The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-05-05
UNDER ARREST.
Prominent Men Charged With
the Killing of Morrison.
SENSATION SPRUNG.
Many Prominent Citizens of the Town
of Kershaw and of Lancaster
Charged With the Lynching
of Morrison at Kerstaw

os "Ah tuC LyHCuInX
of Morrison at Kershaw
Last October.
| Aspecial dispatch from Lancaste,
to The State says greatly to the sur.
prise Of all this section several arrests
have been made in the case of the
lynching which occurred at Kershaw
this county, last October. The men
arrested are the most prominent and
influential men of Lancaster county.
They are:
John I. Stevens, manager of the
Kershaw Merohantile & Banking Co.
Stewart w. Heath, president and
manager OF the Heath Supply COM
pany.:
S. W. .Welch, also with the Heath
Supply company and son of the mayor
of Kershaw.
Frank Hough, q beer dispenser and
memter OF prominent family.
| Inc hearrests Of the above were made
IN Chester, where the men had gone
on business.
Warrants are also out for the fol-
lowing citizens OF K.rshaw: s. T.
Gardner, Jr., Burwell Truesdale,
HenryJ. Gardner, John Holden, VIM.
Croxton, Sr., W. e. Belk, Tom Jones,
j. W.tAustin, and others. 1t Is un.
derstood that there are 40 warrants
IN all,il6 OF the men accused living in
the town of Kershaw and the others
Ia Che country. Two other white
men and negro are already in Jail ia
this charge. The warrants charpa
the parties with completely in the
lynching Of Morrison at Kershaw in
October.
Inc warrants were sworn out be.
fore Magistrate w. P. Caskey several
days ago by h. B. Howie, special
detective. The four men named
above mad no notice Of the intended
arrest, 1t Is stated, and had gone to
Chester on personal business when the
warrants were served. All the par
Ties against whom warrants have been
taken out will be on hand at the pre-
lim1nary which will be held by Magjs.
tfate Gas key Friday morning at this
|Lplace I6 is ndefstood that tie cibi.
.zs tf,SyT =. = si1ss VII sils-
I's> nc, ,asi,I,tss and charter apecia.
drain and take all who wish to go free
20 lancaster to attend the hearing.
There Is great confidence among the
people OF Kershaw that the charges
will amount to nothing and that the
citizens will soon be at liberty, al.
though 1T Is intimated In some quar-.
ters that one of the number has turn
ed States evidence. The case has been
worked up by Detective Howie and
w. II. Newbold of Chester. There
are large number Of affidavits upon
which the arrests were made.
THE LYNCRINa OF MORRISON.
John L. Morrison was Iynched on
the night OF October End, 1904, in
Lancaster county, near the Kershaw
county line, four hours after he had
killed VIII Floyed, another white
man. Floyd was Morrison's fourth
Victim. Morrison met Floyd on the
afternoon of the killing and asked him
for the loan OF 10 cents. Floyd told
him he did not have any change,
Shereupon Morrison shot him twice,
one shot taking effect in the right
side OF FlOyd's back and the other
striking his arm, breaking it. Morri
son Is said to have told lin Robinson
that he intended to kill Floyd and
this statement was corroborated later
by Morrison, who said before being
hanged that he did not want or need
the 10 cents, but asked for it from an
enemy In order tc raise fuss with
Floyd, whom he had for three or four
years Intended to kill on an old
srudge.
The governor used every possible
means to prevent Morrison from being
lynohed, sending Sheriff Hunter and
deputies from Lancaster to Kershaw
on special train, and another special
from Camden bearing company OF
State militia, was also ordered to the
scene but to no avail. The sheriff
vas too late. Just as his train rolled
into the town, the mob, which hao
gathered about the guard house, took
the prisoner therefrom and dispatched
| hlm to the woods, where he was
strung up with buggy traces and shot
several times.
The murdered man was the son o,
Robert S. Floyd. substantial citizen
living near Kershaw. He was marie d
and farmer and was said to be an
'xception lily fac young fellow, high
y Thought Of. So great was the in
iigDation over the murder OF Floyed
that no lot in KershaH could be
bought to bury Morrison and his boay
vas inferred In the pauper's plot.
THE CASE DISMISSED.
The cas.s az ainst defendants arrest
I'd In connection with the KersnaH
ynobing were dismissed b. Magistra e
Uasky at Lancaster On Friday. The
solicitor afterwards withdrew the pros
ecntion OF all others for whom war.
ants had been issued. The motion OF
ihe solicitor fot the continuance OF
tne preliminary TO next Wednesday OF
the ground that he was not ready wa>
drat argued and refused NeRbold aud
tlowie, detectives, were called, but die
OF appear. The defendants attorneys
hen made motion to dismiss, for
tne reason, first, that the state fall O
10 produce any testimony whatever
second because the warrants on which
me defcndants were arrested wei,
sworn cut tefore the magistrate and
signed by him while beyond his juris-
dtction In Chester county. The motion
was granted. e. d. Blakeney, Williams
& Williams, and @. D. Jones repre-
S1nted the defendants. Ey5rythino