The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-06-19

tO444oS0 =
towards Mr.. Moses, Il then quit my
work and vanished aside.
AS I was moving aside Mr. Moses
said 81 am tired Of this foolishness, +"
then heard a pistol fire from Mr..
Noses side. What next happened? l
was gone, and Spann was off the
fence.'' I came back and began to at
tempt to dig the ditch. Mr.. Moses and
his Youngest son, Mr.. Perry Moses,
Jr., and Mr.. Spann and Mrs. Spann
were present.
Mr.. Spann began punching boards
off the fence. He punched two boards
off in one place and lodged himself in
the crack with a pistol in his hand,
and said he dared anyone to dig and
would blow my brains out if l did
dig. MI. Moses told me to dig, and I
was between two fires. Mr.. Spann
said he would kill any man who dug
the ditch. Mr.. Moses stood by me,
sometimes in front of me. l dug the
ditch. MI. Spann left after Sheriff
Scarborough came and called him
awav.. Joe Green and Adam Green
helped me to dig the ditch.
Mr.. Soann came back several times.
He poked his head through the crack
and I jumped. He said after awhile
if the wind blows hard it will blow
down the fence.
Question by S. G. Spann. Who was
with you when Spann got up on the
fence9 Answer-Mr. Perry Moses.
@. How long had you been digging
before Others came to help you dig.
a. So much disturbance | don't know
exactly.
mence? A. The fuss began when
Spann got up on the fence.
O. What brought on the shooting?
A. The raising of your pistol at Mr..
Moses.
Q. Did you hear me say to Mr.
Moses that I wanted to know what sort
of ditch he was going to dig? a. /
heard this way long in the fracas.
You didn't say anything about this at
first.
@. After the shooting of the pistol
what did Mr.. Moses do? a. He
applied to the house and had his rife
brought or met it. He went out Of the
field and came back with the rife.
Question by the Mayor. What did
Mr.. Moses say? a. He did not say
ANYTHING to Spann: told me to dig
the ditch. Spann de6ed me to dig the
ditch.
@. What did you do. 4. I started
to dig the ditch. Spann had busted
a board of the fence and held a pistol
on me. He busted several boards off
and kept pointing the pistol at me
and defying me to dig. He raised his
pistol once and Mr.. Moses pointed his
rife at him and he dropped his arm
by his side.
Question by MI. Moses. Was Mrs.
Spann there? 4. Mrs. Spann got to
the crack; Mr.. Spann was behind her
back. Mrs. Spann said to Mr.. Moses
shoot me. too.
Further examination brought out no
new facts.
Sheriff Scarborough was passing
the field where the disturbance occur
red going to my home. Saw crowd
looking over the fence. Was told that
they were about to start a war. l Went
into Maj. Spann's premises. He was
upon the fence with hand holding pls-
tol over the fence. Mrs. Spann was at
the crack where board had been
knocked off. I called Maj. Spann and
asked what was the matter. He said
that man Moses had imposed on him
all he was going to stand. Asked what
was the trouble. He said it was about
digging that ditch. Told him Mr..
Moses had right to dig it on his own
land. He said Mr.. Moses wanted to
trim the trees and he would not sub
nit to having the trees mutilated. l
went to Mr.. Moses and asked him If
he was going to trim the trees. He
said he was not going to do so today,
but he would not promise not to do
it. I went back and told Maj. Spann
that did not think Mr.. Moses would
trim the trees. Maj. Spann said he
would not object to digging the ditch
if he knew where it was to be dug
and if it was agreed that it should
not be dug so close as to endanger the
fence.
Il. II. Smith was present during
part OF q previous difficulty several
weeks ago. It was about cutting roots
of trees. Mai. Spann told Mr.. Moses
II1SS A40O 6VeC10pSO0 " Soo o@AS ANNo1
he would shoot him. Mr. Moses took
the axe, cut several roots and said to
Mai. Spann "Now shoot me-" and II
tell you now you had better be careful
how you threaten mans life
Perry Moses On the morning Of
Yesterday. I told George to get the
axe and spade and finish the ditch
he had commenced and I would go
with him and show him what I want
ed done. George went ahead and | fol-
lowed about 10 or u steps behind.
When he got in the field / told George
where to dig. Maj. Spann got up on
the fence with pistol in his hand.
George ran off. Spann said to me,
What are you doing here?" I said,
81 am going to dig that ditch. ,,
Spann said, eff you try to do it |
will put bullet in you:'' and pointed
his pistol at me- I pulled down on
him and fired at him but did not hit
him. Spann got down off the fence
and went around in the yard and when
I saw him again he was at crack in
the fence behind his wife who came
with him. He threatened to shoot
Coo-ro T told him Czeorpe was acting