Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-12-04


enough corn to feed a mule. With
many people 1t will be serious matter
about getting sufficient food to go
through the winter.
X KILLING OF JOHN BOLIN.
Nbock Lanier was committed to jail
last Saturday morning on warrant Is
sued by Magistrate G. c. Leech, acting
as coroner, and charging him with the
murder Of John Bolin, near Hickory
Grove, on Thanksgiving Day.
There was a short statement about
the killing in the last issue Of THE EN-
ouIRER, the same having been sent by
our Hickory Grove correspondent on
Friday morning. The details obtaina-
BILE at that time were quite meagre,
and such information as has since de-
veloped leaves the circumstances en-
veloped in considerable mystery.
At the inquest, the following Witness
es were examined: James McCarver,
alias Clark; Ernest McCarver, alias
Clark; DR.. T. s. r. Ward, DR.. C. G..
Leech, Bob Lanier, Sam Lanier, JOS
eph Rolin, Crawford Bolin, Alexander
Hollis Bob Cunningham, colored, and
Alex Johnson, colored. The doctors, OF
course, were only examined as to the
nature and result of the wounds. But
little Of the testimony given by the 9TH
er witnesses was at all satisfactory.
It seems that the crowd had been
putting in the day at shooting match
shooting at a mark for turkeys and
chickens. The fun commenced early
in The morning and lasted until late In
the afternoon. There was an abund !.
anCe Of whisky in the crowd, and most
Of those present were drinking. Dur
ing the morning everything passed or
pleasantly; but as the day began to
draw to a close, the whisky that had
been drunk during the match began to
show up in bad feeling.
A few charges Of shot belonging TO
John Bolin had been spilled, and John
was disposed to make a fuss about It.
John Lanier undertook to pacify Bolin
by offering to pay for the shot. Bolin,
however, was not in humor for paci-
ication, and neither was Lanier
Within a short time they were throw
ing epithets at each other, and 1t was
not long after this until they began a
fencing bout with their pocket knives.
While this apparently mortal COM
bat was going on, Joseph Bolin, father
Of John Bolin, presented shot gun and
declared that he would kill the man
who would attempt to cut a drunk
man. Sam Lanier caught the gun
by the barrel, and during the struggle
that ensued, there was a general mix
up of Joe Bolin, his two sons-Craw-
ford and John-and two Laniers-John
and Sam. Presently a gun was dis
charged and John Bolin fell mortally
wounded by charge Of shot that took
effect In the small Of the back. With
4t.ar Nf 40 a
walked forward and made remark to
the effect: II told you some of you fell
lows would get hurt"
AS to how the shooting came about
nobody could tell with certainty. Joe
Bolin claimed that the shooting could
not have been done with the gun over
which the struggle had taken place, be-
cause 1t was not loaded. To prove his
words, he unbreeched the gun disclos-
ing one barrel empty, and one empty
shell in the other. The shell was ex-
tracted, but there was no smoke to in
dicate that 1t had been fired recently.
In looking about the place, Crawford
Bolin picked up single barrel shot gun
that was known to belong to Sam La
nier, and when he unbreeched 1t, in the
presence Of the crowd, 1t was found. to
contain an empty shell, and the smoke
that followed the withdrawal Of the
shell indicated that the gun had been
discharged within a minute or two pre-
vious. Several Of those present held
that Dock Lanier was standing near
where the gun was found and within
ten feet Of John Bolin, while the strug-
gle was in progress.
No one claims to have seen Dock La
nier fire the shot, and the only addi-
tional testimony that seems to connect
him with the case, comes from Alexan-
der Hollis, whose story was, in sub
stance, as follows: my dogs had treed
a rabbit about $50 yards away, and
had gone to see about 1t. The row
took place while I was coming back.
Hearing the noise, I got on rock to
see what was going on. heard the re-
port Of gun, and Immediately after
ward saw a gun thrown over into the
weeds.
Hollis did not claim to have seen the
shot fired, nor did he say that the gun
was in the hands Of Dock Lanier. 9th
ers Of the party, however, afterward
agreed that Lanier was standing near
the spot where the gun was found and
where the discharge occurred.
It seems that ammunition had gotten
scarce during the afternoon, and Joe
Bolin claims 10 have sold the last three
cartridges there were in the crowd to
John Lanier for cents, not more than
10 minutes before the shooting. He tes-
titled to this effect before the coroner's
jury. Another witness testified that he
had gotten these same three cartridges
from Dock Lanier after the shooting.
Dock Lanier was not examined at the
inquest; but it is understood that he
denies having had anything to do with
the shooting; maintaining that the
fatal shot came from the gun over
which the. struggle took place, and
which was at the time in the hands of
Joseph Bolin.
During Thursday night. John Lanier
went to the house Of the wounded man
to see how he was getting along. In
reply to a question from John Lanier,
John Bolin Is said to have said: II am
feeling pretty rough, and I am going
to die. 1t was you or Dock one that
killed me-" John Lanier told the dying
man that he did not do the shooting.
John Bolin, the deceased IS very well
known in Yorkville. He was here for
several months and had the reputation
Of being quiet and inoffensive. His
reputation about Hickory Grove was
the same, except that 1t was known
that he was in the habit Of getting
drunk occasionally and that when he
was drinking he was sometimes quite
ugly.
Dock Lanier, the prisoner in Jail, has
quite a reputation for violence. He was
arrested some years ago and sent to
jail on the charge Of being responsible
for the death Of his aged grandfather.
Joseph Bolin.' 1t was alleged that he |