Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-07-10
PEACEMAKER KILLED.

which three highly respected families
were connected, shocked South Caro-
lima, yesterday. The tragedy occurred
near Clinton, in Laurens county.
Several years ago John G. Wham pur-
chased the old homestead of Thomas
Simpson. a Confederate soldier, Simpson
moving into a more modest house near
by. On Tuesday Miss Matte Simpson,
about fifteen years old, received note
purporting to be from Miss Coleman, a
sister-in-law of Wham, asking Miss
Simpson to come over to Wham's where
Miss Coleman was visiting, and stating
that all the others had gone away.
Mrs. Simpson got hold of the note, and
her suspicious were aroused. She went
with her daughter to Wham's house,
where Wham was found alone. Ask
ing the meaning of the note, Wham re-
piled that he found it addressed to Miss
Simpson after his wife and Miss Cole
man had gone to Clinton, and had sim
ply sent it over. Mr.. Simpson finally
elected from Wham the information
that he had sent the note with improper
purposes in view, declared this was
nothing new, and asserted that he had
on four occasions within the last year
met Miss Simpson secretly. Wham re-
fused to come out and meet old Mr.
Simpson, who declared that nothing but
Wham's blood would satisfy him.
News of this reached Clinton We'd
nesday and that night crowd sur
rounded Wham's house, and it was
known that some serious results must
come. Early yesterday morning Mrs.
Wham got in her buggy and drove to
the home of L. w. Ramage, several
miles from her home, to get Ramage to
act as peacemaker About s o'clock
Ramage drove over and while in the
house was shot and killed by Wham.
Mrs. Wham had also induced Reid
Blakely TO go to the house and act as
peacemaker, but Wham had ordered him
away before he shot Ramage.
A large crowd soon gathered, and then
was enacted as wonderful a bit of acting
as ever a woman did on or off the stage.
The wife to whom Wham had been I'M
true, for nearly three hours played an
artistic role in order to give him time
to escape. She knew that if Wham was
taken by the friends of the other wo-
man his life would be the forfeit, and
so this nervy woman pretended that her
husband was upstairs and that it
would mean more bloodshed and in
slant death to any man or any set
of men who might attempt to
enter that yard or that house.
With prayers and pleadings Of this sort
she kept the crowd at bay while the dead
man lay at her back door and her hus-
band was making his way to safety. 1t
must have been as soon as the shot was
fired that John Wham rushed past his
victim across the cotton field and into
the woods, 200 yards in the rear of his
house. He has not since been seen.
When it was found that Mrs. Wham
had been playing apart and that her hus-
band was gone the crowd made bold to
approach the man who had been lying
there dead for two hours and more.
Bloodhounds were put on Wham's trail,
but he had eluded them. The whole
county is aroused. The dead man was
very popular.
Columbia, s. c., July 10.-Up to
noon today, despite the use of blood
hounds, sent by Governor Howard, no
trace has been found of Wham.
THE BLOOD OF ST. GENNARE.-The
Neapolitans are showing great emotion
over the approaching end of Pope Leo,
PRAYING in the churches and doing all
that religion prescribes in appealing to
the Almighty to delay the catastrophe.
Cardinal Frisco telegraphs that recourse
has even been had to the extreme
measure of bringing out the blood of st.
Gennare. The blood Of the saint Is con-
tanned in a vial in petrifed form, which
turns into liquid and boils when the
saint condescends to intervene. The
miracle is very dear TO the heart of the
Neapolitans, who firmly believe in its
power to cure all ills. The Cardinal
reports that the petriied blood took
liquid form yesterday in the presence
of a large concourse.