The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-08-10
MANY YEARS OF HATE
Marked Progress Of the carter-Rawl.
iass Feud Before Fatal Chapter
Of Tragedy Was Reached.

II the morbid interest which has
cente!ed in the turning of the scales Of
JUS ice in the final chapter OF one OF
:he now most famous feuds the south
has ever fosSered, the public has lost
sight Of the origin OF the passion which
spread is contagious hatred of a fe!-
low human being, AMI all that was MS,
from iataer, J. G. Rawlings, to his
so2s, Milton, Jesse and Leonard.
The teud between Rawlings and
Cater daies back over five years.
Eoth were, at one time, ministers OF
the gospel. Carter was for three years
member of the South Georgia Con-
ference, while Rawlings was stauncn
upholGer OF the Baptist church. Both
lived in Coffee county at that time,
and in the same settlement. Here, as
n many sections, it is considered
breach Of good citizenship to decline
20 assist in log rolling or house
moving. 1t was the failure of Carter to
accept Rawlings invitation to come
over and assist at house moving that
caused the first breach between the
two.
At the time that Rawlings issued the
;ny:ttt;on 10 Carter the latter was
in almost destitute circumstances. He
had just been burned out, and had
made no crop, and on the day he was
TO go to Rawlings he had to go to a
relatives twenty miles distant to get
a side of meat. Several days later he
met Rawlings in the road and was
cursed and abused. This was the
starting of the feud.
For three years Carriers life was
made burden 10 him. He was arrest
ed on a dozen different charges, all
preferred by Rawlings. He was charg-
ed with cattle stealing, with carrying
concealed weapons, with false swear
ing at the polls, for uttering false land
titles and other harassing charges.
He was constantly defendant in
court with Rawlings as the prosecutor,
until finally he moved out of the
county into Lowndes. Rawlings also
moved his abode, finally settling in the
same district N which Carter lived.
Carter complained many times that
his cattle were killed by some un-
known person, whom he had good rea-
son to suspect was Rawlings. His
crops were trampled down and he
suffered other ills.
Last summer Willie Carter, the
young 10y who was murdered on the
night of June 1S, was bathing in
creek dividing his fathers land from
that Of Rawlings. The three Rawlings
boys caught him and nearly drowned
him, accusing him Of stealing some OF
their watermelons.
In the trial Of case in magls-
trate's court some months ago Car
ter's throat was cut by man named
Mcdonald, and Carter alleges that this
assault was instigated by Rawlings.
Last April Carter went out to look
for a COW which had been missing for
several days. While searching for ele
lost animal he met the elder Rawlings.
Carter claims that, without speaking
word Rawlings unslung his rifle and
! commenced shooting, the first bullet
striking him in the hand and the next
one going through the bone in his right
leg Just below the knee.
Carter fell forward and pretended
that he was dead. Rawlings walked up
to within 80 PAGES and fired three more
shots, the bullets going through Car
ter's hat.
Believing Carter dead, Rawlings
went to the pastor of his church, and
told him that he had met Carter and
that when Carter attempted to shoot
him, he had killed him.
Warrants were sworn out for Rawl-
ings, and he was to have been tried at
the last term of the superior court,
but he secured a continuance through
the leave of absence given his attor-
ney. @he neighbors of both families
then predicted that Rawlings would
kill some member of the Carter family.
He made open threats, which reached
the ears of Solicitor Thomas. The re-
suitAwas that Rawlings was required
to give a peace bond. He was forced
TO give firm in Valdosta mortgage
on his place for $1,000 in order to
get them to go On his bond. He is
quoted as saying when he gave the
Lond:. "There's no use in making this
bond, for am going to kill old Carter
yet.''
The question of bond was not Z
moro m after of FORM but was person.