The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-12-07
THREE VICTIMS OF A NADMAN.
]. NJ. James Kills His Wife and
Her Brother.

Darlington, Dec Mrs. J. Mad
ison James, +. sgd Kelly, her broth
er, so years old, and J. Madison
James, 81 years cid, lie dead in
Kellytown and four members Of a
sheriff posse are suffering from
wounds, as the result of series Of
tragedies which occurred last night
and today, in which the principal
actor was Madison James, who was
released from the State Hospital for
the Insane in Columbia about one year
ago, after a term of confinement
Madison James is we'll doing far
mer III spite of the mental infrmities
from which he had suffered and was
thought to be cured. With his wife,
who was Miss Kelly, of Kellytown,
locality in Darlington county, wide
" known, he lived in large farm
house. His mother-in-law, Mrs.
Kelly, was in the house Friday night
and about l O'Clock a quarrel arose
between this venerable woman OF 70
and James.
Mrs. James took the part of her
mother. James's rage became ungov-
ernable and he ran to another room
for his shotgun. The elder woman fed
out into the night and terrified, escap-
ed to a noighbor's house. Mrs. James
was oyertaken on the piazza by the
frenzied husband, and a charge fred
into her body. That is the story of
Last nights tragedy.
Later in the night about II O'Clock
R. Sydney Kelly the brother, came to
the James house. All was quiet.
James probably was sleeping after the
exhaustion following his furious pas
sion. The brother went up the steps
into the piazza and coverd the body OF
his dead sister with sheet. he then
returned to his home.
This morning he went again to the
house. He had great influence over
James. He had carried him to tie
hospital when he first became insane
and believed that alone he could best
quiet the maddened man. When he
reached the house James was within.
All the doors were locked. Kelly
went to window at the side and
James appeared. \ conversation fol-
lowed. Kelly sitting o1 boz, aud
after few minutes Kelly turned his
face away. In another infant the man
from within had fred lead of shot
into his neck and be fell dead. The
muzzle Of the gun was only foot or
two from nim.
Meanwhile Sheriff George B. Scar
borouh and his son Robert j. Scar
borough who is his deputy had been
notified and they left Darllnton
fifteen or eighteen miles distant. COM
ing as rapidly as possible towards the
scene, summoning posse on the way.
When they reached Kellytown there
were from twenty to thirty men in the
posse. most of them residents Of the
surrounding country and some from
Hartsvilie, seven miles away.
When they approached the James
house no sound was heard. On the
p1azza lay the sheet. covered corpse OF
the dead wife, and few yards dis
tant. on the ground, was the body of
her slain elder brother.
No answer came to SherlH Scaroor-
ough's repeated calls. At last the
sheriff mounted the steps, his son
close b-hind him, and began to force
open the door. AS the door was Civ
ing way the roar of a shotgun aud the
rattle of shot on the door casing came
from within. The crazed man had
opened fire. The sheriff and deputy
retreated. The posse surrounded the
house. In a moment another shot
came from within, fired from a win
dow. The fire was answered by the
posse. Pistols and Winchester rides
cracked and shotguns reverberated.
The window from which the shot had
come was the target. From IL other.
shots came, and for brief time the
desperate man continued to fire. The
battle. for such it was, lasted only
a short minute or two. Somebody's
bullets, more than one, had found
their mark and the unhappy creature
in the house was dead. The walls
and ceiling of the room in which ne
made his last stand were filed With
bullet and shot holes and the window
panes shot Into fragments. A shotgun
and Winchester rife were found IN
the house.
When the smoke had cleared away it
was found that the following members
of the posse had received wounds,
none of which is expected to prove
fatal:
will A. Sumner, a prominent young
farmer. Dan Segars, cousin OF Il.
sgd Kelly. who was killed.