The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-04
A VERY UGLY AFFAIR
NoN-UNIoN MACHINIsT KILLED AT
COLUMBIA.
TWO STRIKERS ARRESTED.
LYNcHrNG PARTY WENT OUT ATT
ER "sCABs."

walter Binder and wiIIIam seaver.
Formerly OF Newton, Mass, At
tacISed and shot Down in Their
Cottage-senver Killed and Binder
Badly Hurt--Two strikers Arrest
ed ana One Admits the Shooting.
Warrants Are Ont for Others.
Columbia, s. c.. Nov. 3.--A horrible
murder was committed on the north
ern edge of the city early this morning
as a result Of the machinists' strike in
the Southern shops here. The shops
have long since been filled with nom
union men, and the strikers cut off
from work. They lost their fight and
feel bitterness against the men who
have taken their places 1t has been
SO long since there has been any dem
onstration against non -unionists that
they were no longer guarded, and came
and went to the shops unmolested.
However, it seems that last night a
private lynching party, composed of
about a dozen men. was made UP some
time after midnight. There was
knock on the door of the cottage occu-
pied by Walter Binder and William
Seaver. non-union machinists from
Newton, Mass. Binder opened the door
and saw a squad of men. The leader
had shotgun. Binder asked his
business and was told they were con-
stables with a search warrant for
negro believed to be in that house.
Binder assured them no negro was
there, and asked to see the warrant
The muzzle of a gun was thrust in his
race, and with the declaration, We've
come to clean out you - - OF
scabs," it was fired. Binder reeled into
the kitchen to get an AK. Just then
Se'aver ran out of his room and was rid
died with hRllets a load of shot tear
ing off the left side of his head and
another entering the lower part of the
abdomen.
In the meantime other members of
the mob surrounded the kitchen and
fired at Binder through the windows.
He fell. having received several
wounds, one leg being shattered. The
crowd rushed in over the body of the
dead man, and coming to Binder, bru-
tally kicked and cursed him for a scab
One man was about to blow out his
brains as he lay on the floor, but an
other interposed. Then they fed
Binder told the story as related here
to the coroner. Later the sheriff ar
rested in their beds Arthur McCraney
and Harry Jones. McCraney admitted
doing the shooting with the shotgun
The police are hunting for ten more
men, for whom they have warrants
The accused men are former strikers.
The arrested men will say little. Nc
Craney only asserting that he shot be-
cause he was attacked with a billet of
wood. The town has been stirred by
the tragedy.
No Woman i'm the Case.
BY Associated Press.
Columbia, S. c., Nov. 3.-The ma
chinists working in the Southern Rail-
way shops here-Walter Binder and
William Seaver-were shot in their
house some time after midnight last
night by party of men. Seaver was
killed instantly and Binder desperate
ly wounded. 1t was at first supposed
that there was a woman in the case,
but, according to the ante-mortem
statement of Binder. the attacking men
were former strikers who we're bent
upon killing the "scabs." Harry Jones
and Arthur McCraney have been ar
rested. More arrests Will follow. Nc
Craney told the sheriff that he did
the shooting in self-defense, but does
not explain his presence at the house
at that time OF night. The strike has
long since fizzled out here, but there
is still deep feeling against the aliens
who took the places of the men who
quit