The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-03-11
RELEASED ON BAIL.
Reuben 7. Pitts Gives a Bond of Five
Thousand Dollars.
he MAKES & STRONG AFFIDAVIT.
Pitts Gives His Version of All the
Circumstances Connected
With the Dcplorabl la
man Tragedy


4 dispatch to The State from Spar
tanburg says: Tuesday morning at 10
o'clock the court room was we'll TILED
with people, wno had assembled to
witness the proceedings in regard TO
the application for bail made by the
ATTORNEYS for Reuben b. Pitts. who is
charged With the murder OF Edward
L. Foster at the 1nman school build
ing on the 2+th Of February last. The
defendant was present and occupied a
seat beside his father. Rev. J. u.
Pitts, in the enclosure Of the room
mapped out for the bar and visitors.
The attorneys for the defendant,
Nichols 4 Jones and Mr.. St;,nyarne
Wilson, we've on hand as well as ;S"lic-
itor SeaSe and Mr. John Gary Evans,
who will assist in the prosecution.
Defendants attorneys submitted Is
atfidavitS from the following lepreSsn-
tative citizens of LaurenS. the home
of Mr.. Pitts: Rev. w. 3. Duncan.
pastor Methodist church; Rev. Robert
Adam, pastor Presbyterian church:
Rev. ". S. Holmes, pastor Episcopal
church: Rev. b. J. Woodward. pastor
Chestnut Ridge and other churches:
Hon. r. a. Cooper. John +. Bolt,
clerk Of court Laurens county: 7. j.
Duckett, sheriff of Laurens county:
J. J. PluSS, cashier Bank OF Laurens:
n. B. Dial. president Of the Bank of
LaurenS: w. W. Ball, editor Laurens
Advertiser: DR.. w. c. Irby, w. A.
Watts, president Peoples Loan and
Exchange Bank: DR.. J. A. BarkSdale,
president Of the National Bank: 0. G.
Thompson, probate judge; C. 3. Bobo.
merchant: w. E. Lucas. president
Laurens Cotton Mills; c. E. Gray,
mayor: and C. H. Roper, cashier En-
terpriSe Bank. Each of these docu-
ments were remarkable for the high
candid endorsement of the character
and reputation Of the defendant.
Many Of the athdavits asserted that
the person swearing would believe any
statement that Reuben Pitts would
make, even ii his life was in peril OF
jeopardy, or under any circumstance.
AtfidavitS Of the members Of the fac
Ulty Of Furman University were also
read The professors stated that
Pitts, during his three years at COL
lege, was regarded as one OF the very
best students in every particular, and
bis department and general conduct
first class. An affidavit from defend
ole h
mitted, bearing on the details Of the
tragedy. 1t is given below.
Mr. W. NJ. Jones. for defendant
made the opening argument: he was
followed by Mr.. John Gary Evans for
the State. Solicitor Sease concluded
the argument against allowing bail to
the defendant, and Mr.. Stanyarne
Wilson finished with plea for bail.
Judge Aldrich decided to grant the
motion, and the sum Of bail was fixed
at s.. 600. The bond was signed few
minutes afterwards and Mr.. Pitts re-
leased from custody. The following
gentlemen signed the bond: Mr.. W.
E. Lucas, president of the Laurens
and Darlington cotton mills; Mr.. Jas.
T. Harris of Spartanburg: c. B. Bobo,
a merchant of Laurens and Rev. John
D. Pitts.
Rev. J. D. Pitts and Mr.. Reuben
Pitts spent the day at the home OF
Rev. Lewis NJ. Roper, leaving in the
afternoon for LaurenS.
State Of South Carolina-Spartanburg
County.
Before me personally appears r. B.
Pitts, who being duly sworn. says:
That in September last, deponent
was employed by the trustees Of In
man Graded School to take charge OF
the school as its principal for its seS-
sion OF eight months That his school
at the time Of the occurrence which
resulted in the death of Edward Eos
ter consisted Of an enrolment Of
about l25 boys and girls, ranging in
ages, from l6 to 8: deponent having
one assistantas teacher. That deponent
graduated from Furman in June, 1902.
That he was born and raised in Lau-
rens county and is now 26 years OF
age. about 5 feet 6 inches in height
and weighing about l26 pounds. Tha:
at the time of said shooting. deponent
was. and for some time had been. and
is now, suffering from a weak back,
which renders him very weak physi-
callv. and for which he wore and still
wears plaster, under physicians ad-
vice.
That four Of the largest and most
powerful boys in the school were Ed
ward Foster, Fred Ballenger, Jesse
Bal!enger and Raymond Wolfe; each
Of whom was larger and stronger than
deponent, and about II or Is years OF
age. That from deponent'S observa-
tion those four boys seemed to run to-
eether. That for long time Edward
Foster had given him and the school
considerable trouble by his misconduct
or miSbehavior-in one week while
the demerit system was in force. depo-
nent recalls that he, Edward Foster.
incurred about l9 demeritS: but that
deponent dealt with him Very lenient-
" and with as much patience as any
one could have expected. refrainlng
from inflicting the penalty of whip
ping, until at last it became unavoid-
able. leading up to the lamentable
tragedy Of Tuesday Afternoon, the
9th of this mouth.
On Monday, FEB. 23d, Edward Eos
ter missing his spelling and deponent
told him to stay III. on account thereof,
after school was out. He tiatly re-
fused to stay and did not stay. That
knowing the Intimate relations De-
tween him and Fred Ballenger, depo,
nent stated to the latter that II frec
Foster came back to school next morn
ing he would have to takea whipping
that he could not permit that KIND OF
thing to 90 unpuniShed: anG that Il