told by
MIR. Sharkey was given him by Mrs.
Crawford, wife of the murdered man.
MIR. Sharkey said:
81 have never in my life ever
heard of more dastardly crime.
Alfred Crawford was twenty-six
years of age and had been married
six years, having four little children,
the youngest eight months old. This
negro, Sam Hose, has been working
for Alfred Crawford for some time,
and was regarded as steady work
man. Of late, however, he has made
threats against Crawford to the other
negroes on the place, and these ne
groes told Mr.. Crawford.
"Cranford told his father, G. T..
Crawford, and on the night before
the murder borrowed q pistol fl y
him. G. f.. Crawford lives tn, &c
miles from Palmetto and Alfred, the
murdered man, lived with his family
a half a mile further out. Wednes-
day night, Mr.. Alfred Crawford had
just began eating his supper, when
San Hose came to the house. Gran
ford called him and the negro did
not answer. Crawford called again.
This time Hose answered and en-
tered the house, not by the regular
door, but through Mrs. Cranford's
room. He had taken off his shoes
and when first Mrs. Crawford saw
him he had an AK upraised over the
head of her husband.
"Before she could scream he mad
brought the blade down upon
Mr.. Cranfori's head, splitting his
skull to his yes. Crawford fell over
sideways to tile floor. The negro
then struck him on both temples
with the handle Of the AK, driving
in the skull. He then kicked his
victim on the left side of his face and
in the left side. Black bruises on
the body corroborate this. Crawford
lived three hours after the blows
had been struck.
"Thc negro then compelled Mrs.
Crawford to accompany him while he
robbed the house, and she carried
her youngest baby on one arm and
with the other carried a lantern.
ale then made her return with
him to tho room in which the MUIR
der had been committed. Here one
of the little baby girls began crying
and asked her mother, 'What is Sam
doing" Whereupon the negro
struck the child on the side of her
head, knocking the little girl about
six or eight feet. Ie then snatched
the eight-months.old baby from the
arms of its mother and dashed it to
the floor. The baby may not live.
"Thon with renewed threats of
death in case she made the ali CHEST
outcry, Sam Hose assaulted Mrs.
Crawford, literally within arms.reach
of whore the brains wcro oozing from
her husbands head. Aftor commit
ting the assault tho negro said !:
Now am through with my work !;
let them kill me if they cam end
left the house.
"Mrs. Crawford took her four
children, and, not daring to make an
outcry, made her way to the home
of her father-in-law, one-half mile
distant. When at the gate she
could contain her feelings no longer
and began screaming. Whom Mr..
Crawford reached her side she was
lying unconscious on the ground,
having tainted from her terrible OK
pericnoe.
"ahe told the story when she roe
covered consciousness, however, and
il took only few moments to raise
the alarm throughout the entire
country for miles around. The
family is so well known and stands
80 high in the county that the people
will not tolerate tho crime. When
those people catch that negro there
is going to bo lynching sure, and
they will be right"
PALMETTO, March l6.-Up to the
present time Sam IIode has not been
4! ..IY :.