The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-05-11
tue MANNING TRAGEDY.
Story of The Killing of Keels by
the Man Who Bid II.

Manning, May fl saw Nj. Yce-
mans this afternoon and asked him if
he was yet prepared to make state
ment, as foreshadowed in my dispatch
Of Tuesday, when he said, In SUBJ
stance, as follows:
sin view Of the large crowd present,
the place where the trouble occurred
and the horror upon the minds of all
in witnessing the death OF any man,
and they not understanding the causes
which led up to the trouble, feel
that I should be unjust to myself, my
family and friends did I decline
further brief statement leading up
to the unfortunate tragedy Of Mon
day, in which I was compelled to take
the life of John r. Keels. Esq.
About six weeks ago Mr.. Keels
paid me for q mule I had sold
negro, and after a week or so was
surprised to have him call upon me
for money he had paid me for the
negro, saying that the mule was
worthless. objected to returning
him the money, claiming my trans
action was with the negro, when he
became angry and abusive, and fin
ally asked him to stop and leave my
Office, as I wanted no difficulty with
him. A friend of mine took him ont,
and was asked by Keels to tell me- to
let us get pistols and step off ten
PAGES and shoot it out. Shortly after
this he brought suit against me, and
although I had been warned of num-
erous threats made by Keels against
my life before the fling of Che suit,
and of the desperate. and treacherous
character of the man concluded he
had determined to let the Court settle
our trouble and, for the time being,
dismissed from my mind the fear OF
violence. For some time Mr.. Keels
passed and repassed me and would
speak to me, and I noticed that he
was only threatening and inclined to
be abusive when under the influence
of liquor, on which occasions would
go out of my way to avoid him. AS
Court approached these occasions of
drinking became more frequent; the
threat came to me by such reliable
men that Z armed myself with view
of protecting myself in case difficult
ty could not be avoided. AS I came
from dinner on Monday a county
official said to me: Look out for
Keels; he is going to hurt you Not
over ten minutes before tie dll Guilty
I was in the Court House door, heard
Keels cursing among crowd of men
nearby, but did not catch his words,
when he suddenly looked in my di-
rection and made sudden movement.
as ifto com towards me, when some
cne caught his arm and they walked
off toward the dispensary. | was
standing by one of the large columns
supporting the porch of the Court
House, with one foot against the col
unn looking for an attorney who had
business in my Office, when I OBJ
served Keels walking rapidly towards
me, and before could take my foot
down he struck me with both fists,
on each side of my face, glancing
blows. which. were partly avoided by.
my throwing off his aims with my
left arm. What he said to me with
the blows, accompanied by lis reach
ing for his hip pocket convinced me
that the fatal moment had arrived,
and commenced shooting and did not
cease until all danger to my life was
at an end.
ST am informed that many are under
the impression that Mr.. Keels was not
armed, because no pistol vas found on
his person. The impression that he
did not have pistol when he attacked
me is wholly erroneous and utterly un-
true, and everything in the world that
kept Keels from shooting me was the
effectiveness of my shots. To say that
I regret the unfortunate necessity i'm
pelling me to this deed but family
expresses my feelings. / would be
inhumane did not feel for his fam
lily, having had no desire in the world
to harm a hair Of his head. I feel
today that Mr. Keels would be alive
and well had not an enemy of mine
taken the advantage of his drinking
spells to goad him On to do me bodily
HARM"
Mr.. J. II. Lesene has been retained
by Mr.. Yoemans to assist Capt: W. G.
Davis in his defence. News and Cou
rier.
Manning, May 5.-Magistrate S.
NJ. Youmans, who killed John r.
Keels, a lawyer lately from Sumter,
in front of the court house on Monday
last, is still in jail. He has retained
Messrs. W. C. Davis and j. Ii.
Lesesne as counsel, who will make ap-
piication this week before Judge
Purdy for bail under habeas corpus
proceedings.
The dichulty was expected by many
for the last 30 days, as the parties had
had some trouble about that time and
Keels, who was known throughout
Sumter, Lee and Clarendon counties
to be desperate man, had been max
ing threats since then against You
mans.
Several witnesses have testified at
the coroner's inquest and by affidavit
that Keels rushed up to where You
mans was standing and struck him,
whereupon Youmans. having been
warned by friends during the day to
look out for Keels, drew his pistol and
commenced firing in rapid succession.
One witness has also sworn that in