The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-08-03
KILLED HIMSELF.


Negro, Fred Brown, Cuts His Throa
In the Penitentiary.
We clip the following from The
State, which says: Fred Brown,
life term negro convict, sent up fo]
murder, cut his throat after making
murderous assault Thursday Afternoon
upon Will Lewis, also a life term
negro convict in the penitentiary.
Brown was head cook Of the guards
and oft1cers'S mess ard Lewis Is a
waiter. The fight began in the
kitchen and the officers were aroused
from dinner by Lewis rushing into the
room, a stream Of blood gushing from
bis neck, and Brown Dashing after
him with long kitchen carving knife,
After hard chase Brown was over.
powered and taken to the whipping
room beneath the hospital. While
waiting there for instructions the
guard paid little attention to the man
until he heard an exclamation, ano
looking up saw the murderer slashine
his own throat. He lived for several
hours, dying at $50 Thursday night.
Messrs. w. G.. Black, bookkeper, T.
Fl. Lesene, commissariat; DR.. S. E.
Harmon, Capt. J. NJ. Graham and
First Sergeant C. G. Roberts were at
dinner in the mess when Brown at.
tackled Lewis in the kitchen, which is
only 10 or II feet from the mess hall.
No Quarreling was heard. Not a sim
gle discordant word in the routine
service was noticeable, not even an
audible suggestion from the cook to
his assistant. Suddenly they heard a
scream and Immediately the fleeing
servant was rushing into the room
shouting: stop him! he's killing
me!m Then everything was turned
topsy turvy as the officers saw the
form Of Brown with long 16-inch
carving knife in his hand making des-
perate lunges at the fleeing man try
ing to stab him in the back.
In and out the officers quarters and
around the building the infuriated
convict pursued his victim with the
officers in hot chase after the would
be murder. As Brown was about to
be caught be made desperate cast Of
the 20-ounce knife at the head of his
escaping foe, the knife sinking deep
into a half closed door through which
the pursued man had just passed.
Sergeant Roberts was the first to
seize Brown and when the other offi.
cere arrived he was turned over to a
guard with orders to take him to the
whipping room and wait instructions,
as the superintendent must always
hear the cause before corporal punish
ment is administered. While waiting
in this room Brown took a small pock-
ct knife, about two inches long, from
his clothing and, in full view Of the
man who had just arrived to lay on
the lash, he hacked and raked at his
throat until the windpipe was COM
pletely served.
DR.. S. E. Harmon at this time was
in the hospital with Will Lewis, whose
head and neck were badly cut and be
did not know of the sequel until some
time later. He summoned DR.. l.. a.
Griffith and they did everything in
their power to save Browns life. The
wound was sewed up and treated.
The man talked for short while.
He stated that he intended to Kill
Lewis but would not tell why or what
brought on the assault.
Lewis, who is still in the hospital,
but is not considered dangerously
wounded, stated to a reporter Thurs
day that he and Brown had been
friends for years and had never had
any trouble Of the slightest nature.
He said that there was no quarrel be-
tween them Wednesday, that the only
words spoken by Brown were in a
whisper, that he said, Lewis get
your dinner now quickly as I am aw-
fully worried today" Lewis got a pan
and was STOPPING over a pot when
without another word he was struck
in the back of the head with the big
kitchen knife.
Fred Brown had been in the penl,
tentiary for u years. He was CON
vic5ed of numbering Lem Jackson
colored, at Belleville, Lexington coun
ty, in June, 1890, and was sentenced
by Judge 1. D. Withelspoon to be
hanged March 20, 1901, in the Lex
ington jail. During this interva
Brown escaped jail but was recapturec
and on the night before he was to ex
plate his crime Gov B. r. Tillmar
commuted the sentence to lie imprls
onment in the State penitentiary.
During Gov. McSweeney's admins
tration several petitions for the man:
pardon were submitted to that oticia
but he refused executive clemencJ
and since then the officials say BroWr
had become morose and detected, fre
quently saying there was no hope fo
him and he would have to spend hi:
entire life in prison, which be Woulc
say was worse than death.
Superintendent Griffith says Brown
has been one of the best conyicts IL
the prison and has for years been cool
for the officers mess but that recently
since he was refused pardon, has actec
queerly. 1t is his belief that thf
man was crazy when he attempted tht
life OF his life term companion.
Georgian Assassinated.
A special to The Augusta Chronicle
from Washington, Wilkes county
Georgia, says that while Charley j