The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-07-15
J. BUTLER KINARD
KILLED BY A NEGRO
THAT WAS THE VERDICT OF yGE COR
ONTRS JURY


His k,jy 4rd Sri them ou
Fire tOt'ov~r ihC Crime.
After three inquests in the case of J.
Butler kinard, the coroner's jury on
Saturday reached the verdict THAT the
said J. Butler Kinard came to his death
by the hands Of Elijah Edwards on the
21st day of June, 1902, with Tom Gary,
Isaiah Sanders, Viola Edwards and
Manus Ruff as accessories OF these
Viola Edwards, the wife of the accused,
Manus Ruff, his father-in-l law, Isaiah
Sanders and Tom Gary, negroes who
lived on the same plantation with him,
are in the Newberry jail. Edwards
himself is still at large and the Cover
nor has offered a reward for his capture
and conviction.
Edwards is a young negro of about
nineteen years of age, whom Klnard
raised, and it is thought that the main
cause of the crime was Kinard's too
close intimacy with his Edwards wife.
A story narrowing in its details was
brought out in the inquest on Saturday,
the witnesses giving as their authority
the confession of Edwards himself.
From the testimony, it seems that
about six o'clock on Friday afternoon
before the crime was committed, as
was his custom, Edwards carried some
milk to Kinard. Kinard was not we'll
and Edwards told him that he would
come during the night to see how he
was getting along. Kinard replied that
he did not want to have to be getting
up to open the door during the night.
Edwards went back to his home, where
were his wife, Isaiah Sanders and Ma
nus Ruff. 1t is thought that at this
time the plot had already been made.
That some time duling the night Ed
wards got up and went back to Kinard' S
house. Kinard had not retired. Ed
wards walked in the door, hit Kinard
over the head with a hickory stick,
drew his body to the fireplace, piled
rags around it, and set fire to the rags.
Going out ne locked the door.
There was no testimony going to
prove that anybody was associated with
him in the actual commission of the
deed.
Going back to his home, he and his
wife and Isaiah Sanders, with the glare
of the dead mans burning home light
ing their footsteps, went to the house
of Tom Gary, and here, gazing upon the
roaring hell that had been painted upon
the deep gloom of the dead of night,
they entered into a solemn agreement
that they should forever keep secret
the fact that they had seen even the
smallest blaze.
That is the story as it was told on
Saturday.
Edwards has fed 1t appears, how
ever, that he was at his home and got
a sack of flour on Wednesday night of
last week. All the negroes living near
are afraid of him, and are still under
the impression that if he finds they
have told of his confession, their lives
will not be worth much. 1t is probably
owing to this fear of Edwards that the
coroner failed to reach a verdict in two
former inquests.
1t was brought out in the testimony,
also, or in the account Of Edwards con-
fession, that he took what money XII
nard hal, estimated between s2C9 and
$500, and two gold watches, and that,
no doubt, this, as we'll as Kinard's inti-
macy with his wife, Influenced Edwards
in committing the crime.
The inquest was held in Magistrate
Chappell's office, and upon the request
of the jury, part of the investigation
was conducted by him and part by Cor
oner Lindsay.