The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-07-24
SLAIN BY A MOB.
Citizens Lynch the Man in Whose
Yard Hall Was Killed.
A SEQUEL OF THAT NIUE DER.
Head Wns in Conspiracy to Murder
Hall. Details of tho Latest
Appeal to Judge
Lynch.

The Batesburg correspondent OF
The State says just across the line in
Aiken county Willie Hall was buried
Thursday morning in Mountable
churchyard. Not two miles away lies
the dead body Of Dennis Head, IL ne.
gro, shot to death in sight Of his home.
Your correspondent visited the scenes
OF the recent tragedies Friday. goi ny
first to the home OF Dennis Head, col
orcd, where the Hall murder; was com
mittcd. The house, Il tiny log cabin,
stands on Il hill in the middle Of a
cornticld, and in the door, Y izing out
into the west, sat an old negro woman,
wizcned in years, the mother of Den
mis- Head. Near her IN a bench was
an aged man, her husband. He is SO
old that Inc sits in half stupor and
cannot answer any questions put to
him. Elsie lead, the sister of Dennis
Head, 4 negro girl Of about 25 years,
told The State representative Friday
of the killing OF Willie Hall, giving in
substance the same account as already
PItEuGU Iii iiiC SG:fGSs. tl T.
THE MURDER OF HALL.
1t seems that George Edwards, a
negro came into the store of the Halls
on Wednesday afternoon and asked
Willie HALL to exchange some tobacco
tags which he had for a small present
or s0mc kind. There had been feel
ing between the negro and Hall for
some time on account OF a previous
dispute concerning purchase in the
store. The negro carried shotgun
and looking at it, Hall said: ''You
have got that gun for me-" The ne
gro made some surly reply and going
out Of the store halted on the bridge
and fired shot in the air. He then left
the scene, going to the home Of Dennis
Head, in Lexington county, about
three-quarterS Of a mile away. Not
long afterwards. so Judson Hall him
self told your correspondent Friday,
he and his brother loaded their shot
CUTS and followed the negro intend
ing to whip .himsfand teach him a
lesson. Arriving at the home 81
Dennis Head they found Edwards
sea sea ted tiistsa tnside de the door. Both
|fmeps slsyeled the rguns at hi im, and ;as
ttlsys etlte lead
sm e y:
muzzleg egand ii terrific struggle ensued
In which stte negro car1ured the
weapon, and turning, Shot nis assail-
ant through the abdomen. The
wounded man cried: II am shot," and
half fell, half walked down the steps
into the yard, where he expired in
few minutes. Edwards rushed at Jud-
son Hall, the younger brother, and
tried to wrcst his shotgun from him,
but Elsie Head assisted the white man
In the struggle and finally the negro
looked Hall in the eye and said: Let
me go; | WON'T shoot you.n Judson
Hall took the gun, and, examining it,
said 1t was not loaded, SO he says. In
some way Edwards gained possession
of 1t and ran across the fields un-
molcsted because his opponent was
physically exhausted
The coroner was summoned and
viewed the body Of Hall, but the in
quest was not held until Friday morn
ing, when a verdict was rendered say
ing that Edwards had committed the
crime. The same afternoon Butler
Fox, a resident Of Batesburg, bought
a number of shotgun shells and some
rifles In the town, saying that his
partner" had been killed, and that
other men we're in danger.
DENNIS HEAD KILLED.
Soon after the moon rose the same
night Dennis Head, a negro living in
Aiken perhaps a mile and a half across
the county line, was called to his door
by a number OF white men who asked
for drink Of water. Ashe opened
the door one Of the men clutched him
by the wrist saying: you are under
arrest" and carrying him into the
road a few hundred yards away. His
wife tells the rest or the story, for
strange though it may seem, no one
else could he found who could or
would tell anything about Heads
killing. Jesse Butler, a negro or 18
years, went with Head into the road,
says his wife, but soon ran back cry
ing that he had been cruelty beaten.
Shots were heard Immediately after
wards and The men left the scene.
One OF the women ran out into the
road and stumbled over the body of
Head. She threw her arms around
his neck and he muttered some inco-
herent phrase. The woman was ter
rified by the crime and ran away leav-
ing the dying man. His body was
not removed until Thursday morning,
and Friday afternoon it was lying on
the porch Of the cabin covered by a
sheet and shielded from the sun by IL
few quilts hung on a chair. A negro
sat near and waved IL lcafy bough to
keep away the inccssant swarm Of
flies, the while grooming a plaintive
song. The man was shot through
the left side of the stomach and must
have died in agony. Clara Head his
wife, said that Butler believed that
there were three men in the party
and that Head was tied while they
we're whipping the smaller boy. In
the road lay harness strap tied into
il knot, the negro's hat, buggy whip
broken to pieces, and IL shot gun shell
from l2-borc gun. Heads body was
still lying on his porch Friday night,
awaiting the coroner. In the house
at the time Of the crime we're two ne
gro women, four children and the
two men.
FIRST KILLING PLANNED.
,Juds0n Hall, brother Of the dead
man, told a gentleman of Batesburg
that Dennis Head IOnnpy johnson