The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-10-19

J
! the nights stirring events Is as
| follows:
Kingstree, Oct. 16:-l'he his
tory of Williamsburg comfy
has Just escaped a most bloody
chapter in the sequel to the
death of Mr. Julian Wilson, the
aged gentleman who was so
brutally murdered IN the store
of w P Cooper & Co., sixteen
miles below Kingstree, last FIJI
day night. and serious trouble
was several times during Satur-
dav night averted by the pres
ence of Sheriff Graham and
Solicitor John S Wilson.
News of the crime was rapid
ly spread throughout the coun-
ty and crowds of men could be
seen making their way to the
scene ali during the day, from
early morning until 2 or 3 o'clock
Saturday night On all roads
leading to the store from every
direction, men travelling in every
conceivable conveyance, some
riding horseback, some in bug
gies, some in wagons and some
walking, made their way to the
place of the tragedy. The most
serious events of the gathering
occurred after dark when sew
eral attempts were made to gain
possession of the negro Arthur
Williams and once he was al
most within the hands of the
crowd, but by rapid and vigor-
Gus work the sheriff secured him
again and locked him up in one
of the rooms of the store and
placed a heavy guard on duty.
Solicitor Wilson jumped up
on the counter and made an
earnest plea that the law should
be allowed to take its cowse
and promising that he would
make every effort to secure a
special term of court for the
purpose of giving the negro an
Immediate trial. The sons OF the
dead man begged that the pris-
oner be not lynched, with an
argument that they might not
vet have the right man, and
even if they did have the right
man, alynching now would cut
off the prospects of catching the
others who were supposed to be
implicated in the murder.
The solicitor and the sheriff
and his supporters deserve
much credit for the mastery
manner in which they protected
the prisoner and held the mad
dened crowd at bay, for as the
sheriff remarked, at was a hot
time"
He reached town yesterday
morning with four negroes,
Arthur Williams, Jenkins Bur
rows, Miller Harrison and John
Scott, who were placed in jail
and are strongly suspected with
having played some part i'll the
tragedy.
The coroner reached the scene
about 4 o'clock in the afternoon
anu Iimmediately empaneled a
jury of inquest, but although
Solicitor Wilson examined the
witnesses and facilitated the
work in making the investiga'
tions in every manner, the in
QUESTION is still incomplete, the
hearing having heen adjourned
until Tuesday:
The remains of the murdered
man were inferred yesterday
morning at II O'Clock in the
church yard of the old Indian.
town church in the presence OF
the largest crowd ever noted at
a funeral in this section of the
county.
VERDICT OF ooRoNBR's JURY.
The adjourned coroner's in
quest met again on Tuesday and
after carefully weighing all the
evidence, rendered the following
verdict: That the deceased
came to his death at the handa
of Arthur Williams, Jenkins Bur
rows and Robert Scott. The
Jury of inquest was composed of
men of unusual intelligence and
dis cretion, with former super
visor B B Chandler as foreman.
The evidence against the fourth
negro Harrison under suspicion
is so slight the jury did not feel
warranted in finding a verdict
against him.
SOME NEW EVIDENCE.
The three negroes implicated
by the coroner's jury seem to
be pretty deeply in the tolls and
the chain of circumstantial evi.
dence IS being forged link by
link. When arrested one of the