The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-12-07
, TRIPLE TRAGEDY.
Madison James, Lunatic, Kills His
Wife and Pro.her. iu-L Law.
WAS BIMsELF SHOT TO DEATH.

WAS EIMsELF SHOT TO DEATH.
Three Of the Sheriff's Posse Was
Wounded in an All-DaY Fight
With the Desperate
Madison James, a farmer living IN
the kelleytown section OF Darlington
County about five miles from darfs-
vile, shot and killed his wife on Fri
day night, murdered his brother-in-
law, Mr. Sid Kelley, Saturday morn
inc about 9 O'Clock, and VAS himself
shot to death about O'Clock Satur-
day afternoon by sherltfs posse
after an all day battle. James was a
man about fifty years OF age, and
heretofore peaceab BILE, inofensive
man Two years ago he was sent to
the asylum at c ;lumbia and had be
discharged and returned home only
about seven weeks aSo.
James was well-to-do farmer in
spite OF the mental infrmitles from
which he had suffered aud was thought
10 be cured. With his wife, who vas
a MISS Kelley, OF KeDeytown, a lccali-
ty in Darlington County, well known,
be lived in a large farm hCu;e. His
no:her in law, Mrs. Kelley, was in the
hou Friday ngat and about 10
O'Clock a quarrel arose between tn s
venerable woman Of IS and James.
Mrs. James took the part tf her
mother. James rage bee .me ungov-
ernable and be ran to another room
for his shotgun. The elder woman
fed ont into the night and, terrified,
escaped to. a neighbor's house. Mrs.
James was overtaken on the piazza by
the frepzied husband, and a charge
fred into her body. Tnat is the story
of Friday nights tragedy.
Later in the night, about y o'clock,
B. Sydney Kelly came to the James
house. All was Quiet. James proba-
oily was sleeping after the exhaustion
following his furious passion. Mr..
Kelly went up the steps Tito the
piazza and covered the body Of bis
dead sister with a sheet. He then re-
turned to his home.
Saturday nt rning be went again to
the house. He had had great 1n1u-
ence over James. he had carried
him to the hospital when he first be-
came insane and believed that alone
be could best quiet the maddened
nan. Wh=n he r-ached the house
James was within. All the doors
were locked. Kelley went to a win
dow at the s.de and James appeared.
A conversation followed. K.lley sit
ting on box, and after few minutes
Kelley turned his face away. In an
other instant the man from within
had fred load Of shot into his neck
and be fell dead. The muzzle OF the
gun was only foot OF TWO from him.
Meanwhile Sheriff George B. Scar
borough and his son, Robert j. Scar
borough, who is his deputy, had been
notified, and they left Darlington,
fifteen or eighteen miles distant, COM
ing as rapidly as possible towards the
scene, sun monirg p Sse on the way.
When they reached kel:eytown there
were from twenty to thirty men IN
the posse, most Of them residents Of
the surrounding Country and some
from Hartsy | e.
When they approached the James
house no sound was heard. Ga the
piazza lay the sheet.coVered corpse OF
the dead wife, and few yards dis
tant, on the ground, was the body OF
hr slainl elder tro her. No answer
came to Sheriff Scarborough's repeat
ed calls. At last the sheriff mounted
the steps, his son close behind him,
and began to force open the door. AS
the door was giving way the roar OF a
shotgun and the rattle Of shot on the
door casing came from within. The
crazed man had opened FIRE. I Q
Sheriff aud deputy retreated. The
pc sse surrounded the house. In mo-
ment another shotcame from within,
fred from window. The fire was an
swered by the posse. Pistols and Win
chester rifes cracked and shotguns
reverberated. The window from which
! the shot had c me was the target.
From 1t other shots came, and for
a brief time the desperate man ct q
tinued to fire. The battle, for such it
was, lasted only short minute or
two. Somebody's bullets, more than
one, had found their mark and the
unhappy creature in the house was
dead. The walls AMI ceiling OF the
room in which he made his last stand
were filed with bullet and shot holes
and the window panes shot into frag
ments. A shotgun and Winchester
rife were found in the house. When
the smoke had cleared away 1t was
found that four members OF the posse
had received wounds, none OF which
is expected to prove fatal.
Mr.. Kelley was one OF the most
prosperous men OF bis neighborhcod
and a man who exerted among his
people most excellent influence for
good. Everyone here feels it loss
TO the section that he has been killed,
for a bigger hearted, more honest
man it would be hard to find. Neigh
bors insist that James was not crazy
when he murdered his wife and her
brother. They say that be was an
gry with Kelley flr sending him to
the asylum and that the murders fol-
lowed as a result OF this.
His action from all accounts were
remarkably deliberate and his fight
for eight hours remarkably we'll con-
Quoted for man who was tempora
rily berett Of mind. There can be no
doubt, however, that Mr.. Kelley be-
lie7ed him insane when be approached
him Saturday morning OF else be
would not have acted in a way so
foreign t, his usually careful, if fear
less, disposition. There was much !