The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1903-07-22
SLAIN BY A MOB.
Citizens Lynch the Man in Whose
Yard Hall Was Killed.
A SEQUEL OF THAT MURDER.
Head Was i'm Conspiracy to- Murder
Hall. Details OF the Latest
Appeal to Judge

The BateSburg correspondent OF
The State says just across the line i'm
Aiken county Willie Hall was buried
Thursday morning in Mountable
churchyard. Not two miles away lies
the dead body Of Dennis Head, ne
gro, shot to death i'm sight OF his home.
Your correspondent visited the scenes
OF the recent tragedies Friday. going
first To the home OF Dennis Head, col
ored, where the Hall murder was com
mitted. The house, Il tiny log cabin,
stands on hill i'm the middle OF a
cornteld, and in the door, gazing out
into the west, sat an old negro woman,
wiZcned in years, the mother OF Den
n S Head. Near her IN bench was
an aged man, her husband. lie is so
old that he sits i'm half stupor and
cannot answer any questions put to
him. Elsie Head, the sister OF Dennis
Head, 4 negro girl of about % years,
told The State representative Friday
of the killing OF Willie Hall, giving i'm
substance the same account as already
printed in The State.
THE MURDER OF HALL.
1T seems that George Edwards,
negro came into the store OF the Halls
on Wednesday afternoon and asked
Willie Hall to exchange some tobacco
tags which he had for small present
of some kind. There had been feel
ing between the negro and Hall for
some time on account of Il 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 tired a shot in the air. IIethen left
the scene. going To the home of Dennis
Head, in Lexington county, about
ehree-quartcrS of mile away Not
long afterwards. SO JudSon Hall him
sell toll your correspondent Friday.
he and his brother loaded their shot
guLS and followed the negro intend
'ES TuIp :TITu UCdOu MN
lcSSuh. Arriving at the home OF
Dennis Head they found Edwards
seated just Inside the door. Both
AAiNi l'sNSitt bitC SullS dU lllll, anu, dS
they entered the house, Elsie Head
rushed past and out OF the door. Ed
wards seized Will Halls gun by the
muzzlc and terrific struggle ensued
in which the negro captured the
weapon, and turning, shot his aSSail-
ant through the abdomen. The
wounded man cried: - am shot," and
half fell, half walked down the steps
into the yard, where he expired in a
few minutes. Edwards rushed at Jud-
son Hall, the younger brother, and
tried TO wreSt 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" Judson
Hall took the gun, and, examining it,
said it was not loaded so he says. In
some way Edwards gained possession
of it and ran across the fields un-
moleSted because his opponent was
exhausted.
The coroner was summoned and
viewed the body Of Hall, but the in
quest was not held until Friday morn
ing, when 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 were in danger.
DENNIS HEAD KILLED.
Soon after the moon rose the same
nj, L.,
Aiken perhaps mile and half across
the county line, was called TO his door
by number of white men who asked
for drink Of water. AS he opened
the door one of the men clutched him
by the wrist saying: You are under
arrest" and carrying him into the
road IA few hundred yards away. His
wife tells the rest of the story, for
strange though it may seem, no one
else could be fnnd who could or
would tell anything about Heads
killing. Jesse Butler, a negro of Is
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
rlhed 10y the crime and ran away leav-
ing the dying man. His body was
not removed until Thursday morning,
and Friday afternoon 1t was lying on
the porch OF the cabin covered by
sheet and Shielde from the sun by
few quilts hung on chair. A negro
sat near and waved leafy bough to
keep away the inceSSant 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
were whipping the smaller boy. In
the road lay "A harness strap tied into
II knot, the negro's hat buggy whip
broken To pieces, and shot gun shell
from l2-bore gun. Heads body was
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