The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-12-25
KILLED AT HIS FIRESIDE.
L. W. Pearlstine Shoots and Kills
W. NJ. Creech.

W. NJ. Creech.
Last Saturday night added another t.
the tragedies of Bamherg county, in Which
the hands of man have been stainct
with the blood ofhis fellow. The KILN!
is all the more deplorablc on account 0
the circumstances connected with it. The
dead man was shot and killed at his owl
fircside. in the presence of and within :
few feet Of his wife with her baby at hel
breast
Last Saturday night, little after
o'clock, the news came down town that
#. W. Pearlstine had shot and killed
William Crcech at his home on factory
hill, and on going to the scene the grue'
some sight of the dead mans body met
ones gaze, lying near the fireplace OF his
bed room with two bullets in 1t.
The details of the affair are very short.
Pearlstine is young man, an lsraellte,
and is in business in Bamberg with his
father, S. w. Pearlstine. 1t appears that
he went to Crcech's house shortly after
dark to collect a debt of eighty cents,
| which was owing at the store. Creech IS
employed as weaver at the cotton mills,
| and last Saturday was pay day. He had
been sick for some days, and was con-
| fined to the house. Some dispute arose
between the two men as to the payment,
and then young man, Leonard Young,
came in and made some reference to the
conversation. Pearlstine then cursed
Young and possibly Crcech, and ssSfeech
then demonstrated with him aneEsnded by
ordering him out Of the ouscSTelling hlm
that he would not allow such language IN
the presence of his wife. Pearlstine drew
his pistol at once and fired twice, both
balls taking effect One lodged in the
back, Just below the left shoulder blade,
passing through both lungs and the heart,
and lodged just under the skin below the
right nipple, where it was extracted. Ihls
is the wound which caused death. The
other bullet struck in the left arm, near
shoulder. Creech fell and died instantly:
This is practically the testimony OF
Creech's wife and the other eye-wltnesses
to the killing, and they also say that the
dead man was shot when his back or side
was turned to PearlStine. The position OF
the bullets in the body corroborate this:
Pearlstine left the house Immediately
and came to his home, and from there he
left town as soon as possible. A warrant
was sworn out and placed in the hands or
the sheriff, but Pearlstine had already
gotten away. Search was made for HIM,
but he could not be found. Telegrams and
telephone messages were sent TO various
points, but he was not apprehended. 1t
is said that he took buggy through the
country to Olar and from there to FAIR
fax, where he took train. Deputy Sheriff
Hunter went to Olar Monday, and parties
there told him Pearlstine was seen on the
streets there late Saturday night, and that
he was carrying his pistol in his hand.
The sheriff had dtelephoned to Olar Satur-
day night to the magistrate there to keep
a look out for and arrest him, but Tor
some reason the message was not recelV-
ed. The sheriff has not given up the
chase, and hopes vet to apprehend him.
Coroner Besinger held the inquest over
the BODY Sunday morning, MIR. G. A. Rice
being foreman of the jury. -Four wit
nesses were examined: Mrs Creech, Ar
thur Warn, Leonard Young, and Herbert
Creech, a small son of the dead man. The
testimony of them all was in substance
what has been stated above. The jury
rendered verdict to the effect that w.
NJ. Creech came to his death by gunshot
wounds at the hands of T. W. Pcarlstine.
County Physician ]. F. Baggott made the
examination of the body.
Creech was about thirty-seven years
old, and was born in Barnwell county, IN
the Reedy Branch section. He had worked
in the mills here for three years or more
as weaver, and those who knew him say
he was a Woodworking, industrious man,
who was honest and brave. He leaves a
wife and five children, all small, the
Youngest baby only few months old.
''Tom" Pcarlstine, as his friends called
him, is about twenty-three years old, and
has not been considered of quarelsome
disposition. His friends think he must
surely have been drinking when he COM
mitted this rash act
This story of the affair of course comes
from the dead mans side. Pearlstine's
version of the difficulty is not known.
There is always two sides, and his story
may put an entirely different phase on it.
The killing occurred some distance
from the business portion of town, and it
was sometime afterwards before the Off
GERS knew of it and warrant sworn out.
This delay gave Pearlstine time to make
good his escape.