The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-11-19
I SAD CASE.

4 Young Man Driven to Suicide
by e False Charge.
LEFT 4 PATHETIC LETTER
He Was Charged With 4 Crime
of Which He Said He
Was Innocent in His
Letter.
Unable longer to stand ignominy OF
being branded criminal and haunted
from home by fear Of the law, yet not
strong enough to die until he hac
again seen his loving father anG
brother. Olin Hagood. son Of justice
of the peace and prominent man OF
Lawrenceville, Ga, came back homo
Monday night. bade his family good
bye. ard was found Tuesday morning
By his brother hanging from a limb OF
Il great cedar tree in front OF the court
house, in the shadow Of the home OF
the law he feared so greatly. His
brother. Jasper, who found the body
was on his way to his work, and was
horritied to see a mans body hanging
to a great tree in front OF the count
house door. He approached it and
saw. in the dim shadows OF the early
morning.. that it was his own brother.
cold and stiff in death. He cut his
brothers body down and gave the
alarm.
Death was due to strangulation and
the body was cold when found. 1t is
not known at what time young Ha-
good committed suicide. but he was
dead when found Tuesday morning at
daybreak by his own brother, who was
on his way to his work in The News
Herald office, of Lawrenceville.
Young Olin Hagood killed himself
rather than be compelled to stand
trial for u crime of which he claimed
he was innocent, and it was his own
brother who found the body and who
cut down the mortal remains of a
brother who had been both kinSman
and chum. The note found on the
young fellows body was pathetic and
tender and called upon his family to
do better, and to love like he had loved
the girl to whom he was engaged to
marry.
Olin Hagood was twenty eight years
Of age. the son Of S. \. Hag00d, JUS
tice of the peace, ey-clerk OF the supe-
rior court of the county and one OF
Lawrenceville's most prominent men.
He had, it seems, from a letter
found on bis person. intended to Kill
himself far away from his home, but
the love of his father and fathers
family was stronger than he could
overcome. and he could not die until
he had told them goodbv.
Monday night, just at the time
court was adjourning, he came home,
went to his fathers house. and there
tearfully bade his father goodby, tell
ing them that he was going to COM
nit suicide and end all his troubles.
He met number Of his friends and
associates and also bade them goodby,
telling them also OF his intention to
do away with himself. Shortly after
dark he left. and was seen no more
until Tuesday morning.
4 more dramatic climax to life of
trouble could not be imagined. Swing
ing from the limb Of a great tree in
front of the court house near which
he had lived, and found by the brother
VINO had loved him better than any
one else in the world, all this made up
a picture which would make an artist
famous.
Olin Hagood was dead when he was
cut down by his own brother.
In the pocket Of his coat was found
a letter which explained it all, tender
and pathetic, and yet deadly real.
The letter urged a better life for his
father and brother and begged them
to love his sweetheart as he had loved
her. UnderScored on the letter were
the words, L am innocent"
The Young man was indicted in the
early part Of last week for peculiar
crime, it being alleged that he had
held up a negro who had robbed his
father. a negro had been accused of
robbing young Hagood's father. Evi-
dence was lacking, but every one sus-
pected the negro Of the crime. The
negro was seen in store few nights
ago by young Olin Hagood and another
man, and they are alleged to have fol-
lowed him to the Seaboard Air Line
depot. At this place the negro was
held up and robbed, all Of his money
being taken away from him.
Shortly after he heard Of the find
ing of the true bill against him. young
Haygood went to Atlanta, thence to
Birmingham, and then to Admission.
going back to Atlanta and coming
from Atlanta to Lawrenceville.
AS soon as he arrived in Lawrence
vile Monday night he went to his
fathers home and bade him last
goodby, averring his innocence and
stating he was going to kill himself.
He met several Of his former friends
and associates and told them of his in
tention to kill himself. He left late
and was never seen again alive.
Tuesday morning. while on his way
to bis work, Jasper Haygood found
the dead body OF his brother swaying
in the wind in front Of the court house
door. On his person was found d let
ter, in an envelope of the kimball
house, in Atlanta, and the letter was
written on d letterhead of The News
Herald, Of Lawrenceville.
The letter was addressed: To my
entire family-to be opened by no one
else" and was as follows:
TO My Entire Family:
Il have not reached the decision to