The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-10-11
THE CAMDEN MYSTERY.
Mr.. r. ". Porter, Who Was in Com
pany With Mr.. Mcdowell, Was
Found With Broken Skull.


Columbia, October 4.-Governor
Hayward was asked today by long dis
tance telephone to offer reward for
the murderer of Robert Mcdowell
The statement is made that there is
great deal of excitement in Camdel'
over the case, and to add to the ex-
citement, this morning Mr.. R.
w. Porter, who is men,
Der of the jury in the famous Gill
lis case. was found about two miles
FROM Camden with a fractured skull
Governor Hayward was advised that
there has been no connection shown,
nor is it thought that the waylaying
of the Juror in the ellis case had
ANYTHING to do with the trial that is
now going on.
This morning about o'clock, Mr..
Tom Ammons, rural free delivery
mail carrier, found Mr.. r. W. Porter
of West wateree, with a deep wound
in the back part Of his head, near the
Wateree bridge, at Camden.
Mr.. Porter is in a semi-conscious
condition. He does not know any
thing, except that he was with Mr..
Mcdowell when he was Knocked
de-.
II. Porter is one of the jurymen in
the ellis and Whitaker case. He is
man about 55 years Of age, is married
and has several children.
! Nj. Porter, when found, did not
know where he was or how he got
there
Mr.. Ammons brought him back to
Camden, and took him to DR.. Dunn's
home. DR.. Dunn found that he had a
fractured skull and a wound in the
back part of his head about three
inches long and one apd a half
inches deep, he sewed up the wound,
dressed it, and sent MIN to the Wa
teree House, where he is now resting.
DR.. Dnnn says that the wound, in all
probability, will prove fatal.
Mr.. C. L. Evans, the proprietor of
the Wateree House, whose hotel is
next to the store OF, Mr.. Mcdowell,
says that last night about $3.50 o'clock
he, Mr. Mathis and Mr.. Porter were
in Mr.. McDowell's store talking Mr..
Mcdowell was just getting ready to
close up the store when Mr.. G. W.
Wilson came in and bought box of
candy. Mr.. Mcdowell took out
small sack, which was on his black
oil cloth book case, to make the nee
essary change Mr.. Evans says the
sack looked as if it contained about
! ten or twenty dollars in silver. He
does not remember whether Mr.. Nc
DoweIl put the money in his pocket
or in the book case. Mr.. Mcdowell
then closed the store, and Mr.. Evans,
Mr. Mcdowell and Mr.. Porter started
home. Mr.. Evans left them at his
hotel, and Mr.. Mcdowell and Mr.. Por-
| ter went on their way home.
Mr.. Porter usually stays with Mr..
Mcdowell when in Camden, as they
are kinsmen.
The only thing that Mr.. Porter
knows is that he was going home
with Mr.. Mcdowell, and at some place
and at some time, he was his on the
head and that is all that he knows.
The place wehere he was found is at
least two miles from where the rob-
| Der or robbers, held them up. The
doctor and everyone think it strange
| that a man in such a condition could
wander so far; they think he must
down there. In his daZed condition.
| Mr.. Porter found himself in a field.
He did not know where he was. or
how he got there. The first that he
knew he was wounded was when he
took off his hat and found his head
cut. He walked over in the darkness
until he came to the lot where he was
found this morning by Mr.. Ammons.
Mrs a. C. Watts, who lives directly
opposite where the hold-up took
place. says that about $50 last night
she heard two distinct licks. She ran
out of the house, but heard nothing Or
saw nothing more. y little later Rob-
bic Mcdowell found his father there
r. w Simpson, Jr., will shortly
sever his connection as editor of the
Greenville News The name Of his