The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-05-17
News cries No

house into two parts. Captain Wells
occupied one side and stukes and his
wife the other. Captain Wells was
found lying face downward in the
passage just where he fell.
The full story of the killing is told
in the testimony taken at the inquest,
which is reproduced in full herewith,
along with a statement made by
stukes.
I Fraser Gibbes: ct was standing just
beside him and there was a kind Of
tangIe talk between them. Mr.. Wells
said colclough had no business going
on with his wife in the house. Col
capugh hold him She WAS HIS wife Eand
he was gong t6 rule per ;and he did
not think Mr. Wells had anything to
id with her colclough went off last
night and he came back this morn
ing just before daylight and Mr..
Wells did not like it. Today before
ID O'Clock Colclough stukes sent for
his wife and got at her for something
and told her that he wanted her to.
come over TO. Mr.. Wells house at y.
O'clock and he to7d11 the boys he was
going to show us he was a natural
man. Mr.. Wells told Colclough that
if he did not stop quarreling with his
wife he would get off his bond. Mr.
Wells told Boot Washington to go for
Magistrate Ingram and tell him to
come over! for stukess and, just as Mr..
Wells turned his back sColclough hit
him in the back with his knife, The
tine he hit him the. first lick Mr..
Wells turned and hollered one time
and fell. After he. fell Colclough
stood oyer him and kept stabbing.
After he stopped cutting him .Stukes
walked down the passage out on the
piazza and called for his wife. I saw
colclough when he cut Mr. Wells the
first time.
Robert Dolls: .I heard Mr. Wells
say: 4co,clough if you don't do bet
ter Lam going to come OFF your bond:
Then / heard him call Boot CNathan)
and tel him to catch a
mule and go ever to the Ingrams and
tell him to come and bring pair of
shackles with him. He said Col;
clough is doing no better; instead of
doing better he is getting worse and I
am going to put him on the chain
gang. I did not hear anything more
When I saw them again Mr.. Wells
was lying on the floor and Stukes was
kneeling over him scuttiag him i was
IN the. yard, did not hear Mr. Wells
holler-was about 80 yards from the
house. I heard stdkes say in the
field today that he was going to show
uss something today.
q 49, = q t1f
Moses Weeks: "I was n the field
and Golclough called me and said:
Come. to me quick He said, TT is no
use to- do any more work because OLD
man Dave is dead. I killed him He
said that he had taken one mans
wife and he had attempted to take
his
Nathan Washington: when got
to the lot this morning. Colclough
asked me if I had gained any rounds
on him yesterday-Fraser told Mr..
Wells that me and Fraser had gained
some rounds ON him while he was
standing in the shade, and told him
that I did not remember gaining any
rounds on him at all. He then said
that Mr.. Wells. said 7 had gained two
or three rounds on him the. other
evening plowing in the cotton field.
Mr.. Wells said it is not the rounds
they are gaining on you, but it is the
way you are going on and staying off
at night. You promised me that you
would stop fooling with that girl over
the branch if I would go on your
bond. Stukes and his wife were
quarreling at 12 o'clock. I heard Mr..
Wells tell Stukes that he had prom
ised him that if he went on his bond
he would leave off with women and
stay at home with his wife. I Gid not
see Colclough cut him with the knife.
was lying on a bench on the piazza
and did not hear anything until he
was dead"
DR.. C.: P. osteen: Upon examina-
ton. of the dead body of D. E. Wells
I find twenty knife cuts, any one Of
eight of them being of sufficient grav-
ity' to cause death. The wounds are
situated chiefly upon the posterior
surface of the body ranging from the