Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-03-04
DISPENSARY CONSTABLE KILLED.
Another Bloody Tragedy In the State Capt.

Another bloOuy Tragedy LII ING SIa'o SaPi-
tai.
Dispensary Constable Alexander
Cartledge was killed in Columbia last
Tuesday night by w. B. Meetze, Jr.,
a son of the we'll known w. B. Meetze,
who few years ago sold beer at the
state fair behind a couple of revolvers
and in defiance of the state laws as
represented by Governor Tillman, the
local constabulary and the penitentia-
ry guard. The cause of the last kill
ing is not definitely known yet but
from what has so far developed, 1t
seems to have been principally on ac-
count of the fact that young Cartledge
was dispensary constable.
Meetze and Cartledge, both of whom
are quite young-the former being un-
der 81 and the latter only year or
two older-had been friends, or at least
comrades, in the First South Carolina
regiment. Since the muster out, they
had been friendly, and it was not until
last night that there developed any es-
arrangement between them. The fol-
lowing story of the affair is as told by
August Kohn in The News and Courier: /:
There is little to be said about the
shooting. There is little to be learned.
Those who seem to know anything
will not talk, and it is hard matter to
get anyone who knows anything about
the affair to speak. The evidence
seemd to be that Meetze, Charlie Stone
and another friend were walking up
Gervais street. Just in front of the
restaurant of Tom Lane, colored, the
party met. Meetze, it is said, ac-
costed Cartlege and told him that he
(Cartledge) had been appointed a
"spy." Cartlege said he was not
spy. Meetze said something in reply
and told Cartledge he was lying. Cart
lege returned the lie to Meetze. The
cursing progressed and Meetze drew
his pistol and fired on Cartlege. Stone
was standing nearby. After the
shooting Cartledge pulled open his
shirt and showed Meetze where he had
shot him. Meetze and Stone then
went through Tom Lanes store, and,
after brief talk, Meetze jumped over
the back fence and went directly to
Sheriff Cathcart's home, where he
surrendered himself. Mr.. w. B.
Meetze joined his son and the three
went to Jail. where young Meetze was
turned over to the jailor.
Mr.. Joseph Daily, son of Chief OF
Police Daily, and Policemen Dowie
and Strickland were among the first
to reach the scene. Young Cartledge
was able to talk in a whisper, and Pc.
liceman Dowie says he said that Bill
Meetze, Charlie Stone and Joe -
(here he spoke so quietly as not to be
understood) came up. They cursed
him and Bill Meetze shot him. He
did nothing. Mr.. Joseph DAILY had
bit of paper with him and here is what
he has recorded: "Bill Meetze: Charles
Stone and Joe. They came up and
cursed me, and then fired on me. Bill
Meetze did all the shooting"
Cartledge, after the shooting, went
and sat down on q bench. but did not
remain there more than minute when
he got up and walked to door step,
when he sat down again. Then Po-
licemen Dowie and Strickland want
ed to take him in hack, but as soon
as they started to move him he caved
in perfectly limp. 1t was thought best
TO stretch him out on the platform
nearby and Policeman Dowie bathed
his head.
Drs. Gibbes, Knowlton, Earle and
Heise soon came up, and worked on
the wounded man. His breast was
barred and gaping wound was noticed
in the centre of his breast. There
was another wound in the abdomen
and third in the right wrist. 1t was
thought that he would die while Oh
the platform. He looked like dying
man. The doctors thought it best to
take him to the hospital at once and
the Black Maria was used as an ambu-
lance. Just before Cartledge was TAX