The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-07-08
THE AIKEN TRIAL.
What the Richmond News.Herald
Says About Green's Acauittal.

whether it is possible to prevent In
South Carolina court any case which
would be declared murder provided
the defendant could command few
hundred dollars for the conduct OF his
defense. At Aiken, S. c., Lee Green,
q young white farmer, was acquitted
last week Of the murder of Abram
Surasky, q Jewish neighborhood ped.
dler.
The evidence showed that the ped
dler had called at Green's house In
the course Of his regular rounds and
was killed there. Three leads of buck
shot were fired into his head and back
and his skull was battered to pieces
with an axe. After the killing, Green
went to his nearest neighbor, a negro
named Henry Drayton, carrying his
gun, and between threats and promis.
es induced Drayton and wife to return
with him and help to scour the blood
stains from the floor Of his house. He
also tried hard to induce Drayton to
help him bury the body, but there the
negro baked. He testities that he re.
piled: Mr.. Green, If / put my han6
on that man, I'll be in as bal fix as
you ale, and l wou' dn't do it for 9
thousand dollars" whereupon Green
upbraided him bitterly for lack OF
friendship and neighbJrly feeling. The
two negroes gave evidence which bore
the stamp Of truth. They said that
on the walk between their houses and
Green's the murderer told them with
brutal frankness the story OF his
crime. He said he shot the peddler In
the back and then "let him haven the
other barrel. He failed, however, tc
infiict an immediately fatal wound.
The poor, terrified, humble creature
fled into the house, Green following
him reload.ng his gun. Cornered 10
the hou,e, Surasky fell, but lifted
himself to his knees and begged for
his life.
"I'n give you everything Ige got. "
Green Goi6 the negroes, Surasky said,
III give you the clothes I've got on
me. I've got little children"
He was trying to pull off his coat
and offered it to show how earnest he
was in his promise to surrender every
thing when the beast shot him again,
and that failed to kill him, seized an
axe and crushed his head into frag-
ments. Then he took the body into
the woods near by and hid it there
temporarily, turned the peddlers
horse loose in the road and dragged
his wagon into to bushes, where 1t
was out of sight. He got in money
from the body SO SO In silver coin,
which he showed the negro, who tes-
titled that he exclaimed:
My God, Mr.. Green, did you kill a
man for three dollars and half?"
Green's defense was corroborated by
his wife. 1t was to the effect that
when he'returned homo from :. rslll
he found Surasky in the act of as.
saulting his wife, and that when he
interferred the peddler attacked him
with a knife. Certainly a more pre-
posterous defense never was submitted
to the intelligence Of twelve good and
true men. The idea of an inofTensive,
middle aged Jewish peddler, with a
family Of his own, who lived not fif-
teen miles away, had been making his
rounds in the neighborhood for months
and was we'll known as the mail car
rier, attempting violent assault on a
young woman OF twenty and then
rushing at her husband with knife,
the husband having doubled barrell-
ed gun in his hands, is as lcrude and
wild and impossible as the dullest and
most ignorant mind could devise.
Yet, the jury accepted the defense
and acquitted the prisoner in the
face of the fact that he had made
no report of the tragedy, had left
the peddler's b5dy lying concealed in
the woods four or five days, was de-
tected by white men who found the
horse astray, recognized it and tracked
it back to Green's house, and after
the discovery had fled and remained in
hiding until the sheriff got on his
trail and caught him in his fathers
corn crib. Shavings from the floor OF
Green's house showed stains of Sur
aSky'S b'ood and confirmed the story
told by the negroes as told to them
by Green, that the peddler had field
into the room in the final effort tC
prolong his life few seconds.
The Hebrews at Aiken interested
themselves in the case Of their un-
fortunate humble fellow and employ
ed an array OF talented counsel to aic
in the prosecution. The evidence
was overwhelming and appears t
have been we'll presented, and We
cannot doubt that the argument.
were able; bnt the prisoners friend.
had rallied to him gallantly, and he
too, was represented by able counsel
So be went home triumphant, OIL
cially stamped as an innoncent ant
law abiding citizen. So far as de
velopS, the only suffers outside Of thu
murdered man and his family ant
friends are two negro witnesses. Ir
consequence Of their evidence give1
at the coroner's inquest, they found
themselves unsafe and were forced tx
leave their home. They are living ir
the town Of Aiken and hardly dare tt
so beyond the line for fear Of tn,
vengeance of the friends of the in
jured Green. One Of them founc
employment with a local Hebrew
merchant and Of this fact counsel TO
the defense made much Possibly
that very fact caused the intelligen
and conscientious jurors to wave asld,
all the direct and cirumstantial evi
dence which established one Of th,
foulest and most horrible murder
ever done.
Allotted to the Militia.
Acting Secretary Oliver of the Wa
dana ri napt haq mo rio tho annual n llDt