The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-02-24
SHOT FROM AMBUSH.
A Lexington Farmer Met Death at
the Hands Of Two Men.

the Hands Of Two Men.
The Columbia State says John W
Meetze, a Lexington county farmer
was shot in the face with two load.
OF buckshot Friday afternoon within
a stones throw Of his young wife anc
little child by an unknown white mar
said to have been concealed behind
Meetze's pasture fence With a lad, alst
white and also unknown. The afai
was reported in Brooklan5, six ant
one-haif miles distant, by q negro wo
man servant. whom Meetze's assallan
fred upon at the same time and wht
is dangerously if not fatally injured
She was shot through the lower loo
Of the right lung and in the righ1
elbow. The negro woman was brought
to Brookland in a wagon by negro
man, whose house nearby she manag
ed to reach after being shot dowr
near the public road, toward which
she was retreating from the fence al
the time she was fire upon.
She reported the facts to Dr.. c. W
Barron, her employers physician al
Brooklald, and he with Mr.. Lei
Meetze, Brookland brother Of the
murdered man, Mr.. Doyle and Mr..
Woods, FASTENED to the scene, leaving
the other Brookland brother, Mr..
Early Meetze, in Brookland to care
for his mother, who is i'll. They
aroused the neighbohood but no trace
Of the assailants could be found. This
was about 6 o'clock and some three
hours after the shooting, but Mr..
George Earhardt, living about a
quarter Of mile from the scene, who
had heard Of the matter from the ne
groes, had begun Investigations at
once but also without result. The
body was found within Is yards Of the
fence on it's back with the left side of
the face toward the fence. Fourteen
buckshot had entered the face and
side of the head, the theory being
that Meetze met the first lood square
in the face as he was approaching the
men In hiding and that the second
came in the side Of the head as he
turned in falling. Either load would
have resulted in instant death. Meetze
was said to be unarmed.
The negro woman says that she did
not notify Mrs. Meetze, who was alone
with her child in the house, for fear
of disastrously frightening 1er. She
says that she first discovered the men
lying behind the fence, which crowns
little ridge just above the Meetze
mill pond, and went to the mill where
Mr.. Meetze vas at work and told him
what she had seen. She went with
him to point out the place. When
they fred on him she ran and they
fred the third load at her. She pre-
sumes that they ran to make their
escape when they saw her fall sup
posedly dead. She saw only the man
with the shotgun well enough to re-
cognize him il SIZE sees him again.
She described him as being clean
shaven and wearing heavy head OF
black hair. The other man, who was
unarmed so far as she could see, was
careful to conceal his face from her.
a remarkable fact In connection
with the matter is that Meetze's
father, Dub Meetze, met his death
about 16 years ago in a similar man-
ner within half a mile Of the same
spot. The dead mans Brookland
brothers are said to be good citizens.
They are doing well in the livery
stable business there. John is said to
have been a hard drinker at times and
Of turbulent disposition when under
the influence Of whlskeY, and, it is al
legged, he has been in several rows
within the last few montis.
Tillman On Hanna.
I When asked by the Washington
Post for an expression on Senator
Hanna's death, Senator Tiliman said:
Senator Hanna W02 place fo1
himself in the senate eqalled by few
men among US simply throught his
manliness. When be came to the sen.
ate be was painted in lurid colors.
and the senate was suspicious Of him
BE won the day in short time, how
ever, through his manly and straigh'
toward character.
He was one Of the true type o.
progressive, aggressive and capable
American manhood that does things
We have had men in the senate more
brilliant, but few who eQualled Sena
tor Hanna in plain, honest manlines$
and effective ability. He was at one
time very much maligned man; II
fact. during one Of the latest talks
had with him we laughingly discussed
our relative grievances in that re
spect. remember that I remarked
to him that if we were both as bat
as we were sometimes made out to bs
we ought to be hung.
Yes, senator, be replied. /, have
been quite relieved since came her'
to find that you we're not such an un
speakable scoundrel as thought yol
were"
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