Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-05-06
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Hon L. vaandsham and Others s."

hk dho Snouah oUSCENdthUus y;
!. 2Written for The Courier by u. g." 3
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the evening of tho same day he was
escorted home. The next morning he
was called to the witness stand. He told
q straight story ana was believed, and
John Griffin, the prisoner twice tried for
murder, was this time convicted, sen-
fenced, and, in q few months, executed.
The citizen who accidentally discov-
cred the whereabouts of the missing wit
ness and reported his discovery to the
prosecuting attorney, was subjected to
some annoyance by the prominent attor-
ney for the defendant. He asked him to
make affidavit that he gave the informa-
tion that led to securing the missing
witness. He wanted to prove by the affi-
davit that such securing OF the witness
was irregular, and that he could only be
procured legally by q requisition on the
Governor of Kentucky. His aim was to
mony that was fatal to his client. The
citizen, who was the writer himself, gave
the attorney an emphatic refusal, and
probably, by his looks, expressed con-
tempt for such pettifogging.
Q. Although Griffin was hanged, and
the order loving people of the town
breathed freer and n temporary check
was pub Ou NiOl6ub IAWl6bbuG5b, GuGrS IOl-
lowed, a few years later, more notori-
GUS case, tried at the Same court. The
killing in this instance occurred at vii
lage ten miles distant. A man by the
name of Irwin, bachelor of about forty
years of age, killed his father and step
mother. He lived with them and ate at
their table. For the stepmother he had
a dislike. and this led to misunderstand-
ings and occasional contentious with his
On nj
uproar, accompanied with demonstra-
tions of violence. The father was re-
ported to have held hatchet aloft, as if
intending to throw it at bis son, or to
strike him with it directly by hand. The
demon then possessed the son, and he
shot them both to death within few
yards of the house. The father was an
five years. The steRmothor was COM
p4inte In the trial s that follSyed, solf-defense
defendant. But he wsS hale, hearty and
in the vigor of middle life, while the
father was old and In life's decline, and
the stepmother was woman weak at
best. The idea Of killing in self defense
was ridiculous, .and carried no weight
with it. The aim of defendants attor-
neys was to create reasonable doubt in
the mind of the jury. They soon shifted
from the plea OF self defense to that of
emotional insanity" 1t was In evil
dence that the prisoner, at the time of
the killing, had a painful boil on the
back of his neck. This made him irrita-
BILE. Besides this, the weather was very
warm 1t was midsummer. Then the
oft-returning provocations of domestic
life led to the fatal catastrophe. The
boil ON the neck, the hot weather, the
provoking taunts of the unwelcome step
mother, and the old father, as was natu-
raj, taking sides with her---well, IL was
more than poor human nature, in that
instance, could endure without becom-
ing follower of Cain. Reason reeled.
Conscience died. Love turned to hatred.
The tie of kinship snapped asunder.
Demoniac fury possessed the poor unfor-
tunate. Emotional insanity swayed
him as the winds do the waves, and he
had to kill his old father as Cain killed
his brother, and to make clean sweep
in the killing line, he had to take the
life of his stepmother, tool Well, farci-
cal as snch pleading In behalf of such
client seemed, that double murderer was
acquitted, and had the temerity after
wards 10 apper in public, Stunned by
the good and respected only by those
who had no respect for themselves. Peo-
pie who read this should be careful to
keep their blood pure, and to guard
against boils, especially on the back of
their necks in summer timel They may
develop by slow and insidious degreea
emotional Insanity tine dire results of
which no man,-without the ken Of an
inspired prophet, can foretelll
8. Near the time of the case just re-
lated, there occurred another at the same
court, which, on account of lamentable
tragedy growing out Of it, obtained
much wider notoriety. The victim of
the slayer In this instance was man by
the name of Myers, and the name of the
reputed slayer was Mcclellan. They
both bore the Christian name of Thomas,
which was invariably abbreviated into
"rom." They. both belonged to the
rough element of society, McGeehan
considered the more dangerous. He
seemed to be the head of olan, and
often did his bad deeds through subor-
dinates. IL developed that, on account
of some roal or imaginary offence on the
part OF Myers, McGeehan determined on
having him put out of tho way. In a
public room, In which cards and liquor
hRnred conspicuonsly, some of the Nc
Geehan clan assaulted Myers with con-
lieved, the former slipped up while his
antagonist was down, and holding self
cooking pistol in the right hand pocket
of his saque coat, shot his PROSTATE foe
with the pistol still In his pocket. Myers,
being mortally wounded, drew his pistol
and shot aimlessly about the room, hurt
ing no one, but producing general
stampede among the spectators. He
died during the night. MoGeehan and
some OF his olan were arrested. One of
the most despers :" turned States evil
dence and swore nat Mcclellan fred
the fatal shot II case being 30 strong
against him In tbU town where no lived,
and &hers there yias o general convic-
tion OF His guilt, his attorneys moved
for, aud obtained . change of venue for
the Ant hearing, which took place In
the town of Lebanon, Warren county,
Obs6.
There q most shocking tragedy OCCUR
red. Hon. y, l., Vallandigharn, OK mem