The Savannah morning news., 1904-08-23
.DEFIED LAW AND
WENT TO HIS WIFE
BUT BENNETT KILLED HER.
SOUTH CAROLINA MAN WHO WAS
HERE, IN TROUBLE AGAIN.

Thought His Wife Was a Burglar in
Their Home at BrunsOn, :. C., and
Shot Her Through the Hearth. ID.
Bennett, Convicted of MansIauGh-
ter, Had Been PardOned With I'm
derstandinE That He Leave south
CarOIina-FrOm Savannah Last
FEBRUARY He Tried to Get FUN
Pardon from Governor.
Charleston, S. c., Aug. 22.-In Brun-
son, Hampton county, last night. ]. b.
Bennett shot and killed his wife.
He was awakened by a noise he sup
posed to be rats, and looking toward
a window in their bedroom, saw some
one whom he supposed to be a burglar
Drawing his pistol from under his pill
low, he shot the supposed burglar
through the heart. She died instantly.
Bennett was implicated in murder
in 1895 and was pardoned on condition
that he should never return to the
state. His wife has been living near
Brunson this year, and it seems Ben
nett has made frequent visits to her,
some of them quite nged.-Asso-
ciated Press Dispatch.
Bennett is known in Savannah
where he lived for quite while after
leaving the South Carolina peniten-
tiary. Readers of the Morning News
will recall that last February Bennett
sent a telegram from this city to Gov.
Hayward. asking that he be permitted
to return TO his native state.
"All my property and my people are
in South Carolina. VIII you grant me
privilege of returning there? Answer
Immediately"
weot at Refusal.
On Feb. 20, Bennett sent this tele-
gram to South Cardinals Governor
from the Planters Hotel in this city
Gov Hayward was, obdurate and it
was said Bennett wspt bitterly when
he received word that he would have
to remain in banishment. He told
those with whom he talked how anxious
he was to return to his wife, saying
that property at his old home pre-
cluded the possibility of his wife join
ing him in Georgia.
Immediately after the receipt of the
telegram from the Governor Bennett
disappeared, and no trace of him could
be found by those who became in
terested in his case. For some days
it was believed he had committed sui
eide and then the case was forgotten.
1t is probable, in the light of Sunday
nights developments, that Bennett
went from Savannah to South Caro-
lima in the face of the Governors re-
fusal to grant him a full pardon.
Given a Life Sentence.
Bennett is a white man, who togeth-
er with BurreN Thomas, was convict
ed in Hampton county in 1896, of man
slaughter the victim being John
Lightsey. He was sent to the state
penitentiary to serve a life sentence,
but started in to work for a pardon,
first making application to Gov. Eller-
be. Senator Warren of Hampton in
forwarding one of these applications
to Gov insolvency said that Gov. Ell
lerbe had told him he would pardon
Bennett if it could be established that
it was not he who struck the fatal
blow Many applications were received
one signed by all of the jury, except
one man, all of the county officers. and
many prominent citizens. AffidaVits
were also submitted by Preston
Lightsey. the victims brother and w.
H. Crews, an eye witness, to the ef-
feet that Bennett was not the actual
murderer.
Gov. insolvency finally agreed that
if Bennett would leave the state, never
to return he would pardon him, and
on Jan. 16, 1908, the convict was given
bis liberty. He then left for his sis
ter's home in Georgia, about 400 miles
away from the scene of the crime for
which he had been convicted