The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-12-20
WENT TO SEE.
Mr.. g. B. Kittell Claims That It Is
Tan Murphy.

Capt. Griffith. Mr.. Kittreil and Mr..
Hardy Will Take a Look at
the Famous Prisoner.
The Columbia State says that 1t
appears that after all Dan s. Murphy
may be in arrest in Swaipsboro, Ga,
As has been published in The State,
Mr.. Geo. B. Kittrell, Of OrangeburP
county has assurances from the sheriff
at Swainsboro that the prisoner IL
very much like a photograph OF Muir
ply, taken while he was In jail In Or
apgeburg awaiting trial.
Sergt. @. @. Roberts Of the peniten
tiary guard was sent to Swainsborc
about ten days ago to see II the maj
In prison there was Murphy, as haf
been alleged by the chief Of police o.
Augusta. Sergt. 4 ,berts reported by
wire that the man was not Murphy.
although it was singular that the mar
conv'c ted of horse stealing at SWANS
boro attempted to take his life whe'
he heard that an officer from South
Carolina was coming for him. b
broke a bottle and with a Jagged pie"t
Of glass made a wound GA his wri t
from which he bled profussly and biz
condition was discovered just In timt
to save bis life.
Whether it was from his emaciatef
condition on account of this blood let
ting, or IN account of. the change o
five years of out door life upon tn
o%ountenance OF one who had bean con
fined in a cell, Sergt R ,berts was IN
able to identify the man as Murphy
However, on his return to Columbia
be did report to Capt. Griffith, super
%intendent OF the peniteLtiary, that he
suspected the man Notwithstanding
the fact that there was a marked dis
crepa1cy in the height Of the m IN In
arrest at S Vainsboro and the height
of the man in The penitentiary a.
shown by the penitentiary records.
Murphy had had several teeth miss
Ing, and the man In Ill at S Rainsboro
had a. gold crown in the place where
these teeth were missing. Sergt. Rob.
erts being unable to complete the i6en-
tiication, Capt. Griffith had written
to the sheriff at Swainsboro to send
photograph OF the man in prison there,
and this has not yet been done.
Thursday Gov. Hayward took the
matter up with Capt. Griffith and the
latter, instead Of going to Washington
to attend the meeting Of the commits
sion to confer with Mr.. r losevelt IN
regard to Southern Interstate reform
atory, decided to leave at once for
Swainsboro and to take a look at the
prisoner himself. he will be accom-
panied by Corporal Hardy, one Of the
oldest men at the ~penitentiary, In
point Of service on the force.
MI. Kittrell arrived in the city
Thursday night and will accompany
Capt. Grifiah to S xainsboro. MI. Kit.
trell is the man who, With Mr.. w. o.
Tatun, ran Murphy down and accom-
plished his conviction in 1897. MI.
Kittrell was auditor of Orsn -eb 'rg
county at the time and was very much
interested in the case. He said Thurs.
day night that but for a miscarriage
OF Justice there night have been
others convicted In counec ion with
Dan Murphy. He Is sure that the
man In Ill at S Wainsboro is Dan Muir.
ply, for his actions have indicated as
much. Murphy Is kro IN to have been
in that part Of the c )untry anyway.
Swainsboro is N Emanuel county, equ
distant from Augusta and Savannah,
and Is not on a thr- ugh line Of. rail.
way. -. e..
"A special. to The State Thursday
night from Orangebnrg says:
The impression here Is that the
penitentiary guard mide q mistake,
Murphy's wife's relatives moved to
S~ainsboro several years ago and it
has been reported here several times
taat he ranged b. tween S~wainsboro
aud >Jacksonville..
%"It is also reported. that q party
here had located Murphy at SWANS.
boro just prior to the time the fact of
MurphY's being q Georgia convict be-
came known and that. this psrty had
aoped to secure the reward, The ssnti
ment here has ne Vert changed, Murphy
Is still believed guilty: The statement
Of his Georgi a relatives that he was In
Augusta at. the tine OF the murder of
Treasurer Copes has been proven false
1t Is believed to have been unwise to
have committed the sentence of a man
who 80 richly deserved his DEATH,
without making some IF )rts to verify
the statements made In Murphy's be-.
half at the last moment and which.
could have been disprovsd without
much trouble. w 4
MR. KITTRELL 8 STATEMENT.
Mr.. Klttrell made the following
signed statement for TheeState before
he left home Thursday: {:
Cope, s. c., Dec. IA, 1905.
The State,
Columbia, S. o.,
You ask my reason for believing
person at Swainsboro Dan Murphy. I
aave always felt like some one in au
thorlty was bribed to give him his
liberty, and If they we're and any of
them sent they could not afford to
identify him, so when l saw by the
papers it was not him 1 sent bis pic.
thre to sheriff at SIainsboro and wro'e