The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1901-03-07
LIQUOR, Pistols, and the Devil.
From the Circuit Rider. |

A few days ago, the BamDerS coltoh
mill was the scene of Il heartless and
cruel tragedy. A gentleman named
Jones, J. B., jeremiah, possibly, walked
into one of the mill rooms where Elijah
Norman was at work, and without a
word of warning, shot, with 4 borrowed
pistol, the said Elijah into eternity. 1t
is said that at the time Mr.. Jones was
drinking, and that Mr.. Norman's "fail-
ing'' was drink, but at the time OF the
killing his failing" was not on, and the
soul of Elijah shuffled away soberly.
The good citizens of Bamberg deplore
exceedingly this dark deed done in their
community, and not only Bamberg, but
good people everywhere are grieved
when they read of such a butchery as
occurred a few days ago in that cotton
mill. The preliminaries and prepara-
tions of this murder are sickening. The
incarcerated gentleman, Jones, arms
himself first with strong liquor, then
borrows pistol, a blue steel, 3s-calibre
S. & w. affair, takes with him another
man, goes to where the victim was at
work in his shirt sleeves and shoots him
down unarmed. Homicide, or murder,
seems to me sometimes to be contagious.
One killing oftimes in town, or COM
munity is followed by another. Look at
Greenville. thanksgiving is becoming to
be an ordinary occurrence. Murder,
like disease, breeds malicious microbes
and gets in bad mems blood, and stirS up
the devil there. The flowers on the grave
of Bellinger have likely all decayed, but
the mound doubtless still looks fresh.
Now slowly through the graveyard
comes the body of Elijah Norman. The
preacher, over the untimely grave, reads
solemnly: "Forasmuch as it hath pleas
ed Almighty God, in his wise providence,
to take out of this world the soul of our
deceased brother" etc, but Mr.. Mayor of
Bamberg, and ye gentlemen of the coun-
Gil, who took the said Norman from
your mill, from his work, from his fami-
ly, at the age of 4S? The triumviratc
that is our disgrace and danger:
Liquor, the 80 S. s. W., and the devil.
Can't you pass all ordinance, and I'M
prison the man that is drinking on your
streets? Not the pure water that gushes
as clear as crystal from your great arte-
sian, oyerflowing we'll, but the stuff sold
in your dispensary. / say arrest the man
under the influence of whiskcy on your
streets, whether he is ''three sheets or
one sheet gone. Seize the sinner, for in
so doing you may save soul from death,
and hide multitude of sins. a drunken
man is a crazy man. His insanity dis
plays itself in many ways, and the drunk
en- or drinking man is capable of hugging
a goat, cussing his wife, or killing
prophet. Don't be too hard ON Mr.. Jones.
He only acted as he was acted upon.
When court conyenes he will be sorry,
and will come clear as usual. But move
away your dispensary, exterminate the
blind tigers and the Elijah Normans will
survive. They will be allowed to work
in peace in the day, and go home at the
sound of the evening bell, where the
cheerful hearth awaits their return, and
sweet children climb their knees the
envied kiss to share.
God, deliver us from liquor, the
murderous pistol and the devil.