The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-07-19

Copes, in the Army.
peniteneiary Authorities to Max
Inquiries. Brief Resume Of
the Crime and Escape.
The murder of Treasurer Copes, o
Orangeburg, In the year 1895, ha
passed from the memory Of the publi'
now, although it created an imnens'
sensation in the state at the time. l
is recalled at this time by the report
which is more OF less well authenti
Gated, that Murphy, white, who wa
convicted OF the crime is now in the
Philippines, private in the army
though what regiment or company he
is a member OF is not known.
a former penitentiary guard told
Columbia Record reporter that r7la
tive OF Murphy told him that, DO"
that the whole thing was over, ne
would say that Murphy was ID the
Philippines, though his exact where
abouts in the Islands he did not know:
Superintendent Griffith said he hao
never heard the report until informed
Of it by l. newspaper man, but SAID he
would make some inquiries, though il
is hardly probable that anything Will
come Of them, as Murphy most likely
is living under an assumed name, ano
possibly has so changed in persona.
appearance that 1t would be difficult
to identify him.
Treasurer Copes was killed about
1895, having been on a tax collecting
tour through the country. He was
shot with q shotgun at lonely place
on the public road some miles from
Orangeburg, and for sometime there
was no clue whatever to the criminal.
Finally, Murphy, a somewhat worth
less white man, was arrested and &C.
cused of the crime. a great deal OF
the evidence against him was circum'
stantial, but he was convicted. bis
case went to the supreme court, was
sent back, as the circumstances are
recalled, and a second conviction was
had. Murphy was sentenced to De
hanged. His aged father, however,
succeeded In enlisting the services OF
Mi. NJ. P. Carroll, a prominent lawyer
in Augusta, who secured a great deal
Of circumstantial evidence going to
prove an alibi. Much Of this evidence
was considered worthless by those
who knew the source OF it, but per.
sonal appeals added to the alleged
evidence induced Governor Ellerbe to
commute the sentence to life imprls-
onment.
Murphy was during appeal taken to
the penttentiar7 for safe keeping pre-
yions to final action. The goVerno,
visited him in his cell once OF twice.
Newspaper men were frequent callers
and penitentiary authorities were con-
stantly on the alert and made ire
ouent endeavors to get Murphy to
talk about the crime. Further than
DENY his guilt he would say nothing,
and either tried to appear 1mbeclEc
or wss actually parsonage on that
order, though it was evident that he
was a man Of such mental capacity as
to be accountable for any crime he
may have committed.
After the communication he was put
to work about the penitent.ary and
his life was no different from that OF
other convicts in the yard. he was
plaeed In cell in the old building
with a white convict named Cullon,
sent down from Oconee for highway
robbery. Their cell was on the sec
ond floor, facing long portico run.
ming around the building. By some
means they managed to secret files
and other tools about their persons OF
in their cell, and after what must
have been long and tedious and CON
stantly interrupted work they were
enabled to open the cell door.
One dark night about four OF i've
years ago, watching when the guard
was elsewhere they opened the cell
door, crawled, likely, to the end OF
the portico, sliding down one OF the
supporting columns to the ground.
The penitentiary yard is brilliantly
lighted by electricity and very high,
smooth brick wall surrounds the
building. Notwithstanding this the
two men succeeded in escaping the
eye OF the guards and scaling the walls
and securing their liberty. Before
leaving one OF them, at least, showed
that be possessed the sense OF humoi
to some degree. With charcoal writ
ten on the walls were sentences like
the following: ''Sorry to leave you.
"God be with you till we meet again.
"Good bye, we are bound fer South
America" There were some Others
on a similar order mingled with 90
scenity.
Every effort was made to recapturt
the men, but they successfully eludee
detection and never were heard OF un
til a few weeks ago, when the report
that Murphy was In the Philippine!
reached Columbia. Penitentiary au
thorities had forgotten the circulu
stance along with everybody else. M
| information has ever been received a!
| to Cuilom. He may be in the Paelf'
islands too, but as his crime was no
so serious as that Of his cell partner
| perhaps he did not think 1t necessar!
| to get so far away from home.
Some Good in Them.
The State says all Pennsylvania
are not ircurable boodlers, howeye
strongly the Philadelphia Record ma!
uphold the theory. The other da,,
| n p-;o1,o- of Worwfck Pa