The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-30
NEGRO AND HIS WIFE
LYNCHED TOGETHER
THE MURDBRBRS OF w. X. JAY, NEAR
TROY, ABBBvILLB COUNTY.
Negroes Captured While Attempting to
Escape They Died Accusing Each
Other Of the Crime Account of
Murder and Lynching.

one Of the most prominent youn.
farmers Of the Troy section of thi
county, was foully muroered in hi
own yard Friday evening between
6and Z O'Clock by either Oliver Wide
man or his wife, two negroes living
on his place. Both negroes were
made to pay the death penalty fo,
their deed by an lnfuriated crowd Of
Mr.. jays neighbors aud friends.
From all accounts, many of which
differ, the following is offered as the
most nearly correct of how the kill
ing occurred:
Mr.. Jay lives in q new house about
three and one half miles from Troy.
This place has never been inclosed
and the negro cabin formerly occu-
pied by the negroes is within about
70 or 80 yards Of the residence. Mr..
Jay was returning to his house after
attending to some business in the
nelghborhood and when close to his
house he heard the negroes making
considerable disturbance in the cabin
1t seems that the man was abusing
or fighting his wife and she was
both quarreling and resisting. It.
was to stop this disturbance that led
Mr.. Jay to their home, which as
stated, is only about 80 yards from
his own house. On his arrival he
ordered the negroes to be quiet-that
if they could not be quiet they could
not stay on his place. Immediately
after this Mrs. Jay, who was in her
house heard the report of gun.
She ran to the door and looked out
and saw the two negroes, man and
~ wife, running away from their cabin.
Calling to them, she asked what was
the matter, but the negroes made no
answer and kept on running. Fail
ing to get any response from them
she called loudly to her husband.
There was no response. She was
then wild with fear and began look.
ing over the yard, and in short
while found him dead in a pool of
his own blood. Almost his entil
head had been blown off. Death
was instantaneous.
The alarm WAS at once given and
the immediate neighbors rushed IN.
The news of the horrible murder
spread rapidly. Carriages started
in all directions. A telephone fur
nished the news to Troy and nearby
towns, and the whole country for
miles around was soon being literally
secured for the murderers.
A party of men coming towards
the place from section of the com.
munity few miles near Mr.. jays
home, met two negroes in the road,
a man and a woman. The perty did
not know the negroes, but arrested
them Oh suspicion and carried them
back to the place of inquest. They
were the guilty ones. When exam
ined both acknowledged the deed,
but accused each other of commit.
ting 1t THE man said the woman
did it and the woman said the man
did it. They never changed from
this, but died accusing each other of
the crime.
The gun with which the murder
was committed was carried to old
Bill Widemans house, the father of
theNman, and left there while the two
started out in fight. They we're
going towardsEdgefe. 4 when caught.
After the inquest the two negroes
were turned over to the constable,
who started to Jail with them At
the Winterseat bridge they we're
stopped by crowd of infnriated
friends and neighbors and lynohed
The lynohing occurred about mid.
night.
The burial of Mr.. jay will take
place at Troy tomorrow at | | O'Clock.
A number OF friends and members of
the Masonic fraternity will go down
from Greenwood to attend the fu
neral.
Mr.. Jay was prominent Mason.
ne was worshipful master of Stone
wall lodge of Troy, A. F. NJ, and
was also a member of Greenwood d
'0napter No, n, R.. A. M. He repre-