The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1902-07-30
CHARLIE JEFFCoAT.
Hunted Like a Wild Animal With the
Mark of Cain on His Brow.

OF uQQ6E DEuSu aUu pauu1SSo S"ahP 20
of the Edisto, hunted by man, hides
Charlie Jefcoat, an alleged triple
murderer, with a price upon his head,
a fugative from justice with bis
hand raised against every man and
every mans hand raised against him.
Fleeing from one place to another
followed by his fellow man and pur-
sued by the explosions Of Winchesters
and the whistle of bullets is in brief
the story of a young man who is
charged with various crimes against
thu dignity of the State and the
peace of society.
It is said that "truth is stranger
than felton," and in the case of
Charlie Jeffcoat this saying is GER
tsirly true. There are enough thrill
ing experiences, deeds of daring and
remarkable escapes in the cbeckered
career of this young man to furnish
material for an interesting history
of life. His unfortunate troubles
began several years ego when
he was charged with having set fire to
a house belonging to a Mr.. Peel.
citizen of the neighborhood wherein
resided Jeffcoat, in this county. A
warrant for his arrest was sworn out
and placed in the hands of Sheriff
Caughman for service. The Sheriff
succeeded in arresting his man, at
his mothers home, and while the
sheriff was warming at the fire
Jefcoat made good his es-
cape. With a reward of $l0O for
his apprehension and conviction upon
his head offered by Governor Eller-
be, he fed to parts unknown and
succeeded eluding the vigilence of
the officers of the law. The next
heard OF him was in Georgia
from which place came the news that
he had killed man named Wilson.
The following is said to be his Gecr-
eia record: ssHe is wanted in Emanuel
county, Ca, for killing a man named
Wilson, near Herndon last winter.
He went there under the name of
Charlie Johnson, and it is said he
and Wilson were doing an illicit
liquor business together. After kill.
ing Wilson he left Emanuel, but re-
Gently returned. Sheriff Flanders had
made several efforts to apprehend
him and on the night of July l6 un-
dertook with a'posse to surround him
in swamp. The man had escaped,
however, and the posse scattered to
search for him. Deputy Sheriff Curl
and Joe Flanders, a brother of the
Sheriff, overlook Jefcoat and his
wife on the road to Midwife at II p.
m. The desperate was expecting
arrest and was sitting in his wagon
with his face to the rear. As his
pursurers hove in sight he handed the
lines to his wife and concealed himself
in the body CT the wagon by lying
down. The demand to surrender
having met with q blank refusal, the
officers of the law opened fire and in
the fusilIade which followed Flanders
received shot in the left breast
from Winchester rife in the hands
of Jefcost and Mrs. Jefcoat, who is
now in jail at Swainsboro, was shot
twice, one being in the head. After
the killing of Flanders Jeffcoat Jump
ed from the wagon, made for
swamp and made good his escape.
After throwing his pursurers off his
trail he struck out for the Savannah
river. On arriving there safely he
could find no way of crossing, so
stripping, and leaving his garments
and rife on the Georgia side, be
swan the river and landed on the
soil of South Carolina. From thence
after securing few articles of cloth
ing, he made for his old haunts in
the swsmps of the Edisto near Wag-
ener in Aiken county, where his
third murder is said to have been