Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1903-09-30
OUT ON HEAVY BAIL
Slayers of Russell Sheriff. Give
SIS 600 Bonds.
EVIDENCE GIVEN ON BOTH SIDES.
IL Was Proven That Sheriff. Was Not
Armed-The White Brothers Prove
Good ShnraCters.

Salisbury, Special.-After a hearing
before Judge Geo. H. Brown. Jr. here
Saturday. Thos. ]. and Calmers H.
White, who killed Russell Sheriff. at
Mt. Ulla. on September 18th. were al
lowed bail in the sum OF S25 900 each
and released from custody.
At thc hearing in the case the court
house was jammcd and crowded SIS it
has seldom been before. This strong
public interest was induced by the
peculiarly tragic circumstances of the
killing. Two men OF high character
and we'll connected admit the killing
of the young man. also of prominent
family, in an alteration caused by the
ruin of their niece. the child Of their
dead brother. 'They GNege circum.
stances of self-defence. On the othc.
hand the prosecution contends that
they offered young Sheriff. the simple
alternative of death or marriage and
that rpon his declaring his choice OF
the former when he found that they
would accept no eouivocation or de-
lay they shot him down unarmed rs
he was, and before his mothers eyes.
Large numbers OF people we,> pres.
cpt both from Concord and the Mt.
Ulla section Of Rowan county The
Sheriff. family was represented by
Mrs. Josephine Sheriff.. mOther OF
The deceased &nd the principal wit.
ness for the prosecution; kVr daugh-
ter Miss Lucy Sheriff.; her little son,
Price Sheriff. and her sCnJnlaw. Mr.
w. a. Barber. OF Cleveland The re-
latives OF the DEFENDANTS present
were: Messrs. Tinslow md Thorn
well White of Concord. and Sergeant
X. G. White, of Charlotte. The de
Tense was represented by Senator Lee,
5. Murphy. Of Salisbury, and Mont
gomery & CFowell. CT Concord. Solic5-
tor Hummer, l.. II. Clement r. C..
Linn and II. B. Miller appeared for
the State. Representative Theo. r.
KluttZ, who has l,een retained for the
defense. was not present. being away
from towlt All the points a.ising dur
Ing the hearing we're hard fought and
once or twice warm rujoinders were
passed lIetween counNel. When Ihe
evidence had be a. concluded at g. 30
O'Clock in the afternoon both sides
agreed ~ leave the matter OF BAN to
the court without argument Judge
Brown announced that he would take
the matter under consideration and
file his decision In writing with the
clerk OF the court In the meantime
the prisoners were remanded to the
custody of the sheriff.
Mrs Josephine Sheriff., mother OF
the deceased. was tiie first witness for
a. 10 lot. hot DF
children other than the deceased there
were in the residence on the day and
hour OF the killing. Price. a ten-year-
old boy and Lena q fifteen-year-old
girl. There were Also in the house
j. III. Thayer and son, Charles Thayer,
OF Mt. Pleasant, who had come to Mt
Ulla to sharpen gin saws, and Frof
w. Il. Clegg. school teacher board
ing at the place. She continued II
heard knock at tie door abou, i
o'clock IN the morning. and upon an
swerinG IT saw two strangers. They
said they wanted to see Mr. Russell
Sheriff.. | said that he was not up,
but that | would call him. ans
placed chairs for them on the porch
then went and told my son. He aske ed
who the men were. but L couldn't tell
him. He rose from bed and came
down in his shirt and trousers and
with his shoes united The gentle
men told him they wanted to see him
privately. l was In the hall. bat
hearing this, came out. They told NE
to go back, but l refused. Russell
had sat down on the bench near the
door and as he did so the Whites i'm
mediately covered him with their re-
voivers. rising from their chairs as
they did so. They told him he had
ruined their niece. Annie White. and
had to die today If he didn't marry
her. Chal was the spokesman of the
two. Russell said he didn't ruin the
girl. l stepped between the two men
and Russell and pleaded with Chal
White not 10 kill my boy | then
turned to the other man. Thomas
Whits and began to plead with him.
begging him for the boys poor
mothers sake to spare his life. Tom
said he was deaf and told me to talk
to his brother. Chal repeated that
Russell would have to marry the girl
today OF die. He told me to step
back and did so. Russell said. III
go with you. and got up and stepped
towards the door, whereupon Tom
Whfte. the big one. showed him back.
Russell then said he didn't love the
girl and couldn't marry her, upon
which they both fired. almost to.
gether. SO close. in fact. that | couldn't
tell which fired first. In showing Rus.
sell. Tom White had pushed him to-
wards Chal and away from the door.
After the shots Russell fell and fell
almost on him. Rising, ran out into
the yard. screaming and crying out
for the neighbors to catsh the men
who had killed Russell. They left i'm
mediately
Further testimony was given by the