The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-12-09
THE DEAD ALIVE.
A Man Returns Home After an
Absence Of Fifty Years.
BE HAD BEEN M0URNED AS DEAD
After He Deserted His Home He
Never Wrote Line to His
Wife or His Helpless
Children.

from bis family Jacob Wesley Cloy
wandered into hiss son home, Judge John
R. Cloy, at Graniteville, last Monday
night week ago. The story reads like
the plot in some romance Of the mid
die ages, but surpa>seS the ancient &c
tion in the fact that it is true tale.
A reporter for the Augusta Chronicle
heard OF this marvellous story day
OF two ago and meeting Judge Cloy on
the streets, who confirmed it and
added more wonders to the way it bad
been told by another.
The story recounted by Judge Cloy
began when he was only twenty-seVen
days old and his father disappeared,
| leaving his mother with two helpless
young children, and never returned
until last week. During the absence
Of the father the two children had
advanced past middle age and the good
mother, who toiled for their support
and education, had died in ignorance
of what bad become her husband.
Mrs. Cloy departed this life in 1889.
Back in the year l849 Jacob Cloy
was the overseer on the plantations Of
Frank PoSey, a prominent planter Of
the eastern section Of South Carolina.
The great farmer had a son, Martin
Posey, who married young wife, and
for a while lived happily on one OF
the places owned by his father. One
day the young wife disappeared and
search was Instituted to find her. In
a few days after the disappearance
her mutilated body was found in a
swamp nearby, and the evidence was
plain that murder had been COM
mitted. The strong finger Of circum-
stances pointed to her husband. He
vas arrested and tried.
MAIN WITNESS DISAPPEARS.
Jacob Cloy was one Of the witnesses
summoned by the state at the trial.
He was one of the party that found
the body Of Mrs. Posey and it was
thought that testimony given by him
would throw considerable light on the
case. In fact, many thought that
Cloy's evidence would convict Martin
Posey of the murder Of his wife. All
were aDxiously awaiting the time
when Cloy would take the stand and
say the words that would clear up the
mystery that had shocked the whole
country side by it's horrors. The
time for the trial drew near and inter-
est increased. Finally the day set for
the hearing arrived and the court
room was crowded to the doors. When
Jacob Cloy was called to go on the
stand it was found that he had dis
appeared. Application being made
at his home it was learned from his
wife that be had not been at the
house for several days. Many people
Immediately were convinced that an
other murder had been committed to
keep the truth about the first one
from coming to the light Of day.
Again the country was shocked and
all sorts of methods were adopted to
try and locate the whereabout Of Cloy,
but without avail.
After thorough search not lew
people came to the opinion that Cloy
had gone away to keep from convict
ing his former friend, Martin Posey.
Mrs. Cloy was left with son twenty
seven days old and daughter not
quite two years. She Immediately
set about supporting them. She un-
dertook such work as woman could
do and succeeded in raising her de-
serted children in creditable man
ner and giving them an education.
She often harbored the idea that she
would hear from her husband, but as
the years speed on and not a line
came she became convinced that he
was dead.